China Mission Newsletter of David Wong
January 5, 2010
Greetings,
Kathy and I arrived in San Francisco in January 14, 2010. It was joyous to see Solomon, Maggie and especially the grandchildren. We thank God deeply for giving us such wonderful and loving families. We resumed our daily routine after a few days of rest. Donation receipts were being sent out to brothers and sisters who have been giving to the F-2 Foundation in the past year. A listing of the ministers who receive our sponsorship and the monetary amount they received will be tabulated and mail along with this “Good News”. It is gratifying to know that your generous contributions were blessed by our almighty God and utilized effectively in helping so many ministers in China. I truly believe God will reward you personally for you good deed. May God’s grace be with you in every each way.
There were 57 sponsors for the F-2 Foundation last year and a total of US $60,304.00 received. An amount of $12,000.00 was donated by a sister and specially designated for Zhong-Nan Theological Seminary in Wu-Han. The amount was used to improve their teaching facility through the purchase of new equipments. Therefore, the actual amount F-2 received was $48,304.50, less than what we received in 2008. During this financial crisis, we still experience God’s guidance and leadership. In this new year, I thank God for His abundantly grace. May He bless each and every one of us, so that we can give our one fish and one loaf to the impoverished Chinese churches. May more seminarians who answered God’s calling accept the challenge to serve His children in these poor village churches and spread His good news.
When I retired in 2003, I was 65 years old. My original plan was to serve voluntarily for 5 years with the help of the 5 loafs and 2 fishes miracle. Living on my pensions and personal savings in the past 5 years, I had experienced God’s wondrous way and received His shower of blessings. I also realized the dire situation of the village churches and the predicament their ministers are facing. If we do not reach out to them, their problems would not be resolved. Some of those seminarians may not be able to serve in those areas. Many would just leave the villages and seek employment in the wealthier industrial cities in the Pearl delta area. Through Mordecai God revealed to Esther, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14) This verse always stay in my heart and serves as a constant reminder. In 2008, after 5 years of service, I decided to continue and offer my best for the lord. In these past few years, a majority of the donations are from my retirement pension, from friends and relatives and brothers and sisters who had worked with me for 27 years since the establishment of the church. Most of the funding was used in church building, repair and pay for the ministers. (I, myself pay for the costs of visitation, touring, transportation and food) I feel that it is still a small drop in the bucket. Nowadays, the churches in the cities are very much self sufficient while churches in the villages are still extremely poor. Without outside assistance, their mere existences rely on volunteer workers who only had minimal theological trainings. As I was reflecting on this ministry this year, I sincerely hope that our friends and relatives will bring this concern to their mission department and pray earnestly for the F-2 ministry. Include F-2 into their budgeted item so that more churches and God’s servants can be benefited. Currently, most church worships are held in old and run-down buildings which were constructed in the 60’s. New churches were built in the Guangdong area during the 80’s and 90’s with donations from Hong Kong and overseas. At that time, there were a severe lack of resources and buildings were constructed with substandard materials. After years of weathering, windows and doors are not able to close snuggly and created an unsafe condition during the stormy seasons. All these churches are longing for our assistance. In 2010 the F-2 has begun the following ministries:
1) Reaching out to the four Quizhou churches in one of the poorest provinces in China, filling their pastoral positions with Chengdu Sichuan Theological Seminary graduates and paying their living expenses of 600 Yuan per month.
A) Na-Yong Christian Church Ma, Yi-Rong, Minister
B) Wei-Ning County Da-Song Christian Church Yang, Guang-Hua, Minister
C) Pan County Gospel Church Bao, Guang-Zheng, Minister
D) Wei-Ning County, Shuo-Kai Christian Church Yang, Jing, Minister
2) Joint effort with the American Baptist International Ministries, each donates 50,000 Yuan to the building fund of Hu Dong County Chapel in Lu-Feng City, Guangdong. This chapel started in 2001 in a home. As their believers increase through the years, a 500 square meter of land was purchased from the government. A two-story building will be constructed on the site eventually with approval from the local authority.
Wishing you good health and happiness in this Chinese New Year
May God’s grace be with you!
