VisionTour Testimonies (Bonus 2 of 2) Matt
VisionTour China | Testimony by Matt
First off let me say, this mission trip to China was a tremendous blessing to me and I sure am glad the Lord gave me the opportunity to go on a trip like this. The Lord helped me in many areas of my Christian life on the trip and gave me more of a heart for missions.
When we arrived in China it was completely different than I expected. We stayed in Beijing the first three days and saw many neat things including the Great Wall. We even went to a church service in Beijing and got to hear the testimonies of the Chinese believers that were present. It sure is amazing to me how someone in a completely different culture on the other side of the world can share a similar testimony of the grace of God in their life just like us!
After Beijing we headed to Harbin where the church was located. There were several things that really stood out to me while we were in Harbin.
It was truly a blessing to meet and get to know the three national pastors. Each one of them encouraged me and helped during the trip seeing God work in their lives and how sold out each one of them were to the ministry. One of the pastors really impressed me watching him interact with the Chinese kids during Vacation Bible School and preach the Word of God to them.
One misperception I had about the trip was the people. I didn’t think they would be very receptive to the Gospel as a result of the government opposition. Everyone that I gave a Gospel tract to would usually stop and read through the tract. We also got to witness and speak with several college students during the trip who seemed very interested in the Gospel. I came to realize that the Chinese people were very friendly and nice people who need the Gospel.
Another thing that stood out to me was when we went to the Buddhist Temple. It was something that I had never experienced before, I guess it opened my eyes to what it was like in the Old Testament when I read about idol worship. It broke my heart to see all the people bowing down to a man-made object and worshiping it as a god. Seeing that in person gave me a greater burden to reach people with the Gospel and sacrifice more of my time and money so people like that can be reached.
It sure was hard walking down the streets knowing so many of the people that I past were lost and would meet eternity without Christ and without hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It made me realize that there is so much more we need to do to make sure they have an opportunity to hear.
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
-Matt A.
Previous Testimonies: Tom, Jamie, Josh, Greg, Jessica G., Misty, & Jessica W.
08.29.11
VisionTour Testimonies (Bonus 1 of 2) Jessica W.
I hope you have been enjoying these testimonies from those who were able to travel to China this summer and help the ministry here. I received two more testimonies, so think of these as two BONUSES! These next two are from college students and it is encouraging to see how God is working in their lives! Read, comment, share, enjoy!
VisionTour China | Testimony by Jessica W.
“How was China?”
Since returning home, I’ve heard this question many times. Even though it is the simplest of questions, it has been one of the hardest for me to answer. How do you summarize a two week, life-changing trip? As I thought about China, I realized what had impacted me most.
It wasn’t the food.
It wasn’t the Great Wall, Tienamen Square, or the Dragon Tower.
It wasn’t even the surprisingly eventful fourteen hour layover in the Tianjin airport.
What impacted me the most were the Chinese people.
One morning, after we arrived in Harbin, I was reading in Mark 6, “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them…” I don’t know how many times I’ve skimmed this verse and never comprehended its meaning. Being in China shed new light on it.
One of the men from our group made the remark, “You know, in DC you can go from a crowded area to somewhere quiet, but here… you just move from one crowd to the next.” Everyday we spent the majority of our time with people – students from the university, children from the church’s apartment complex, and leaders from Omega. We passed out tracks and flyers, shared our testimonies one-on-one, and helped put on a VBS. The only alone time we had was in the shower.
Our visit to the Je Li Buddhist Temple also helped bring Mark 6:34 into perspective. That particular morning, our group had been singing hymns and passing out gospel tracts on the steps to the temple. As we entered, I was stunned. Going from worshiping the only true God to watching ritualistic obeisance to false idols was sobering. As we walked along, we grew quieter. At one point, we were stopped and motioned to the side as a long line of monks – men, women, and children wholly dedicated to Buddhism – passed us while chanting. In that moment, I understood.
“…and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”
I was watching a literal march to Hell.
There I stood, crying, weak, and insufficient. These people had dedicated their life to finding truth and enlightenment and I, a daughter of the Truth and the Light, could not tell them where to find it.
