Leaving in Just 36 Hours!

The training is finished and so is the packing, almost.  We are excited and ready to go to Beijing in just 36 hours!

Last week Linda Martin and Barbara Pillsbury from the November mission came to our last training session.  They helped tie bows on gifts and listened/critiqued one of the talks.  Most importantly, they prayed with us and for us.  Thank you precious China Dolls for your continued support of Connecting with China mission work!

Barbara Vandergriff knit some gorgeous scarves for us to take as gifts for our dear sisters in China.  The wonderful KnitWits in Texas sent us a box of beautiful knit hats and shawls in bright spring colors to add to our gifts for China.  Thank you all you dear knitters who continue to serve our Lord in China!



Thank you prayer and financial supporters!  We cannot do this ministry work in China without you on our team!   

Please pray for us:

• Safe flights from San Diego to Beijing (20 hours with layovers)
• God's grace for effective and wise teaching and mentoring with our Chinese sisters and brothers.
• Stamina to maintain our busy schedule
• Many fruitful Divine appointments

Mary Waring for the Team

Beautiful Bible Covers



Barbra Pillsbury



Maria Richmond

Every mission departure date seems to sneak up on us.  After training for four months, you would think we would be prepared to leave, and we are.  At the beginning of training, it felt like departure was eons away, and here it is just days away and excited anticipation is building!

 

For the last two Thursdays, sweet Barbara Pillsbury and Maria Richmond have come to my house to help make beautiful Bible covers to take as gifts to our wonderful Chinese sisters and brothers.  The Bible covers that Barbara and Maria designed and made for our November China mission were very popular!  During the last two weeks we made over 80 covers!  Some of these covers will be saved to take on our June mission to Shenyang and Beijing. 

Made with love and prayer

The last training before departure will be next Tuesday.  Linda Martin and Barbara Pillsbury from the November team will join the April team on Tuesday to pray with us, critique some of our talks, and help sort and tie ribbon on the gifts we will be taking.  What a wonderful blessing these busy friends are!

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:10

Thank you for your faithful prayer support.  Please pray with us for the following:

• Our visas will be returned very soon.
• Last minute details will go smoothly.
• God will provide many fruitful Divine appointments for us
• Our sisters and brothers in Beijing will be blessed by our visit

 

Mary Waring for the Team

Official Team Photos

Karlene and Rob Campbell

Rob and Karlene have been married for 22 years and

have four delightfully rambunctious boys.

This is the Campbell's first trip to China.





John and Mary Waring

The Warings have been married for 43 years and have
two grown children.  They have made many trips
to China during the past 20 years for business including 
seven Connecting with China mission trips since 2010. 





 

 

Three Weeks to Departure!

John Waring and Rob Campbell

We are deep into training and concentrating particularly on our talks.  None of this team are professional speakers except John, so presenting talks can be one of the most challenging aspects of the mission.

Karlene Campbell

Karlene and Rob have been a joy to work with.  It has been especially fun getting to know them better.  They have very busy lives with full time jobs and two boys still at home, but they are joyfully determined to serve our Lord in China.

It is just three weeks to departure and there is still much to do.  We always take gifts to China and are trying to get some collected.  Dear Barbara Pillsbury and I will work on making Bible covers.  The ones she and Marina made for the November team were gorgeous and very popular with our Chinese sisters and brothers. 

Not all of our support has been raised yet and funds need to be sent to Beijing soon.  However, we are confident that our faithful and loving Father will provide for our needs.  Thank you those who have so generously encouraged us through your faithful prayer support and/or financially!  We could not make this trip without you!

Thank you, dear friends, for your faithful prayer support.  Would you please join us in praying for the following:

·      The Team will give confident professional presentation of our talks.

·      The teaching content will be what God wants us to communicate.

·      That all team members will remain healthy.

 

Mary Waring for the Team

A Little About China

We are getting closer and closer to our departure and I am getting more and more anxious.  As of today we only have 5 weeks until we leave.  My Goodness!  Time is moving So quickly! Our flights have been confirmed, paid for and we are still deep in training and learning about the China Culture.  Thought I’d share some of our training with you again as we are all on this journey together –

 

·       China is an Authoritarian Culture:  Every Chinese government since Emperor Qin conceived of its role in a very hierarchical, heavy handed, top down way. Mao’s Communist Government sought to win more favor with the peasants, but with a similar authoritarian style. The swaying between caring for the masses and controlling them is a bitter-sweet reality that the populace must, and usually does accept.

 

·       The Chinese stress conformity:  This training begins at home and is firmly established in the school system. Children are under a great cultural weight to learn what they should do.

 

·       A longing for National Restoration: The Chinese have an unusually strong racial identity “We Chinese” and commitment to the motherland drives a deep-seated desire.  Most Chinese just want their people and their country to be respected.

 

·       A Longing for improved chances and personal issues: Hard work is the norm. It is doubtful if anyone in China can make it to the top by sheer hard work and inspiration. Some are willing to take even questionable risks to not let a promising opportunity go by. Whatever they pursue, most Chinese believe they need the power that money, position or opportunity gives to finally attain peace. At the deepest level the Chinese soul, like everyone’s, longs for rest and peacefulness to quench the gnawing meaninglessness and emptiness of the material world.

 

I find it interesting and quite fascinating how diverse and yet how similar we all are. We all have the same wishes for peace and quietness in our souls; a longing to belong to something bigger than ourselves, and a deep desire to connect with one another.  I love the way the Message Bible reads John 15:13-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.” 

 

Karlene Campbell for the Team

 

Talk Topics and Chinese Culture

Team Seven have begun our training for the China April mission.  I already am feeling overwhelmed, excited, and anxious all at the same time.  So much to think about and pray about! 

 

Our letters have sent to tell our family and friends of our intent to go on this Mission to China and I am so very thankful for all the donations and prayer support that has already come back.  Thank you to all who have made a commitment to serve China with us! 

The team has been given a list of topics they would like us to teach while we are there.  Each of us needs to choose two topics.  Some of the subjects to choose from are:

 

* Parenting in a Godly way
* Marriage (Submission, the relationship between husband and wife)
* How to disciple younger people
* Standards for a Godly wife
* Spiritual Leadership and household
* How to be a courageous leader
* Seeking Christ 1^st
* A Women’s supporting role in marriage
* A mother’s role in raising up Godly children

These are just a few.  We are prayerfully seeking God in what subjects we should focus on.

Rob has also been reading a book called One World/Two Minds by Denis Lane and sharing with me how different the China Culture is from our own.  So very interesting!  We as Westerners think in a straight line, meaning we think of something and then work our way to complete that task or thought.  In the Eastern Culture, they talk everything through with those around them; they weigh everyone’s input, and then they begin to work out a task or thought.

Again, Thank You so much for your commit to pray for us and the donations you've made so that we will be able to go and serve. 

God told His disciples to "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." (Mark 16:15)   What do you feel God calling you to?  Ask Him!  His Word promises an answer.  “Call unto me, and I will answer, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not yet know.”  (Jeremiah 33:3)

Karlene for the Team

 

Training Team Seven!

January 7, 2014 was the official start

of training for Team Seven!

The Team Seven members include: 
Rob and Karlene Campbell, John and Mary Waring.

During the 1st session we reviewed what commitments are involved when participating in a short term mission; hear about raising prayer and financial support; and learn the benefits of journaling the entire experience from early training through completion of the trip. 

The team was blessed to have Hope from Beijing join our first training session.  Hope was able to give us valuable insight into what we need to know for our visit to China. 

Please pray for wisdom to prioritize the study and reading time needed for preparation into our very busy schedules. 

Mary for the Team