Finding God in China

My wife Ione and I (Allan) have lived in Hong Kong for the past 18 years.  We raised our family here and love Hong Kong and China. "Finding God in China" is a mix of news about our lives and work (we work with WorldVenture) along with China news and prayer requests.

Disclaimer:  I am not a China expert. My goal is encourage people to think about, better understand and pray for China.

China Quake leaves 4.8 Million People Homeless

It's Monday morning here and I'm watching CCTV news about the earthquake recovery effort. The stories of heroism, sacrifice and loss are very touching. The nation is in mourning, and at the same time, deeply proud of their people, the rescuers, and the army - who are doing everything they can to rescue those buried and to care for the victims. It is similar to the feelings of Americans in the aftermath of 911. We were shocked by the tragedy but also deeply touched by the stories of heroism, and the response of the New York Fire and Police departments. One of the problems the nation will face is housing the 4.8 million homeless people.

"They sleep on the field at the Nanhe Sports Center in tents lined up like city blocks. The bedding is arranged in its corridors so tightly packed that it is difficult to walk. On the walls are homemade signs — some with photos, some with elegant Chinese calligraphy — listing the names of the missing, many of them likely dead. In normal times the stadium hosts Cantopop concerts and tennis tournaments. Today it's hosting thousands of survivors from last week's devastating earthquake."

Read the full story: The China Quake's Homeless Victims - TIME

Pray for China Earthquake Workers and Survivors

The earthquake that hit Southwest China has left over 12,000 people dead, and thousands of others are missing. The infrastructure of the area is badly damaged and people are sleeping outside because they are afraid to go back into the buildings.

Please pray for strength for the workers and survivors. Ask God to comfort those who have lost their love ones. One high school with almost 1000 students collapsed and it doesn't look like there are any survivors. Pray for the Christians who live in that area. Chengdu has many Christian workers, and there is a growing church. We have friends who live in that area, but so far have had no news.

Above is an AP Photo of someone being rescued from the quake rubble. Below is a link and excerpt from the Associated Press. The full report includes photos, a map and video.

The Associated Press: Soldiers hike to quake-buried Chinese villages

MIANYANG, China (AP) — Soldiers hiking over landslide-blocked roads reached the epicenter of China's devastating earthquake Tuesday, pulling bodies and a few survivors from collapsed buildings. The death toll of more than 12,000 was certain to rise as the buried were found.

Rescuers worked through a steady rain searching wrecked towns across hilly stretches of Sichuan province that were stricken by Monday's magnitude-7.9 quake, China's deadliest in three decades. Tens of thousands spent a second night outdoors, some sleeping under plastic sheeting, others bused to a stadium in the city of Mianyang, on the edge of the disaster area.

Run up to the Olympics: Pressure on foreigners in China

As the Olympics approach it is becoming increasingly difficult for foreigners to get visas to work in China. Friends and co-workers, who have lived in China for years, are now finding they can only get 30 day visitor visas. We have a friend who owns a business in China, and she now has to exit every 30 days. Let's hope and pray that these restrictions will be lifted soon after the Olympics.

"BUSINESS people in China, especially in Beijing where about 250,000 foreigners live, are facing ever tightening controls as the Olympic Games approach on August 8. The protests surrounding the international torch relay, and the responding nationalist surge in China, have contributed to a more challenging environment for working and living there. This starts with tougher conditions for obtaining and renewing visas. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said this week: "We are more strict and more serious with the procedure" of issuing visas. As the Olympics approach, "Peaceful Olympic Action" teams including police have begun sweeping through apartment compounds, knocking on the doors of foreigners' flats, asking about everyone who is staying there and checking residency permits and other documentation. Foreigners and migrant workers are increasingly stopped on the streets and asked to produce such documents. Many meetings, concerts and other events involving foreigners are being scrapped by government order as the Games approach."

Read the full story:Foreigners feel the heat in China | The Australian

Jubilee Filipino Fellowship

Our Filipino Fellowship does not have a pastor. We are beginning to discover and develop the gifts of the different members. Last Sunday, two ladies, Christine and Tajmahal led for the first time. Both did a great job. Please pray that we will be able to train up our a strong core of leaders.

Jubilee Center Grand Opening

On Easter Sunday 2008 we celebrated the grand opening of Jubilee Center.  This center is the home of Jubilee Church, a mixed congregation of Chinese and Filipinos. During the week the center will serve Filipinos on their days off and also reach out to Hong Kong Chinese youth. Below are some pictures from our grand opening celebration.

Celebrants wait for the ribbon cutting.	Our church is a mix of Chinese & Filipinos.
Afterwards we feasted together.	Two MCs: Nely (Philippines)  & Rainbow (HK)

Please continue to pray that our two fellowships will work together to reach the peoples of our community.

