10th
East Asia - Kai Chen (8/10/10)
Hi everyone! I have been back in the States for about 10 days now, and quite honestly, it feels a little weird. I miss the many people I met while in East Asia, my team, and the Asian culture there. It would be a huge understatement if I simply said that I had a great time on my trip and thank you for supporting me, but I am extremely thankful for everyone’s support. This trip could be summed up in three different parts: A) Reaching out and working with college students, B) Helping out with summer English camp, and C) touring around East Asia to learn more about culture. Some (but not limited to) of the things I’ve learned and noticed throughout this trip are… o During our English camp, we met many Christians from local churches who shared stories of their personal testimonies, and also the ministries going on in various campuses o It was also surprisingly encouraging to find out that many students have actually heard about Jesus Christ in the past, but just lack proper understanding o Because there are so many people living in East Asia, there are many unreached people who have never heard of God’s love. o Many of those who are Christians are actually very young in their faith, and therefore they need more proper discipleship o If you were to ask me how many people I personally led to Christ during this trip, I would tell you zero. Honestly, during a few days on the trip, the reality of that really discouraged me and caused me to question my own ability and inadequacy. Then our team leaders encouraged us by reminding us that this trip has already been a huge success, not because of the number of people who believed in Christ, but because we have been faithful to obey the will of God One of the best and most memorable part of my trip is the teammates I traveled with. The twelve of us all had very different personalities, and there were lots of time when our emotions could have exploded on each other. Being with this group of people has taught me how to be more sensitive with my words and thoughts to them while maintaining effective communication. The moment we became open-minded to each other, we clicked immediately. Because of our different personalities, we were actually able to reach various groups of people. It was also quite refreshing to be around people who were nothing like me. Through the series of people I met and the conversations I had on this trip, I saw the Lord use me to attract larger groups of people and help solidify relationships with the locals. I also experienced the Lord blessing me with boldness and courage to communicate while providing the perfect timing for everything. The lord revealed that many of my personal background and characteristics are all very beneficial to future ministry in East Asia. Without the help of all of my supporters, this trip and everything that happened on this trip definitely would have been completely different. Thank you all so much for your generous support and I hope that you will continue to support the Lord’s ministry for me in whatever ways. Please feel free to email, call, or ask in person to find out more about my trip. I would love to show you some pictures! Again, thank you and God bless! -Kai Chen
