Posts
Wednesday, September 13, 1995
post-China thanks
September 13, 1995
Dearest Brothers and Sisters:
Greetings to you again in Christ our Lord!
It’s hard to believe that it was only about four months since I last wrote you, and it’s even harder to believe that it has already been almost a month since I returned to the United States from China. How time flies!
I hope you will forgive me for the lateness of this letter. When I last wrote you in the letter dated May 15th, I was in the UCR/UCLA seven‑year Biomedical Sciences program. This summer I discovered that I wasn’t accepted into the fourth year. Thus, before my senior year at UC Riverside begins, I’m trying to complete as many medical school applications as possible. God willing, I will be attending med‑school next fall.
Just as I wrote to you before, God has been good! I feel that I can especially say so for His faithfulness to His own this summer. It was a blessedly awesome experience I’ll never forget!
I had entered into this summer’s adventure rather naively. When I thought that I would be a missionary in China, I was shown that I would more accurately be an ambassador for Christ, what some people call a “tentmaker.” The organization I worked with, Educational Services International (ESI), in dealing with the Communist Chinese government, identifies itself as a blatantly Christian ‑‑ but not missions ‑‑ organization. My job in China was to teach English and teach it well, and in so doing I was to show who Christ is and be ready to answer questions about Him.
We had to deal with the reality of China. Not only is atheism promoted as the official “religion” of China, but missions, particularly Christian missions, are also seen as a remnant of the nation’s humiliating eras of imperialism and colonialism, and as a possible threat to China’s sovereign government. Thus one of our goals was to be sure that our Christian faith is separate from our culture. Certainly we know that “Christian” doesn’t mean “American” nor vice‑versa, but this is what we had to show the Chinese people. They didn’t have to become American if they wanted to become a Christian. Christianity could be just as much a part of China as tofu or chopsticks!
This summer for a month‑and‑a‑half, nine other teachers and I each taught three classes, our own homeroom and two others, at the Hubei College of Education in Wuhan. (Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, located in the central region of China along the Yangtze River.) Each of our classes consisted of sixteen students who were primarily middle‑school English teachers themselves, and on the average they were older than I. What a privilege it was for me to be their teacher and to become their friends. They were particularly impressed with our teamwork, diligence, and patience. Knowing that we were Christians, some of them had the boldness to ask about it. Some went to church for the first time with us; for some we were the first Christians they had ever met; we gave some of them the Bibles we had brought. Near the end of the experience in response to many compliments they had lavished upon us (as it seems the Chinese do unto their teachers), I stated, “Please do not think that I am the way I am because of my own efforts. It’s not even because of my parents ‑‑ I do have good parents ‑‑ or because I’m American, but it’s because of God.” I pray that they took that to heart.
From God’s word in the third chapter of First Corinthians we know that in the “field” of lost souls, some workers are assigned to sow into people’s hearts the seed of His word. Others are called to nurture the ensuing plant. Still others are to reap the fruit of salvation. Though we did experience some sowing and reaping, much of our work instead dealt with the even earlier work of “breaking rocks,” the tearing down of obstacles blocking out God’s word, so that the “soil” of their hearts would be prepared and ready for the next step in God’s plan for them.
Our work is not yet over. I pray that our commitment did not end when we left Wuhan. As with any friendship, communication is essential, and our team is dedicated to continued correspondence with our students and friends. The Chinese have a saying: “A teacher for a day, a teacher forever.” We are still in a position through letters to plant seeds and nurture plants. May God bless us with being able to someday even reap fruits. It would be greatly appreciated if you could also pray for our continued commitment to loving the lost.
I suppose the main point of this letter is not only to tell you about my summer adventures but also to thank you for being so integral a part in what I believe to be God’s plan for me.
THANK YOU!
“I thank my God every time I remember you.” I don’t think I’d ever felt this sentiment for anyone to the same degree as the apostle Paul felt for the Philippian church (1:3) until I was in China. Every day during my quiet time I thanked the Lord for providing so much support, particularly in the form of brothers and sisters thousands of miles away ‑‑ YOU! ‑‑ who had provided financially and were committed to praying for our ministry.
I reread that last letter which asked for your support, and what awed me was the realization that every single thing that I had asked you to pray for was answered in a positive way! Wisdom and humility were constantly on my mind, and God gave me a team to keep me accountable in this area. I found that it was unusually easy for me to work with others and be flexible in the expectations I had of my teammates and of our accommodations. God showed me more and more how to love my students no matter how lovable they were. And lastly, God had provided enough funds for me to go to China in the first place. At last count, financial support had come in at over $3000!!! You’d better believe it: God is truly faithful!
I feel that it’s my obligation to tell you that since the funds raised exceeded the need, the church has designated the surplus money for future missions trips. If you have any questions or comments about this, please ask me.
Again, I thank you so much for making this summer possible! I hope you are encouraged by this letter. Perhaps you’d like to know more about the organization I worked with or details of the program and/or ministry. If you have any questions, please feel free to write or call. I’d love to hear how you are doing. I’d especially like to know how I may support you in prayer or perhaps even financially for your own endeavors for God.
May God continue to bless you abundantly with His grace.
