LAST NIGHT IN BEIJING, SEPT 14: ARTISTS & TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

 Harriet, Jon and me with a group of young artists:  painters, designers and musicians who love Jesus!  Harriet shared about idols in our lives and I about overcoming worry - it was effective again to end with writing the idols and worries on the dissolving paper, pray and then drop in the water! The scientists among them were so impressed by the illustration we left the remaining papers with them...I think they learned allot too :)...

We were entertained by a beautiful song, played on the piano and sung for us.  Then we headed home but couldn't find a taxi...and for the first time, rode a city bus!  The cost?  1.5 yuan (1 yuan =  15 cents).
Got to hotel late and still needed to pack but so full of joy at the new connections made and the leadership emerging in Beijing!

 Jon saw the Temple of Heaven in the morning while Harriet and I were with JuFang.  Then, while Jon and I made a last stop at the Silk Market for a pair of shoes for him, Harriet went there with Hope!  It is a beautiful experience and so fascinating to know the emperor once worshiped the "one god" there!

An older photo taken when Mary, Sharon and Yolanda were there but I thought you'd enjoy!

I will post a few videos on Facebook coming soon...seems they are so slow to load here but some great stuff for you to see.

To all who have supported us in prayer and financially, I thank you for this opportunity - it is an experience I hope many of you will share with me!  To see the church in Acts happening in our time and impacting the world, AND to have a small part in equipping this force for Evangelism is a blessing too big for mere words.

With love and appreciation,

Peggy

WOW! INCREDIBLE MORNING WITH JUFANG'S MOTHER'S GROUP

 Sitting on tiny chairs in a basement meeting room of her apartment, JuFang's mother's group is a study group and when guest speaker's come, it's an opportunity for JuFang, the evangelist, to invite many visitors!  At least 5 of the 25 women who came, were seekers...

2 of the sisters danced to a sacred song - in honor of the visiting speakers.  This is my 4th time to see this group and like MaWei's group they make sure they are on our schedules!  Harriet and I were also given gifts and received like visiting dignitaries!!

We were amazed as the winners of the shawl, hat and bracelet were the visitors who JuFang wanted to share Christ with - an invitation was given and 2 accepted Jesus this day!

Winner of the hat - new sister!

  This group spanned many age groups - from 20's - 70's!  It is unusual to see older believers in China - the revival is mainly younger seekers since the older adults tend to be embittered having lived through the cultural revolution and it's many horrors.
The lady in pink is a new believer led to Christ by JuFang and the one on the left is a new believer today (and winner of a bracelet!)

 Here are most of the women at JuFang's study!  We are blessed to have been here!  Praising God!

MAWEI, THE FAITHFUL LEADER AND HER SISTER'S GROUP

MaWei is a faithful sister who leads multiple groups in Bible study.  Her faithfulness is evident every time I have seen her.  They meet in XiaoLi's home and this time there were about 14 women and also a husband of one of the women.  It is quite common when we gather with women that a man is also present - not minding if the content is designed with women in mind:  Harriet spoke on "Mary's Extravagant Love", and I taught on "Beauty in God's Eyes".  In this video, the women are reading Scripture together; in China, the believers do this most often and read with great devotion.  Sometimes the men read a verse and then women and so on... 

It is never easy to leave these groups, they just want you to stay forever!  Here we are at a restaurant where we were treated to lunch after the study.

Anna is from western China and is Muslim; also a belly dancer - here she poses showing the bracelet I had given her!  Anna is not yet a believer but said to us, "I feel peace and God's love when I am with you".  Pray for her please...

MIDNIGHT UPDATE!

Oh my...what a last 2 days we have had!  Just finished packing to fly back to US to San Francisco with my hubby and then he goes to Denver and Harriet and I to Portland where I will talk to several groups about the work in China and see my daughter and son-in-law. I will send the update and pics soon - we have taught a combined 4 times in the last 2 days and so much to tell you!

Stay tuned!

THE GREAT WALL & HUTONG

Our "Team on the Wall", September 2011! Pretty much our first day to be tourists - ministry is the focus and so much of it to do.  Nice to take a day to play!

Harriet on the chair lift!

Jon enjoyed his first time to see the Great Wall of China :)

 Jon and Harriet going down on the "Alpine Slide" - both are just a bit competitive...:) Not me though...just racing behind taking pictures!

