Let The Little Children Come To Me

There was much excited shouting and laughter Friday afternoon in Moore Park as we ministered with a team from Pennsylvania to the children. Wherever I looked I saw a few of our team playing with or chasing or being chased by some ecstatic kid! It was a sweet sight and even sweeter was the look of appreciation (and relief!) on some of the parent’s faces. Towards the end of the day a little girl and her cousin came over to me with the Beginner's Bible we set out by the face painting area. “Will you read us a story?!” She asked enthusiastically. “Of course!”  I replied and gladly shared the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand. As I told the story showing them the pictures, another kid came over and began listening. We talked a little more about who Jesus is and other miracles he did. As soon as I finished an older boy came over, grabbed the Bible, sat and began flipping through it. He is from a Muslim home and has shown a lot of interest in the Bible stories we have shared at other times, often asking questions afterward. He sat and read the Bible for about ten minutes before going off to play with the other kids. These were both quick exchanges, but I am so thankful for the seeds being sown little by little as we minister in this park. Thank you for your prayers for these kids and their families to come to know Christ as Lord and Savior! 

"Tell Me The Story From The Very Beginning"

Gifts from a recent outreach

We came down the stairs to the small, dirty, basement massage parlor one Thursday night to find that all the ladies we knew there were no longer working there. Slightly disappointed to not be seeing our friends, I began to pray and ask the Lord what He wanted to do that night. One by  one, all the ladies received a customer except a woman we'll named Melissa. We made small talk for a while, and then I told her that we were there not just because we love her but because God loves her. Her eyes opened wide, and she exclaimed, "You're here to tell me about God? Tell me the story from the very beginning!" She had heard the Gospel once before while she was visiting Shanghai, and God had been using the seeds sown at that point to stir some serious hunger in her. We spent over an hour with Melissa that night sharing testimonies from our lives and helping her further understand the Gospel.

Every time we would explain that God loves her personally and wants to do the same miracles in her life that He's done in ours, a huge smile appeared on her face and she got chills. At the end of the night we prayed for her, and she said, "I feel different, like lighter!" Then we invited her to the English classes we've been offering, and she said, "I'd love to learn more English but will the classes have enough time to discuss the Bible? I really want to learn more about the Bible!" Throughout our time with Melissa, we were blown away by her responses and her hunger for the things of God. That very night, she was on the verge of converting but was afraid of what her family, who are all Buddhist, would think of her decision. We lovingly explained that it is her choice, but to follow Jesus means to give up Buddha. She went to church the following Sunday, which happened to be Easter, with our translator. Just a few days ago, we received word that Melissa quit her job at the massage parlor because she wants to follow God! She is taking real estate classes, and I cannot say enough how thrilled we are at what God is doing in her life! Please keep her in your prayers, and we'll keep you posted!