ALL BY HIS GRACE
by Eric Ma

Over MSI’s thirty years, MSI Canada has sent over five hundred and fifty short term trippers to serve the people of China. Many have found that their expression of commitment to God by going to China was met with a love from our Father that dwarfs the love that we have for him. We experienced his presence, provision, and guidance in ways we had never experienced before. The impact is most clearly seen in the transformed lives of many young people who returned and went on to pursue careers as medical personnel, pastors, teachers, and social workers.

At this milestone of our history, may God continue to use MSI in the coming years as a turning point in the discipleship journeys of the people we send, seeing them bear fruit in a thousand million places.

Interceding Together

1. Pray for wisdom, growth and unity for AKOW staff. Pray for His provision of another English teacher and one more after-school care teacher to join the centre.

2. Pray for the ongoing patient care training programme, “A Refreshing Glass of Water”, and the monthly online discussion groups organised by Kitty K and her local volunteers. Pray for Sindy W who is on Home Assignment.

3. Pray for JOY Development Centre as they have just moved to a new location. Pray that Jane K and others are able to reach out to the special needs community through therapy, events and partnerships. Pray for wisdom in discerning the road ahead and how to use their new space well. Please pray for more staff and for the right people to come at the right time.

4. Please pray for wisdom for Charles and Vienna C as they support marketplace professionals and consider developing new ministry opportunities.

Interceding Together

1. Thank God that the Sichuan Public Health Bureau and the INGO Management Office have approved our year end report, financial audit, and 2023 budget and work plan.
2. Please pray for more short and long term workers to join us on the field. There are many projects which can be expanded or started but we need workers.
3. Thank God for providing the necessary funds for Sichuan’s ministries.
4. 4. Please pray for our local staff to grow and deepen their relationship with the Lord and develop into leaders on the field.

“Caring for children’s health and focusing on their development” Public medical activity in Meigu County

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THE STORY OF LAZARUS

by Jessica L

One day in the summer of 2021, Lazarus, a third-year junior high graduate, called me from where he was working out of town. Lazarus told me on the phone that he was an orphan and was sent to work as soon as he graduated from junior high school even though he had been admitted to a very good high school. He wanted to continue his studies, but his uncle insisted that he should not. So I helped Lazarus apply for MSI’s school assistance project.

The day before freshmen registration, the train that Lazarus was scheduled to take was suspended due to heavy rain. It seemed that he would not be able to complete registration procedures in time as the school stipulated that he must do so in person. Lazarus was reluctant to give up. He asked if I could find a way to help him register. To my surprise, the school agreed to let me register on his behalf. It was the last few hours before the deadline, so I rushed to the school and breathlessly completed the task. When I informed Lazarus, who was stuck on the road, that the registration was successful, he said, “Teacher, I am alive. Before this, I felt like I was dead!”

Three months later, it was the Yi people’s New Year. Lazarus’ cousins, who were working out of town returned home and took Lazarus out from his school directly back to his village. So I went to visit Lazarus’ home with some local friends. Members of every generation in the family were also there. We stayed at his home for three hours and in the process of talking with his family, I came to the realisation that it would be impossible for Lazarus to go back to school to continue his schooling. The family believed that studying was of no value and was just a waste of time and money. That day, as I sat on the small bench in the yard, with Lazarus and his sister sitting next to me, I did not feel sad. Instead, I deeply sensed God was also sitting there with us, surrounding us and the fire pit.

Soon after, Lazarus dropped out of school and went to work elsewhere. When I was feeling sad, God told me: What matters is not whether Lazarus can attend school, but that when he is sad and helpless, you should act by sitting alongside him and praying for him, so my love is placed directly into his heart. What God wants us to share is a True Love. Although our eyes are more likely to see schooling opportunities and the healing of diseases, which are indeed God’s ways of expressing love, they cannot replace the value of love itself. Children will lose schooling opportunities, sick people will die, but God’s love will never change. This fact is true for those we serve, and it is even truer for me. He loves us and shines His light into our darkest moments.

