Greetings in the name of Jesus! It is hard to believe that we only have 9 weeks & 4 days before we depart for China!
The vision that God has placed upon our hears for China is 3-fold:
1) To serve in China as tent-making missionaries in the capacity of English teachers within Chinese middle and high schools,
2) Visiting the orphans in their distress and, Lord willing, also rescue babies from "dying rooms", and,
3) Carry the testimony of the Lord Jesus to the Uyghur people (Chinese muslims) in the western portions of China.
We are already staggered by how graciously God is providing for us and we have great anticipation for this incredible journey! We are also very humbled by and thankful for each of you who have given to our work; thank you for holding the rope.
This month, we wanted to take some time to share a little more about the Uyghur people group. As you will read below, they have Christian roots, about which most are completely unaware. Please pray for them....they are ostracized and oftentimes ill treated by "non-uygur" Chinese. They are headed into eternity without Christ!
Here are a few pictures of the beautiful people called "Uyghur's."
The vision that God has placed upon our hears for China is 3-fold:
1) To serve in China as tent-making missionaries in the capacity of English teachers within Chinese middle and high schools,
2) Visiting the orphans in their distress and, Lord willing, also rescue babies from "dying rooms", and,
3) Carry the testimony of the Lord Jesus to the Uyghur people (Chinese muslims) in the western portions of China.
We are already staggered by how graciously God is providing for us and we have great anticipation for this incredible journey! We are also very humbled by and thankful for each of you who have given to our work; thank you for holding the rope.
This month, we wanted to take some time to share a little more about the Uyghur people group. As you will read below, they have Christian roots, about which most are completely unaware. Please pray for them....they are ostracized and oftentimes ill treated by "non-uygur" Chinese. They are headed into eternity without Christ!
Here are a few pictures of the beautiful people called "Uyghur's."
Identity
Before 1921 the various Turkic groups in Xinjiang called themselves by the name of the oasis near which they lived. When Turkic leaders met in Tashkent in 1921, they chose the name Uygur as the mark of their identity. Uygur means "unity" or "alliance."
Uygur is a Turkic language, related to Uzbek, Kazak, and Kirgiz. It also contains loanwords from Chinese, Arabic, Persian, Russian, and Mongolian.
Religion
Most Uygur follow a folk Islam mixed with superstition. Islam is stronger in southern Xinjiang than in the north. Today, although almost all Uygur confess to be Muslims, few are aware of the time in history when the majority of Uygur were Christians.
Christianity
When Nestorian missionaries first appeared in China in 635 AD, after they had already been working in Central Asia for a century. One of the forerunners of today's Uygur were the Turkic Keirat tribe. By 1009, 200,000 Keirat had been baptized. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries "the whole tribe were considered Christian." It has recently been estimated there were as many as eight million Christians in Central Asia. In the fourteenth century Christianity disappeared from among the Uygur for 500 years, and they converted to Islam. The Swedish Missionary Society re-commenced work among the Uygur in 1892. By the 1930s more than 300 Uygurs had been converted, primarily in Kashgar.
When Abdullah Khan came to Yarkant in 1933 he expelled the missionaries and eliminated the Uygur believers in a mass execution. Abdullah claimed, "It is my duty, according to our law, to put you to death, because by your preaching you destroyed the faith of some of us." Despite the presence of many Han Christians in Xinjiang, few have a vision to reach the Uygurs. One visitor reported, "Many [church] leaders openly acknowledge, without guilt or shame, that they do not have such a burden for these people." One church elder, when asked about evangelizing Uygurs, "responded by shouting, 'You're crazy!'" Today about 50 known Uygur Christians meet in two small fellowships in China, although 400 Uygur believers have recently emerged in neighboring Kazakstan. Recent reports indicate that many Uygur in China may be on the verge of accepting Christ.
Before 1921 the various Turkic groups in Xinjiang called themselves by the name of the oasis near which they lived. When Turkic leaders met in Tashkent in 1921, they chose the name Uygur as the mark of their identity. Uygur means "unity" or "alliance."
Uygur is a Turkic language, related to Uzbek, Kazak, and Kirgiz. It also contains loanwords from Chinese, Arabic, Persian, Russian, and Mongolian.
Religion
Most Uygur follow a folk Islam mixed with superstition. Islam is stronger in southern Xinjiang than in the north. Today, although almost all Uygur confess to be Muslims, few are aware of the time in history when the majority of Uygur were Christians.
Christianity
When Nestorian missionaries first appeared in China in 635 AD, after they had already been working in Central Asia for a century. One of the forerunners of today's Uygur were the Turkic Keirat tribe. By 1009, 200,000 Keirat had been baptized. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries "the whole tribe were considered Christian." It has recently been estimated there were as many as eight million Christians in Central Asia. In the fourteenth century Christianity disappeared from among the Uygur for 500 years, and they converted to Islam. The Swedish Missionary Society re-commenced work among the Uygur in 1892. By the 1930s more than 300 Uygurs had been converted, primarily in Kashgar.
When Abdullah Khan came to Yarkant in 1933 he expelled the missionaries and eliminated the Uygur believers in a mass execution. Abdullah claimed, "It is my duty, according to our law, to put you to death, because by your preaching you destroyed the faith of some of us." Despite the presence of many Han Christians in Xinjiang, few have a vision to reach the Uygurs. One visitor reported, "Many [church] leaders openly acknowledge, without guilt or shame, that they do not have such a burden for these people." One church elder, when asked about evangelizing Uygurs, "responded by shouting, 'You're crazy!'" Today about 50 known Uygur Christians meet in two small fellowships in China, although 400 Uygur believers have recently emerged in neighboring Kazakstan. Recent reports indicate that many Uygur in China may be on the verge of accepting Christ.
"I will go down (into India), if you will hold the rope." - Wm. Carey
How can you help?
1. Pray- as the Holy Spirit gives utterance. Pray the Lord would stand by us, strengthen us and that through us the truth and power of the Gospel might be fully known, that all the Chinese might hear: & that the Lord would deliver us from every evil work preserving us unto His heavenly kingdom (2Tim 4:17-18)
2. Go - The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few (Luke 10:2). If God is calling you, we pray you GO!
3. Give - as you are led of the Lord Jesus Christ. Click here for one time or recurring donations to our work in China: http://hagennation.weebly.com/support-or-contact.html
How can you help?
1. Pray- as the Holy Spirit gives utterance. Pray the Lord would stand by us, strengthen us and that through us the truth and power of the Gospel might be fully known, that all the Chinese might hear: & that the Lord would deliver us from every evil work preserving us unto His heavenly kingdom (2Tim 4:17-18)
2. Go - The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few (Luke 10:2). If God is calling you, we pray you GO!
3. Give - as you are led of the Lord Jesus Christ. Click here for one time or recurring donations to our work in China: http://hagennation.weebly.com/support-or-contact.html