A new spark

By Joy Tiller

We met Mr. and Mrs. Xu in Maputo, Mozambique at Mr. Xu’s baptism. Congratulating them, we asked how they came to be living in Mozambique. Here’s their story …

Two years ago Mr. and Mrs. Xu were living in China. They had been married for several years, both had good jobs and they had an apartment. The year before, Mrs. Xu had accepted the Lord, been baptized and started attending a local house church meeting.

When Mr. Xu had an opportunity to transfer to his company’s plant in Mozambique at higher pay, they both agreed. Mrs. Xu, a local schoolteacher, promised to visit each summer, and Mr. Xu said he would return home for Chinese New Year.

But, once in Maputo, Mr. Xu missed his wife and his old way of life. Money in the bank didn’t appeal to him as much as it had before. One day he heard about a group of Chinese men who played basketball on an outdoor court not far from his office. Out of sheer curiosity, he went to check it out.

As he approached, he saw several men playing basketball and heard them speaking Chinese. He was excited! When Mr. Xu teamed up with David, the leader and the tallest man on the court, he quickly learned how to play. More than that, he made new friends, with similar interests, who all had families back in China.

Over many cups of tea, and through many games of basketball, David explained to Mr. Xu that he had come to Mozambique several years earlier to start a business. Then he met the Lord, and his life was changed. No longer was he just interested in making money, but he was more interested in making disciples for Jesus. Mr. Xu could see a spark in David’s life that was missing in his own. And, as he thought about it, he realized that his wife also had that same spark.

Back in China, Mrs. Xu had continued to pray for her husband’s salvation, but couldn’t see how God could save him so far away from home. Imagine her excitement when she received the e-mail from Mr. Xu about his new friend David, and his new interest in Christianity!

Mr. Xu now has that spark of new life. We were privileged to be there at his baptism as Mrs. Xu sat in the front row beaming. In Mozambique, a place she would have thought unlikely, God used a Chinese believer to reach her husband with the Gospel.

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Praying across borders

by Joy Tiller

My husband and I met Greg at a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa a few weeks ago. Greg was working in Kampala, Uganda, but had made previous trips to China, and was still interested in reaching Chinese with the Gospel.

We soon realized that this was an answer to my husband’s year-long prayer to find contacts in East Africa! Rather than visit the capital cities and look for the Chinese Diaspora on his own, he prayed for a contact person who was already familiar with the area.

When they first met, my husband asked Greg if he’d seen any Chinese in Uganda. Greg thought for a minute, and said, “I believe I have… in fact, the store where I usually buy sliced meat now has a Chinese lady behind the counter, and I think she’s the new owner.”

“Well, instead of thinking of reaching the Chinese in China, how about helping me reach the Chinese in Uganda?” my husband asked.

Greg’s eyes lit up. “I hadn’t thought about the Chinese living in Africa … I know the very person to get us started – Biando! He’s one of the drivers for our volunteer teams. He’ll know where the Chinese are living and working.” Then he extended an invitation for us to visit Kampala and stay with him and his family. He said he wanted to help us reach the Chinese with the Gospel.

After the initial meeting, Greg returned to Uganda. From there he e-mailed my husband, “I have good news, and even better news, but I’ll wait until you arrive to tell you!” We were excited, as we made the journey to his home. The hours flew by as we thought about Greg’s email.

With big smiles, Greg and Biando met us at the Entebbe airport. Greg waited until we were settled in the van before sharing his news. He and Biando had found many Chinese, and even found other Christian believers who were also interested in reaching the Chinese with the Gospel. He had already set up several appointments, starting at 8 a.m. the next morning! We were overjoyed.

Our time in Uganda was very fruitful! The Lord blessed each meeting from morning until night. Greg thanked us for coming and invited us to return, saying he would continue to reach out to the Chinese, even in Africa! We left greatly encouraged and with many contacts for follow-up.

Thank you, Lord, for going before us, opening doors and preparing the Way!

