China Visit – May 2006

Warm greetings from green and beautiful Almaty, Kazakhstan. We got back from a great trip to China and jumped right into duties here. Dayna had new insights for her class on ‘Central Asian History’ after seeing Xian, the ancient Chinese city where the ‘Silk Road’ started west. We bicycled 14 km atop the massive Xian city wall, more fun than Marco Polo ever had…
We visited the central Three-Self (government endorsed) Church Seminary in Nanjing. There 180 students are in their Master’s program. There are another 17 Three-Self theological schools across the land. But these cannot keep pace with their church’s tremendous growth. The Nanjing Seminary moves next year to a new campus where enrollment will exceed 500. Dayna, shared in a week night meeting in a Shanghai church…
Can you imagine a city with 4000 buildings over 40 stories tall, many bearing an impressive architecture and illumined by colored lights at night? More than 20 million people live in this clean and modern city of Shanghai. Busy shoppers in Shanghai.. Dayna’s grandfather who left from there 100 years ago for Hawaii, would be astounded. We were too. Inside the beautiful and modern Shanghai Museum we saw sculptures, bowls, and carvings that pre-date Abraham! China – very old and very new! We covered a lot of territory; from Urumqi in the Northwest to Shanghai in the Southeast, and Nanjing, Beijing, and Xian along the way. People were friendly and helpful. Food was tasty and cheap. Transport was timely and efficient – planes, trains, subways, light rail, taxis, & pedicabs.
We had encouraging visits with old friends who work there. We shared in a couple of International Churches and got lots of good ideas for our ICF in Almaty. We met believers from ‘house’ churches in two major cities and had several evenings of Bible teaching with them. It was a special joy to see their devotion to the Lord, eagerness for His Word, and zeal for mission – across China and ‘back to Jerusalem.’ We anticipated more sadness and suffering – especially after reading ‘Safely Home’ and ‘Heavenly Man’. But we were happy to learn that now – at least in large cities – there is more peace and increasing freedom. Mark made some new friends watching ‘King Kong’ on the big TV in Nanjing’s Wal-Mart Super Center…
We were very happily surprised by the wide availability of Mandarin Bibles throughout the country. We toured a government-sanctioned printing press where more than 40 million Bibles have been printed and distributed throughout China. The number multiplies as their two presses run 24 hours a day. Believers we met in several cities affirmed it is not difficult to obtain a Bible in China today. We can only anticipate with joy the great ways God will use His Word across the land. An average of 3,500 people are coming to faith in Jesus across China daily. Printing and sending ‘Good Book’ around the nation…
Back in Almaty, the ‘cloud’ lifted and our meeting with the Lord in the International Christian Fellowship has moved into the ‘Star’s Disco Club’! Their management has welcomed us to use this interesting venue. Sunday mornings we find the place clean and ready for us to worship the Bright Morning Star. I do not know where the first Christians in Philippi met for worship, but we seek to follow Paul’s exhortation to integrity and illumination; '…so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.' (Philippians 2.14-16) In mid May, Mark was the Bible teacher for a Pastor’s and Leader’s Conference of the Kazakhstan Assembly of God, also sharing about the Lord’s work among their colleagues ‘next door’…
Right now we are busy with end of the year activities at the schools where we are teaching here in Almaty. Yesterday was our daughter in law Masha’s 21st birthday. She had several good opportunities to exhibit her clothes designs in Moscow and here in Almaty in the last month. She hopes to finish her University course on Fashion Design in 2007. Josiah is very busy with many students who want to learn English here. Maylee has been ‘terrific’ at two years, four months. Our sons, Nathan and Aaron, come here for the summer in late June. We look forward to having them. We are thankful for the good year they have had in Eugene, Oregon. Aaron has almost finished one year at Lane Community College. Nathan enters his Senior year at University of Oregon in September. God is so good!

We pray that this will be a summer of growth and fruitfulness in Him. Mark’s book of sermon outlines on the Life of Abraham (Genesis 12-25) in Russian should come out in June. Pray that these may be useful tools for teachers and preachers.

We are very thankful for your prayers and support. We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours for the Nations,
Mark and Dayna Blair