BEIJING (BP)–Christian workers in China committed to reaching a specific ethnic minority group for Christ scurried last year to readjust their thinking and their schedule.
“We made some pretty big plans, thinking it would take quite a while for these things to happen,” one of the workers explained. “But God has surprised us with how much has happened.”
In one instance, the workers sent four teams into an area where the ethnic minority group is concentrated. The teams returned with the joyous report that 50 people had heard the gospel for the first time ever and 19 of them had accepted Christ. Two of the new Christians also volunteered for evangelism training that would enable them to share effectively with others.
Referring to one of the new “evangelists,” the Christian worker wrote: “It was quite a moving experience to see this man with nothing but his tea jar and the clothes on his back sitting on my couch wanting to know more about Jesus. He and his family have since walked long distances to four other neighboring villages to share with countless others, distributed a great quantity of Christian material, and brought others to us for baptism and training. His son and wife have also received training. They are truly on fire for the Lord and understand the concept of sharing with others.”
In another instance, two teams of student volunteers visited six different villages to share the good news of Jesus Christ. One of the villages was caught up in a form of extreme animism that involved calling demons to heal the sick. Members of that village sent someone to harass and rob the students. But they were much encouraged later that night when two of the village ladies visited them secretly to tell of their belief in Jesus.
During the past year, the Christian workers also were involved in the start of two new congregations among the ethnic minority group and an additional two new church starts among another people group.
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