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Looking for Chinese faces

By Joy Tiller

This past month my husband and I traveled to Southern Africa, specifically to connect with Chinese people. We were based in Johannesburg for more than five weeks, always on the alert for Chinese faces that might be peeking out from amidst all the Africans.

Each morning we prayed to be directed to Chinese people who needed to hear the Gospel, or who were already believers and just needed a word of encouragement. We carried Chinese Gospel tracts and Bibles to be given out. We were traveling that day to Botswana, a country north of South Africa.

About four hours from Johannesburg, we came to a small Afrikaner town. As we drove down the main street, we saw a shop entitled, “Q. I. Fong”, and I said, “Stop! Stop! That has to be a Chinese shop!” As my husband slowed the car, we saw several more shops, one after the other, with Chinese names. He pulled the car over to the curb, and we jumped out.

We went into the first shop, and after we greeted them in Chinese, they hesitantly began to talk with us. One of them said he is a believer. We gave them some Gospel tracts and Chinese Bibles. The owner and his relative welcomed the materials. They walked us to the front door, happy to have met someone from ‘home’ who spoke their heart language!

In another Chinese shop further down, we met the owner, who had been living in the town for two years. His relative, standing quietly beside him, had arrived less than a month ago. After greetings and initial conversation, my husband asked the shop owner if he is a Christian. He stated that he is, so my husband shared some of the Gospel tracts and a couple of Chinese Bibles with him. Asked if there is a Chinese church in town, the shop owner said, “No”, with a downcast face. He explained that in China he had attended a house church, but in Africa, he only reads his Bible by himself.

We returned to the car, praising and thanking God for directing our steps to those particular shops. We also prayed that the material we left would be read many times by many people. We went on our way rejoicing!

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A morning to remember

by Joy Tiller

Last summer over 150 Chinese students and more than 30 high school student leaders from the U.S. gathered in a large school auditorium every morning for a week for an English Camp called “Holy Wings”. On the morning we attended, the leaders asked the students to act out songs.

As the students gathered into groups to prepare for the song competition later that morning, group leaders explained the words of the songs, and then allowed the students to decide how best to interpret the texts. To us, the songs were all familiar Christian praise and worship songs, but it was the first time for the students to hear these songs.

The students were determined to learn quickly and give the best performance. The Gospel was shared through the songs and explanations, and the songs were memorized by the students preparing to perform. At the end of the morning, the students took the songs home in their hearts and will hopefully share them with family and friends.

While watching the competition, we hummed along with the songs and clapped for the lively performances! Along the periphery of the camp, some of the parents had lingered to catch bits and phrases of the English songs and stories.

Small groups of house church workers were also present. Some had brought their children to the English camp, but most were there to connect to the parents who were waiting for their children. As the house church members mingled with the parents, they tried to turn the conversations toward Christianity. When possible, they made plans to visit the parents later that day to continue the discussions.

When the students were dismissed, we also left, exhausted just by watching all the performances and morning activities! As we walked out the back door, we noticed that the leaders and house church workers stayed behind. Together, as one family, they were bowing their heads and praying. In both English and Chinese, they were earnestly pleading for Jesus to touch the students and their parents and to speak His truth into their hearts.

For them, the morning had not ended until prayers for the salvation of each and every participant and parent had been lifted up.

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Praying for someone special

by Joy Tiller

We often travel to other cities to visit Christian workers who live nearby. When I visited Jenny, she shared with me about her friend, Mama Liu.

Although the overseas family knew their neighbors and their kids had local friends, Jenny had been praying for someone special to come into their lives. She met Mama Liu, along with several other ladies, one morning at the park.

Right away she could sense Mama Liu’s love for children. They helped kids get on and off the swings, and watched as they slid down the slides. Later, sitting on the park bench, the two ladies began getting acquainted.

When Jenny found out Mama Liu was a Christian, she could hardly contain her surprise … so many of the other ladies in the neighborhood believed in Buddha, or had no belief at all. It looked as if Mama Liu would be her first local Christian friend!

When it was time to leave, Mama Liu looked wistfully at Jenny, said goodbye, and began walking back to her friends. Jenny turned to her, and asked if she had plans for the afternoon. When Mama Liu said no, Jenny invited her to go home and eat lunch with them.

