Lottie's Prayers

 "...and a little child will lead them.  Isaiah 11:6

Over the past few years, we have been privileged to baptize around twenty students who have come from China to Victoria to study.  Our Chinese Fellowship has done a great job of reaching out to them and loving them to Christ.  This Sunday, there will be another baptism of Chinese visitors but this time it will not be a student but parents of a student.

A while back a young lady from China - I will call her Lucy - came to Christ while here in Victoria and she was baptized at Northside.  When she went home to visit, her parents could see a change in her life.  They wanted to know more about what had happened to her.  She began to tell them about Christ and the difference he makes.  They also were witnessed to by a sister-in-law here in the Chinese Fellowship.  They have found a church to belong to in China.

Sunday, they are being baptized here while in the U. S. to see their daughter graduate with a Master's degree and begin her career in New York City.  Lucy is a very small, quiet young lady but her life spoke volumes to her own parents.  I watched intently as I met with her parents about baptism and she translated and shared Bible verses in Mandarin from her phone.  There was a joy about her in being a part of this moment.

My, if pioneer missionary to China, Lottie Moon, could see this today!  A Chinese girl came to Victoria, Texas and met Christ.  Went home to lead her parents to Christ in China.  Now she takes the gospel with her to New York and her parents get baptized in Victoria and return to take the gospel to China.  God does answer prayers beyond anything we could 'dare to ask or even imagine.'

It all produces a joy.  A joy that the gospel can travel so far, overcome so many barriers and keep spreading through so many different circumstances.  It is the same joy the came into Paul in jail in Rome as he wrote back to the church at Philippi.  It is that joy that we can celebrate Sunday and everyday because the gospel does not stop working.  It is that joy that we can know because God wants us to experience it.  I hope you can be here to share it, but also know His joy knows no barriers.

for the journey...

Tim