Disclaimer: This update will probably be long, disorganized, random, and nonsensical at times. It will also be awesome. You have been warned!
Backdrop:
Tuesday night my friend Lao Mo invited me to a birthday dinner. While there we found out that he works for a genetics company. As soon as we heard, Clive and I looked at each other with the same thought.. Giglio! We have a video at our house called “How great is our God”. It talks about our DNA and how God orchestrated our amazing body. So we planned a movie night for Friday night (tonight) to watch said video. I spent most of the day with Lao Mo and then he and six other asian friends came over and shared in our homemade pizza. We started the video and then soon realized there were no subtitles… bummer. So we got a hold of a similar video called Indescribable, which was subtitled.
Lao Mo:
This is a guy I met playing volleyball. He is very fun, funny, extroverted, and really seeking love. Walking back from lunch today we got into a conversation about how often he feels lonely, when he is not surrounded by people and getting attention. Breakthrough. Once again he was the reason, so we thought, that we were having the movie night.
Tom:
He was one of our first asian friends. We have been hanging out with him and throwing out hooks to God all the time but had really gotten nothing. Still we felt like God wanted us to continue investing in him, all the while seeing no fruit or point, he simply appeared uninterested in spiritual things. We have constantly been running into him, and meeting people he is friends with (Lao Mo for example). He came to the movie night tonight. Afterwards we got into a time of questions and talking. All of the sudden, out of nowhere, he pipes up something about how his whole family is “in the family” and about how Christianity is spreading more and more throughout Asia. He knew a lot about it and about other religions. What? Where did that come from God?!? Tom was actually a little source of resistance throughout the night however, and we were praying all night. More on this to come.
Yi Ming:
This is one of Clive’s friends who is very into the arts, but is currently a graphics engineer or something in college, and does not enjoy it. We had a great meeting with him and his girlfriend Gloria a little while back, and so he came hungry for more of God tonight. He was greatly impacted by the video, and was very inspired. Afterward he said he was going to put his trust in God (not a brother yet however).
Gloria:
Yi Ming’s girlfriend. Did not say much at all throughout the night, but she has been soaking everything up.
Rou Yan: (pronounced something like row yen)
What can I say about this girl… man she is so incredibly on fire for Jesus. She totally has His heart and is an evangelist. Rou Yan has been sharing with all her friends and is such an encouragement to us. Tonight she was used so powerfully to speak into the lives of other Asians and poor out her heart. Such a blessing. Tonight she had a conversation with Tom, I don’t know what she said as it wasn’t in English, but it was powerful. Tom didn’t come back with any of his doubtful questions and was in fact agreeing with us. It was so cool to see God working throughout the whole night and through her. She’s been a Christian for less than 9 months I think.
Nature:
This is a friend of Rou Yan that she called up last minute to come over. He knew a little of the history of Christianity but not much about a relationship with Jesus. He came totally open and asking questions, and totally feeling the weight of sin. He said at one point, sometimes when I do something that is bad or where I feel guilty, it’s like someone is right there watching or behind me, and no one is even around! What an open door to share of Jesus’ grace and forgiveness and what he did for us. Thanks God. At the end of the night we prayed and Nature chimed in, I don’t know how to pray to God but I think I am lucky to have met you three. Rou Yan almost shouts.. It’s God’s plan! Haha so cool. I’m very excited for this guy. Oh, and we found out that he randomly has a guitar, but doesn’t know how to play it. Can you say answered prayer anybody?!?!? (for more guitars so that we can start teaching and get these guys leading each other in worship!)
David:
I’ve written a few updates about this guy. He came tonight straight in from travelling from another city. He comes in and one of the first things he says… Can I see your Bible? I want to read the Bible. So incredible. He is still on the fence, so he needs much prayer.
As you can tell, I’m on a bit of a spiritual high!
There’s probably a lot more that I’m not remembering at the moment but it’s late and this update is already over 2 pages long. Know that God is working so much! Even when we can’t see it (ex. Tom) He is moving!
Prayer requests:
Pretty much it’s a sure bet to pray that each of these guys would accept Jesus as their Savior.
-That God would continue to work in them and use what we said tonight to penetrate into their hearts.
-for protection over them from the devil
-for them to catch the fire
-for more guitars and the guitar class to become reality
-continued growth and a growing relationship with God for each of us
-for availability among them for our study Sunday
-that this spiritual storm would continue!
Thank you guys so much for your prayers! It’s really impacting the kingdom, and breaking down strongholds and barriers. I can’t tell you how effective it is and how important and how much its impacting us.. Keep ‘em coming!!
He is with us!!!!!!!!!!!!
Adriel