Friday Dec. 25th, 2015 - Last night, around 10:30 pm, our precious friends who are the foster family for our dear YangMei had to stop by our home briefly to pick up something they needed. Shortly after they left, our doorbell rang, and an unexpected delivery was left at our door! While this isn't her "forever" drop off, we were overjoyed at receiving this unexpected and unforgettable gift to enjoy for a couple days! Our hearts and house are full, and we are grateful. #YangMei #adoption #fostertoadopt
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As is common among us all, today I had to do a few repairs in the apartment we live in. Plumbing was one of the tasks. So, off to the local hardware store to get a few parts. Well, I had to visit the store twice in my attempts to fix the sink, and on the second trip a very soft-spoken and friendly but elderly man, who was merely visiting the shopkeeper, offered to lend me the vital tools to do the job. Off we went, zipping down the road, both on our electric scooter bikes. I noticed his bike was well taken care of and clean. Mine in a bit of dirty disarray. Long story short, after two trips to his house to get better tools, we both finished the task - a new drain pipe for the bathroom sink. Mind you, the old drain pipe had to be removed and with it the several years of built up muck and mire. In the best Chinese I could, I asked if he wanted to wash his hands. He refused and said he wanted to go out and smoke. Oh no! I wanted to scold him. Anyway, God provided for us today with needed assistance. God provided our assistant with homemade cookies and a gospel of John in Chinese. I think I was able to say something like, "this is a very famous book," in my fragmented, but slowly improving Chinese. This is "Baby 1-month".... our friends discovered him languishing at a hospice for the elderly. Long story short, we were hopeful that he was left due to lack of financial resources to address his underlying circulatory/heart issue..... However, after our friends connected with a foundation and secured their agreement to provide the necessary life saving surgery, physicians, facilities, etc........ we received word that this precious one's earthly dad does not want him to live, and refused to give permission...... we were all heart broken.....and yet, since hearing that news, we have felt led to continue to pray for this fatherless one; that Our Father would move mightily on behalf of "Baby 1-month". Would you join us? #ChinasBillions http://tiny.cc/oph14x Dearest Friends, An update is long overdue: Please forgive the delay. Many things have occurred, making us both busy but also grateful for our Lord confirming the call here in China. Oh! Bless His name with us! Hard to believe, but we have been in Beijing for six weeks already. With the amount of things done it feels like a year and yet with the speed that time has passed it feels like a few days. Rich is in his third week of teaching at Shunyi Beijing Number One High School. He is teaching first year students, which means they are 15-16 years old. This High School is just what the name implies - Number One in this area. All students in Shunyi, participate in very difficult and competitive placement tests for high school. Top scoring students are invited to the school Rich is teaching at. Most can speak english in this grade, having had about 3 to 8 years of English already. And yet, for having 3 to 8 years of English already, their English is not very good. Rich’s teaching curriculum is not provided for him so he has much latitude and freedom to write excellent English classes, that gently introduce a worldview far-removed from their atheistic and evolutionary thinking they have been immersed in. Jody is doing wonderful things with the 3 boys in their own home school. She found small desks and, praise God! a whiteboard to use for daily teaching in the home. This was quite a challenge to find. In trusting and waiting upon God, both Rich and Jody found Him to be a faithful provider. Just yesterday (from the date of writing), Jody was in the nearby playground with the boys as Rich was at work teaching, and struck up a conversation with a young mother. Soon she was hearing that they both share the same Lord and Savior and that the young mother’s husband is a bible teacher leading a home fellowship. What joy! Oh! and the prayer of their hearts was answered - to find a Chinese brother & sister in the faith to work together with. Hallelujah! A dear and precious member of the Canadian family we have, in part, teamed up with and have weekly fellowship with, has been a victim of a horrible crime. The local police have apprehended the man and wish with all swiftness, to bring him to judgment, but nonetheless, would you pray with us for dear Tina (name changed for security reasons). Oh, that God would have mercy and keep her and all the family from the wicked schemes of the evil one. As a result, we have taken 2 orphans into our home for respite during this time of grieving and healing. Please pray for Peng Peng and Yang Mei as we love them in Jesus & that they would find a forever family soon! In closing, our own observances here in China of the Chinese people has been one of profound hope and sadness. The Chinese are precious people with a rich history and are on the surface very kind and compassionate. They are quick to befriend us and quick to show their kindness. Yet, the heart is just the same as you and i; Nay, all people everywhere. What does Romans say? “There is none righteous…there is none that doeth good, no not one.” Yet, armed with the hope and love of God in our breast, we pray salvation for them, that the glorious redemptive sound of the Gospel may be heard in their ears and the promised mighty rushing wind would blow upon them. Please, Rise to Prayer, dear friends; it is vital! Serve Jesus well and be faithful unto the end.
