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.
Pray alongside a Chinese pastor on vacation. He offers a prayer over the work of Southern Cross and their efforts to distribute Bibles to Chinese tourists.
“Dear Lord,
Thank you because these people are here passing out Chinese tracts and Bibles. Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless these as part of our Christian family. Lord, protect them and bless them. I pray you would lead many come to them, and that many would trust you as Savior. We thank You. In the Name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.”
Pray that during the Chinese New Year’s weekend many will obtain Bibles and hear God’s name. Pray for hearts to open and receive His message.
Happy New Year!
Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, as it’s known in China, is the most important holiday for the Chinese.
It marks the beginning of a New Year and falls on a different day every year based on the lunar and solar calendar. Each year has a corresponding animal based on a 12-year cycle known as the Chinese Zodiac. 2011 is the year of the rabbit.
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.”
Even more so, we could have learned about sacrifice. Western believers generally read the New Testament passages on persecution with an “if” attitude, and it is a remote “if” at that. But our Chinese brothers and sisters know that persecution is a real possibility, and actually for some a probability. I well remember hearing a Chinese Christian who had paid dearly for his walk with Christ tell a group not to pray that Chinese Christians be free of persecution, but to pray instead that they glorify the Father in the midst of it.
So at Cape Town 2010, we are learning from the Chinese believers even in their absence. The very fact that the chairs are empty reminds us of the absolute importance of following Christ no matter what the cost. The empty chairs cry out to us to pray for the church in China. The empty chairs remind us to pray for ourselves.
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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.
Southern Cross needs 36 new teams to come work three different popular Chinese vacation spots in Asia.
For more information on partnering with Southern Cross Project, email scptravel@pobox.com
