See the green peeking outside our apartment window? It is a beautiful Spring in Beijing! We’re thankful for flowers and warm weather. Winter here was no colder than Kazakhstan. But it was more grey and bleak, the ripping winds bore down to our old bones! But now we have busted out shorts and rubba slippahs and we’ll soon be complaining that it is too hot!
Mama Dayna invited six young men from our church over for Mother’s Day lunch. As they wolfed down the grub – single guys don’t get home cooked meals very often – they shared stories from their homelands of Malawi, Tanzania, England, Liberia, California, and India. What a joy to be in the family of God. We are thankful to be serving Him who is faithful in springtime and harvest here in the Beijing International Christian Fellowship. Your prayers and support are very much appreciated. Last week Mark had a PET Scan and the doctor says he is still cancer free! God has been very gracious.
Dayna continuous her rigorous schedule of studying Chinese five full mornings a week – with homework late into most nights. She is having fun through it all, and learning much. Keep praying for the Lord to open the Chinese part of her brain to full throtle. A couple afternoons a week she has been enjoying meeting with local and expat women.
In addition to the handsome guys seated around our dining table, there are also a few unusual looking people at BICF. This young man (his real face is on the other side of his head!) partipated in an auction, his friends gave over $200 for him to ‘shave on this face.’ Proceeds benefit homeless children here in Beijing.
After an intensive Old Testament Survey course Mark’s students still managed to smile! It was a great joy to learn with these friends from Singapore, Nigeria, USA, Korea, Taiwan, Mauritius, Indonesia, England, Hong Kong, and Ukraine. At the end of May Mark will teach another Master’s level course for the BICF GEM Seminary on ‘Preaching.’ A number of the preachers from our various congregations will attend. Pray the Master Preacher Himself will help us all to more faithfully declare Him.
Our oldest son Nathan and his wife Heather will be moving from Eugene to Portland, Oregon this summer. They will both be studying this coming academic year. Nathan is in a Product Design course and Heather will pursue her teaching credential. Aaron will remain in Eugene. Josiah and our granddaughter Maylee still live in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Josiah will be visiting us in July!
Easter Sunday we held our very first baptism in BICF Zhong Guan Cun. Of course a number of people have been baptized during the 6 years of this ‘daughter’ church’s history. But they have been held quite a distance away with just a few friends present. More than 400 worshippers witnessed the testimony of this sister from Barbados. On May 30 we have another baptism scheduled. We rejoice as the Lord builds His Church.
We are privileged to be your ‘hands and feet’ here in Beijing, and from Beijing to the nations.
Yours in Him who owns them all,
Mark and Dayna Blair
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