After lunch, Jenny mentioned that she was studying a particularly difficult set of lessons from the Bible. She said it would help to study with a friend. Mama Liu agreed to study with her.

Since that day one year ago, Mama Liu has become a close friend to Jenny. They have faced difficulties together with prayer, continue to study together, and now are teaching others the material that they have been learning.

Mama Liu, who has also become a “Chinese grandma” to Jenny’s four kids and has even taught Jenny to cook some special Chinese dishes, is very clearly God’s answer to Jenny’s prayer for someone special.

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Prayers of a wife and mom

by Joy Tiller

Eve and George, a married couple, are our good friends. Even though we live in different cities, we see each other several times a year. I especially love spending time with their daughters, Lois, 8, and Kathryn, 6.

Eve told me that when George goes to meetings, especially at night, she usually stays home with their little girls. She said bringing up their daughters is very important, but sometimes she used to feel left out of their ministry. When George arrived home late at night, and shared about the great things that happened at their meetings, sometimes she would think, “But … what about me?”

Then the Lord reminded her of the importance of her time with the girls each evening. When she put them to bed, they always prayed together – for their dad to come home safely, for their family overseas, and for their ministry in the city. The girls prayed for friends who are not yet believers, and then they prayed for the families of their friends too.

As the girls would settle down for sleep, she usually stayed in their room, and would continue to pray. Sometimes she prayed for more than an hour, deep in prayer for present situations and for future plans, activities and opportunities.

By the time George returned home, the girls would be sleeping peacefully, safe and secure, and she too would be at peace. She could meet George with a smile on her face, knowing that the One who holds us all “in the hollow” of His hand, had heard her prayers and understood her heart.

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An amazing story

by Joy Tiller

One of my friends told me the most amazing story! Let me share it with you.

“Last Tuesday, my teammate and I met a girl in a small store near our hotel. Her name was Beth and we invited her to eat dinner with us later that night. We met for food at around 5:30 pm and started having some amazing conversation right away. Beth expressed her dreams of owning her own hotel someday and being happy, truly happy for once in her life.

As we began to ask why she had never felt truly happy, she admitted to feeling like killing herself many times in her life because of her sadness and pain. I told her of the hope she can have in Jesus Christ, and the great joy I feel because of His love for me, as well as for her. As I told her this, she asked me to tell her the whole story, and I gladly did just that. When I was finished, she said she wanted to believe Jesus Christ and become His follower.

When we finished eating, she came over to our room. We read some of God’s Word, made sure she understood the fullness of what she was about to do, and then, in her own words without any prompting, she prayed to accept Jesus as Savior. Afterwards, we welcomed her into the family of God, rejoicing with her and praising God.

We watched the ‘Hope’ film, and afterwards she was so excited to know even more about new life! She wants to be baptized very soon, and is reading through her first discipleship lesson, as well as the book of John.

Three other girls also became sisters that same night. Needless, to say, we are all in awe of the perfect work of God!”

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Prayers in the subway

by Joy Tiller

Getting on the subway, in our huge city during working hours, is an ordeal! There are so many people waiting to board that special subway employees, wearing white gloves and called “people pushers”, actually push on the last group of people, packing them in, before the doors close.

We have been in the midst of the crowds many times, and have found it best to just stand still until the next stop, and hope that more will get off the subway than on the subway so that the breathing can get a little easier.

My husband and I often take these times to pray for those around us. So many people, going so many places … most of them without a single thought of God in their lives or hearts. What a wonderful place to pray – standing toe-to-toe with them, suspended in time, for those minutes … asking God to touch them, in some way, with His truth, His mercy, His love, and grace.

We are all moving swiftly toward eternity. How we spend our days is important, both to us and to those around us! Let us pray for one another – not just our friends, and other believers, but the people on the street, in the store, at work or at school: those we pass by every day, and those we encounter only once.

“Thank you, Lord, for opening our eyes, to the people around us. Help us keep a tender spirit and pray without ceasing for the salvation of Your children. Amen.”

