China Needs Your Prayers And Maybe Your Life
The deathtoll/missing in China from the recent earthquake continues to sore to over 40,000 or more. (see here)
Many Chinese are fearful of what may come next, but many Christians are lifting up their eyes to the Lord and asking for Him to move in hearts of their people through these tragedies.
Here is a recent email from an American friend of mine that works in a Chinese University:
“Monday afternoon, I was in the middle of teaching my class of 26 students, when suddenly I heard screams from behind me. Wheeling around I saw them pointing out the window and saying “Huang le- Lou Huang le” which means “The building is shaking.
Feeling a sense of helplessness in such a big manifestation of what could be a fatal disaster, I cried out for them to leave their stuff and run out of the building.
Heart racing, while thousands of students poured out of the classrooms to head for the hills, I searched for my wife who was teaching in another room.
In short, PTL there was no known damage done to our buildings in our city so no one was hurt. But apparently there were 2 earthquakes on either side of our province. An earthquake which was felt in Thailand and Taiwan thousands of miles away.
Given that there was a suicide on campus the day before, there are those who are beginning to look at life in a more serious way.
We are not concerned, as all is well here. But please pray that we me have a timely word to give during this time.
China is going through some intense shiftings at this time in many ways. We really need to call those who have a heart for this place, to do some serious thinking. 2008 is a big year that refuses to relent. We need to know why.”
If you have a heart for China, why would you need to do some serious thinking about this time we live in?
As I was reading an article in today’s paper about this, I couldn’t help but start to cry. One article discussed how many of the “numbers” are children because of the schools that collapsed and how the school officials hid the real numbers from the government officials. They told them only about 40 children died when the real total is around 400! The parents are in such grief because as per the LAW, they only had one child and now that one child is gone. One family that spoke explained how they married late in life and would have loved to have more children, but due to the law, they were only allowed to have the one and now they are left with none. My heart is grieving for all these parents who have lost their “world” (because I know my girls mean the world to me) and my heart cries out that they will all come to know Jesus through this and experience the peace and comfort only He can give.
That one child law is devilish. It is heartbreaking. Let’s pray that not only will the Chinese awaken to the fact that this world is not our home, but that we as the church in America would do the same.