Author: npacem_webmaster

       At the end of April this year, seven or eight young brothers and sisters from the Mainland came to Hong Kong during the May 1 holidays. They visited various special education institutions to observe and learn, and they attended NPAC’s meetings and worship services on Saturday and Sunday. These brothers and sisters have been looking after children with special needs for some time. Besides teaching the children knowledge, they also helped the children learn to take care of themselves in daily life. I listened to them attentively. I could feel their passion for serving, their meticulous thoughts and rich creativity. Despite limited resources, they have tapped into their boundless imagination to let the children have different experiences. God has put in their faith community a heart of love for children with special needs in the hope that every child could grow up in love.

       The Saturday afternoon of their visit happened to be a special joint meeting of the fellowships of the Disability Ministry. A visually impaired pastor and several visually impaired young adults led praise. The message through the pastor was powerful. The visitors were moved by the meeting. They saw many brothers and sisters with different disabilities, along with their families and servers, singing praises to the Lord and united in spirit. What a beautiful picture it was!

       Serving children with special needs and brothers and sisters with physical disabilities is no simple task. Servers need to learn much, not only methods or skills but also their hearts need to be prepared even more. They learn to listen, get to know, understand and respect one another. Thanks be to God! He has entrusted NPAC to serve the disabled many years ago. I firmly believe that this has not only made it possible for brothers and sisters with disabilities to experience the love of God, learn the truth and grow up in love but it has also allowed the servers grow tremendously, always seeing the wondrous grace and glory of God!

       Due to the pandemic, I have not visited the Mainland for more than three years. Instead, I started taking part in serving the Little Seeds Sunday School last year. It was a brand new learning experience for me. I could feel the love of the teachers for the children. One teacher has shared that she wanted to take the opportunity to serve to let the children with special needs know Jesus from childhood. The Lord Jesus will be their best friend and their lifelong blessing. Thank the Lord for giving us so many ministry partners so that we can learn from each other and testify the Lord’s glory and beauty among the children.

       Today, the work of the Holy Spirit among children with special needs is amazing. Many brothers and sisters among believers on the Mainland are already caring for this community that seems to be marginalized, giving the parents of children with special needs breathing space. May the children experience richer love through us, that spiritual inclusion is nurtured.

       “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)  

      Many years ago, I knew an elderly brother with hearing impairment. He also needed to use a walking stick as he went outside. Nevertheless, he in his wife’s company attended worship services and fellowship meetings every week despite the weather conditions. His attendance always brought his fellowship members encouragement. They felt that if this brother with his many limitations still insisted coming to church for meetings, they really had no excuse for not attending.

      Before the pandemic, the communion cups used to be prepared by hand. Several elderly sisters faithfully took care of this every month for many years. They filled each cup with grape juice. Make no mistake, the task is by no means simple. It requires much patience and steady hands to prevent the juice from spilling.

      A sister shared before that she knew an elderly couple in their eighties surprisingly gave up the idols they had been worshiping for a long time, believed in Jesus and received baptism. That was truly amazing and touching. So the sister tried to go to church and know Jesus. Finally, she even believed in Jesus and was baptized.

      Also, the Zion Choir that consists of the elderly always makes a great effort to practice. Not only do they offer praises to God but they also serve and testify God at memorial services and evangelistic meetings. Other elderly learn how to share the gospel and regularly take part in evangelistic outreach to bring the gospel to unbelievers.

      The elderly may seem to have many limitations and weaknesses and yet their faithfulness to God and steadfastness in faith enable them to still be able to testify God. Their conversion testimonies indeed encourage other brothers and sisters and assure them that the unbelieving elderly in their homes still have opportunities to believe in God. The elderly also faithfully remember their family, the church and brothers and sisters in prayers. They are a real blessing to their relatives and friends as well as the church.

      Due to the pandemic and the rapid changes in society recently, there is a huge and increasing demand for audio and visual support for fellowship meetings. At the same time, there is a great need for care services for the elderly. We are grateful that in the past, a group of counselors have committed themselves to ongoing service (with some having served for over 10 years). They have helped to make the elderly feel cared for and participate in fellowship life. In the future, the number of elderly in the church will continue to grow. We earnestly pray that God will move more brothers and sisters to serve and help the elderly.

