As we end this mReport, we leave you with these “parting thoughts” from the volunteers:
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“I’ve never had anyone run from a bus to receive a Bible. It’s funny, you can’t give them away in the states – no one runs to get them. Here, they receive the Bible like it’s a treasure.” — Michael Berkley, pastor of Victory Baptist Church, Henning, Tenn.
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“We all love [coming]. I love to meet the people and see them take the Bibles.” — Skip Nobles, First Baptist Church, Thomasville, Ga.
Southern Cross personnel estimate that the Bibles volunteers hand out will be seen by 10 people. As of Sunday evening, 13,543 Bibles have been distributed.
If the theory holds true, 135,430 people have the potential of seeing and reading the Bibles.
Pray for the Bibles Southern Cross volunteers have distributed to have an exponential impact. Pray for those who’ve received Bibles to share the Good News with others.
Pray for the Word of God to spread like shattered glass throughout China.
The journey doesn’t end for volunteers as they board the plane to return home.
“Missions trips don’t end when you get on the plane,” shares Gregory Thomas, Southern Cross project coordinator. “Just because you’re leaving doesn’t mean that you can no longer make an impact here.”
Members of each team take time to sit down with Thomas before going back to their homes and families to talk about the trip – to share highlights, how God worked in their lives and what they will do as a result of the trip.
“Let me encourage you,” he continues. “We estimate that each Bible that goes into China will be seen by 10 people. How many Bibles did you all pass out?”
The two 10-year-old girls run around the Southern Cross distribution point, giggling as only little girls can. Caroline Blair,* volunteer from Taiwan, plays “red light, green light” with the children of Southern Cross personnel during breaks from handing out Bibles. When they see the tourists getting off the boats, however, they stop, grab Bibles to distribute and take their positions.
Twelve-year-old Jack Hedrick, First Indian Church, Ripley, Tenn., sits on the steps, watching them. He’s reached the age where he’s too cool to run around and play. Between groups of tourists, he tries to learn Mandarin words. “Nee-howdy,” he greets newcomers, proud of his “Southern” take on the traditional Chinese greeting, “Nee-how.”
Sitting on the steps next to Jack is Merti Smith, First Baptist Church, Sharon, Tenn. She’s tired. Volunteers try to convince her to go back to the hotel to rest, but the 83-year-old won’t leave her post at the distribution point. She claims the Chinese need Bibles and she can rest in heaven.
It doesn’t matter what your age is when it comes to volunteering for Southern Cross.
Hundreds of Chinese men, women and children heard the Good News this week in Southeast Asia.
But countless men, women and children from a myriad of countries also saw and heard the witness of Southern Cross volunteers.
Pray for all of the international tourists who crossed paths this week with Southern Cross volunteers. Ask that when they return to their home countries they would seek out believers and find a church to attend.
The Chinese family didn’t take a Bible when they walked through the pavilion on their way to the dinner boat. But, they did end up in conversation with three Southern Cross volunteers from Church at Canyon Creek, Austin, Texas.
Austin Moon, Angie Moore and John Morris* stop prayer walking and chat with the family of nine waiting to board their boat. They notice the family didn’t take a Bible, so after saying “goodbye,” they pray. The three Texans spend the next 90 minutes praying this family will come back and take one.
After the dinner-cruise, the family returns for free Bibles. Morris smiles and hands the father and another family member Bibles.
I just handed someone the Holy Word of God, the book that’s transformed lives, history and is a redemptive love story.
I distributed more than 25 Bibles to Chinese tourists in Southeast Asia last night in 40-minutes. Goosebumps still form on my arms just thinking about the looks of joy and hope I saw in their eyes and the unforgettable looks I might have otherwise missed.
Getting a Chinese person in a crowd to make eye contact with you can sometimes be difficult. Making eye contact makes you vulnerable. Vulnerability in Asian countries is associated with losing face and shame.
Having grown up in Asia, I’ve grown accustomed to not making eye contact with people I pass on the street. It’s just easier that way.
When I moved to America for college, it unnerved me at first when strangers on the sidewalk would look me in the eye and smile. I knew the Chinese tourists who passed me on the pier wondered about my motive for choosing to make eye contact and passing out Bibles.
Discarded — two red packets and Bibles are left on the bench, sitting next to bawdy fliers advertising adult entertainment and cheap alcohol.
Finding this is nothing new for Southern Cross teams, but for some reason, these two red packets left behind are disheartening today. One of the volunteers stuffs them in his backpack, thinking he’ll take them back to the distribution site later. He continues on his way, prayer walking with other volunteers through one of the spiritually darkest parts of town, Walking Street.
The American men walk down the street in a single file line, watching the ground to protect their eyes from the flamboyant debauchery. The women look into the eyes of the prostitutes, silently praying for their safety and courage to break out of this lifestyle. As the group prays, they hear a cacophony of languages — Arabic, Hindi, Russian, Mandarin, Thai and Cantonese — melting together into a swirl of sound.
Prostitution. In Southeast Asia the word and the reality are as equally public. Mei Zhou* a volunteer from Taipei, Taiwan, ministers to the women caught in the sex industry and prays for the Walking Street district near the Southern Cross Project Bible distribution point on the pier.
Communism and teaching bond four Chinese tourists with two women from Texas.
They meet when the four tourists stop to ask if the Bibles the Texas women distribute really are free. Their English is impeccable and an answer to prayer for the Southern Cross volunteers from Church at Canyon Creek, Austin, Texas. Their team prayed for one-on-one opportunities to share the Gospel during the trip and on their first night of Bible distribution, God brought them four English students.
Angie Moore and Martina Hammond admit they don’t have much experience in verbally sharing their faith with strangers. They soon find out over coffee, however, that it’s just a matter of connecting and finding common bonds that can lead to a conversation about God.
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.
