Philip, An International Minister

Philip was on his way to Gaza when the Holy Spirit influenced him to go up near the Ethiopian traveler and determine just where he was in his walk of faith. It’s obvious that Philip had found someone who was searching for something else. Something more. And Philip was there at just the right time to answer his questions. Of course, we know this whole ordeal was orchestrated by the divine work of God. He brings people to those who have answers. Ian and I recently had the opportunity to meet Nan from Shang Hai who arrived for the first time in the U.S. to begin studying at Thunderbird School of Global Management. We picked him up at the airport. We were the first Americans he met. We took him to the school and got him settled, then on to Walmart where Ian was very helpful in getting him what he needed for dorm life. Next, we were off to the Apple store where he purchased a new computer and iphone. And finally for his first meal in the states, we took him to In & Out, a famous burger place here in Phoenix (also his first drive-thru!). This scenario has been quite common-place for us as we work with international students here. However, Nan was different. He said he wasn’t here to necessarily get a degree, get a career and get rich like the majority of students do. He said there was something missing in his life, there had to be something more. For the first time… the first time, we told Nan about a God that designed all things and wanted all peoples to know he had the answers. That is the joy of international ministry! However, other friends we have made have traveled on after graduation.

Owen, a Christian, has been studying with me weekly and is better equipped to share Christ with others as he leaves to search for a job and reunite with his family after 2 years.

Hai Bing and his family have left too. While seeds were planted, and prayers were prayed, they were unable to rationalize that a God exists. That is the poignant side of this ministry.

New Year, New Semester, New Students

The potential is quite amazing as we meet the new incoming international students. So many are very curious about American culture and I have been astonished to learn that quite a few know that the Bible has influenced our way of life and are interested in understanding how it all fits together. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in and does his work with divine appointments. Monica Commick is a volunteer who helps organize area churches with events for the internationals that attend Thunderbird University. With her help, we were able to host a welcome party at a local church where about 45 new students arrived to share in a meal and fellowship. It was an opportunity for us to get to know their stories, find out why they are here and where they have come from and for us to share further opportunities for them to stay involved. There are English Bible studies for the wives of students. There are one on one studies. There are discussion groups. And we have a Thursday evening Bible study group. Even though three of the students have only been here one semester, they have agreed to be leaders and encourage others to come to this study while only one of them, Owen, is the only Christian. Please pray for Owen, Coco and Yu Shr as they reach out on campus.
     We met a new couple from Keelung, Taiwan, Peter and Bettina. Peter is a Christian already so we hope to provide help in encouraging Bettina to learn what Jesus has done for her. We have such a short time with these students, from one semester, one year or at the most two years. It is the most frustrating aspect of our current ministry. That is why your prayers are more important than ever. Planting seeds that grow quickly are not for us to control. We plant and water but it is God who makes it grow (I Cor. 3:6). We know that God wants all people to be saved. Pray we all can do our part in the time we have with those we divinely run into.

Celebration!

Every culture has its celebrations. In the spring, Buddhist celebrate Buddha’s birthday which was before the birth of Christ in 563 B.C.. Muslims celebrate the birth of Mohammed in 570 A.D. also in the spring. There are countless holidays among every civilization on earth. Even the Israelites had sanctioned many feast and festivals from the Sabbath to the Passover. We were created to celebrate. Solomon tells us there is a time to dance and a time to laugh. People celebrate many things. In the midst of finals, projects, papers and dissertations all due before the holidays, the international students of Thunderbird University take a break and enjoy Asian Regional night when students from many different cultures perform traditional dances and singing. They also cook many ethnic culinary dishes. The members of our Bible study group all participated and showed off their skills in traditional Chinese dancing, kung fu and in song.
Pictured here are Taiwanese students doing a traditional tribal dance that reminded us of our time in Taiwan. Our first cultural experience was watching a similar dance way back on our internship in 1986 when we served at the Home of God’s Love! It was obvious they were able to shed the stress of their semester finals and enjoy this time of intercultural celebration. We are blessed with students this semester who really are curious about God and how he works in our lives. I have been so impressed with their inquisitiveness and how they study on their own and come with sincere questions. To be in such a place in such a time to share with these particular students is a reason to celebrate. God is so obviously bringing them along to faith and we are excited to see their enthusiasm. As we celebrate our own traditional holidays during this time, remind yourself that our brothers and sisters on the mission field all over the world are participating and sharing the love of Jesus especially at this time. Thank you for giving us the ability to serve the students God has put in our path. May your time of celebration truly be joyous and full of thanksgiving for what God is doing in the world!

