People Stories - Harry & Alpha

June 2017

Harry & Alpha

We met Harry from the Philippines in the spring of 2014. Although he worshipped at Beijing Baptist Church from the time of his arrival in Beijing, we first had extended time with him over dinner in our borrowed apartment in the fall of 2014. We gathered around the kitchen table over a meal, seeking to build a closer relationship with him. We shared food, conversation, and piano music. At that dinner table, Harry confessed that he didn’t ‘get’ Americans. Americans living overseas have a tendency to appear driven, independent, brash, and focused, whereas Asians tend to function as a community, defer to others, and speak indirectly. At that time, we all were still learning how to be comfortable with each other’s cultures and expectations.

In late spring 2017, Harry mentioned that he appreciated that he stuck with Beijing Baptist Church. We rejoice to see how God used BBC to help him (and his wife) grow in the Lord. Harry came to our Guys’ Nights of dinner and discipleship when he could, attended the monthly Masculine Mandate study, and participated in the Doctrine Forum that studied the 1689 Confession of Faith.

Mark and I also joyfully watched him develop a relationship with his now-wife Alpha. We met Alpha in January 2017 when she visited Beijing before their marriage and her move to Beijing. We heard her story of how God has worked in her life, and how she and Harry met. After Alpha lived in German-speaking Switzerland for a time, she returned to her native Philippines where she founded a school for nurses to learn German so they could seek better job opportunities in Europe.

Harry and Alpha unexpectedly returned to the Philippines in the fall of 2018 and now seek the Lord’s next step in their life. In the meantime, they will attend Bob Jones University’s graduation this weekend where Harry will receive his Master of Education. They look forward to visiting Greenville, meeting our SC friends, and worshipping with our home church.

Please pray for them as they seek the Lord’s leading in their lives, work, and ministry.

BBC's first ever 5K Spring Run

Mark, ever the promoter and organizer, came up with the idea to have a 5K run to build unity and fellowship within BBC. Of course, not everyone runs, so we encouraged those who don't run to come to cheer the runners on, fellowship with people, and consider sponsoring a runner for a worthy cause. After explaining to the non-Americans what it means to 'sponsor' a runner, we then set a goal to raise 1000RMB to supply the Liberian home church of one of our BBC members with hymnals, which we exceeded!  

The Group

Studying the route

And they're off!

First across the finish line

Oliver from Liberia whose home church will receive hymnals

Even a partially paralyzed older man can walk a 5K!

Culture Wars

Having traveled to different cultures over the years, I've begun to make some observations. The differences in cultures made me think of an application of 1 Corinthians 7:14 where Paul says: "For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy."

If we substitute culture for unbelieving husband or wife, I think we can see the effect of gospel witness on specific cultures. When Mark and I travel between "open" and "closed" countries, we observe the sanctifying effect of a gospel witness on the culture of the visited country. For example, South Korea boasts a long history of gospel witness. That gospel witness not only means South Korea practices freedom of religion, but also the people generally show kindness, politeness, helpfulness, orderliness, cleanliness, trust, hospitality, joy, and peace. In countries and cultures that oppress or remove gospel witness, we observe the lack of sanctifying influence of the gospel. In those places we see self-centeredness, cutting in lines, rudeness, disorder, barricades, trashiness, abuse, surveillance, and disregard for rules and human rights. Gospel witness brings glory to God by speaking the message of salvation of sins through Jesus Christ alone, yet the benefits of speaking the gospel also bring good to mankind and to cultures.

Therefore, we sense the urgency to bring the gospel to every culture and people group. People and cultures need redemption. Some cultures fear losing their culture or traditions if Christianity comes in. It may be true that some aspects of a culture change when the people discover specific cultural sins, yet overall, Christianity sanctifies or purifies the culture. For example, marriages, families, parenting, education, health, business practices, and even governments improve. People gain trust with each other. People learn to resolve conflicts well. People grow to respect each other. The task to purify a culture seems daunting as we Christians help so few people at a time.

These cultural differences remind me of what our friend Jon once posted on Facebook regarding "three common cultural perspectives of the gospel: guilt/grace, shame/honor, and fear/power." I would actually add, "fear/love." As I consider these dichotomies, the gospel witness becomes clear. With the good news of Jesus Christ, we receive the second part; without the good news of Jesus Christ, we live the first part. Perfect love casts out fear. What do we fear? What makes us guilty? What are we ashamed of? Societies closed to the gospel live in these realms. 

I also realize that we can dig deeper or round out our views about culture in so many ways. As I mentioned above, some cultures fear losing their culture or traditions if the number of Christians grows within their country. Some cultures fear that Christians will "westernize" their culture. Maybe that error began many decades ago when western missionaries brought their brand of Christianity to foreign lands. Mark and I see that influence among foreigners who live in Beijing. They sometimes believe that following Christ reflects wearing a certain style of clothing, or singing a certain genre of hymns, or obeying certain rules of "do this/don't do this", or avoiding certain places of entertainment. Yet we must first ask "What IS the gospel?" Then we must ask, "How does the gospel come to each culture? What does it look like in Ghana, India, France, Peru, China, Saudi Arabia, Australia, or Canada, etc.?" The simple gospel truth that Jesus Christ came to save sinners doesn’t change with location but each culture, people group, and nation must apply that truth in a way that makes their culture more Christ-like, not more western.

