“Guess who just passed their HSK5?!?!?!?!” read the post from CT’s internal social network last week. It was from one of our long-term workers in Asia. The HSK5 is a significant and difficult test of one’s language ability, and she is the first of our new generation of long-term CTers to pass it!

This success is significant to me, because it’s the result of major changes we made in 2010. CT overhauled the way our long-term members approach life and ministry in Asia, and we made language proficiency a high priority. Before this time, people committed year-to-year, and our language skills mostly weren’t great. But now we have 13 members focusing intently on language study, and a new batch of 7 more will dive in soon. As a result, many CTers can now carry on significant discussions in the heart language of the students on campus. They can share the Gospel, read the Bible, and share a whole sermon in the student’s own language!

This might not sound very unique or different from other missions agencies — and it’s not, really — but it’s a significant step for us, and we’re excited that more and more CTers are moving quickly through language study programs and engaging with their friends, not in English, but in their heart language.

Would you please pray for the 13 CTers in focused language study? We hope that a number of them will finish this summer and transition into full time ministry in the fall. It takes perseverance and hard work to meet their goals, and we can encourage them forward!

Also, I’m headed to Thailand in two weeks to meet with the team and take part in some of CT’s most important annual meetings. I’m excited to meet with everyone, and I hope to encourage a number of our first-year members as they consider working long-term with CT.

Will you please pray for my trip? Please lift up Buttercup and Baby as they stay home — Buttercup is incredibly releasing of me to go, but it’s sad to be apart from them for almost three weeks. Please also pray for the meetings in Thailand, both group and with individuals – I think that God is going to speak to many people about their future, and about their relationship with Him!

Thank you for standing with us! Joanna and I are excited about 2015, and it’s an honor to share in your prayers and support for our family.

In Him,

Wesley