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HONEST, OPEN, PROUD:THE PEER SUPPORT WORKER PROGRAMME
by Eva Y

Yang, a 24-year-old member, once had his college studies interrupted because of mental illness. However with the support of Hope Clubhouse, he was able to complete his college courses. He shares: “I learnt the advantages and disadvantages of disclosing my disease from the Peer Support Programme, and I am willing to use my own experience to help and encourage people with similar experiences. I would like to receive training to be a Peer Support Worker!”

We are very encouraged by Yang, one of the few members who is brave enough to disclose his illness.

So we launched the Peer Support Workers Programme in December last year to train people in recovery to become peer support workers. They can use their expertise and become an example of rehabilitation to encourage other people with similar experiences. Surprisingly, 15 people signed up and we subsequently have a waiting list. 80% of the students completed the 18 hour theory course! And they have just started 26 hours of practicum in March. Please pray that they can apply what they have learnt!

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THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY
Cedric C

During this two-year pandemic a lot of us have been working remotely from home. But what about a work from home overseas worker? Can an overseas worker do the work of missions effectively without physically being on the field? While many workers have managed to get back to their fields of service, what should the large number of workers who still cannot get back do in the meantime? The apostle Paul is the most well-known example of a missionary in the Bible who was sometimes a remote worker.

Have you ever stopped to think that just about all of Paul’s letters were correspondence with the churches that he planted over the course of his missionary journeys? These letters were a very important part of Paul’s missionary work. When Paul could not be on site, he kept up deep communication: discipling them, building up the church leaders, answering specific theological questions, confronting conflicts, and taking time to personally greet individuals—all from afar. Secondly, he constantly prayed for them. Thirdly, he sent his missionary coworkers who were able to serve in person; for example Timothy who Paul sent the Ephesians while he was in prison. Still, even though remote missions was effective, there is no doubt that many things could not be done well remotely, and so he longed to see each church in person and made plans to visit them.

Because of the pandemic, for the last 18 months I have become a remote worker. Besides providing administrative, financial, strategic, and spiritual support to our coworkers in China, I am also still intimately involved in the Zhaojue HIV project. The HIV peer counsellor group that I helped form while in China is thriving and even expanding their outreach to bring their message of HIV prevention to one of Zhaojue’s largest high schools. In preparation for this training, I helped to create the teaching materials and met with the peer counselling team over Zoom. For the last 2 years, I have been keeping in touch by WeChat, praying for them and mobilising others to pray for them.

While I can do all this remotely, like Paul, I long to go back and be able to see them in person. In the meantime, during this season of physical separation, I will continue to use any means of communication and prayer to support them.

APPLYING MANIFOLD WISDOM

by Sharon L

CHERISHING AND CARING FOR “ENDANGERED SPECIES”

To draw public attention and encourage respect for endangered species, ASVF volunteers shared about 31 significant scientific information with the public, hoping to remind them that mankind does not own but has been entrusted to care for things on earth.

“THE UNIQUE ONE”

So far 22 articles have been published to encourage volunteers to enjoy the nature in spite of their busyness. From the perspective of “The Unique One”, people can admire and cherish how awesome creation is. This can lead them to be pioneers in illustrating the 3R1U* concept!

Below is one of the latest excerpts from “The Unique One”

“Voice of the Lotus” taken from the Northern Song Dynasty’s Zhou Dunyi’s masterpiece “Lotus Love”.

*3R1U = Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, & Upcycle

“The muddy environment could not stain the Lotus; the ripples could not demean it …

This is in line with our core value.

“Those who cleanse themselves from dishonorable matters will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. (2 Tim. 2:21)“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good… Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone… (Rom. 12:9-18).

Due to the severity of the pandemic, volunteers had to stop their in-person services and there was concern that the group dynamics might be lost over time. So other than irregular online sharing to promote “Creation Care”, we, with wisdom from above, took every opportunity to perform other environmental promotion activities such as clearing up rubbish and conducting workshops. Thank God, by His grace, ASVF can continue to be His salt and light!

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