The gospel of Jesus brings hope and healing. Let's share it.

Journey to India

Today a friend and brother in India, Yohan Mamidi, posted on Facebook :

Pastor Mark Hatfield and Pastor Jamie Howell have the vision to train untrained pastors, so they started South India Pastors Training. I got to know about their passion in 2018 and invited them to our place. They made it this year. They trained the pastors here on the topic of 'Doctrine of God' and 'Doctrine of Scriptures'. They also spoke on a few pastoral ministry topics. They preached in our networking churches and spent a great time with Agape home children to show them love.

These two pastors are great inspirations for me in ministry. Their love, passion for God's kingdom, hard work, simplicity, burden, strategic plans, and personal care, etc.. have shown tremendous impact on me. I thank God for bringing such people into my process of molding into the likeness of Christ.

May God bless you and use you for His glory. Thanks to Curt A for introducing these biblical people and thanks to HeartCry missions society (through Jeff Shawver) for giving the book Knowing God to the participants. Thanks to our team who worked this out.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Mark and I met Yohan last March while he and Jamie offered this same pastoral training to a different group of Indian pastors. Over the past year, the three of them stayed in contact and planned this second training with people Yohan knows. 

Men receiving Knowing God in Telugu on behalf of HeartCry Ministries

The organizing team

People Stories - H

The other night we ate dinner with a friend of friends. This young man once professed faith in Christ but now says he is not a Christian. When Mark asked him about his relationship with the Lord, this young man answered honestly that he no longer believed in the saving work of Christ. We encouraged him to explain. He originally attended a solid biblical church then changed to a church where he heard that if he were a Christian, he would have to give up his job and would lose his family. His culture places an extremely high value on a good paying job and family loyalty and he was not willing to give up those things. 

Also, he works with an organization that stipulates no beliefs. Mark and I both picked up these themes and tried to explain the biblical concept of work and the fact that every one of us has beliefs. We all believe in something, whether that is our work, God, or ourselves. We were made to worship, to believe in something. The question is "what or who do we worship?" Ourselves? Our work? Our family? Or our Maker?

On the subject of work, Mark explained at length that when we have faith in Christ, he changes our outlook on work. We can work faithfully, intelligently, and profitably. When we work for the Lord, we have the potential to earn money to live and to share with others. Mark then recounted his years with Hatfield Builders and the blessings the Lord provided along the way. God made us to work and to work well.

In the end, this young man said he would go back and read the Bible again, especially looking for those verses. We tried to explain that Jesus used those verses as figures of speech. Yet in his culture, he really could lose his job and his family disown him. True believers in Christ often experience rejection from family, employers, and society.

Pray for this young man. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give him understanding of the true gospel of Christ as he reads God's Word.

People Stories - E

We met E and her husband in the fall so we have spent quite a bit of time with them. On February 4, while our husbands watched the Super Bowl, she and I spent several hours talking, chatting, catching up, and wrestling with her spiritual state. I really challenged her to consider her relationship with Christ and not focus on other people’s faults, foibles, or faith. Toward the end of our time together, she asked, “Can I pray?” “Yes, of course!” In her own words, she confessed to Christ and asked him to save her. Since then I have seen her insatiable hunger for God’s Word. This all happened the day before Chinese New Year, a day before they traveled for the holiday. That day, I left her with Ultimate Questions, which she devoured and looked up all the referenced verses. Over the next few days, she texted me several times asking what to read next. Once she even wrote, “I’m very excited at the moment and want to read and understand as much as I can!” Eventually I handed her The Story of Hope, a book that highlights 40 stories from the Bible pointing to Christ, beginning with Creation all the way through to The New Creation. She loves it!

Pray for E that God would continue to give her a hunger for and understanding of his Word. Pray that his Word would be clear to her. Also, pray for her relationship with her husband. God needs to transform some unhealthy habits that they developed over the course of their marriage. They both need God’s grace to not put human constructs on God’s transforming work.

People Stories - Eve

Eve contacted us after coming to Beijing upon finishing several years living in the US. Like so many of our acquaintances, she went to the US as a teenager, attended US high school, and then earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees at a top US university. She lived in Minneapolis for a few years and went to a solid, Bible-teaching church. She contacted us looking for a solid Bible-teaching, English-speaking church in Beijing. Although she cannot attend Beijing Baptist Church, we met her a couple of times to hear her heart and help her wrestle through her spiritual struggles. The Lord taught her much during her years in the US. She has a terrific grasp of the truth and Scripture, yet she feels she just cannot believe in Christ yet. What if she doesn’t have enough faith? What if she doesn’t fully come to Christ? After we introduced her to some of our friends and we again had time with her, we (as well as our friends) asked her, “What keeps you from putting your faith in Jesus Christ?” We jested with her that she reminds us of the apostle Paul of whom Festus said, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad” (Acts 26:24).

Please pray for Eve, that she would come to Jesus like a little child, with simple faith, believing that he will save her from her sinful state. We liken her to a child ready to be born – she’s in the birth canal. Jesus, push her out into eternal life.