“The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”  (GN 12:1)  On March 1, 2012, my birth date, I first stepped into the country of Macau.  Coming on the ferry from Hong Kong and eager to get my first glimpse of Macau, I saw an ancient-style city gate wrapped in fog, and behind it rose modern brightly lighted signs, welcoming the visitors to the casinos.  What a contrast!   A hundred years ago this city gate was shut tight to keep foreigners out.  But God loved this land so much that He sent His servant, Robert Morrison, to Macau in 1807, and from there he also went into mainland China.   From this early seed planting the Chinese ministry grew and produced thousands of thousands of fruits.  It is the same God who sent Abram and Morrison who has called us with the same love to serve the Chinese in Macau.

 

Later that day while we were visiting Grace Chapel, three teenage girls came after school to fellowship with the ECF minister.  Though Ivy does not speak Cantonese, she used Mandarin to communicate and fellowship with them for hours.   Since they enjoyed the fellowship with us, they offered to be our tour guides.  What a blessing it was not only to have the pleasure of fellowship with these lovely girls, but also to feel we were being guided by God's hand to see what we were supposed to see.   In the Casino environment it is easy for people to be lost in the “darkness”, especially for youth such as those girls.  In Christ they had found meaning for their lives; they knew there was nothing for them in the casinos.  Through them as they guided us around the city, the Lord not only opened our eyes to see the need of His truth and love for Macau, but He also opened our hearts to love those young girls.  In sharing and fellowship with them, we saw their eyes shining with the joy of Christ.  They learned that is Christ's love for them that brings people from far away to pay attention to them and care for them.

 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'” (Isaiah 6:8). These words describe well the deep feelings and poignant memory of first seeing Macau on our vision trip on my birthday.  

Would you pray with us for the Lord to open many doors that we may bring the love and ministry of God's grace to the people of Macau according to His will. 

Recently, Ivy prepared a song  Hi-Ne-Ni  (Hi-Ne-Ni is Hebrew for "Behold! Here I am")  for worship.  To listen to the music, please use

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ittD5z5XM0&feature=related