Remember Ambassadors

Even before our China travelers returned home, we have been busy planning the next step in our ministry to the persecuted underground church in that enormous country.  The need is so vast that it is really hard to know where to begin, but God is opening for us a very specific, very overwhelming door to partner with pastors from the underground church itself.

The travel delays in the trip that just returned caused that team to be unable to meet with many of these pastors.  God blessed their trip in spite of the delay, resulting in stories and testimonies that will bless many.  But a follow-up trip is necessary in order to grasp the full potential of this opening door.

For that reason, I'm heading to the Pacific to, Lord willing, finish this first phase.  There will be two of us going to record the testimonies of Chinese pastors that have suffered intense persecution themselves - and whose leadership is the key to successful ministry to currently persecuted believers in China. 

We're not going to China itself; that part is done.  We're going to a remote island where these pastors are ready to speak to us about their experiences living for Christ in China - before they return to their homelands and continue to carry the gospel through the fires of persecution.  The footage I've already seen has broken my heart for the plight of these believers, and these stories will be no different.  I cannot wait to share these stories with you as we work together to bless the Body of Christ.

We are leaving Thursday, and the trip will span a week.  Please pray for us, and stay tuned for updates! 

The China trip is back on the ground in the US, and in spite of the travel delays, it was a success.  I'm positive that this success is due to your prayers; the evidence of the spiritual opposition to the work of the trip was overwhelming.  But God's power prevailed, and we will have much to share with you.

I have only begun to watch the footage, but it is riveting.  These stories are nothing short of incredible, and the lives behind the stories are inspiring.  These Christians live their faith; they have to, because even admitting this faith can land them in unbelievable suffering.

While there are many more updates to come, there is nothing better to begin than this.  When asked what we could pray for, Pastor "Josh" replied,

Compared with other Christians around the world, including some foreign missionaries in China that died for Christ as martyrs in China, we have begun a little suffering by God's grace.  I want you to pray for our country.  You see, it appears that China prospers, but actually most Chinese people are suffering.  So many Chinese, more and more, want an opportunity to hear the gospel, but the workers are really very few.  We need to pray for  China, that God will call and send more Chinese Christians to stand up and become servants of Jesus Christ.

The China trip got off to a slow start when a cracked airplane windshield led to long hours of delay.  Long hours, thanks to full flights, turned in to long days of delay for our travelers.  But I am grateful to say that they have been able to spend the last couple of days in China!

The long delays, though, have cut out some of the ministry that we were hoping they would be able to do.  Because of the lost days, sensitive nature of the work, and the challenge on Chinese infrastructure caused by the earthquake, they have been limited in the number of people that they have been able to meet and develop ministry contacts with.

But all is not lost - far from it.  We are confident that the Lord has even airline delays in His hands, and will lead Remember to exactly the ministry He would have for us.  Please pray for guidance, direction, and opportunity for our travelers as they have a few more days overseas - and pray that their return trip will be far less of a hassle than the outbound leg.

I have trouble containing my excitement when the Lord opens doors for new ministry through Remember.  The needs of the persecuted church can be overwhelming, and there are many challenges to effectively meeting that need, but when the doors open we become the channel for the outpouring of God's blessing on His people.

In just a couple of days, a Remember team will be heading to China to search for the best way to do just that.  It will be a survey trip - seeking out the widows and orphans of martyrs, identifying their needs, and developing the right contacts to meet those needs.  The travel details of the trip are confidential to protect the safety of all involved, but please pray for this trip!  The eyes of the world are on China, as the Olympic torch faces massive protests and world leaders scrutinize China’s violations of human rights and oppression of Tibetans.

But underneath the surface is a problem that goes largely unreported.  The problem starts with an amazing praise—the church is growing in China!  Not the church buildings that exist in major Chinese cities so that the government can show that it “allows” Christianity, but the living, vibrant underground church is spreading through China at an incredible rate.

And though the Chinese government will not admit it, the Communist leaders cannot help but feel their power threatened by the movement of the Spirit of God.  That knowledge, combined with the increased international scrutiny, has led to a major crackdown on Christianity.  As our Chinese contact puts it, “the Communist government is stepping up its persecution of Christians as the Summer Olympics approach and the Games are held.”

The pastors of the underground church are routinely targeted.  In fact, having spent time in prison is one of the highest marks of a dedicated, mature pastor!  A “first offense”—preaching Jesus Christ or passing out Bibles, for instance—can mean years in prison.  A second offense can double or triple that time, and it only gets worse from there.  And prison is not a semi-comfortable cell where the pastor simply bides his time until release; religious prisoners are routinely beaten and tortured or sent off to suffer in a labor camp.