Life's Challenges

   Can you imagine going to a different country with another language and taking master degree level courses in a very different culture? That is what our Chinese and international friends are facing right now. And when you hear their stories, you know that even everyday life is very challenging for them. You know they are struggling when, though they are not even Christians yet, they ask you to pray for them.
    Many Americans are having their own difficulties now as well. From financial worries to personal issues, there are always challenges that we face on a daily basis. Yet, how often do we lift our concerns to the throne of God? I would venture to say quite often. So, how often do we pray for others like our Chinese friends? We are quick to say to others we are praying for them and just stop right there. I know I have done that time and again. The intention was there. The desire was there. But to actually take the time to be an intermediary doesn’t always take place. After all, we are busy. We have schedules. We get too tired. We wake up with so much on our minds. And really, there is a lot to pray for out of our own situations. We become self-focused. While praying for our own needs is important as we search out God’s will for our lives, if we don’t pray for others, who will?
   The names of some of those who attend our Bible studies are listed here. Will you take time and effort to pray for them? They have asked for it. They need it. Ask the Spirit to work on their behalf.
    Owen, a middle-aged man who’s family is still in China. Amber, from Taiwan who is a Christian however is too overwhelmed with school and is passive in evangelism. Chelsea from China, Amber’s friend who is not a believer but asks very probing questions during our Bible studies. Seiya from Japan who is has an incredible amount of pressure from his family to excel at school. Coco, also not a Christian yet often asks for prayer for herself and her friend who has medical issues. And Sandra, from China, who is full of questions. There are others. Others you know personally who need Christ in their lives. Romans 8:26. Please pray.

From Seeds to the Harvest

It’s hard to admit but with some we have to be satisfied with planting seeds then hope and pray the Spirit leads someone else in their lives to bring them to faith. Such seems to be the case with Hai Bing and Swei Jing. While the seed was planted numerous times, it appears there has been no germination. Getting busier with his degree program and then expecting their second child has caused them to draw away from Bible studies. We know there were people praying for them and we have mentioned them in previous newsletters. I have noticed that in the parable of the sower in Luke 8, only one kind of seed remained unbelieving at any point and that was the seed planted along the road. Unfortunately, I fear that is what has happened here. Will you join with us in praying for them from time to time? All in hope that one day their soil will become good and cause their faith to begin and grow. We have found some fertile soil with our two youngest children, Devin and Raena as they have for some time now been asking about baptism and wanting to serve God with their lives. We studied with each one separately and on Labor Day, they individually made their decision at the same time. We are very happy that all of our children are now believers. We didn’t realize how much we miss Ian now being in Joplin, MO at OCC. But he’s doing great and enjoying college life. We are still praying that God will open a door of effective service (I Cor. 16:9) for the future of our ministry and and ask for patience as we wait on the Lord to reveal what that may be.

Retreat

We never seem to be able to predict what may lead someone to faith. For some, it is a personal testimony from another how Christ has changed their lives. For others, it may be a rational discussion filled with evidences for the existence of God and the inerrancy of the scriptures. Still for others, it may be seeing the sites of nature and being instilled with awe of what God has created for our enjoyment. What is common to all is the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts to open themselves up to the truth and bring conviction. Spending time with the students allow for many opportunities to get to know where they are on their journey. We were able to take a retreat up in the ridge country near Payson, Arizona. International students from Thunderbird University and Arizona State University were able to attend and it was so good to get out of the 105-115 heat we are experiencing down in the Phoenix valley. We had a cookout and then hiked along a river in the Tonto national forest. Almost all of the students have just arrived from their perspective countries to work on their degrees. We met a few who were Christians already and we are glad we have some contact points through them as we try to plan for fellowships and Bible studies this fall. We are getting Ian ready to go to Ozark Christian College in August. It will definitely be a bitter sweet time for us. He’s getting really excited and we are happy with his decision, yet we just wish it wasn’t so far away. We are already dreading next year as Talon is a senior and will be off to college too. Pray for our family’s adjustment. As always we thank you for being our partners in this ministry and for your prayers and faithful giving. We hope you will join with us as we pray that God will open a door for effective service. (I Cor. 16:9)