      Some late elderly who are unbelievers may see their social circle dwindling as their health deteriorates and their mobility reduced. In that case, their children or relatives who are believers may well be their only channel for hearing the gospel. I remember a brother who worked overseas would encourage his parents in Hong Kong to believe in God every time he called them on the phone. His mother had cancer later but both parents finally expressed willingness to receive the Lord. The brother therefore contacted the church to visit them and hoped they would be baptized. The church cared for them continually. When the mother passed away, her husband no longer had to take care of her and so he regularly attended worship services and fellowship meetings, and even actively served in the elderly fellowship later.

      May God bless the elderly of the NPAC family so they can continue to serve the Lord and testify His grace. Brothers and sisters, never give up on sharing the gospel with the elderly in your home so they, too, will share in the hope of eternal life.

      The other day when I woke up, my heart was full of gratitude. A night’s sound sleep gave me such joy and satisfaction. At the time of writing, it is the fifth day after I was confirmed COVID positive. Before that, I could hardly sleep even though my body was tired due to non-stop coughing and nasal congestion. Today, I realize that sleep could bring infinite joy, and yet this experience is nothing to be taken for granted. There was nothing I could do to make it happen. It is indeed a great blessing from the gracious God who deeply loves me. The Lord’s love gives me motivation to recount His grace.

      The World Health Organization declared on May 5 that COVID no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I was confirmed positive the next day. But that day also marked the beginning of my experience of God’s love. He watches over me every moment. Looking back on the day I was confirmed positive, I was not as shocked as I had imagined. My heart was unusually calm and peaceful. It was very different from my shock when I knew of my family’s infection. The Lord used three years to prepare me to calmly face my own infection! I also found that this was the week that was relatively most “suitable” for my confirmed infection. Just before this, the Lord gave me the strength and voice to complete leading the prayer meeting on Thursday night. In the past three years, I often worried that any COVID infection on my part would increase the workload of fellow pastors. But in the weekend I was confirmed positive, I did not need to preach or lead the congregation. The Heavenly Father seemed to have taken into account even my unwillingness to add to my co-workers’ workload. This convinced me that what happened to me was not random. My times are in the Lord’s hands (Psalm 31:15). As I write this, I almost burst into tears…

      “You have a temperature – 38.3 degrees. Is this tough for you? Are you dizzy or do you feel like vomiting? Let us know if you feel unwell,” the nurse asked gently and I could feel the warmth. Due to my fever, I had soreness, pain and fatigue all over my body. But very thankfully, I fell into deep sleep after taking the medicine when I went home. The next day, the sickness entered Phase II. I only had a slight fever but the pain in my throat was so severe that it interrupted my sleep. The day after that, I coughed non-stop. I tossed and turned throughout the night and my body was so exhausted that I felt as if I was not even able to get up. I asked myself: What should I do? Then I prayed time and again: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The Lord really heard it, and He said the same thing a few times: “This is the path you must go through, but I am here!” Half awake, I could feel great comfort and strength. Since this is the path I must go through and the Lord is with me, I will accept it! I could feel that the Lord gave me strength to accept the continuous coughing, tossing and turning, but I had peace in my heart. Soon I awakened at daybreak. From that day onwards, my cough and throat soreness slowly subsided, and I could sleep again. When I finished writing, it was Day 7 of my infection. The Lord has restored my health.

      May the Lord Jesus who keeps us every moment bestow healing and comfort so that brothers and sisters and our families who are ill could recover speedily. May we experience the meticulous care and keeping of the Lord together.

      Last month, the Alliance Bible Seminary organized a conference on “Molding the Future of Hong Kong Churches.” I had the opportunity to offer my observations and suggestions on the issue of “Temporary Shortage of Church Leaders under the Emigration Wave in Hong Kong.” I would also like to share them with the NPAC family here.

      In Hong Kong churches, the emigration wave has led to a drop in attendance and an outflow of those who serve, and the NPAC family is no exception. Before the pandemic, more than 6,000 attended our worship services. When normalcy is resumed after the pandemic, there are only over 4,000 who attend on-site worship services (with a count of more than 5,000 a week for online worship services). The strength of NPAC’s pastoral team has also dropped from over 60 four years ago to over 50 at present (including those who have retired or left their ministry roles). Still, there is no need for us to wallow in self-pity.

