Updated:  Checkout the Facebook page and the new website – Disciples Adventures for more info!

New Year, Big Celebrations

Next to Christmas, perhaps the most celebrated holiday in the world is Chinese New Year. Chinese not only in China but millions throughout Southeast Asia and even the West will mark this week as the start of the Year of the Dragon. For China, the New Year celebration is a time for family reunions, boisterous celebrations, fireworks, and lots of food!

An Unfinished Task

And yet…after the celebrations pass, China will still be home to the world’s largest unevangelized people, over 1.3 billion souls. There are still over 100 cities with half a million or more people where we haven’t planted churches!

An Unprecedented Opportunity

China is at a critical turning point. Just 30-odd years ago all Christian churches were still shuttered and foreigners unwelcome. Today, millions are open to Christianity, with a strong interest among university students, many of whom speak English and are eager to learn more of the world outside China. In our lifetime, there has never been a greater opportunity for English-speaking disciples to come share their faith in China.

Singles Making an Impact on China Campuses

Nine disciples from the U.S.—mostly singles—planted a new campus ministry on a university complex that is home to over 25,000 resident students. We reach out to students through sports, games and everyday life, sharing the gospel as we come to know them as friends. We work under the leadership of the Chinese evangelists in our area.

Has God Opened a Door for You to China?

You don’t have to speak Chinese! Single disciples with a love for the lost and a hunger to take the one-year challenge have three opportunities here:

1. Come study Chinese! Scholarships are available. Take a year off work to learn Chinese in a fulltime study program, live on campus, and reach out to your fellow Chinese students. More people speak Mandarin Chinese natively than any other language in the world.
2. Teach and Build the Church. There are many job opportunities for teachers of English and other subjects in China. Teach children or college students. Many teachers are given on-campus housing and a salary that is more than sufficient for daily needs. Our most influential and fruitful team members have chosen to support themselves in this way.
3. Intern as a Campus Minister.  Housing and a living stipend are available. If you want an opportunity to give your all to evangelizing, discipling young Christians and building a church; come live in the furnished apartment we rent for our Sunday house church service. Spend your days in Bible study and prayer, playing sports with the students, organizing activities to build friendships with the students, and sharing the gospel with them!

Is the Year of the Dragon the Year You Step Out on Faith?
First, pray. Then send an email to oneyearchallenge-mission@yahoo.com to get detailed information to discuss with your ministry leaders. It’s not too late for another New Year’s resolution: to pray for China to know the love of Jesus!

This is a treasured thought I will take with me always and I hope it reminds us all to pursue serving God with powerful kindness and powerful sacrifice. Without either of these characteristics displayed in Christ we’d all still be chained to our sins! To me the most fantastic part of this internship has not only been to learn, grow and bond with the other regions; but more than that, none of us were paid to participate and we didn’t stop our lives (school, work or activities) we were called higher and saw what it would look like in our lives to give our whole hearts to God and his kingdom. My prayer is that just because it’s ”over” doesn’t mean you’ll stop hearing the good news of repentance and soul’s being saved here in Hampton Roads! See you all in San Antonio!!

The second annual “One Body” singles internship is at its midway point and God has been working through the disciples! Dividing up into groups, five new Bible talks have been started in different cities of Hampton Roads. We have all been out evangelizing in malls, parks, military bases, gyms, and everywhere else we go! This has led to 14 new Bible studies and progress towards the church’s goals of having Bible talks on every military base and within 10 minutes of each other throughout the region by the year 2020. The leadership in the church has supported this initiative tremendously with lessons every week by ministry couples tailored to helping the single interns mature. This past week, the Norfolk region leaders, Dave and Megan Bliley, taught us how to give in the fellowship in a lesson entitled “Givers Not Takers”. The focus was Jesus and his interaction with the Samaritan woman and the feeding of the 5,000. They spurred us on to not miss out on divine opportunities and to make the most of an undivided devotion to the Lord. Personally, these weekly lessons have helped with my transition from the campus to singles ministry, and equipped me to better walk as Jesus did.

The Alberta Singles had so much fun at the world class Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise resort during the 2010 Valentine’s Weekend we’d like you to join us in 2012

Free registration at http://nwsingleswinterweekend2012.eventbrite.com

Saturday Afternoon activities to include:

Skating  *  Skiing  *  Sleigh Ride  *  Snowshoeing

Note:  Reservations at the hotel MUST be booked by January 15, 2012

• The place where the site is hosted was changed (and when moving sites – little bugs can creep in)
• The ‘Submit Story’ and ‘Feedback’ forms were broken
• I wasn’t receiving stories / updates; so there was nothing to post
• Repeat again and again

In keeping with a grand tradition, the Singles of the SouthWest Churches would like to invite all singles to celebrate our 8th annual conference at the Westin Misson Hills Resort this July 28th – 31st.

Learn more and register online at:   www.southwestsinglesconference.com