A Retreat to Remember

Friday and Saturday we taught at the first ever women's retreat in Beijing.  What an amazing time!  We boarded a bus Friday afternoon and headed for our destinaton.  Spirits were high, as these sweet women rarely have a break from family pressures.

Rather than me trying to explain the retreat, I am going to share an email sent by Yolanda, the sister in the yellow jacket standing in the above bus picture.

Thanks for your coming to China with others sisters. you are so brilliant!!!

This re-treat meeting is so wonderful that every sister who had fulfilled by the abundant love of God. this is what we need now...thanks god for touching your sisters' heart to organize re-treat for Chinese sisters. whatever single sisters, married sisters, servant leaders in church who their need during the meeting.....the biggest blessing is three non-believers have decided being a christian. can we have better news than this?

Thanks for you provide the platform in which we can share love, testimony and even tears together...that's why sisters were exciting to talk till 4:00am: ) god is listening our prayer, you and sisters are angels to comforts us via the love of god...

Thanks for your great organization...children have volunteers to be taken care so that mom sisters could focus on the words of god, all speakers are wonderful and their speeching are meaningful and profound...

The last but not the least, we hope to have the re-treat meeting will be held regular, at least once a year:) ...thanks for the sponsorship by the brothers and sisters who are in American...we love them and hope to see them one day.

May god richly bless you and sisters forever,

Yolanda

Did you catch that 3 new sisters part?  Several wonderful friends from back home donatd money so that more women cold attend the retreat,  Many were believers who had unbelieving husbands who said "Yes you can go but you can't have any money."  Then there was a teacher from the local college who invited 3 of her young students who had no money, AND ALL 3 RECEIVED THE LORD!  They looked so depressed at the beginning of the retreat, but look at their precious faces now!

THANK YOU, dear friends, for giving so generously.  Pretty amazing what God can do with our mustard seeds!

We asked at the end who felt led to take a leadership role in bringing women to Christ and discipling them, and 30 women responded!  When you ask ANY group of Chinese believers what they feel China's role is, they say without hesitation, "God will use China to tell the whole world about himself.  We will be the largest missionary force in world history."  They are an incredibly missional group of believers.

Another amazing experience.  I am exhausted and exhilarated at the same time.  KEEP PRAYING!  3 more days of teaching and sharing!