      Universal phenomenon: In fact, overseas churches also face the issue of temporary shortage of leaders after the pandemic. Their surveys found that on top of the drop in attendance in on-site worship services, the number of those who serve voluntarily has also dropped significantly. So even after church reopening, those who serve have not fully returned to church or to their serving roles. Meanwhile, pastors do not know where to find new blood to serve.

      Likewise for voluntary services outside the church. The pandemic has led to the community’s increased need for services by non-profit organizations. Compared to the time before the pandemic, however, the number of voluntary workers has dwindled and it is increasingly difficult to recruit new workers. The problem of “outflow” is not confined to Hong Kong or Hong Kong churches. It is a universal problem after the pandemic.

      Regroup, reorganize: In such new horizons, Hong Kong churches need to review whether they would continue with their current decision-making processes. To a certain extent, the shock we experienced these few years reflects our health situation or where our weak points are. In the smooth old days, the church responded to different needs with more and more ministries and varied activities, and the pandemic did the hard braking for the church. The church must discern what are indispensable. We must know why the church exists, and for what unique mission we will move forward.

      After the pandemic, the church cannot resume normalcy without thinking. If the church can reaffirm the original mission we received, simplify and streamline, regroup and strengthen so as to have clear workflow and direction, I trust that congregants who remain in Hong Kong will be able to continue to commit themselves.

      Adjust, entrust: Hong Kong churches experience a temporary shortage of leaders partly because no one would serve as leaders. It can also be interpreted as there are people but none is yet suitable. Yet, the church cannot simply wait for “suitable” candidates to appear. Rather, we should groom the new generation that is still in Hong Kong and adjust the ministry roles to “suit” them.

      The church should not be merely filling vacancies but we should make adjustments in various aspects in accordance with the characteristics of the new generation. Through frank exchanges, we will be able to hear from the new generation their fears, imaginations, expectations and aspirations for the future of the church. After all, “the temporary leader shortage” is a question of “to trust or not to trust.” As long as we can trust that the younger generation also loves this church family and be quick to listen to each other and slow to criticize, it is possible for us to make the journey together.

      In the post-pandemic new horizons, the church is faced with many uncertainties. Amidst all the changes, may the church be steadfast in its mission and be faithful to Christ the Lord at all times!

(This is an excerpt from the paper published for the conference on “Molding the Future of Hong Kong Churches 2023” by the Alliance Bible Seminary.)

      I had the opportunity to attend the 7^th Chinese Alliance World Fellowship (CAWF) Conference in mid-March in Manchester, Britain. Its theme was “Mission Next! New Waves in New Era.” A total of 203 delegates from 21 countries attended the conference. Through the admirable sharing of mission teams and church pastors from different places, I felt as if I had traveled around the world and learned the history of overseas Chinese churches in the short span of a few days. I was amazed at the wondrous and awe-inspiring work of the gospel that God has been doing at various mission fields through the Christian and Missionary Alliance!

     Diaspora Missiology is a hot topic in recent years. The word “disperse” was first used in the Old Testament to refer to the process of Jews being taken captive beyond Israel. It was also used in the New Testament to depict God’s people – the mass exodus of followers of Christ to foreign nations temporarily or permanently due to persecution or other reasons. But as far as today’s believers are concerned, dispersion in foreign lands is no longer confined to personal or family considerations. It is also an affirmation of our identity: “chosen people” of God (1 Peter 2:9), and an unforgettable mission: “You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Statistics indicate there are more than 60 million overseas Chinese worldwide. How can these scattered disciples testify in the vast harvest field?

     The father of modern missions, William Carey, has said, “To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map.” When I spread out my map, I see the Chinese Christian communities that I have served in the past. I see old Chinese migrants, businesspeople, restaurant workers, students and scholars, retirees, and new NPAC migrants in the UK that I have just visited. Their testimonies can no doubt become a book of testimonies. Due to limited space, I will only briefly mention a few below.