Another witness to His faithfulness,
Sid Steve Wu
Dearest Brothers and Sisters:
Greetings to you again in Christ our Lord!
It’s hard to believe that it was only about four months since I last wrote you, and it’s even harder to believe that it has already been almost a month since I returned to the United States from China. How time flies!
I hope you will forgive me for the lateness of this letter. When I last wrote you in the letter dated May 15th, I was in the UCR/UCLA seven‑year Biomedical Sciences program. This summer I discovered that I wasn’t accepted into the fourth year. Thus, before my senior year at UC Riverside begins, I’m trying to complete as many medical school applications as possible. God willing, I will be attending med‑school next fall.
Just as I wrote to you before, God has been good! I feel that I can especially say so for His faithfulness to His own this summer. It was a blessedly awesome experience I’ll never forget!
I had entered into this summer’s adventure rather naively. When I thought that I would be a missionary in China, I was shown that I would more accurately be an ambassador for Christ, what some people call a “tentmaker.” The organization I worked with, Educational Services International (ESI), in dealing with the Communist Chinese government, identifies itself as a blatantly Christian ‑‑ but not missions ‑‑ organization. My job in China was to teach English and teach it well, and in so doing I was to show who Christ is and be ready to answer questions about Him.
We had to deal with the reality of China. Not only is atheism promoted as the official “religion” of China, but missions, particularly Christian missions, are also seen as a remnant of the nation’s humiliating eras of imperialism and colonialism, and as a possible threat to China’s sovereign government. Thus one of our goals was to be sure that our Christian faith is separate from our culture. Certainly we know that “Christian” doesn’t mean “American” nor vice‑versa, but this is what we had to show the Chinese people. They didn’t have to become American if they wanted to become a Christian. Christianity could be just as much a part of China as tofu or chopsticks!
This summer for a month‑and‑a‑half, nine other teachers and I each taught three classes, our own homeroom and two others, at the Hubei College of Education in Wuhan. (Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, located in the central region of China along the Yangtze River.) Each of our classes consisted of sixteen students who were primarily middle‑school English teachers themselves, and on the average they were older than I. What a privilege it was for me to be their teacher and to become their friends. They were particularly impressed with our teamwork, diligence, and patience. Knowing that we were Christians, some of them had the boldness to ask about it. Some went to church for the first time with us; for some we were the first Christians they had ever met; we gave some of them the Bibles we had brought. Near the end of the experience in response to many compliments they had lavished upon us (as it seems the Chinese do unto their teachers), I stated, “Please do not think that I am the way I am because of my own efforts. It’s not even because of my parents ‑‑ I do have good parents ‑‑ or because I’m American, but it’s because of God.” I pray that they took that to heart.
From God’s word in the third chapter of First Corinthians we know that in the “field” of lost souls, some workers are assigned to sow into people’s hearts the seed of His word. Others are called to nurture the ensuing plant. Still others are to reap the fruit of salvation. Though we did experience some sowing and reaping, much of our work instead dealt with the even earlier work of “breaking rocks,” the tearing down of obstacles blocking out God’s word, so that the “soil” of their hearts would be prepared and ready for the next step in God’s plan for them.
Our work is not yet over. I pray that our commitment did not end when we left Wuhan. As with any friendship, communication is essential, and our team is dedicated to continued correspondence with our students and friends. The Chinese have a saying: “A teacher for a day, a teacher forever.” We are still in a position through letters to plant seeds and nurture plants. May God bless us with being able to someday even reap fruits. It would be greatly appreciated if you could also pray for our continued commitment to loving the lost.
I suppose the main point of this letter is not only to tell you about my summer adventures but also to thank you for being so integral a part in what I believe to be God’s plan for me.
THANK YOU!
“I thank my God every time I remember you.” I don’t think I’d ever felt this sentiment for anyone to the same degree as the apostle Paul felt for the Philippian church (1:3) until I was in China. Every day during my quiet time I thanked the Lord for providing so much support, particularly in the form of brothers and sisters thousands of miles away ‑‑ YOU! ‑‑ who had provided financially and were committed to praying for our ministry.
I reread that last letter which asked for your support, and what awed me was the realization that every single thing that I had asked you to pray for was answered in a positive way! Wisdom and humility were constantly on my mind, and God gave me a team to keep me accountable in this area. I found that it was unusually easy for me to work with others and be flexible in the expectations I had of my teammates and of our accommodations. God showed me more and more how to love my students no matter how lovable they were. And lastly, God had provided enough funds for me to go to China in the first place. At last count, financial support had come in at over $3000!!! You’d better believe it: God is truly faithful!
I feel that it’s my obligation to tell you that since the funds raised exceeded the need, the church has designated the surplus money for future missions trips. If you have any questions or comments about this, please ask me.
Again, I thank you so much for making this summer possible! I hope you are encouraged by this letter. Perhaps you’d like to know more about the organization I worked with or details of the program and/or ministry. If you have any questions, please feel free to write or call. I’d love to hear how you are doing. I’d especially like to know how I may support you in prayer or perhaps even financially for your own endeavors for God.
May God continue to bless you abundantly with His grace.
Another witness to His faithfulness,
Sid Steve Wu
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