1 Corinthians 3:6-7 says: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
Dear mission partners,
We look back with gratitude on the past few months, during which we were able to plant and water, and God, in His grace, caused good things to grow.
From April 2 to 6, the Youth Easter Bible Camp took place for Chinese teenagers and young adults who grew up in Germany. With 150 participants, we had more registrations than ever before. Over 30 volunteers and six full-time ministers worked together so that the teenagers and young adults could discover and deepen their faith during this time, build friendships, and contribute and discover their spiritual gifts.
Thanks to donations received in advance from various sources, it was possible to hold a preparation day for the staff, during which the large hall was set up with chairs, equipment was installed, actors and musicians rehearsed, and there was time for final meetings and shared prayer.
Although there had been some issues with registration and planning leading up to the event, thankfully we had no big incidents during the event. The young adults’ insightful sermons each morning provided plenty to discuss in the small groups that followed; in fact, some participants found it hard to break away from their group discussions, even when it was time for lunch. In the afternoons, there was a wide range of theological, athletic, and creative workshops to choose from.
One thing that really stuck with us was a sermon in which a six-member leadership team of a youth group of a Chinese church shared how, despite significant differences in their personalities, they had learned to value one another and learn from one another so that they could serve the youth of their church in unity. It is encouraging to see a new generation of spiritually mature leaders growing up in this community.
From May 22 to 24, the Chinese congregations from Kassel, Göttingen, and Marburg gathered at a community centre to receive spiritual teaching and build relationships with one another. In addition to the Chinese-language program, there was a German-language program for twelve children, teenagers, and young adults, which Philipp led together with a married couple. Philipp explored with the young adults the question of why we as Christians believe that we need Jesus. In the group discussion, it became clear that their faith was largely superficial and characterized by Christian rituals without understanding their deeper meaning even though they had grown up Christian. Philipp encouraged them to dig deeper and ask “Why?” more often, rather than settling for simple answers.
We also look back with gratitude on God’s provision regarding the discussions and decisions about changes in our ministry that have taken place in recent months. Due to the relocation of a missionary family to Spain—who had previously ministered to the Chinese congregation in Kassel—we decided to move to Kassel. From there, in collaboration with the missionary couple in Göttingen, we will provide missionary support to the congregations in Kassel, Göttingen, and Marburg.
We saw this transition as a good opportunity to travel to China for a time so that Philipp can more intensively improve his language skills, which are very useful to him in this ministry. So, we will now move out of our apartment in Marburg at the end of June and travel to Xi’an until the end of the year, where Philipp will attend the language school where he has already been taking online language lessons for a year. During this time, Xiaodan will continue to focus on her studies in Christian Clinical Counselling. We will then move to Kassel at the beginning of next year.
We would appreciate it if you would keep us in your prayers during all these changes. Please also pray for the church in Marburg, which will soon be organizing itself more independently.
In Christ,
Philipp and Xiaodan