One by one they serve their time, and without hesitation return to the work that they have been called to.

I can only imagine the suffering that their wives and children must endure, and serving them is the core of Remember’s ministry.  This survey trip is geared to identify the specific needs, and find the best way to meet them.  Please pray for those traveling on behalf of Remember, as well as the local contacts.  Pray for safety, for wisdom, and for the guiding of the Holy Spirit to exactly the people we should minister to.

"Hallelujah.  In the name of God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  My heart rejoice because of God's love, that he was able to meet both white and black together and are united in the love of Jesus Christ.  I am very happy that I can shake hands with my brothers who are in white skin, and I wan to ask the Lord to continue to bless you so that your ministry will expand more and always be continue to follow God's steps."

These words were brought to us by one of the Sudanese widows we talked to today.  Though the main focus of this trip has been the building project I have mentioned before, Remember is always on the lookout for people to help, and we arranged a meeting with 9 widows from one local congregation.  We asked them to briefly share their stories, and to share prayer requests with the church in the United States.

One after another they came,  but they refused to be limited to prayer requests.  As they told us of their suffering and loss, they offered up their thanksgiving and praises to the God that giveth–and taketh away.  No trace of bitterness was anywhere to be found, not in the woman that is not only a widow, but is also a diabetic; not in the woman who pulled aside her head covering to reveal a massive goiter on her neck; not in the others who spoke of stomach troubles and even deafness.

Instead, their praises rang out.  As they stood, beginning their testimonies by saying "Hallelujah," those waiting their turn would echo with a simple, but vibrant, "Amen."  One praised by simply thanking God that He had allowed her to survive to this day.  Another shared that, though they miss many meals, God was ever faithful to keep them from going an entire day without eating.

These beautiful testimonies are but a drop in the bucket.  One generous church in North Carolina donated enough gifts for 185 widows, and the church leaders did not bat an eye when they said they could make sure it was distributed.  And this is but one city in a country awash in suffering.

What sweet incense their praises must be to the father of the fatherless and the husband of the widow.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this…

The whole team, representing three partnering organizations (L-R): Gabe Waddell (Remember), Edgar Feghaly (Remember/MAP), Sam Stricklin (MAP), Mark Searcy (Remember), Will Halker (Operation Renewed Hope), Marshall Hamilton (MAP) 

I wrote this up yesterday, and wanted to share it here.

***** 

I arrived at the church headquarters about 11, passing through a good portion of Khartoum to get there, in a typical little Sudanese rental van. I walk in through the little gate, over the dirt paths, and enter a plastered room with around 100 chairs set up. At the front is a rough wooden pulpit with a red cross hewn in the front, and our team heads towards it, taking the seats in the front.

One by one the pastors enter, resplendent with handshakes and smiles, many asking with excited, broken English how our trip to Kadugli went. They take their places, standing for the opening prayer, in which my limited Arabic only recognizes one word - "Shukron," or "thank you." After the prayer of thanksgiving, they join together in praise that easily transcends all language barriers; the Spirit of the Lord is present.

A frail, white haired elder named Samuel rises to his feet and totters to the front, starting with a Scripture: "He that sows with tears," our translator tells us, "will reap with rejoice." With that introduction, Pastor Samuel shares the history of the Sudanese Church of Christ, the Baptist movement in Sudan that began in 1904. He tells the story with a clarity and detail borne out of the simple fact that he was there. No, not back in 1904, though he looks old enough to have been alive then, but as the church blossomed and grew he was there. He was the one who turned himself in, going to the police, sacrificing his own freedom to advance Christ's cause–and he was the one miraculously saved by the power of God.

An hour and a half later, he has not lost his audience. They still hang on each word, but our time is drawing to a close, but much is yet to be done. Our team has not come empty-handed; far from it. Bicycles are brought in, a gift to their pastors to allow easier transportation. And then I am allowed to stand and give a short introduction to the gift I have brought from the churches in the United States. It's a small gift, an envelope with a $10 bill for each pastor, not much money perhaps, but hopefully an encouragement and a way to alleviate the expenses they have incurred to come to Khartoum.

But before I can give it out, another elder, a grey-haired man of wisdom rises and shuffles on deformed ankles to the front. "I do not want to take time," he says, "but I feel led of the Holy Spirit to share. In my old age, when I look at my church, I think of it as an orphan, a child that is left without father or mother. It cannot think, it cannot live by itself…"

His words trail off into a flood of tears.

"In short," the translator takes over, "He wants to express his thanks for your cooperation with us as a ministry. He was especially touched by Brother Gabe's news that the church in the United States is praying for the church in Sudan."

And the gift I hold seems completely inconsequential compared to that gift, the gift of prayer.