Azungu - white face in Kenya

外国人 wàiguórén

Azungu

It’s always the same. We don’t fit in. We don’t look like the local culture.

As white faces in an Asian world, we get called ‘foreigner’ all the time, especially by young children. We accept that we don’t look like the community around us so we play a game with children. We say “不是, 我们不是外国人。我们是美国人。No, we aren’t foreigners. We’re Americans.” In Chinese the words rhyme so it’s a fun game. Usually the children look stunned that we understand what they said and could respond. The adults always chuckle so we have fun with it.

In Kenya, we received the same reception but the word is azungu. Everywhere we traveled, we heard azungu and children appeared out of nowhere and ran to the car to shake our hands and see us.

And yet people are the same the world over. People, children and adults alike, appreciate a “hello” and “how are you?” and a handshake.

Recently Mark and I adventured to a remote village in southwestern Kenya to meet a pastor that he gotten to know via Skype and email and conduct a three-day pastors’ conference. In addition, we worshiped with two village churches then had the pastoral training from Tuesday through Thursday. On the way, we also met up with local pastors about whom our friend Bob Selph told us just a few days before we left for the trip.

Mark, and a new friend Naptally, taught these spiritually hungry men the following topics:

·   Why another partnership?

·   Exploring the nature of true gospel fellowship

·   A vision for theological/pastoral training

·   The incomparable Scriptures

·   What is the gospel?

·   Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

·   Where do we go from here?

In addition to teaching, Mark got to know the African pastors (one man traveled six days from southern Tanzania). The heart these men have for Jesus Christ, his message, and his people encouraged and strengthened us in so many ways. These men love Jesus and give sacrificially of their lives for their church and their community. One pastor even told us that each day after Mark and I left for the hotel (1¾ hours away), the men gathered together to discuss what they learned and how to apply it to their churches. They initiated that on their own! He relayed that all the attendees believe their lives and their churches will never be the same after what they've learned. Most of them had never heard such solid teaching from the Bible like they heard this week. Praise God!! They hunger for solid Bible teaching. When Mark put out the vision for a long term certificate level program, they got excited.

Additionally, two women traveled to the conference while other local women came and went as they had time. Local women from the village also sacrificed their time to cook for the conference attendees. Although we might consider the conditions a bit primitive, they served with joy and laughter.

Please pray for wisdom as we seek to develop long-term theological training for these hungry pastors so that they can bring solid biblical teaching to their congregations.

2 Timothy 2:2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 

We saw people walking along every road, even in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

Azungu! Azungu!

A representative road - half of our trip to the village looked like this road.

Beautiful mountainside scenery - cultivated tea, maize, and sugar cane farms

One of the church's we visited

The people from Nyamarambe village church

a roadside market of second-hand goods

First day of conference

Pastor Napthally teaching - a last minute blessing

Pastor John translating

tea break

the food tent 

Cooking lunch

  

Receiving Table Talk booklets donated by Ligonier Ministries

Planting a tree representing gospel seeds for future growth

Cheryl's typical attire for the week

Conference attendees and local folks

A beautiful sunset to close a wonderful week

People Stories - Irene

Meet Irene, a fashion designer, from the Netherlands. We first met Irene when she came to BBC in the spring of 2017.

Sometimes at the beginning of a service Mark will ask newcomers to stand up and state their name as a way of introduction. Irene boldly offered, "I'm Irene from the Netherlands. I'm Catholic but thinking about being a Baptist." Wow, what an introduction.

Shortly after that she joined us for our annual church retreat. Since then Irene has faithfully and consistently placed herself under the teaching of God's Word.

This past Saturday we had the privilege of spending several hours with Irene, enjoying a sumptuous lunch and lovely conversation. She told us about her spiritual journey from the age of eighteen through spiritism, sorcery, secular psychology, hypnotherapy, witchcraft, occult, and New Age. Through all this, she was a spiritual seeker, looking for truth, but didn't know light from darkness. Even in the midst of such spiritual darkness, God showed her glimpses of light and used various personal experiences to draw her to himself.

