[1]BEIJING (BP)–Chinese tourists are returning home from their vacation trips to Southeast Asia with the best souvenir of all — the good news of Jesus Christ.
To assist them in understanding the way to salvation and God’s purposes in their lives, Christians are giving Bibles and other valuable materials to Mainland Chinese people who are vacationing in countries throughout Southeast Asia.
Volunteers who have been involved in the initial stages of this literature distribution project have discovered that the Christian materials are received with eager hands and are perused with willing hearts. Several have reported decisions of salvation by those whom have received the materials and asked questions.
Many of the recipients take the priceless books back home to share with friends and family. One person, among the earliest to receive a Bible through the project, accepted the Lord and returned to her home in China to begin a new church.
To many of the tourists the Bibles, Jesus films, and other materials are precious gifts. Coming from a country where widespread distribution of religious material is closely monitored, they rejoice in the opportunity to receive the materials abroad.
Many of the volunteers have already found that no matter how many materials they have, the demand still exceeds the supply. One-fifth of the world’s population, about 1.3 billion people, live in China where Bibles and other Christian materials are in short supply and hard to obtain because of government restrictions. Making the Bibles readily available is like placing bread before the starving.
[2]The ministry has been deeply moving for some of the workers.
“To see a people so hungry for something that has been kept from them their whole lives … the images will burn in my mind for the rest of my life,” said one unidentified volunteer. “I got to give someone the most precious book that she will ever own. I am still blown away by the fact that someday in heaven one of those people will come up to me and proclaim that they are there because I cared enough about them to give them a Bible.”
Another worker was awestruck as he simply stood under a sign that said “free gifts” and watched as Chinese people grabbed every last Bible.
“People wanted what we had because they were Bibles, and for no other reason,” he said.
Hearing a Chinese man read aloud a gospel tract in his own language was deeply moving to another volunteer who followed along in her English translation. She realized that the unbeliever’s reading of the Word allowed him to hear the gospel, probably for the first time ever, proclaimed by his own voice.
When the seeker reached the key question that asked which path he wanted his life to take, he indicated that he wanted Christ to control his life from that point on.
As much as possible, the literature distributors seek to establish relationships and exchange name cards so that continued life-changing dialogue can take place via e-mail.
Thousands more volunteers are needed to share Christ through the project that will be ongoing for the next few years. Perhaps God is calling you to help in this vital ministry. For information on volunteering for the project, contact [email protected].
–30–
(BP) file photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: NEEDING VOLUNTEERS.