It has been two weeks since I “saw” China. God is still teaching me lessons from my trip. It was difficult to leave knowing that there is work to be done for God. But I am thankful. The trip gave me a greater appreciation for freedom to share Christ in the US. It helped me understand that this world is not my true home, heaven is. And most of all, it opened my eyes and gave me a compassion and desire to see, not just China, but the whole world reached with the Truth and the Light of the Gospel.
So the next time someone asks me, “How was China?”, I will answer with this: it was something that you need to see for yourself.
-Jessica W.
Previous Testimonies: Tom, Jamie, Josh, Greg, Jessica G., & Misty.
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VisionTour Testimonies (6 of 6) Misty
VisionTour China | Testimony by Misty
My name is Misty and my daughter is a missionary wife living in China. While my children were growing up, my husband and I prayed faithfully that all three of our children would love the Lord, serve Him all of their days and that God would use them for His glory. We really meant this and we still pray this way everyday. But I will be the first to admit that when your first born child comes to you and says that she is moving to the other side of the world, it is hard. It is hard to hand her over totally to the Lord and say “your will Lord, not mine.” But we knew that as long as she was in the will of the Lord, she would be happy and content. And that is what we want most for our children.
So, when our church, Fellowship Baptist, announced that we would be taking a mission trip to China, I was the first to sign up. My reasons for wanting to go were totally selfish. I was not so much thinking about the souls in China, but seeing my daughter, son-in-law and beautiful granddaughter whom I had not seen in a year. But despite, my selfishness, the Lord was gracious enough to bless me tremendously during this trip. I am so grateful to see first hand the reason my son-in-law and daughter were called to China.
While touring the city and seeing the sea of people everywhere we went, I saw the great need of the city. I saw the millions of lost souls that need someone to show them the way. While visiting and working in the church those two weeks, I met and grew to love the Chinese teachers and workers who love the Lord and want to serve Him. I met the students who were attending the church services but had not yet accepted Jesus as their saviour. I not only saw the need in that city as a group of people but individuals. I put names to their faces and became burdened for them. And I got to see that while my son-in-law and daughter are still in language school, they are already contributing to the work there and they are making a difference.
God was so good to show me all this… I know why my family is in China and I praise God for them!
I won’t say that it wasn’t hard to say goodbye to them at the airport when we left. It was. But I have a much greater peace now. I know that God has great plans for their lives and I am excited to see what He is going to do! Lord willing, I hope to visit China again and watch the progress that is made.
Thank you,
Misty W.
Previous Testimonies: Tom, Jamie, Josh, Greg, & Jessica G.
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VisionTour Testimonies (5 of 6) Jessica G.
VisionTour China | Testimony by Jessica
Hi, my name is Jessica and recently the Lord blessed me to go on a mission trip to China. Before I left or even decided to go, I was a little skeptical about the trip, but when I listened to the Lord’s direction He made all the doors open up for me to go. Just one of the many ways the Lord works – you trust Him and He will guide and help.
During this mission trip we had a lot of adventures and we did a lot of “adjusting” when things didn’t go according to our plan. The Lord allowed us to pass out a lot of flyers that told about the church and we got to hold a VBS! The children in China really opened my eyes. I had never seen kids that didn’t know how to pray or know anything about Jesus, but they were willing to listen.
One day we went to a Buddhist temple. It was very hard to watch people worshipping idols, this was something I had read about in the Old Testament but to actually see it was completely heart wrenching, to know that what we have is the truth and that their worship, giving money, bowing, giving food to this thing is all in vain. Being in the Buddhist temple opened my eyes to the fact that China really needs laborers. They need someone to tell them that Jesus and only Jesus “is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” They just need a laborer to tell them.
We also got to do a lot of sight-seeing and we were able to share our testimonies with multiple college students. These students really burdened my heart. The fact that they would listen to our testimonies and they wanted to learn about Jesus, they just need someone to tell them about it.