Vendors at the Wall...actually vendors most everywhere!  "Hey lady, want to buy silk? Want to buy Chinese hat??"

Harriet at one of the "important official's" doors in the old hutong - an old neighborhood in Beijing being fixed up for tourists.

Jon, me, Jerry Wunder, Harriet, Dana Hawkes and Hope near a restaurant at hutong.

Jon with Anthony, mentioned on the previous blog.  Jon spent much time over dinner counseling with Anthony.

NEW TREE CHURCH & MANCHURIAN FOOD

 One of the leaders at New Tree Church receives the shawl and was in tears.  They loved the training on marriage from Jon and me - her husband of 25 years was so kind to her when she apologized to him for not respecting him as she thought she should have.  Jon spoke about men needing respect and women needing love in a marriage.  There were 40 people at the gathering between the 2 services at New Tree.  They want us to come back, "every time you come"!

My translator and her husband.  "Amy" won a hat and wanted her husband in the photo too.  She works in pharmaceuticals and has a PHD.  Really sweet people and her translation was excellent! 

Some of the participants in the training with the sign for the church in background.

Hope explains the Story Bracelet to the audience - she does such a wonderful job and they were so excited about the sharing tool!

Hope's favorite restaurant - food just like from her home town!  Yum!!!  We all loved the "Chinese hat bread", the "dumplings" and so many delectable treats.  

Jon also spent time counseling with Anthony, a young man whose wife had left him for another man and who needed someone to lean on.

Once again the divine appointments are happening so fast it is hard to keep track for you but we are blessed, Kingdom work is happening in a huge way and your prayers and support are very much appreciated!

TEACHING AT THE "UPPER ROOM" & JON ARRIVES!

Harriet teaches on life lessons with Habakkuk - great lesson for the men and women who came out on a holiday weekend! It is Moon Festival and yet we had a total of 25 today at a training with Jon and I in the morning on marriage and Harriet in the afternoon.  We taught at the "Upper Room" restaurant; it is the 3rd of these Christian "Bistros" in Beijing featuring food, worship and Christian fellowship.  We bought "Moon Cakes" in honor of the holiday in a special tin with Bible stories on the front!!

 I had a feeling these 2 would connect!  Yolanda with Harriet today - loving the sisterhood and kindred spirits all in one!  Yolanda is starting a new training business with the purpose of training and then sharing the Best News!  www.seekfind.com.cn

ALSO:  Yolanda just shared that in the past 2 weeks the Mr. Ling (owner of the furniture company where our team was involved in helping to plant a church) has just led his sister and 10 others to Jesus!  Because of the objections of Mr. Ling's wife, the church is not meeting now though so please pray for an open door for them, a change of heart for Mrs. Ling and a pastor!

 This is Wang Lei, winner of the KnitWit's shawl today and also the boss of our translator, "Cookie" (Angela).  Wang Lei also cam last Saturday and is seeking. Pray for her please.

FAITH HOPE LOVE CHURCH AND MANA CHURCH

This is a part of the church that Hope started while at university in LangFang.  That church has now become 2 churches and since Hope just moved to a new apartment, they will now begin services in her new home! 

This is Emma who received one of the shawls from May's trip!  We had not been able to take a photo and she asked to be photographed because she knows the KnitWits pray for them.  Emma's English is very good and she has done some translating for us.

This of course is our "Hope"!  She is a confident, wise and strong young woman, who has become a key part of what Women's Connections has been able to do in Beijing!  One of the young men there received one of Sharon Tom's hats and gave it to Hope.  Beijing gets very cold in the winter and these items will be much appreciated.  The FaithHopeLove church reflects Hope's spirit:  full of joy and the love of Jesus!  The talk tonight was on "How to be a good husband" - this was the request and although I'd prepared this talk to be done for husbands and wives, they asked only for the husbands.  The men want to learn before marriage and the women want to know what kind of husband God wants for them.  I personally, am glad for the example of my wonderful Jon!!!

 This is "Joy"...in more than just her name!  Joy received the prayer shawl tonight and went to her room to put on a pretty dress to be photographed because it was the one year anniversary of the day she accepted Christ!  Last December, Joy appeared in the video I took of the Christmas program, singing "Silent Night" and "This is the Day".

Some of the members of the "Mana church" present for Harriet's talk on "Mentoring and Discipleship". Certainly an interesting night with some great questions and concerns.  See the posting on Harriet's blog!

