Incense and praying to statues filled the afternoon for some Chinese tourists in Southeast Asia as they found time to stop at the Chinese temple to pray.
Southern Cross volunteers watched as Chinese parents taught their children to light incense and pray to the statues. Part of the Southern Cross experience is taking time out from Bible distribution to learn about the Chinese culture, customs and beliefs. To learn more about the spiritual background of Chinese tourists, members of the Big Hatchie Baptist Association, Tenn., prayer walked through a local Chinese temple.
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Pray tour guides are people of peace, encouraging tourists to take packets. Pray that tour guides would be leaders in accepting the packets. Pray that the Chinese tourists who are interested in the Bibles will have the courage to accept the gift, even when guides discourage them.
Stacks of books and Christian tracts piled high on the table wobble as Paul Cox leans over to greet a fellow Southern Cross Project volunteer veteran. They lament over how the warehouse is the “boring” job on this trip, but quickly add that it is one of the most important.
Without someone manually stuffing the Bible packets with Mandarin Bibles, the Jesus Film, various Christian tracts and CDs, there would be nothing to hand out at the distribution sites. Everything piled on the table eventually ends up in a small red bag and put in a box. Each box holds 25 packets.
Sible Tharp offers a Bible and packet of discipleship materials to Chinese tourists as they pass. Her husband, William, stands beside her, holding a bright red sign inviting tourists to take the free gift.
William and Sible are long term Southern Cross volunteers from First Baptist Church, Las Cruces, N.M. They arrived in Southeast Asia a week and a half before short term teams came. They will stay a few weeks after the short term teams leave to wrap up the distribution work. It’s their fourth year giving Bibles and they love it — it’s written all over their faces.
Teams are finally arriving and settling into their routines. Pray that they recover quickly from any jet lag. Pray for health and endurance through a busy schedule. Pray for stamina through all the late nights distributing to vacationers. Pray for Big Hatchie Baptist Association team; First Baptist Church team, Knoxville, Tennessee; the long term volunteers and volunteers from Taiwan as they distribute Bibles from two different locations.
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The bus screeched to a stop and the door hissed open. Chinese tourists piled out in a single file line.
Crystal Houston, Munford Baptist church, Atoka, Tenn., inched closer and closer until she stood in their walking path. The Southern Cross volunteer from the Big Hatchie Baptist Association’s team held up a red packet filled with a mandarin Bible and Christian literature. At first, everyone walked past her. She inched closer to the bus until finally, a woman reached out and grabbed the packet. When she realized it was a Bible, the Chinese woman bowed and thanked her.
Join us in preparing the way. Post your prayers in the comment box by clicking read more.
Help prepare the way for a productive week of Bible distributions. Many teams are in route while others are arriving onsite. Pray for travel mercies and that volunteers will remain healthy. Pray the volunteers will come in contact with Chinese tourists with open hearts toward the Gospel.
ASIA – The sign proclaiming “free books” is too good to walk past. The Chinese man and his daughter stop to flip through the book.
When the father realizes it’s a Bible, he instructs his daughter to wipe her hands clean before touching it. She opens it and reads a verse aloud, then obediently gives it to her father. He reluctantly hands it back to the American, who is also on vacation in Southeast Asia, and explains in broken English that he is not allowed to have a Bible in China.
“No! No! You take it. It’s legal for Chinese tourists to take a Bible home,” the American missions volunteer explains even though he’s not sure the man understands English. “It’s our gift to you.”
Passion for bubbles and fun runs deep, as this Southeast Asian boy shows while running and waving the fly-swatter he is using as a bubble-wand during a visit a volunteer team from Tennessee made to the children's home where he lives. More Photos View more Southern Cross photos on Flickr.
Bible Calculator
The availability of Bibles in China has improved recently, however, it is still hard to obtain one in the country. Voices of the Martyrs estimates there’s only one Bible for every 222 people.
How many Bibles would China allow in your hometown?
You can be involved in getting Bibles to China without even traveling to Asia. Each packet of Bibles costs about $3.45. The packets include a Bible, the Jesus Film, various tracts and Christian DVDs. Your giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and Cooperative Program helps to support workers to coordinate this project. Funding for Bibles and distribution materials comes from other sources.