In early 2017, Irene placed her faith in Jesus, the light of the world. During a trip to Israel this past summer, she was baptized in the Jordan River, following the example of her Lord Jesus. She is currently pursuing BBC membership.

What a delight to watch Irene hunger and thirst for God's righteousness. She's learning so much from God's Word and from his people.

Pray for Irene as she grows in her understanding of God's Word and how his Word should affect her thinking and her life. Pray that the God of light will shine in her and eradicate the remaining vestiges of Satan and darkness.

Pray for China

Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 

1 Timothy 2:1-3 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.

Would you please pray for China’s governing authorities as they meet to conduct their party meetings within these next few weeks?

Please pray that they would make and enforce laws that would do good for their country and for their people.

Pray that God will give them wisdom from on high so that all people “may lead a peaceful and quiet life."

People Stories - John & Karen and other musings

We live in an area of Beijing where we see few foreigners compared to other parts of the city. One day after I arrived back in Beijing as we stocked up on groceries from the large grocery store in the mall, we met a man named John in the checkout line in front of us and started chatting with him. Because that day he happened to wear a university shirt given him by his daughter, Mark started the conversation about that university which quickly led to college football talk. Naturally. J We chatted for a bit and handed him our contact card. A few days later he emailed us, and we eventually caught dinner with him and his wife since they live not too far from us. What a fascinating couple! He had been doing business between China and the US for over 25 years, but now he teaches law and business courses to foreign and national university students. His wife Karen is just beginning a distinguished professorship in nursing in another section of the city. We delighted to hear their story, how they met, and how they ended up in Beijing.  We would love to continue conversations with them since they live close by.

Not long after our dinner with John and Karen, we met a man from New Zealand at a bus stop. As we talked, I noticed that he wore a T-shirt sporting the periodic table of elements. It turns out that he teaches chemistry at the same university as John.

It feels strange to talk about ‘foreigners’. I don’t think we would refer to a ‘foreigner’ in the US, but anyone not a native Chinese gets labeled ‘foreigner.’ Often we hear little children call out 为国人 (wèiguórén) as we walk by them. We have learned to play a little game with them. We respond in Chinese that we are not foreigners; we are American. It’s fun to see the shocked look on the kids’ faces and hear the adults chuckle that not only did we understand them, we responded in their language with a riddle. Although it seems strange, it actually makes it easy to spot foreigners and strike up conversations.

I read once that some people in the US get offended when asked where they are from as if they weren’t American. Here it’s a great conversation starter. Seeing a foreigner and asking where they are from breaks the ice since all we foreigners fall in the same situation here. We don’t belong. We know that. So we try to connect on those topics that bring us together, things that we have in common even if we hail from countries around the world. 

Climate Change

Climate change. Words we hear often in the news. What is climate change? How do we affect climate change? Is there such a thing as climate control?  When discussing climate change, we often refer to weather or environment. It could be literal or figurative.

Today I learned about climate change, again. Every once in a while, we hear of waves of change, or climate control.  Sometimes they sound loud but end up fading away. Today’s climate change indicates winter is coming with cold winds blowing and animals may hunker down and hibernate for while, until spring thaw. 

According to http://www.bigcat.org/news/the-truth-about-bears-and-hibernation,

Animals hibernate as a way to adapt to their surroundings. They have to be able to survive the cold weather. They hibernate to escape the cold and because food is scarce.

To get ready for hibernation, animals will eat more than usual during the fall to store up body fat. During hibernation and torpor, they will use up this extra body fat to live off of while not losing any muscle. This allows the animal to come out of hibernation thinner and still as strong as it was before winter. 

We don’t often see the changes in the animals as they hibernate, but they come out of hibernation as strong as or stronger than when they began.

As we enter this new climate change, please pray for spring thaw to come and that the animals would not only survive but thrive. 