The "Silk Market"!  Mary took this great photo of the enormous building where we shop and barter for the wonderful gifts to bring home :)!

BEAUTIFUL TO GOD, 2 NEW SISTERS AND JEREMIAH

  What a joy to teach this group of really terrific women yesterday!  From 9am - 12:30, we talked about the kind of beauty that is honoring to God and gets better with age!  There were many tears as we talked of the kinds of beauty valued by our cultures and how we all fall short.  It is common for young Chinese women, graduating from university to undergo cosmetic surgeries (eyes made bigger, noses more prominent etc.) to not only attract men with more advanced degrees but also it is thought that if you look more "western" your job prospects are enhanced.

The group of  Mary Kay consultants and directors wrote down their outward and inward qualities, specifically qualities that they didn't like at all, then we took the papers (which were specially made to dissolve in water) and put them in the big bowl filled with water to watch them disappear!  A symbolic gesture reflecting our prayer as we gave them to God.

"BALANCE" IN HUALIKAN

Really precious night!  I taught on balancing God, family and career and there were so many thoughtful questions but best of all I was blessed to be able to share the Good News to about 10 of the 14 present who were seeking!

Our lovely shawl winner was one of the guests invited by a young man named "Little Bear".

This is "Little Bear" and his fiance standing with the cross they made by hand with roses individually formed for it. This will be the center piece for their wedding ceremony!

This is "Donna", guest of Angela. Donna received the gift of a bracelet tonight but most importantly, received the Greatest Gift of all!  Praise God!!

THIRTY WOMEN AT CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE!

 Our Topics today were:






 Harriet: Idols We Worship/Misplaced Hopes; Peggy: Trusting the One who made the plan  & Becoming Beautiful to God.

The women are so eager to know and learn. I knew about one-third of these ladies, the new ones having heard of the training from the others and wanting to know if they can come to other events while we are here.  Two, hearing the gospel for the first time!!

Harriet and I had not seen each others' notes and yet it would have seemed the teaching was planned to fit hand-in-glove!  God is certainly a connector of people and we are grateful as we teach as one, that God is once again interested in the details!  The women loved the training...sitting for 4 hours with a few breaks but taking feverish notes and responding so well to Harriet's questions about what an "idol" might be in their lives...they spoke of many things that came between them and their relationships to God.  I loved seeing them come and receive counsel from Harriet...they loved her!!

So many nodding heads also, when I spoke of not trusting the plan we can see, but rather trusting the One who made the plan.  Then, when the topic of beauty came up, and we discussed some of the crazy things women have done to their bodies over the centuries in the name of "beauty" their was laughter and then realization that what we worry about with regard to our looks, is fleeting - God is interested in the beauty within. They loved writing the features (about themselves) they didn't like on "vanishing paper", giving them to God and watching them disappear in the bowls of water!!

"Jenny" was our worship leader for today and at our retreat in May!  She was so excited to receive the beautiful shawl from the KnitWits!  She thought is was so lovely and wore it even though the room was quite warm...she just never took it off!  So excited to be prayed for by the KnitWits!

                             

 This is our first recipient of one of the beautiful hats knitted by Sharon Tom from Arizona!  The ladies all exclaimed over the hats and couldn't wait to see whose name was drawn.  They just can't believe the women in America love them so much!

WE GOT IN LAST NIGHT...TRAINING THIS MORNING!

What an early blessing Harriet (2nd from left, front row) and I had today!  We met with 6 ladies (5 Christians, 1 Buddhist) from an insurance company along with our translator, FangFang (far left, front row).

Our gift to them was a training on how to overcome worry and unrest...their gift    to us was their time, lots of coffee & food and especially their trust in opening their hearts to ask so many questions!

Our lovely hostess, the manager of the agency was also the lucky recipient of the first of our prayer shawls (gifted once again by the KnitWits (knitting a witness for Christ!).

The questions came..."I don't know what heaven is like..."; "you said that God wants to give peace & joy, but I was taught that He only wants our hearts broken and we must cry like Jeremiah..."; "I was also taught that only a certain number of people may be saved and that in the last judgement, some of us who received Christ may be lost after all"...  How blessed to be with Harriet and to have 2 minds and Harriet armed with her Bible to be looking up passages of help!  Once again...the need for biblical training is underscored!

Tomorrow we will train in a room at a Christian Bookstore!  Stay tuned :)