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Praying from the start

by Joy Tiller

I first met Mrs. Xu in our apartment building lobby. She was trying to get her bicycle and groceries into the elevator, but the door kept closing. I helped her position her bike “catty-corner” and grabbed the vegetables from her bicycle basket so we could safely close the elevator door.

She thanked me, and invited me up to her apartment on the 31st floor. I told her I needed to cook lunch, but promised to visit her soon. I began praying for Mrs. Xu from that first meeting.

One afternoon, I baked a small loaf of banana bread, and took it up to her apartment. She welcomed me, made a pot of tea, and then sliced off two pieces of banana bread. We sat down to get acquainted. She said her husband had passed away, and now her daughter and grandson were living with her.

I helped steer the conversation around to religion, and gave her a short version of how I became a Christian. At that point, she took me to her daughter’s apartment next door, and showed me a life-size wooden statue of Guanyin, a Chinese Buddhist goddess. She said this was her family’s religion.

I had never seen such a large statue, and it was frightening. But I gathered my courage, and asked if I could give her a simple Gospel tract that I had brought along with the banana bread. She accepted it. At the end of the visit, I gave her a hug.

We often see each other in the elevator or lobby and smile to one another. She has read the tract, but said she is not interested in Christianity. She said her wooden statue is all she needs. I continue to pray that one day she will believe in the risen Savior. I will keep smiling and keep looking for ways to reach her with the Gospel!

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An answered prayer

by Joy Tiller

My husband and I were on a ferry, headed to an island to check out accommodations for a special gathering. My suitcase was especially difficult to handle since the pull bar had come loose earlier that morning. We had to drag the suitcase by the small handle, instead of pulling it on the wheels.

A man in the line behind us who was waiting to get off the ferry, noticed the broken pull bar, and offered to help us lift it down the gangplank and off the ferry. He said his name was Wilson, and he lived on the island with his wife, Amy, and their two small sons. He offered to take us to our hotel.

On the way to the hotel that I had booked online, we passed another hotel. I said that it was the one where I had originally wanted to stay in, but when I had called to make a reservation, it was full. His wife stopped the car and Wilson ran in and found they actually did have one room available. I was overjoyed. It was nestled right in the heart of the city, and would be a great place to check out the tourist areas around the city!

Wilson and Amy offered to show us around the island, and for the next two hours we walked down the small island streets, sampling local foods, drinking coffee at a little outdoor café, and sharing our life stories with one another.

Before our trip, my husband and I had prayed that God would bring into our lives “people of peace” who might help us locate just the right place for our gathering. We believe He did just that – through a broken suitcase handle!

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Will you pray for me?

by Joy Tiller

I met Grace last year, when she was working in a small shop near our apartment. She came to where I was shopping and I noticed her nametag said “Grace”. She told me that she took the name because she was a believer. I told her I was also a believer. She looked at me and asked, “Will you pray for me?” She quickly explained that she was going to visit her friend after work and share the Gospel, and was a little scared. Her request resonated in my heart!

She said she had accepted the Lord as Savior two years earlier, and had begun attending a small house church in the neighborhood. Her friend, “Eleven”, was going through some difficulties, and Grace knew that just as the Lord had helped her, He could also help Eleven. Right there in the shop, we bowed our heads and hearts together and prayed – total strangers just a few minutes ago now united in prayer.

One look at Grace’s smiling face the next afternoon told me her mission had been successful! Eleven didn’t know much about Christianity, or the Bible, but had watched Grace for the past two years, and had observed how Grace had faced adversity in her life. Eleven wanted the same peace that she could see in Grace’s life.

They were both from small villages, and had both come to the big city to seek their fortune, but only Grace had seemed to grow and thrive, while Eleven had floundered and was frustrated and confused. That afternoon Eleven listened, as Grace shared the Gospel, and told of her faith in Jesus. The door to Eleven’s heart opened wide enough for the Light of the Gospel to shine through.

Now Grace and I both have a new sister in the Lord – Eleven!

Check back in two weeks for the next article in Joy’s series.

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