However, most importantly, this mission trip has really deepened my burden and love for the Chinese people. The Bible verse that really stuck with me with this mission trip is Luke 10:2 “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” This is why I would encourage you to take a mission trip. The harvest truly is great! The Chinese people desperately need Jesus – they need what you have – are you willing to share it?
I loved being in China and I can’t wait until I get the opportunity to go back.
-Jessica G.
Previous Testimonies: Tom, Jamie, Josh, & Greg.
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VisionTour Testimonies (4 of 6) Greg
VisionTour China | Testimony by Greg
One the most Spiritual experiences I had, was the Wed night, approx. 24H after our arrival, we attended a Bible Study with a congregation in Beijing. When this small group of believers began to sing “The Old Rugged Cross” in Chinese, I can not begin to describe the praise I felt in my heart. They sang the first verse and asked us to join in English. I wanted to shout and cry! I felt a true sense of kindred with my China brothers and sisters. The bond was further substantiated and my spirit further moved as I heard testimonies of salvation that was very much like my own. My cup surely ran over!
Arriving in Harbin, China we spent Saturday with young students from the university there, observing the sites and witnessing to them. That night we attended a small service that would begin our relationship and work with members of Omega (the church there), more Chinese Brothers & Sisters that I would work with and form a stronger bond that would make it hard to leave, knowing I would have little contact with them or maybe never again. The love and compassion they showed toward the work of Jesus Christ our Savior and toward us was indescribable. I observed a serious commitment and love to spread the word to their fellow countrymen, especially the children. As we attended Sunday Services with them, exchanging testimonies of experiences of grace, we began to work and witness to others in the surrounding community, passing out tracks and inviting the children to Vacation Bible School for the next two days. Vacation Bible School would be a success as many children in the surrounding, vast apartment buildings would be drawn there to hear preaching of the Word. Each daily service would end with us playing games with the children in the courtyard and experiencing being close to them despite the language barrier.
What I realize today, as I have been made aware of the sobering reality of a Communist Government and it’s attempt to control Christianity, I am heavily burdened for them, their ministry, and their safety in the aftermath of the questioning and attempting to stop the preaching of the Word (Acts 5:40-42).
We in this country have the freedom to worship and take it so for granted! How these people desire and hunger for the Word and to be filled with the Peace that passeth all understanding and we are so complacent to think we can pick it up whenever we want. We are spoiled above measure! I am more grateful than ever for my life that the Lord has granted me with and the ease I had to accept Christ as my Saviour! Things that we Americans take so for granted! My desire is to walk close, close to the way God expects and requires us to walk as true born-again, truly converted Christians and encourage others interested in visiting China or any other mission field (Philippians 3:14, 2 Timothy 1:9).
Your Brother in Christ,
Greg B.
Previous Testimonies: Tom, Jamie, & Josh.
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VisionTour Testimonies (3 of 6) Josh
VisionTour China | Testimony by Josh
Wow, what to say about China…well I can honestly say it was not what I was expecting!
Someone asked me when I got back, “what was the most surprising thing that you saw in China?” Without delay I said it was the Communism. It wasn’t as you would expect. The red China that everyone may think of where no one is allowed to do anything without the governments permission is just not true. Now to some degree it is, but there seemed to be a capitalistic spirit among the people.
All they have known since they were born was Communism so they seem to enjoy there lives. I heard more than one Chinese person say that they were okay with life because the party would take care of them.
This is where it goes from surprising to sad.
As I sat on the plane to Harbin, I talked with a man whose English name was David. He was about 28 years old and as I begin to give him the Gospel, his words were, “the party will take care of it all.” He said that he knew the name “Jesus” and he crossed himself like the Catholics do, but he said he had never heard of “Jesus Christ.”
He said before he was married that he dated a girl for about 1 year who was a Christian, but her parents got divorced so David’s parents made him brake up with her. They found him another woman to date and eventually marry. When I asked him how he felt about it, he said, “it is a Chinese custom to not disobey or dishonor your parents.” He also mentioned it was a custom to have the same religion as your parents and since his mother and wife were Buddhists, he claimed to be one too.