People Stories - Elevator Friend

One day while riding the elevator to our apartment, we chatted with a man who asked the usual questions of where we’re from, how long we’ve lived here, and what do we do.  We often answer by telling our focus for internationals in the city. This particular time when we told him, he responded by saying “I’ve always wanted to know more about Christianity. I want to know more so I can help my son when he asks.” Wow, not often does a person voice a curiosity so easily.

Since this week is a holiday week, he invited us to his home for tea. Over numerous cups of black tea, green tea, sunflower seeds, and grapes, we chatted for several hours about the Truth, the Message, and the emptiness of our hearts. Like so many, he has come to believe that there is more to life than earning lots of money, buying lots of things, and gaining lots of honors. Our new friend expressed the emptiness of heart that comes even as he pursues those things. He fears that his son will also discover an empty heart while pursuing all the pleasures of life.  He wants to prepare to share Christianity with his son while he is still a preteen, before he reaches the rebellious teen years and turns away from all that his parents stand for.

Rarely have we met a man so ripe for seeking the Truth. We explained the Message of Hope, drew pictures diagramming the four parts – the message about God, man, Jesus, and our response of faith and repentance. We left him with the Good Book, a study book, and Exploring Life (aka Ultimate Questions). Mark hopes to meet with him regularly in the next few weeks to talk.

This fall Mark began a series through 1 Corinthians and this past Sunday taught through 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, part of which reads

¹¹ No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. ¹² And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

¹³ When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.  ¹⁴ But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. (NLT)

Please pray earnestly for clarity, understanding, and God to work in this situation. Please ask the Spirit to open our friend’s heart and mind to understand the Truth and share it with his own family.

Back Home in Beijing

We are now back in Beijing. Mark and I are together again in the Middle Kingdom. When I walked into BBC on Sunday after 3 months away, I really felt like I was home. Our apartment, on the other hand, took a little while longer. When I arrived, I discovered I needed to scrub the kitchen, throw out trash, and restore order.

Ironically all this occurred after I had been pondering the idea of investing in eternity. I didn’t do well on that front. I complained and griped a lot while I cleaned. I was more interested in my clean house at that moment than eternity. After all, heaven is clean, isn’t it? JK

But seriously, the Lord did convict me of my attitude. Yet how I wanted to cling to my attitude of wanting what I wanted. I wanted a clean home and I wanted everyone (Mark) in my path to know that. Unfortunately, that bad attitude carried over to other areas. Sin spreads; it affects everything. How is it that I can say I want to obey and glorify the Lord yet at the same time wallow in my sin? How can I have a complaining, griping attitude and say I love the Lord? How can I still feel the tug of a sinful attitude even after I acknowledge and confess it to the Lord? I had to wrestle through this and come to Jesus. Confession and repentance. That’s hard. I had to remember why Jesus died, for me. He took the burden of my sin on his shoulders. His death accomplished the punishment so I don’t have to. In that I find forgiveness – and the freedom that goes with it. I feel Romans 7 very keenly but also know that Romans 8 follows right behind.

Romans 7

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 

Romans 8

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  

On the other hand, it was good to be back at BBC where we belong. I love the people here, some of whom have been here since we arrived in Aug. 2013. I love the tight-knit community of BBC. I love their smiles, their hearts, their love for Jesus in a place that is so different from our home countries. This is the body of Christ, blended from so many nationalities, cultures, and languages. 

Yes, we are home - in Beijing.

A word from our daughter Kristen....