Graduates and Visitors

We enjoyed having a visit from Max and Charles from Forum Christian Church and were glad they could experience the fellowship with our Chinese friends and worship with us. They were a source of great encouragement which we appreciate very much. Our oldest son, Ian, graduated from High School and is planning on attending Ozark Christian College in the fall. It has been surreal for Dezi and I to have a child preparing to leave home yet we are happy with him as he desires to train for missions. He is not the only graduate in our family as I have finally completed my masters degree in Global Organizational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University. May has had its moments of sadness too as we say goodbye to our Chinese friends who are graduating and on their way back to Taiwan and China. We are with them such a short time as they come two years or less to obtain their MBA. We know we have planted seeds and hope the Lord will continue to work in their lives and for them to keep on searching the scriptures for truth. Please pray with us for Sarah, Karen, Rachel and Roger that they will encounter other people of peace to help lead them into greater faith.

Powerfully Passionate!

Last month we asked you to pray for one of our students named Hai Bing. He continues to come to our English Bible studies along with his wife and young daughter while expecting another child in a few months. We recently viewed the film “The Passion of the Christ” and many of the students were very moved by the pain and suffering Jesus endured at the hand of the Jews and found it difficult to watch. While Hai Bing’s wife shows much interest, he is skeptical. However, seeing the unjust treatment Jesus went through, had Hai Bing asking why did Jesus allow it if he was truly God. We never know how the Word of God moves in peoples hearts. One will be changed almost immediately while another takes time trying to reason it out and must have answers to all the difficult questions. Hai Bing thought it quite ridiculous for Jesus to have to go through the crucifixion if he had the power to stop it. His understanding does not yet comprehend the sacrifice the Messiah had to make on his behalf. In Romans 8:34, Paul writes, “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” We must not give up on those who tarry in their decision to become a believer. Like Christ, we must intercede before the throne for these precious souls who have been exposed to faith. Please continue to pray for our students and especially for Hai Bing and his wife. Thank you for the opportunity to share our faith with these students. You are making a difference.

Is the devil eternal?
What is a Pharisee?
Is Satan equal with God?
When were the angels created?
Why is Jesus called “the light”?
How does the truth set you free?
Why do the Jews want to kill Jesus?
What does it mean to be “born again”?
Are ghosts really the souls of our ancestors?
If God is all powerful, why can’t he make everyone believe?
What about the souls of those who have died without knowing Christ?

These are a few of the questions we get asked during our Bible studies each week with students from
Taiwan, Japan and China. It is encouraging to have them ask so many as it is further evidence that the Lord is moving in their hearts to desire to know the truth. What a leap it is for them to go from not knowing about God at all, to studying through the Book of John and discover the answers to life most important questions like “what happens after we die?”. How many of us take for granted the Bible’s answers to our own questions knowing we have help that not all have access to.

While most of our students are involved and asking questions and participating, there is one student
in particular that we would ask you to pray for. It is a couple that we picked up from the airport and invited them to our Bible studies. The wife is like a sponge, just soaking everything up and learning quickly about our Lord and his will for our lives. However, the husband seems distant and is having trouble believing there is a God in heaven who loves him. His name is Hai Bing and we ask that you would specifically lift him up in your prayers and ask God to soften his heart and help him be more curious about godly things.

As always, we are so thankful for your prayers and financial support. God is using you to bless us
and our ministry.

The Year of the Dragon!

This month millions of Chinese travel back to their family homes to celebrate their lunar New Year holiday. the time is traditionally celebrated as a time of happy homecomings. It is estimated that over 3 billion trips will be made during this month. Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year. Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in dragon years are said to be innovative, brave, and passionate.
    Because of classes starting up for the semester, most of the Chinese students here can not travel back home for this festival. They still however take trips and during our first Bible study of the semester they shared where they went from anywhere to New York to Disney World exploring the United States.
    Our English Bible studies have started back up and we hope that more returning students will join as well as those we picked up from the airport over break. Please pray that hearts will be receptive and that the seeds planted will quickly grow. The Chinese bring their superstitions with them and we desire to help them see that every year is the year of our Lord and Savior and now is the time for salvation.
    We are so thankful that you who support our work are doing much more than simply financial support. You are committed to us and what God is doing through us. Your prayers for us are so very important and we always thank God for your encouragement and dedication towards our efforts.

