Autumn Greetings from Beijing,
China! September 2014
We are busy with the beginning of our new year.
Thousands of students from around the world have moved to our neighborhood and
we have the privilege of sharing the Lord Jesus Christ with them – in English,
Korean, Indonesian, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, and French…so far – in Beijing
International Christian Fellowship ZhongGuanCun.
Last
Sunday afternoon more than 70 “newbies” from around the world came to hear our
panel of experts (church members who are thriving here) share on key aspects of
life in Beijing – shopping, riding buses and bikes, fun places, internet sites,
health care, visa and registration issues, etc. We sent them out with a little
gift bag with a map, Beijing apps, and Mandarin / English key phrases, and info
on house plants that help filter your air!
This month we have hosted several ministry events on
our rooftop balcony. The first Sunday of the month we had a Ministry Leaders
lunch to get ready for the wave of new opportunities the Lord was bringing. It
was a time to encourage one another and lift up our ministry to Him in prayer. Last
Saturday we gathered our Small Group leaders for a time of teaching and
encouragement in their vital ministries. We believe they are the front line of
our pastoral ministry. Pray with us as we hope to see the Lord birth small
groups on dozens of the 82 Uni campuses around us.
In August we had the joyous opportunity of seeing
our son Josiah and granddaughter Maylee in Almaty, Kazakhstan. They greeted us
on arrival with leis they made. Aloha
We are proud of the great job Josiah is doing as a
good father and with his work. He will be a speaker in the “Service Quality
Institute Worldwide Customer Service Conference” in Minneapolis, MN in October.
He will share about his efforts to implement a
customer service plan in Technodom. A few months ago Josiah was interviewed on
a Kazakhstan TV show about foreigners who live there.
And, just recently, he was asked to be the
host/producer of the show. So he has taken on that task for a while. Soon the
programs he hosts will be on this web site.
And, since we are bragging on our boys…
The sports sensor product Nathan designed while
working here in Beijing was featured in an article in the Wall Street Journal
“Off Duty” section on August 11; “Get
Back in the Swing.”
Aaron is part of a team that has launched a new Russian
fine-dining restaurant in Portland, Oregon that has become quite popular: http://kachkapdx.com/
And, the BIG news is that Nathan and Heather are
expecting a baby early in 2015! We are so grateful for your prayers and support
for our family these many years.
In October we will spend a few days in south China
where Mark will lead a workshop for the China International Fellowship, http://cifconference.org/
In November we will team-teach a class on “Basic
Teaching Skills” for the BICF Seminary program.
Mark and our preaching team plan to go through 1
Corinthians on Sunday nights and Genesis 25-36 in the mornings for the next few
months.
So many opportunities the Lord has opened up. Please
stand with us in prayer! We are very grateful for your faithful support. Thank
you so much!
Yours in our Faithful God, Mark
and Dayna Blair
Our Mission
Pioneers - 10123 William Carey Drive -
Orlando, FL 32832 – USA www.pioneers.org
(Checks should be made out to ‘Pioneers’
– with a separate note attached saying: ‘Mark and Dayna Blair, Beijing.’
Electronic transfers can be sent to: http://www.pioneers.org/Give/AutomatedGiving.aspx )
Skype blairstan
Our Ministry