From Kristen's Facebook post on September 2, 201

Overwhelmed and humbled to announce the birth of our daughter Caroline Elizabeth Odom on August 29th at 5:33pm weighing 7lb 13oz. As some may have heard, it has been a complicated and scary road post delivery. I am overwhelmed and thankful to have been carried in the hands of my Great Physician and Father in Heaven during some of my scariest hours and given the chance to be mommy and wife moving forward. I am stunned by the love of my husband, Brent Odom, who has served me and loved me in ways he never imagined he would have to when he vowed to love me on our wedding day. I am eternally grateful for the skillful hands and wise actions on the part of Dr. Matthew Smith from Highlands Center for Women and the amazing team of nurses, doctors, and care takers at St. Francis Hospital. I am also so very thankful for The Blood Connection and all those who take the time to donate blood and plasma making it possible for me to receive the 22 units of blood products I needed to be here today. We are humbled and so very grateful for the love of our parents, churches, and community who have been with us around the clock and loved on our sweet girl when I was not available, from those who have donated milk, Lindsay Abarotin and Sabrina Fields, to those who have brought us meals, prayed with us and supported us in ways that mean more than you will ever know. I am humbled and grateful that we can share our story and that God is good!

Psalm 118:28-29

 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
    you are my God; I will extol you.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

Aug. 30 - one day old

Sept. 4 - home at last!!

Welcome Baby Caroline Odom

We welcome baby Caroline Elizabeth Odom born August 29, 2017 at 5:33pm weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces, 20 inches long. Caroline is a strong, healthy baby girl. 

Mom Kristen, however, suffered a significant loss of blood during delivery. While she is now stable, she's not 'out of the woods' yet as the doctor told us. She has received lots of replacement blood products and will spend tonight in ICU. 

Pray with us for Kristen's healing and recovery.

Caroline Odom

New dad Brent with his daughter Caroline

New mom Kristen with her daughter Caroline

South India Pastoral Training - 2017 Wrap-Up

From Mark:

As I leave Hyderabad to return to Greenville, let me provide a quick update on my trip to southern India.

On Monday, Aug. 7 we returned from Giddalur in Andhra Pradesh state, some 260 miles southeast of Hyderabad. We had the opportunity to visit Pastor Samuel Gumma, his wife Grace, and his family in his home. We also were able to travel to several remote villages and tribal churches. In each one we were able to share the Scriptures freely. There were times of fellowship with a number of the men (and their wives and children) who participated in the first SIPT module last week. I had the privilege of preaching to about 700 believers at the Giddalur church on Sunday at noon. Virtually all were converted from Muslim or Hindu backgrounds. Most are very poor and travel great distances (often on foot) to make it to the worship service on Sunday.

Please pray for: 1) Pastor Suresh Gumma and I as we discuss strategies for going forward from here, 2) safety as my co-laborer (Samuel Chew) and I return to the States and Malaysia respectively. Thanks so much for praying for our time in India!

Every blessing, Mark & Samuel Chew

Preaching in Giddalur

Three generations of tribal Indian believers in JC. Dairy cows support this family's entire existence.

South India Pastoral Training - 2017

As of August 3, Mark completed a week of intensive pastoral training for 20 pastors in southern India. What began as a 5-day, 30-session attempt morphed into 4 long days of sometimes shorter but more concentrated sessions.  That's OK because, as is often the case, men’s plan B, C, or D was really the Lord’s original plan A anyway.

Mark, and then our Malaysian friend Samuel, taught these spiritually hungry men the following topics:

·   Why another partnership?

·   Exploring the nature of true gospel fellowship

·   A vision for theological/pastoral training

·   The incomparable Scriptures

·   What is the gospel?

·   Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

·   Paul’s letter to Titus: a model of expository preaching

·   The five solas

·   Case for confessional Christianity

·   Our wives: gospel partners

·   Proverbs 4:23: “The most important watch of your life”

·   Where do we go from here?

In addition to teaching, Mark got to know the Indian pastors well. The heart these men have for Jesus Christ, his message, and his people encouraged and strengthened Mark in so many ways. These men love Jesus and give sacrificially of their lives for their church and their community. And yet most of these pastors had not heard the gospel or topics presented so distinctly before.

Please continue to pray for Mark as he travels and ministers to pastors in a city about 6 hours' drive away. Pray for safety, health, strength, and heavenly wisdom. He and his host hope to encourage these pastors in the Lord and promote the idea of theological training in that city.