     The mobility of overseas Chinese is high and resources in the fields vary. Missionaries and pastors are always in the mode of pioneering, accelerated discipleship and intensive training. Equipping believers is an urgent task as believers are the greatest resource for supporting the pastoring in churches in under-staffed places where they are dispersed. A lady who recently arrived Europe came to Christ after spending a few months in a missionary’s home, and she also nurture seekers. A brother with a doctoral degree was moved at a training course and willingly serves the Lord in full-time ministry, leaving behind his dreams and wealth. Businesspeople and scholars who are new believers boldly testify for the Lord at all costs on return to their home countries, spreading the gospel to relatives and colleagues. When missionaries visited the churches these people attended in their countries of origin, they saw the fruit of their labor all sitting around them. It was amazing how one seed could bear multiple fruit. Some early Chinese migrant believers have made generous offerings to buy a church premise to prepare space for believers. Believers who hunger and thirst for righteousness would drive for hours to attend worship services. There are lay ministry leaders who have to spend a few hours on the train to and from the church to attend a training class. There are also lay ministry leaders who proactively volunteer to serve in the important roles of Bible study leaders, Sunday School teachers, pianists, praise team members, etc.

     All these testimonies add depth to the meaning of dispersion: “Scattered afar and asunder; gather in the house of God”!

     The pandemic in the past three years or more has taken its toll on mission work all over the world. Missionaries mostly stay in touch with local people online only. But recently, short-term mission trips have resumed in many churches, and missionaries in the fields have also started to be back to normal. We really need to re-ignite our care for mission work. After the pandemic, we all the more understand we need to make the most of today’s opportunities to support mission work in different places.

     The opportunity to attend a seminar on mission advancement in Japan at the start of the month has left me with a lot of thoughts and feelings. Japan has a population of 124 million, of which 87 million are Shintoists, and 83 million are Japanese Buddhists (with overlap between the two). However, there are very few Christians. Only 262,000 nationwide regularly attend Christian churches, which is less than 0.22% of the population in Japan! I had the opportunity to attend the worship service of a local church. The pastor is a missionary from Korea. He preaches in Korean, which is translated into Japanese. The congregation comprises both Koreans and locals. This therefore becomes a form of support to the local church. Meanwhile, the aging problem of the Japanese population is the most serious in the world. As many as 29% of the population is above 65, and only 11.6% is under 15. All of this means that mission work in Japan is urgent. A large number of Japanese people need to hear the gospel before they depart from this world!

     In the past, few Hong Kong missionaries go to Japan. But after the 311 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, quite some Hong Kong missionaries are moved. At present, more than 50 are on mission in Japan. May the Lord move more brothers and sisters in Hong Kong to commit to care for overseas mission. There had been suggestions that Japan is hard soil for the gospel and resources should not be used there. Missionaries share that in the affected areas of the 311 Earthquake, they are still subject to rejection by local people. At the same time, some companies refuse to employ job applicants who live in Fukushima for fear that they may still be contaminated by radiation. When missionaries visited them in their homes, even though it was the very first visit, they were touched and broke into tears not long into the conversation. They deeply felt accepted. Mission in Japan may not be easy but the presence of missionaries shows that God has not forgotten Japanese.

     For Hong Kong missionaries in Sendai, Japan, work is also difficult. Yet, they would approach the local people in different ways with wisdom. During the pandemic, they mounted activities in the park to reach the homeless. Quite some of these homeless people have had formal jobs before but they sleep in the streets for many personal reasons. They are very receptive to the care of the missionaries. More than 10 of them regularly attend Bible study sessions with the missionaries in the park, and five of them were baptized last year! Meanwhile, the Japanese people like the arts very much. The missionaries therefore organized arts workshops and invited Christian and non-believing ladies to take part in art creation, which produced very good results for the gospel.

     May the Lord move us so that we do not forget to care for mission, knowing that the Lord’s heart is always for mission.

     “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12) Such was the exhortation of the Apostle Paul for Timothy. It points out that being young in no way undermines the strength of one’s life testimony. Thanks to the grace of God, the young adults in the NPAC family have lived out good life testimonies in participating in various church ministries. They have also exerted a positive influence on the spiritual lives of one another.