Allan Smith

China and its minorities

Read this interesting article about China's relationship with its minorities. Below is an excerpt, but I recommend that you read the whole article.

China and its minorities - International Herald Tribune

HONG KONG: Non-Han minorities may comprise only 9 percent of China's population, but as the violence in Tibet and simmering resentment in Xinjiang indicate, the problem is one that Beijing is unable to resolve. This is a blow to President Hu Jintao, who is supposed to be an expert on Tibet, where he was once party secretary. He ordered troops as well as police forces into Tibet and Xinjiang last year to guard against pre-Olympic disturbances, but to no avail. There are three reasons for the Communist leadership's inability to address the issue other than by repression. First, given that Beijing's first priority is government centralization, the official designation of any "autonomous region" in China is a façade. Second, there is the innate belief in the superiority of the Han race, a notion historically reflected in China's attitudes to all its neighbors as well as toward the non-Han minorities within its borders. Third, the three regions with significant minority populations that are actual or potential trouble spots are all frontier areas that Beijing regards as strategically important. The minorities in southwest China are no problem because they are small, isolated and near frontiers from which China has never been invaded. The homelands of former invaders - the Mongols and Manchus - still exist, but they are now overwhelmingly Han. But Tibet - with its long history of isolation, immense cultural, linguistic and religious differences and on-and-off independence - is a different matter.

India & Hong Kong

One of our Hong Kong church members, Angela (middle) spent a month in Bangalore India working with Women's Enterprise project. The goal of the project is to teach women livelihood skills, and at the same time, demonstrate and explain God's love to them.  Angela has a background in the garment industry and has the expertise and heart to make this enterprise even more effective.

Angela has been invited to go back to Bangalore and serve for 1 year. We're working to send her out from Hong Kong, probably under the umbrella of WorldVenture. Please pray for us as we work with the team in Bangalore, our Hong Kong Church Association, Angela's home church (Yan Lam Church), and WorldVenture to enable Angela to fulfill her calling.

This Enterprise outreach has the potential to radically change the lives of poor women and their families. Other members from our HK churches are beginning to get interested, so if Angela is able to go for 1 year, it is highly likely that we will be able to send a short term team to work with her, and grow the relationship between Hong Kong and India. Pray for this!

Thank you for praying.

Allan
(right: Angela with one of the children in front of their home in Bangalore.

China called to pray for Yao's left foot

Yao Ming is the most well known and loved person in China. He represents the aspirations of 1 billion proud and patriotic Chinese citizens. The recent stress fracture to his left foot could bring the nation to its knees (in prayer), if people heed the headline on www.nba.com/china, that reads "Pray for Yao Ming" and "the Giant will never fall". So pray for Yao Ming! Pray that he will come to know the Lord! Pray for his foot too. Pray for the Olympics, when millions of visitors will come to China and there will be tremendous opportunities to share the good news with the Chinese people. As the headline urges, "Pray"!

China called to prayer over Yao's left foot | Breaking news | guardian.co.uk Sport

Chinese New Year Crushed by Winter Storms

Two Hundred Thousand People, 200,000! Take a minute and wrap your mind around that number. The stadium hosting this year's Superbowl maxs out at 73,000 people. Multiply that by 3 and that is about how many people are waiting inside and outside the Gwongjau Train Station right now, hoping to find a train to take them home for Chinese New Year.

Every year over 170,000,000 million Chinese (mostly migrant workers) flock back to their home towns for the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday. It is their annual leave or vacation and they want to spend it with their families. This year, for many of them, it is not going to happen. Heavy storms have frozen the northern half of the country (Hong Kong is in the South) and trains aren't running on times, airports are closed and the highways are iced over. It is a logistical nightmare.

Some of these migrants will be taking more than New Year treats back to their families. Some of them have heard the good news about Jesus through people in their workplace and they will taking this good news back to their families. Please pray for these migrant evangelists, that they would get home, and that they would boldly and clearly share what God has done for them.

Thank you for praying.

Shivering in Hong Kong,

Allan and Ione

We're moving

This Sunday is our last Sunday in Jubilee Gardens. Our church is moving to Lik Yuen Estate near the Shatin Town Centre.  Currently we borrowing the premises of a kindergarten. It is too small and not really appropriate for a church.

In our new location we will run a youth center and a Filipino Social Center.  Our church now has around 30 Filipinos and 30 Chinese. We'll be worshipping together once a month and doing outreach in the community together. Over the Christmas holiday, 5 of the ladies attending our Filipino group accepted Christ, and we are starting a series of classes for new believers. 

Tom from our Chinese Fellowship jams with Melrose from the Filipino fellowship.	David & Felix watch the games.
BBQ Hong Kong style	Filipino sisters dance and praise God!

Please pray for unity and love in our church, as we want to see the Lord build a multi-cultural church in Shatin. Pray that together we can have a good ministry to our community. Thank you for praying!

Allan and Ione