A New Year And New Lives In Christ

We hope that you are enjoying the holidays with your family and friends! We are so thankful for your friendship with our family and your partnership in our ministry. As many of you are, we find ourselves running from one school event to another with our children during this time of year from band concerts to field trips. We get so busy that so many of us forget to breathe and take time to listen to the meaning of Christ coming into the world. It wasn’t to be born in a manger but to put his life up on a cross to die for the sins of the world and be raised in power to give us hope and peace with God. As we look forward to a new year, we can be confident in the new life that Jesus brings.
     Ian with his friend Dequan, immersed three of their friends into Christ this month during their weekly Bible study. We have quite the crowd invade our living room each Tuesday evening and we are so proud of him and his brothers who also participate. They each have  servant hearts who have courage to stand for their faith in their schools. The Lord is definitely blessing their efforts. Please pray for Chioke, Christian and Mario, three of your  new brothers in Christ!
    Our Chinese Bible studies are going well and are now on break until after the new year. Many of the students travel abroad during their winter break touring America or returning for quick visits home. Please continue to pray for them as we see their hearts not only being inquisitive but also softening to the fact that there is a God who loves them enough to send his Son to bring them peace.

Missionary Homecoming at Forum Christian Church

It is great to be a part of FCC’s Homecoming and be a part of such a wonderful church family. I grew up at Forum (what was then called Westside Christian Church) and consider myself a ‘Timothy’ of the congregation. Forum has been a supporting church now for over 20 years as we have gone from being missionaries in Taiwan for 14 years, to teaching missions at Central Christian College for 7 years, and now reaching out to the Chinese and Taiwanese students in Phoenix, AZ. Forum is also our sponsoring church being overseen and held accountable by the mission committee and elders.
This past January we joined Outreach International to help us facilitate our work among the Chinese on university campuses. Outreach International specializes in reaching college age students and have a number of missionaries doing this all over the world. It is based out of Bethel, Missouri. Al Hamilton is the founder and directed by his son-in-law Dale Hawkins along with his wife Sonja.   We just returned from a weekend retreat where we took 11 MBA students high up in the mountains to introduce the God who created the beautiful nature that surrounds us. Roger and Amy are expecting their first child and have many questions concerning Christians and why we believe. Getting them away helped us have intensive bible study where we were able to answer their questions and get them closer to believing. Please pray for the lost that live among us. And please reach out to the ones you meet every day. Foreign students usually never get invited into an American home.

English Bible Study Begins

There is nothing like teaching the very first Bible study to someone who has never heard of, read about, or knows anything about Jesus Christ. To see their inquisitiveness and their realization there is the remote possibility there is something out there bigger than ourselves. The Holy Spirit starts to work on their minds and hearts and you can see that their interest is genuine. Since most Chinese coming from the mainland profess no faith, are usually atheists and are only taught evolution, the task seems pretty daunting. The first obstacle is to invite them to a Bible study. I mean, after all, they are in intensive courses pursuing their degrees and have very little free time. The second hurdle is to help them see the potentiality that God exists. This is not hard to do as one might think once we begin talking with them about design in the world, in the variety of things that have been created, how there is design to the complexity of plants and animals and our very selves. Since there is design to everything, there must in fact be a designer. And their eyes start to open.
Such was the case during our first Friday night English Bible study with Hai Bing and his wife. Their first questions: “What was the difference between the Old and New Testament? How do you know that God exists today? Is Jesus a god?”.
 來 is the Chinese character for ‘come’. We read  John 12:32 which in the Chinese Bible it says “when Christ is lifted up, all men will ‘come’ to him”. Hai Bing put the two together by himself noticing that the character shows one man on a cross with two men on either side of him. His wife responded that it was deeply interesting that even their language points to God and Jesus.
Thank you for supporting our work. Without you we would not be having these great opportunities to bring Christ to the lost. Please pray for Hai Bing and his family as they begin their long journey in their spiritual life.