     Whenever we talk about our young adults, the word “earnest” always comes to my mind. They are keen about, and serious in, learning and practicing the truth. They have actively participated in fellowship life in the belief that parts of the body need to be connected, serve one another and grow spiritually together as the Bible teaches. So, their common goal is to seek to know and practice the truth. They attach a lot of importance to Bible study in fellowship meetings. Taking the truth and spiritual growth seriously has, if I may put it this way, become part of their culture as the young adult brothers and sisters interact with and influence one another in their lives.

     For sure, practicing the truth includes the Great Commission. Our young adults have all along been zealous in spreading the gospel. They have also actively come up with various ways to organize evangelistic meetings and activities. Young couple fellowships are particularly concerned about the gospel needs of their parents and family. Whenever there are evangelistic meetings at church, they would try their best to invite their families to join. The same for mission work. Our young adults have actively taken part in the short-term mission of our church. Even though they could not go on overseas mission in the past few years due to the pandemic, brothers and sisters have not stopped and have taken part in “staymission” for local mission. Besides evangelism and mission, our young adults have often participated in social concern ministries and, through serving various communities in the neighborhood, taken the love of Christ to our society.

    In serving one another, our young adults’ concern is not confined to the fellowships they belong to but they also actively serve in different ministries of the NPAC family, such as teaching in the Sunday School classes for children and youth. Some of them have even been serving for six years continuously, being there for the youth in their growth from Secondary One to Secondary Six. Young adult brothers and sisters also serve in worship services and other church-wide meetings, particularly in praise teams. They spend a lot of time choosing praise songs and practicing. Their service has been important to contemporary worship services and meetings.

    In the testimonies of our young adults, I can see God’s work and His love in their lives. May the Holy Spirit continue to summon, connect and lead them so that they can influence each other’s life and, with one heart, build up the body of Christ and become a blessing to the NPAC family.

     The gospel is both “life-changing and re-defining.” Those who encounter Jesus have to personally face Jesus and His gospel. Everyone needs to make a decision. Do you still remember the situation in which you encountered the Lord Jesus and heard His gospel?

    As portrayed by Luke, different kinds of people have encountered Jesus: Jews, gentiles, men, women, the rich, the poor, elites, the marginalized, and so forth. And just in their most ordinary, most routine, and most commonplace situations, they encountered Jesus unexpectedly. These encounters are by no means random. Their stories reflect the comprehensiveness of the gospel.

    It is recorded in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus had recited a passage from the Book of Isaiah in His hometown of Nazareth: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). When He finished reading, He added: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (4:21). Jesus was sent by the Father to go in people’s midst to proclaim the gospel.

    In this mission statement of Jesus, we see that in the gospel, there is a particular concern for the poor (those who cannot defend their dignity, are exploited, or for various reasons owe money and are enslaved). The good news therein is that prisoners are set free (debt is canceled or reduced, sickness is cured, sins forgiven) so that those who are blind in the heart or in the eyes can see the grace and love of the Heavenly Kingdom. To the neglected, forsaken, hated, sin-enslaved, or those confused by perverted values or are oppressed by authorities, Jesus brought an unprecedented life-changing opportunity. He brings real freedom to those in the bondage of evil and restores the goodness of God’s creation.

    The original meaning of the gospel is good news. But in today’s age in which news is stuffed into your eyes, people do not really look forward to hearing news. Whether you are clicking an online music video or browsing social media, there will be tens of seconds of advertisements cramming onto your screen. These advertisements disguised as good news make us tired. The gospel, on the other hand, is not just a piece of news. It is also works that Jesus can accomplish in you and me.

    Today, in our most ordinary, most routine and most commonplace situations, the gospel of Jesus remains good news to all of us whose faith is in the Lord. He also sends us, with the power and authority from Him, to go through all the places to spread the gospel. In the sermons of this quarter, we will study selected passages from the Gospel of Luke. May the Holy Spirit use the Scripture about different people’s encounters with the Lord Jesus to continually change and renew you and me so that we will be more like the Lord Jesus!

     I recently came across a term “ceremonialize.” It means adding a sense of ceremony to an everyday activity to make it meaningful, especially to make a certain day different from other days, or a certain moment different from other moments. From this perspective, if I were to answer the question “Does ‘resurrection’ need to be ceremonialized?” I would reply: “Both ‘yes’ and ‘no’.”

