April 2011 Prayer Letter
Dear Pastors, Partners, & Praying Friends,
It is exciting to be on the field serving our great God! I am constantly humbled that God is allowing us to serve him in this capacity, overwhelmed by the millions that haven’t heard and yet joyful seeing God do a work! This month we had language school as normal but were also involved in many other activities that made an extremely busy month. We are happy to report the following:
Firstly, as we reported last month, the church we are working in while in language school made a few changes. They combined multiple small meetings and rented a larger space for the Sunday morning service. They made greater steps in boldness and getting the Gospel out by openly having services, starting Sunday school, and the whole housing estate around the church received church invitations and gospel tracts. We were able to help in each of these areas. The church has seen a good response from this and we ask that you will continue to pray for boldness in the months ahead as they seek to and already are evangelizing nearby neighborhoods!
Secondly, there was a short-term group that visited this month. They were able to help out in many areas of ministry and organize a kid’s festival. The festival was held at the square by the church and over 150 people came out that day. All the kids received bags for candy that contained a church invitation. The following Sunday we saw over 15 new kids and many parents come to church because of it!
Thirdly, we are able to make a trip to visit the surrounding villages for a new project the we will hopefully be starting here in the near future. In partnership with our home church, Vision Baptist Church, we hope to provide valuable resources and training to those who are interested.
Fourthly, our language is slowly improving and I was able to preach my first sermon in Chinese! As we reported last month, by the end of March I wanted to preach for five minutes, so on the last Wednesday of the month I preached for 6 minutes on the importance of the Gospel (God loves you, Jesus died for you, and your sins can be forgiven)!
Finally, and as always the call is still open for more missionaries to surrender their lives and join us in China. We are asking God for five men! Are you one of those men? As my colleague said “Ever thought God might want you to take the Gospel to China? Just think about it. If you can’t come up with a solid reason why you shouldn’t GO…”
Thank you for being a part of our team, Project China, with your prayers and financial support!
In Christ,
The Tolson Family
04.5.11
Qīngmíng Festival
China has many holidays and festivals. The most recent one is called “Qingming Festival” (also know as: Pure Brightness Festival, Clear Bright Festival, Ancestors Day or Tomb Sweeping Day). It starts today (April 5) and last for about 3 days.
This is a traditional Chinese holiday that is more than 2,500 years old. When the communist took over in 1949 they suspended the holiday but reinstated it in 2008. (More Info: Wikipedia)
From what I understand about the holiday is that it is memorial day filled with many superstitions, folk traditions, and ancestor worship. One of the guys told me that basically people sweep of the tombs of the their families graves, offer them food, and burn paper money. He also said over the next few days we will see people burning this paper money and joss paper on the street at intersections. We have already started seeing the little fires at the intersections. Also, in many places where the streets are lined with people selling this joss paper and many things that go along with it.
I wrote a little about this before after visiting the graveyard and finding a hell bank note, you can read that here:
http://www.projectchina.org/blog/2010/12/11/the-graveyard-part-1/
Over the next few days as we see the small fires and people focused on those who have already entered into eternity, it makes the need of the Gospel even more relevant to me. There are so many here that need Jesus. It is a holiday without hope, a reminder of the price for sin (death), and a culture that doesn’t have Jesus at it’s core!
Pray! Come over and help us! Do something!
| Posted in Amazing Journey, Chinese Culture, Chinese History, Chinese Holidays, Mobilization | No Comments »
March 2011 Prayer Letter
Dear Pastors, Partners, & Praying Friends,
The weather is starting to warm up for us here in Northern China. Though it is still mainly below freezing and we just had another snow last week, the bitter cold seems to have gone. Daylight seems to be getting longer and people seem to be on the streets more. As the weather changes, life continues on, and we are asking for you continued prayer in the following areas:
Relationships – Over the holiday, last month, we were able to build some relationships by having a family in our home and also being invited to another families home for a meal. Pray that these relationships will grow, that doors will be opened, and that our language ability will increase so that we can effectively share the Gospel.
Language – March is our sixth month of language acquisition. At the end of this month we have set a goal for me to try and preach for five minutes in Chinese. Pray as we take the next steps in the language learning process.
Church – Pray for boldness as the Church, we are working with, moves forward. This month they are moving to a new and larger location, starting Sunday school, and going to try to invite everyone in the surrounding housing estate. Through reaching out to the surrounding community the church desires to see more souls saved, baptized, and discipled.
Family – Continue to pray as there are still many things we are trying to adjust and become a custom too. Also, pray for health. My wife has been sick on and off over the past several months. Pray that she will be able to overcome these health issues.
Men – While were are learning our new culture and language we also desire to see God work through our lives by seeing others changed by the power of the Gospel. Pray that souls will be saved! Pray that men will surrender to give their lives for the Gospel ministry. Pray that we can train, disciple, and be an example unto them.
Church Planters Needed! - China needs more church planting missionaries. Where will they come from? They are going to come from people like you. You say “I don’t know anything about church planting!” That’s fine, I didn’t either when I surrendered. But God prepared me and aloud me to receive the training I needed. Andrew Murray said: “It is our weakness, heartily accepted and continually realized, that gives us our claim and access to the strength of Him who has said, ‘My strength is made perfect in weakness.’” May you continue to consider your life and God’s plan to reaching the millions here in China. Pray for laborers!
Thank you for being a part of our team, Project China, with your prayers and financial support!