Three Trips, Three Faiths

Picking up students from the airport coming to study for their MBA's at Thunderbird University has turned out to be very interesting. This week on Monday I picked up Andy, a mainland Chinese atheist. On Tuesday I picked up a young man who was Muslim. On Wednesday a Hindu. All I had was a name on a card to pick them up with but the drive to their dorms you could tell what each one was really interested in, what they were open to, and how open their hearts were.

"The God who made the world and all things in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:24-27)

Divine Appointments... one out of two ain't bad, right?

http://youtu.be/MHfy6J7LEwc

One day Dezi and I went to pick up our van from being fixed and we saw this lady with hands full, dragging a bunch of moving boxes across the street. We didn’t even look at each other before Dezi was rolling down the window and I was pulling over so that we could help her. We loaded up the back of the car and took her almost a mile to her home. There. Our good deed for the day. We both felt pretty good so we stopped at the nearest Quick-Trip to get a drink. As I was coming out of the store I noticed a man sitting on the sidewalk, a little gruffy and very worn face. He asked me if I had some change and I said, “No, I use a debit card.” Then I walked away. Dezi saw the man too and asked what he wanted. It made sense to both of us since we normally don’t carry cash that we couldn’t help him. So we drove on. It’s been on my mind every since. Do we pick and choose who and how we help someone? Does God send people our way to see how far we will go to “feed the hungry, clothe the poor and needy, give drinks to those in thirst”? If it’s convenient to go to a convenience store for ourselves but not convenient on behalf of someone else, then all we have is a convenient faith.
    We are excited about the new group of Chinese students coming to study, most of them working on their M.B.A.’s. We joined a welcoming fellowship dinner for those are who are already here.  We met a young lady named “Hellen” and found out she lived in the same neighborhood when we lived in Taiwan. Always amazed at our small world. We are also picking up students from the airport and believe it is an excellent way to meet them as they first arrive. We are planning having English Bible studies on Thursday evenings and Chinese Bible studies on Fridays. Please keep these in your prayers.
    It’s been a really good transition for my mother to move in with us and it’s going well. Thank you for your prayers on this change in our family. I’ve been working on completing my Masters and took four courses in Ghana last month with only one more to go. Our lives are full and busy with kids back in school. Thank you so much for caring for us! We thank God for you daily…!!  

Accra, Ghana, West Africa From July 2011

Such a wealth of diversity in the courses I'm taking here in Accra. Taking the last four courses of Azusa Pacific University's Operation Impact program that offers a Global Organizational Leadership masters program, getting to know the students from many different cultures is at least half of the education being offered. This is our second course class that finished up today and we start in on two new classes on Monday. They provide us with outings on the weekends and we are taking off in the morning to visit what once was a slave castle. Tonight we were treated to an authentic Chinese restaurant and I ordered in Chinese so it's true, you can go anywhere in the world and eat Chinese. And did I mention there is no McDonalds here at all in the whole country? Yes, for me that designates it to be a third world country. However, the people are great, so friendly and so polite. Their views challenge us to think about our Christianity from a different lens

Class Diversity

As I've mentioned, we have a lot of diversity in the classes I'm taking now. From a policeman from Ghana, to an evangelist from Nigeria, a radio broadcaster from Slovenia and another evangelist from Ethiopia to me, an international student worker from Phoenix! We are learning a lot of things in the intensive courses but also from each other. For example, the Ethiopian student shared that China has reserved 7 trillion dollars, yes I said trillion, for the development of Africa. The Chinese are building roads and infrastructure here at a very rapid pace. Chinese automobiles are everywhere as well as heavy equipment. China is a rising power in the world. They have no national debt (despite what you may hear) and in fact they hold about 1.5 trillion of the U.S. national debt. China is the world’s biggest creditor. It has done this by providing cheap labor and products to more expensive markets. Despite the huge numbers of its population, the top market for China is not its own domestic consumers but the market of the United States. Better have your kids learning Chinese! However, the wealth is not distributed equally. There is the upper class and the lower class and very few in the middle. This is often seen in countries that have growing economies. It's here in Ghana. We went to a church that had the slum shacks next to it. However, the church members were all upper class. Not one homeless person could be found in the congregation. Is the church for everyone or just the upper class? Why doesn't the church have all classes of people? Does yours?