David lives about 2 hours outside of Harbin and unless he believes in Jesus Christ (whom he never heard of until that point) he will die and go to Hell. Sadly, this seems to be the way most people in China live their lives, trusting more in the party than in Jesus Christ. Why? Not because they are stubborn people but because most don’t have a chance to hear the Gospel!
I am 20 and have a wife and kid of my own but I can’t tell you why God allowed me to hear the Gospel, save me from my sin and a real burning hell. I can not tell you why David and most of China have not had the same chances as me. I can not tell you why God allowed you to be saved either. But I can tell you that we who have been saved by the grace of God owe the whole World the Gospel! We are debtors to the World and should be ashamed of the little that we have done with so great a God!
My prayer is for God to use me where ever I may be. I fail God each and every day and even though I will continue to fail Him, one day I will be in Heaven! I do not want to stand ashamed because of the people I did not tell. I do not want to weep because of the the blood on my hands.
I thank God for the opportunity to go to this great country. I thank the people who prayed and gave so we could go. I pray for laborers to be sent to China! I pray for a hedge of protection around the ministry in China.
-Josh S.
Previous Testimonies: Tom & Jamie.
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VisionTour Testimonies (2 of 6) Jamie
VisionTour China | Testimony by Jamie
When my church first started planning a trip to China I thought I wouldn’t be able to go due to the amount of funds it would require, but the Lord blessed me with people and churches that gave out of their love for lost souls.
As time grew closer and closer to depart my heart grew colder and colder by the thoughts and misinformation I had about the country and people of China. I looked forward to the adventure of traveling to a different country but was fearful of the unknown conditions, attitudes, and customs.
Once we landed in Beijing, I felt as if we just arrived in a large city such as New York or Chicago. There wasn’t a large presence of military police or even security standing over us, which I had imagined. The buildings and sidewalks were a little different by design but the people walking the streets were normal everyday people just living their life.
God began softening my heart for the people of China when Bro. Tolson took us to Tiananmen Square. I saw the multitudes of people standing in lines waiting to tour their national museums. There must have been thousands and thousands of people and, most likely, the majority of them have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was almost like I could see them walking into the abyss of outer darkness. When we left the square that day I started focusing more on the need of the people than their great architecture and cultural differences.
The Lord really blessed the trip in many ways. I developed a deeper relationship with the people that went on the mission trip but most importantly I became friends with many of the young Chinese college students and the local pastors of Omega. We even exchanged e-mail addresses and Skype information. Since returning from China I have had several opportunities to reconnect with some of the people from Omega and several of the college students.
We were challenged to keep a journal of our trip but I’m not much of a writer so I thought of keeping a photo journal. I’ve sent most of the images to Bro. Tolson and told him to use them how ever he would like. Lord willing, I will return for a second mission trip and bring my family to China to help the Tolson family reach more people with the Gospel.
The Lord laid one verse on my heart the entire trip; Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” No matter who you are or where you live, you are a sinner and Christ died to pay your sin debt. We all must come to Him for Salvation.
Offering my life as a living sacrifice,
Bro. Jamie P.
Romans 12:1
Previous Testimony: Tom.
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VisionTour Testimonies (1 of 6) Tom
This week you will be reading testimonies from several different people who were able to be apart of the VisonTour China this summer. We had an incredible time with this missions team and I hope their testimonies will encourage you to GO to the foreign mission field (especially China), short or full time! Below is the first in this series. Read, comment, and share with others!
VisionTour China | Testimony by Tom
I am very thankful for the open door, the Lord gave me and “the team of ten” to go to China. The Tolsons were wonderful hosts. I fell in love with the Chinese people, they were so kind and gracious to us all.
My spirit was moved at a brother’s church in Beijing. Listening to the Chinese believers sing Gospel songs in their native tongue, caused me to weep with joy and conviction. This brother is back in the United States, so one of the men asked if I would preach to them. I felt honored and humbled at their request.
Once in Harbin, the Lord really began to stir my heart for China and World Evangelism in general.