     Unlike liturgical churches, evangelical churches do not adopt the entire liturgical calendar. Nevertheless, most of them favor Easter. Under the influence of the Christian culture, Easter has led to some changes in civic life, creating some public holidays. This is why people in general are familiar with the term “Easter.” As an evangelical church, we should make good use of this festival to spread the gospel. It is because this date is different from others. Christians invariably want to keep this festival in civic life.

     To believers, the resurrection of Christ is key to His saving grace. Paul has said: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). It is true that Christ must die before He can be raised. But on the other hand, if Christ died without resurrection, His death will be meaningless for the ultimate saving grace. Therefore, Lent does not ultimately prepare us for suffering (although we should imitate Christ’s suffering) but for the resurrection. We should experience Lent from the perspective of Easter. Not only is Easter different from other days, it is also different from other “festivals.”

     We may notice that while the Bible conveys the truth about the resurrection, there is no mention of Easter as a festival. But this does not mean that the early church did not attach importance to the resurrection of Christ. On the contrary, they did so more than us. To them, every Sunday is the day of Christ’s resurrection because Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, so Sunday is called “the Lord’s day.” In the early church, the meaning of Christ’s resurrection was not only reflected in meetings on each of the Lord’s day but also in the lives of Christians. Paul said: “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness” (Romans 6:13). And “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (8:11).

     Therefore, the meaning of Christ’s resurrection does not only add a sense of ceremony to our lives or let Christians establish a unique lifestyle. Rather, it is for us to live every day as someone who is raised from the dead. It is also a call on us to help unbelievers to establish this sense of ceremony so that Easter can become a bridge to the gospel.

    In an age of pressure and change, we (including the youth) can easily become depressive or have doubts about life. Nevertheless, as one sister puts it, through the NPAC theme of this year, “Discern God’s work in your daily life and share the story”, the Lord reminds her that once we see the Lord in our midst, our worrying hearts will become calm, and our anxious hearts will be relaxed.

    However mundane our lives may be, the LORD is indeed among us, though for some reason we may not always be aware (Genesis 28:16), we pay little attention and we seldom discover that. For this reason, the Youth Ministry hopes to help ministry leaders and the youth to trace and notice the footprints of the Heavenly Father in our lives through the following arrangements.

    Thanksgiving Card: To be filled out monthly and to share the contents in the small group.

     Sharing stories of encounters with God during worship services: Each month, we will invite pastoral staff, ministry leaders and the youth to share in about two minutes stories about their encounters with the Lord Jesus.

    Below are some of their thanksgiving items:

    “While preparing the sermon, I spent most of the day without being able to write a single word. Time is running out and I became nervous. But once I prayed to the Lord, my heart calmed down. For a while, I did wonder whether my mind would remain blank. Later, I knew it did not because God gave me strength to complete writing the sermon.”

    “The evangelistic meeting of the Youth Ministry was just a few days away, but I was still thinking whom I could invite to the meeting. Suddenly, my daughter in Primary Four reminded me that perhaps I could invite a primary school classmate of my son. So, I got in touch with the mother of this male classmate and invited her to come together with her son. I thought she would probably reject me. To my great surprise, the boy’s mother not only promised to attend but also thanked me for inviting them. Finally, her son came to Christ at the evangelistic meeting.”

    “This entire week, I have been collecting information for the Extended Essay. Thank God for giving me the courage to select Chemistry as the subject of the essay and arranged a good teacher to guide me. Even though I met tons of obstacles along the way, thank the Lord for giving me peace, zeal and perseverance in the face of it.”

    “Thank the Lord that these two weeks, we learnt about the history of the Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War in our Chinese History lessons. God opened my eyes and helped me realize His sovereignty. He raises a nation and makes another fall. Everything is orchestrated by the Lord. How I marvel at His greatness! Meanwhile, I was grateful that no one was seriously hurt at the school sports day. I was tanned, but very happy.”

    I greatly hope that one day, whenever our counselors, group leaders and youth get together, they will talk about the work of God. It will just be like what Malachi 3:16 says about our counting of His blessings, “…the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.” When we share, not only brothers and sisters are listening. The Heavenly Father is also listening attentively, and our words are recorded. Heavenly Father, thank You for cherishing our words. How blessed we are!