"To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people that by all possible means I might save some." - I Corinthians 9:22

The Least of These

     About a year ago, I was standing in the middle of the Mathare Slum in Nairobi, Kenya and was overwhelmed with the poverty. People living in small shacks, no sanitation or clean water and the most horrid living conditions you can imagine with about a million people living on one square mile of land. 

     I was wondering why I haven't seen such a slum here in Accra. Then on the way home from a local church today, I figured it out. They weren't gathered all in one place. They were spread out all over town living in small shanty type houses along the major streets. At red lights they will walk down in between the cars selling all kinds of things while balancing their goods on top of their heads. Their lives aren't much different than Mathare. Yet, they show their willingness to work hard and having ingenious ways to do it.

     It was when I saw the face of a young boy begging without having something to sell that got to me today. He would tap on the glass and point to his mouth on every window that passed by. Knowing that he is 'sent' out there to do this and that he's really not able to keep the money prevents the 'Christians" here from giving to them. Then I began noticing more and more children. Their poor, so poor, living conditions as we drove by so many people living on such small donations. So many people. And this isn't counting the slums in Nairobi, or other parts of Africa, or Indonesia, Brazil, Philippines, or Bangkok or a thousand other places. I don't have an answer. I can define the problems and give some attention to the needs. But how to meet their physical needs much more their spiritual needs is truly overwhelming.  
     “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’   Matthew 25:40


    

How Slaves and the Church Come Together.

     Elmina Castle, Ghana was erected by Portugal in 1482. Originally called the Gold Coast,  it was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea, so it is the oldest European building in existence below the Sahara. Trading post. Yeah, trading many things including slaves to the western colonies. Over 600 men and 300 women were packed into very small, windowless dungeons waiting for months before they were sent through the infamous door called the Point of No Return directly on to ships that carried them to the new world. The more incorrigible slaves were put in a cell to die then their bodies would be thrown into the ocean. What upset me is on the second floor above the dungeons and specifically right above the "door", was the Portuguese chapel. So during their songs of worship and sermons of the Gospel, slaves were being loaded like cargo onto awaiting boats. At first I was thinking that 'words cannot express' but I'm wrong. Words can be expressed for the horrid treatment and suffering of these human beings under the same people bowing to God. At first there was much sympathy as we toured the lower dungeons, then as we ascended the floors and entered the chapel, anger presented itself. Then, we saw the Governor's quarters where he would stand above the female slaves and 'pick' a mistress whenever the desire came. Of course we have heard of slavery before and the evils that have taken place in our history's past. However, our guide said something that was very interesting. He explicitly mentioned that they held no animosity toward Americans and that they knew we, ourselves could not take responsibility for what was done in the past. Wow. What a loaded statement. God holds no animosity for us either for what we have done in the past. As long we become his slaves, that is.

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. I Peter 2:16,17

Chinese in Accra, Ghana, West Africa

Such a wealth of diversity in the courses I'm taking here in Accra. Taking the last four courses of Azusa Pacific University's Operation Impact program that offers a Global Organizational Leadership masters program, getting to know the students from many different cultures is at least half of the education being offered. This is our second course class that finished up today and we start in on two new classes on Monday. They provide us with outings on the weekends and we are taking off in the morning to visit what once was a slave castle. Tonight we were treated to an authentic Chinese restaurant and I ordered in Chinese so it's true, you can go anywhere in the world and eat Chinese. And did I mention there is no McDonalds here at all in the whole country? Yes, for me that designates it to be a third world country. However, the people are great, so friendly and so polite. Their views challenge us to think about our Christianity from a completely different lens. As one Ghanian told us, "the need in the Church today is leadership that is not self-serving, but a leadership that desires to serve others." He said "we need creativity and innovation rather than accepting the status- quo." We need to think globally and stay ahead of rapidly changing cultures. If the Chinese can accept innovation and stay ahead from a business perspective, can't the Church do it even better?