2 Timothy 2:2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 

Mark with his hosts

A believing family who hosted Mark & friends for Sunday evening dinner after the worship service. The grandmother was a "first fruits" of the G from 1982.

Listening with rapt attention

Pastor Daniel (married in 1961) traveled 7-8 hours for this pastoral training. "His attentiveness, singing and praying have made a lasting impression on me as to what Psalm 92 fruitfulness looks like. And to think he still pastors a village church!" - from Mark's text message

Summer 2017 - South India Pastoral Training
Twenty men from seven towns and two provinces who completed the training. They received Certificates of Completion.

"I was able to sit with these children from the adjacent slum area and tell them of [JC. My host] translated for me. The children (with their parents) sat and listened attentively. I'm so impressed with the head, heart, and hands ministry of Jesus Holy Church ministries. The ladies who cooked for our men then shared food with the children even during our training sessions. Thankful for the example of the saints of [this city] to their very poor Hindu neighbors." - from Mark's text message

Are we home yet?

We arrived back in SC on June 16 after a long and delayed flight from Beijing. It is good to be home, wherever home is. Home, we have decided, is where we are living at that moment. We returned to our physical home that we have lived in for over 20 years now. So in a way, yes, we came home.

We love being back with our family and our home church family although we keenly feel that while Greenville may always be home, so many things and people change while we live away. In addition, our hearts are strongly connected to new friends overseas who become our new family. This summer we look forward to the birth of our first grandchild.

One of our international friends once asked Mark “So what do you do with three months’ vacation in the States?” If he only knew. We did enjoy our one-week annual beach vacation with most of the Hatfield clan in June. We always treasure the time relaxing on the coast amid the waves, wind, and marsh. Now we have three generations gathering together. Our greatest joys are seeing our children’s generation raise their own children in the ways of the Lord. Each year we add to our numbers, now with grandchildren.

While we do the normal (and extra-normal) home maintenance activities during the summer, we also strategize how we can continue teaching and discipling. We jumped right into hosting GBC young people for Sunday lunch, newly married couples for Sunday lunch, and young men’s discipling evenings. We brought our Beijing Guys’ Nights idea to Greenville where Mark plans for a 6-week study through Masculine Mandate by Richard Phillips. We have also joined with long-time friends in encouraging young couples through the Art of Marriage study.

In addition, at the end of July Mark will travel to India to begin a long-term strategy of training national spiritual leaders towards a certificate of Scriptural studies.  Mark currently has secured his visa and flight tickets but all other details are still underway. The current plan is to provide about 30 talks specifically tailored to theological and pastoral training, in addition to Sunday teaching in two different locations. He also plans to strategize the same type of long-term training for brothers in Kenya by talking with supporting churches here in the States.   

Many days Mark maintains constant contact with our family at Beijing Baptist Church via Skype, phone, email, and texting. Expat life in Beijing is so very different than life in people’s home countries. During the summer months of July and August, a vast majority of expats return to their home countries leaving a small congregation at BBC. Mark spends a lot of time even from afar making sure that services run smoothly and staying in touch with our members. This summer he asked brothers who live in country to fill the pulpit for him. Sometimes we arrange to have couples come to fill the pulpit during the summer, giving them a first-hand experience of BBC and life among our BJ brothers and sisters.

How can you pray for us?

• ·         Pray for Mark’s trip to India – that the Truth will be communicated and taught well; that God’s name will be glorified; that brothers will learn and be able to teach their own flocks well.
• ·         Pray that all will go well with our daughter giving birth near the end of August.
• ·         Pray for wisdom in practical issues such as home maintenance. Our 12-month-old roof needs replacing after a severe spring hail storm, along with the normal issues of a 25-year-old home.
• ·         Pray that we communicate God’s love and truth well to all we meet while stateside.
• 
  

  

  All together again