Prayer Requests/Needs 1. Please continue to pray for us as we “get settled” & learn our new way of life & that Jody & the boys would learn Mandarin quickly. 2. We have an opportunity to help establish a needed orphanage/learning academy in a poor, rural area of China. The vision is to not only rescue abandoned infants, but also provide a place where rural & “ghost” children can be educated & cared for, & to provide a “hospice” area so precious babies won’t die all alone but will know love and nurture in their final days. Please pray that we would hear the voice of God and every provision provided. 3. We helped prepare an “American Style BBQ” for over 100 people who were celebrating the 2nd year anniversary of their Equestrian Riding Club & Ranch. “Guanxi” in China is everything! Guangxi is RELATIONSHIP and we enjoyed serving these precious people in the love of Christ. Please pray for the relationships we formed! We were asked to return and do it again at Christmas!! What a blessed opportunity that will be to share with them the hope we have! 4. Pray for Jack & his family; William & his family; Lee; and Kris & her family; for their salvation! 5. We were recently made aware of PayPal's association with Planned Parenthood. Therefore, please pray that we can find an alternative payment solution for our online donors. "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 protect us and deliver us from every evil work preserving us unto His heavenly kingdom (2 Tim 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 donation: http://hagennation.weebly.com/support-or-contact.html Immediate Prayer Requests 1. Please pray with us that God would mightily bless our auction this coming Saturday July 25th, 2015. 2. Please pray with us that the Chinese Consulate would grant us favor and mercy when we appear before them in Chicago on July 28th at 9 am and request "rush" processing for our visas. 3. Please pray for safety and for peace in our precious children's hearts as they fly for the first time. Thank you as you pray in faith! Our God is good and faithful! Much love in Christ Rich, Jody & the boys Onward! We GO soon to the land of China where the majority of 1.4 billion people sit in darkness and under the spell of satan. Since I (Rich) was there in 1986 much worldliness has poured in and now indifference and complacency steal the heart. This is much like America, where the word of God is largely ignored, except by a few. And Praise God for “The Few, The humble, The Soldiers of Christ!” We all, with 15 bags of various sizes and shapes, will board a trans-oceanic aero plane to Beijing, China. When we get there a wonderful apartment, 2 electric motor scooters, an English teaching position in one of the most prestigious schools in Beijing and a delightful and Godly family await us. Jody and I surely feel God’s provision in this endeavor and if it were not for His call and confirmation of the call, none of these things would be possible. When I (Rich) prayed about 2 years ago, that my faith toward God would extend into all of my life, I never expected to experience His leading and provision in such profound and humbling ways. Truly faith is the victory! The economy looks bleak over there. Communism is ripe. Christianity is hindered, at least. Darkness covers the land. And yet, the brave conquests of men and women, who have in times past launched out into the unknown heathen lands, partnered with a Great and Good God, Who desires none to perish and provided a sacrifice that all may come in; and did the work of the Gospel declaring His Kingdom come. Shall we shrink back today? Shall you and I stay in our cozy and comfortable dens of Christian saturated lands when there are still over 400 unreached people groups? What shall the Lord say of us if we do? We are ALL called to missions; to The Great Commission. Our mission field happens to be China and we are ever so thankful for your prayers and financial support! To what mission field are YOU called? * This little guy's name is Hao Hao. He was abandoned & left to die; alone. Our dear friends took him in & loved him well until he died. * 1 in 5 babies/children are abandoned * 61 million “left-behind” children * 1/3rd of rural children live without parents * Approx. 36,000 abortions daily * 336 million abortions since 1979 “one child policy.” This video is a small sample of how teaching English is a platform for Gospel truth. This is our friend, Mr. Weaver, and he had given his students an assignment to write about something they had learned or was impactful. Friends, the Chinese people are very stoic and do NOT cry in public.....except God. Listen carefully as he mentions "truth". As we had promised in last month's newsletter, these 2 sections give a little more of a glimpse into the orphan ministry and teaching ministry we will engage in once overseas. We will share more about the children as we connect with the local orphanages and remain vigilant for the muffled cries of abandoned little ones. We are in awe of our Great and Good God; how He loves, leads, provides and protects. "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 donation: http://hagennation.weebly.com/support-or-contact.html 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." 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. "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 Love God......Love Others The Whole of the Law "....you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matt. 22:37-38“Be ye therefore, followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor." Eph 5:1-2 This video captures the heart of our "why" ....why we have said "yes" to God's call; why we are selling all, and why we desire to walk in love amongst the precious Chinese people & each other. Reflecting on His leading As we look forward to our departure date, Aug 6th, 2015, I (jody) am in awe of God's gracious hand in bringing about this reality! I was reminded of a journal entry from 2006...I had been seeking the Lord and was spending time in prayer when I 'saw' this image of tent-like structures, a lush background of jungle or lush trees...jeep vehicles; Rich was there and children...it was as if I was off having quiet time and was looking upon them from a distance. Afterward, I inquired of the Lord what it was and this is what I wrote in my journal that day: "Lord, what is this that i saw?" I sensed the answer come: "Mission field...you and your household. I have much to do through you and I am preparing you. Everything in your lives is preparation for Me and My purposes...time is short." And here we are! 9 years later, we actually have children and we are headed overseas. "His way is Perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him" (2 Samuel 22:31). In the natural realm there sure is much to get done before we can go, and the way hard, but the Lord never fails. We are moving forward by faith, sure of what He has called us to and sure of His provision. Next month we hope, Lord willing, to share our three-fold vision of missions in China. "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 (2 Timothy 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 donations to our work in China: http://hagennation.weebly.com/support-or-contact.html
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AuthorRich: Christ follower. Husband. Father. Preacher of righteousness. Educator. CEO for the Hagen Nation Archives
September 2018
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