After our first visit to Yunnan (a province of China) in January 2016, we had another fruitful Yunnan training trip in May. The delegation team was made up of Rev. Jenny, Anthony, Rev. Ivy and Emerson. On this trip, we met with the chair of Yunnan Christian Council, Three-Self Movement and the principle of Yunnan Theological Seminary (YTS). Both Ivy and Emerson held a conflict transformation workshop for the graduate-to-be seminary students of YTS. Through the interactive teaching, the students learned how to apply biblical truth to daily life. On Sunday worship service at YTS, Rev. Jenny preached a sermon, “Be the Lord’s Faithful Servant” (Matthew 25:14-30.) After her sermon, we sang a Chinese song called “HE- NE-LI” (in Hebrew) from Isaiah 6:8, “Here am I.” Praise to be the Lord; His Holy Spirit was with us. The worship and song so greatly touched the worshipers’ hearts that there were many tears and responses.

After the YTS, the delegation team was Rev. David, Rev. Jenny and both of us. We went to the Wa Christian Training Center (WCTC). When asked about whether he has plans for another retirement, David said, “I will be 80 years old in 2018, which also will be my 50th year of ministry. God has blessed me with spiritual and physical strength. I have great joy serving God, and I love to serve with IM colleagues as long as I can.” (By the Rev. James Layton, On Location Winter 2016) One is never too old to be the Lord’s faithful servant.

On the way to WCTC, there was a downpour. We had to stop the pickup truck and remove easily soaked two pieces of luggage from the open back of the truck and squeeze it into the already fully-packed back seat along with us. We left the pieces of plastic luggage in the open back of the truck. When we arrived WCTC, they had already prepared delicious local ethnic foods for the dinner with some government officers. Although the WCTC had its training center break for the busy farming work, the classroom was packed. Some of them walked 3 hours from their village to WCTC. We are thankful that so many are eager to learn, and the interaction with the students was a blessing to us as well.

After the WCTC, the same teaching team traveled 9 hours because of detours to go to the Lahu Christian Training Center (LCTC). On the way there, the road was so bumpy that sometime we swayed side to side and up and down. Ivy graciously joked we were having wonderful, free massages on our backs. Although the road was bumpy, the natural scenery was so beautiful that we forgot our tiredness. When we arrived the LCTC on the next day, they enthusiastically welcomed us with an ethnic Lahu drum dance. The students here were much younger than WCTC’s, but they were just as eager to learn God’s Word. We had the same joyful experience as before at WCTC.

On the way back to Kunming, one of the team members expressed what we all were feeling with “Thank you, God, for this mission experience. I am inspired and learned so much from it.” A missionary is one example of “the Lord's faithful servant.” If you have burden for this Chinese Training ministry, we invite you to join the ministry with us. We can be reached by e-mail at wu@internationalministries.org.

May God bless you to be the Lord’s faithful servant for His Kingdom work.