As a pastor, I came to the conclusion, I have failed the Lord and my congregation by not having more of a heart for souls around the world. This trip changed me, challenged me, and constrained me in many ways. Watching people bow before literal graven images at the Buddhist Temple was truly eye opening, as were “the slums” where we took the Gospel.
Some have asked me what was my favorite part about China. Even though I loved the opportunity to preach through an interpreter on four different occasions, even though I loved the VBS, the passing out of tracts, and all the sight seeing (Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Dragon Tower, etc.), I would have to say my favorite part of the trip was building relationships with the Chinese people.
I fell in love with the three national pastors who are part of Omega. As did I with the other believers and the unbelievers, whom I personally witnessed to. Just one example is “Jack” who is interested in the gospel, but is yet to be saved. Jack (his English name) gave me my Chinese name Tian Hai which means “sky” and “sea”. My point is putting a face and personality with souls in foreign lands makes a difference in how we think about missions. When I pray for China, it is not just a billion people in a Communist country. No, it is Jack, Shawn, Six, Wendy, Lisa, and other lost souls, whom I know personally.
My eye hath indeed affected my heart.
-Tom H.
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Journaling Your Mission Trip
We encourage those taking a mission trip to keep a journal of the trip. Because of today’s technology, your journaling might not be by means of pencil and paper, maybe a computer or ipad, whatever it may be, record your trip. You will be so busy during the trip and so tired by the end of it, you don’t want to forget all the great things that happened and that you experienced. Here is some more advice from Pastor Austin Gardner on journaling for your missions trip:
Keep a Journal of your trip!
- A Diary of your daily thoughts and events.
- A record of your prayer requests .
- A record of how you felt on the trip.
- Preserve your joy for future memories.
- Keep a list of what you are learning and how God is working in your life.
- Right down quotes and sayings that you hear that are a blessing for you.
- Review your day with God.
- Be able to share with your family, friends and church all that God did in your life on the trip.
Tips on how to keep a journal
- Start before you leave home
- Set aside a quiet time each day for writing
- Talk to your journal as though it were your best friend
- Keep your journal confidential
Answer some questions in your journal entries like the following:
- What did I learn today that will benefit my spiritual life?
- What areas of my life does God seem to be talking to me about right now?
- What did I learn about serving Him?
- What did we do today?
- Who did we meet today?
- What decision did you make today for your spiritual life and growth?
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How to Give Your Testimony in the Services
Many times on short-term mission trips there are opportunities to give your testimony during the church services. When you are giving your testimony and it is being translated, it is very different than giving it at your home church. Below is some advice from my Pastor Austin Gardner who was a missionary for 20 years (I adapted it for China).
How to Give Your Testimony in the Services
1. Write out your testimony. It will surprise you how easy it is to get sidetracked by all the commotion and translating.
2. Keep it brief, maybe about 3 minutes! With translation 3 minutes will turn into 5!
3. Open with a greeting in Chinese. The folks like it when you try to speak their language and show a genuine interest in them.
4. Tell who you are and a little bit about you, married, work, something about your family, etc.
5. Add a couple of positive statements about the country, the church, and the people!
6. Do not talk about the poverty of the area, the currency as funny money, how sorry you feel for them, etc.
7. Tell what Christ has done for you, how did you get saved, how did you realize your need of a Savior, how has your life changed, how has Christ helped you lately.
8. Give a verse and make sure and give the application.
9. Do not give graphic details about your sin or your past life.
10. Avoid slang and idioms in your testimony. They can be very difficult to translate and may have no meaning in the other language.
11. Do not use very long sentences or very short either. Give a good thought that can be easily remembered by the translator!
12. Avoid stressing your material success or blessings and especially making any comparisons to what the people have in the country you are visiting!
13. Avoid speaking of the sacrifice that you made to get to the field. Remember what it cost you to get to the country may be several months of a working man’s income. You may share with them the blessing of being able to come and how good God was to answer your prayers and make it possible to be there!
14. Don’t tell jokes, etc. without prior approval to make sure that they translate, etc.
15. Thank the folks again and ask them to pray for you. Be excited about the country and the opportunity to be there.
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