The bus chugged along as we headed out of the city toward the mountains. I rested my head on the back of the seat, my stomach twisting and turning like it always does any time I get on a bus, whether I'm in the US or Asia or the Middle East. Motion-sickness is apparently universal. We were heading to the Great Wall on a misty morning. Fog would eventually ruin our view, but not our spirits. The bus bumped along and the riders shared their faith journeys with each other- I heard glimpses of other stories as I listed to the people in my group share theirs: one speaks on unconditional love he felt for his son the day he was born and how great a picture that is of how our Father loves us; one speaks about trusting Christ the day before her wedding, with her soon-to-be husband right by her side. A missionary sat at the front of the bus and turned around to face us as she shared her faith journey with the whole bus; of coming to Christ in Asia and then serving in the Middle East. She shared about her desires to serve elsewhere around the world, but God had a specific plan for her. As she shared, I was overcome with emotion. Her story was a picture of what I hope when I'm sitting in meetings and answering e-mails: that the Gospel would move through Asia in a wave and that Asian believers would take it to the Middle East and beyond: Back to Jerusalem. This could be the largest missions movement in history. (If you've never heard of this movement, you can read more about it here). An American serving in Asia got up to share his story- how he was a Christian growing up, but not very serious about his faith. He shared the ways God used Winter Conference (the annual event I have been planning for the last several years) in his life; at the conference he was struck by the fact that there are lots of international students at his university, and he could play a role in reaching them. He and several friends left the conference committing to focus on making friends with international students and going to the world to share the Gospel. The tears had dried up until this man started sharing his story, and then they were flowing again! I was so encouraged to hear this one story of one life God changed after he attended our Winter Conference. I know that God uses that even to reach students and change their lives -- I just don't often get to see the way he works. What a blessing to be able to see this man's faith being lived out in Asia as he reaches university students with the Gospel ten years after that event.
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Amy WellnerEncouraging others to intentionally live out their God-given identity. Archives
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