In Christ,
The Tolson Family
| Posted in Prayer Letters | No Comments »
February 2011 Prayer Letter
Dear Pastors, Partners, & Praying Friends,
Happy Chinese New Year! This time of the year the Chinese celebrate what is one of their largest holidays. Everyone gets time off work and school. Shops and restaurants close. People spend time with family. And fireworks seem to be ever crackling in the air.
It is during this time, especially on Chinese New Year we asked for churches and individuals to pray for the Chinese. Thank you to those who participated in the “Global Day of Prayer for the Chinese.” Next year this day will be held on January 23, 2012. Go ahead and put this on your calendar and plan to participate.
We have had a good start to the new year and I want to update you in a several areas and ask for your continued prayer.
Hong Kong & Shenzhen – We recently returned from a seven day trip Hong Kong and Shenzhen. We planned the trip for a visa run and was able to visit each of these places. Both were modern cities, one being in mainland China and the other outside the mainland. One has religious freedom and the other doesn’t. They speak different languages. Both need more Churches and missionaries. Pray for laborers.
Language School - In January we were able to take our first testing in Chinese. This helped us to identify our strengths and weaknesses and show the progress we have made over the past four months. We have a week break for the Chinese Holiday and will resume classes after that. Pray for our language abilities to increase.
Laborers Needed – We need more missionaries in China. We need more church planters in China. We need more Churches in China. The need is so great. This is a call for laborers! Let me challenge you to seek the Lord and ask if He would have you join us in this adventure to reach China with the Gospel. Will you be willing to put everything on the line and come and labour through language school to tell a lost and dying world about the Gospel? Will you glorify the God of heaven by allowing Him to accomplish His purpose through you? Consider your life! Pray!
Praises – In January we were also able to purchase a car, thanks to the gifts of many. It has made traveling around the city much easier. Also, we are continuing to see churches partnering with us and truly are blessed by their generosity.
Thank you for being a part of our team, Project China, with your prayers and financial support! We are humbled every time we hear of those praying for us, each month we see our support report, and simply being able to be on the front lines of what God is doing around the world!
In Christ,
The Tolson Family
| Posted in Prayer Letters | No Comments »
Hong Kong & Shenzhen
We returned on Wednesday from a seven day trip to Hong Kong. We needed to cross the border again and decided to defrost a little bit as well, so we went south. Hong Kong definitely is an incredible place. We were able to see the city, take a break with family and do some touristy things, as well as, cross over into Shenzhen, a city in southern China. Here are a few quick thoughts:
Hong Kong
- It seemed to be a first class city, well organized, built in multi levels and tiers, and lots of freedom.
- They spoke Cantonese and many spoke British English.
- The city seemed to be mixed in culture, language, and religion.
- It is a city that many base their outreach into the mainland from.
- Even with tons of religious freedom there still seemed to be a great need of the Gospel.
Shenzhen
- Crossing the border from HK to China was extremely simple.
- I was surprised a little that they spoke Mandarin instead if Cantonese, at least from what I understood. (I am sure there is a mix.)
- It was obvious you were back in the mainland when entering Shenzhen.
- We only visited the city for an afternoon, but it felt very much like China, just warmer, cleaner, and more tropical than we are use to up north.
- It is a large, growing and developing city…which means we need more churches and missionaries there.
There are some quick thoughts and for the rest I am going to quote an article that my colleague (over at the Gospel in China blog) wrote after recently returning from his trip to Hong Kong.
Just got back from Hong Kong. Our first time going down south, and it was a welcome relief from the frigid weather where we live. Hong Kong is an incredible city – here’s some lessons learned this week:
1. Cantonese is not just a fancy word for bad Mandarin.
Hong Kong’s predominant language is Cantonese. Some people speak English, some speak Mandarin. Seems crazy, but it’s common to hear Chinese people from HK using English to converse with Chinese from the mainland! Apparently a very difficult language to learn – I wonder how many Cantonese-speaking missionaries are there. It does seem to be a trend that missionaries in places where even a small percentage of people speak English as a second language do not learn the native language. But it is definitely needed there.2. It’s one of the most densely populated places on the planet.
We stayed in Kowloon, where about half of HK-ites live. About two million people living in only 18 square miles! Looked like those pictures you always see of crowded Chinese streets. 7,700 skyscrapers – supposedly more than any city in the world. Cramped spaces make for some high living costs. I imagine a church plant there would have to get pretty creative to solve space issues.3. Foreign much?
Is anyone actually from HK? More foreigners than you can shake a stick at (and believe me, I tried). Tons of westerners – the city’s British past is still apparent. There are 300,000 foreign domestic helpers in HK, the vast majority of which are from the Philippines and Indonesia. Indians are another big expatriate group – hawking wares on the street, working in restaurants and hotels, and even working construction jobs. There are a good number of English speaking churches there, but I would like to learn more about what kind of evangelism is being done to these specific groups.4. Weeds thrive in good soil as much as more desirable plants.
You run into a lot on the streets of HK that you don’t see much of in the mainland. People singing songs about how Jesus loves you. Church signs. Buddhist altars everywhere. Protests against the Party and the government. Rampant pornography. Turns out the church isn’t the only organization thriving on freedom. Yet another reminder that an increase of political freedom in the mainland is not enough to advance the Gospel. Our hope in a closed country never lies in the relaxing of government restrictions, but in the Spirit’s work through the Word proclaimed by obedient servants.So take a minute today to pray for Hong Kong – and her more restricted sister cities to the north.
Source: The Gospel in China
| Posted in Amazing Journey, China Travel, Missions, Mobilization | No Comments »
| Posted in Prayer Letters | 2 Comments »