Dear Prayer Warriors,

On Tuesday, Eric and I met Weiwen and Yuting while we were out evangelizing at Boston University. They are from China, and have been in the United States for about six months. They are here to study at Boston University.

What has happened since is nothing short of amazing!

Weiwen and Yuting are both highly intelligent, articulate, and successful. They are attending an elite university. But get this, they know almost nothing about God or any religion at all.

I asked them if either one of them had any religious upbringing. I was thinking maybe they might have a Buddhist or Shinto background, or something, but Weiwen said, “In our country, religious education is discouraged.”

These ladies chatted with Eric and me for a long time. They were a blank slate religiously, and were so interested in hearing about Jesus! They accepted a Bible from us, a gospel tract, and a gospel tract we had in Chinese. They also gave us their email addresses! I emailed both of them and sent them a link to the Bible in Chinese online.

Here’s the amazing parts:

1. Via email, Weiwen wanted to know more about my daughter Gabriella, and why we adopted her from China. I emailed her back and told her that our God has a heart for orphans and He adopts us into His family when we repent of our sins and trust in Jesus. So that’s one reason we count it a privilege to adopt an orphan.

   Weiwen emailed back and said that she has a Journalism paper due in December on the life of an ordinary American, and she wants to choose me, and even wants to know if she can come and sleep over my house and get to know Shelby and the kids! (Though I doubt whether I can honestly be considered ordinary!)

   Shelby and I are open and excited about this and we’re emailing with Weiwen about how best to get her from Boston to our home in New Hampshire.

   Please pray that she will come to know Jesus as Savior and that God will use our family to bring that along.

2. Yuting responded to my email and wrote the following:

   Hi Mark,

    

   It is very happy to hear from you!

    

   I began to seek for the connection with God since 2009, when I was a freshman in my university in China. I didn’t join any organizations before. The journey is just with myself. I really feel lucky that you and Eric can guide to get to know better about God and Jesus.

    

   Can I ask you one question? My parents are thousands of miles away from me right now. I miss them and I wish them happy and healthy everyday. My question is, how can I pray to God, or send my wishes to God, that I hope he will bless my parents?

    

   Thank you very much, Mark.

    

   Have a nice weekend!

    

   Yuting

   Can you imagine? Here is an intelligent, educated, woman, but she doesn’t even know how to pray.

   Please understand, I don’t say this to make fun of her. On the contrary! I feel so sad that she’s never been taught even the most basic religious truths. And she’s asking me, a stranger, how to pray for her parents. What an honor!!!

3. I have a friend, Ruby, who is a godly woman and lives in my town with her husband and children. Ruby is from China, and she has reached out to Weiwen and Yuting as well through a Chinese-language chat program. Please pray that God will use Ruby to reach these ladies for Christ.

   UPDATE: Before I had a chance to send out this blog post, Ruby’s husband emailed me to say that she was just chatting with Yuting and lead her through a prayer of repentance! Praise Jesus!

This is why we go out on the streets to meet people. You never know who God will send your way!

I think it’s so amazing that God is using Open Air Campaigners to reach two women from China who have never heard about Jesus and how to become a child of God!

Please keep Weiwen and Yuting in your prayers, and our continued and growing friendship!

Thank you so much for your prayers, encouraging notes, and financial support, without which we could not be on the streets ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who haven’t heard.

in Christ and for His glory,
Mark (and family)