ARRIVAL IN BEIJING

Hello! Just wanted to let everyone know that the team arrived safely in Beijing. I received a call from my mom about 7 am our time. She said they would have a 3-hour layover before they boarded the plane to their last destination. Mom said that there was a good bit of turbulence on the 'airbus' they were flying on. But they are all fine and ready to be done flying already. LOL Please continue to pray as they make their trip and pray that when they arrive they will be able to sleep. Also pray for peace for them as they are in a foreign country. Mom also told me that it is very hot in Beijing so pray that physically they will all be ok. I will update more soon.

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”- Jeremiah 32:17

Arrival in SAN FRANCISCO

Hey everyone!

This is Jamie, Bonnie's daughter and I will be updating her blog as much as I can. First off, as you can tell by the title of this post, the team arrived safely in San Francisco! They now have a 2-hour layover and after that will be heading to Beijing! The flight from Atlanta to San Francisco was 2,057 miles. They arrived at 1:26 pm Atlanta time. There was a little turbulence but everybody felt the prayers that have been showered upon them. Please continue to pray as they make this long journey. The next flight will be a long one and lets pray not only for safety but also for peace on each member. Hopefully they will be able to get some sleep while they're on the flight. My mom will be calling me to give me her flight number to Beijing and I will make sure to let everyone know as soon as they arrive safely in China!

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

-Ephesians 6:18

One more day!!

I can't even begin to describe how I'm feeling today as I make final preparations for my trip to China. It's exhilarating, scary, peaceful and surreal all at once. You might wonder how I could include the word "peaceful" among all th eother adjectives I used in the last sentence and the only thing I can tell you is that God has given me an indescribable peace that I know has come directly as a result of all the prayer partners who are lifting me up right now. What an awesome thing to know that I have many people praying for me! I am so honored.

Pray for China

Currently, China is experiencing riots and flooding both in various parts of the country. The flooding is very near where we'll be staying, so please, lift up our team even before we leave. We know God is in control and this was not a surprise to Him even if it is a surprise to us. He is the God of all creation! He can calm storms and quiet seas at the mere command of His voice. Pray that the Chinese people will look to Him during this time of unrest and confusion.

Proverbs3:4-6 tells us "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

I choose to trust Christ even though circumstances around going to China seem scary. With all the quarantines, the riots, the flooding...if I look with my fleshly eyes, I don't want to go because of the possible danger...but I choose to look through my spiritual eyes and trust that everything is under control and everything is going according to God's perfect plan. He is all knowing and I am not. I am only to be obedient to His call for me to go to China. I only have a small glimpse of what lies ahead, but I know He's there ahead of us even now.

Time is drawing nearer...the realness kicks in!

Oh boy! It's only 5 days til we leave! We had our last team meeting today to discuss final lesson plans and itineraries. Today we were given some disturbing news...when we land in SE Asia, we can expect the plane to be immediately boarded by officials in hazmat (hazardous materials) outfits and then we'll be scanned to see if we have a fever. Apparently, they are so afraid that someone might bring the swine flu into their country that they've set up many precautions to combat any possibility of it happening. Please pray for our team that no one will have a fever and that no one will be detained. We need to be covered with prayer. This is real people, very, very real. Here's a news article you can view to get more information:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/30/world/worldwatch/entry5125362.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

The Aroma of Christ

This morning as I was reading my Bible and studying (I’ve been studying a lot about Jewish tradition, culture, and history as it relates to Jesus), I was led to the verse about Mary when she anointed the feet of Jesus with the nard (very expensive perfume). I always wondered why that was so significant, other than the fact that it symbolized preparation for His death and the burial preparations. In my studies, the Jewish tradition was when a king was chosen, instead of giving him a crown to signify this honor, he was anointed with a very strong smelling oil or perfume. The reason a strong smelling oil or perfume was used, was because the aroma would last for many days on the newly appointed King. As the King would travel among the crowds or from town to town, the aroma would often precede him and announce his coming beforehand. In thinking about this, I realized that when Mary anointed Christ, the beautiful aroma permeated his clothing, hair and his entire being so that in the days ahead, everywhere he went, those who were around him could smell the aroma and know that this was indeed the King (God’s chosen one). Perhaps even as he was being beaten, the aroma still lingered. Perhaps even when he was being nailed to the cross, the beautiful scent was still lingering a little bit, we will never know…but as we prepare to go to China and enter a country where we’re not able to freely speak about Christ, we can still carry His aroma with us! Hopefully, the Chinese students will be able to see that we are filled with the love of Christ. Hopefully, they will see that we are His hands and His feet. Hopefully, they will get just a whiff of a beautiful scent, the scent of a King wafting near us…as we allow every portion of Christ to exude through our pores. What a wonderful thought…we can carry the aroma of Christ everywhere we go…even to China!

His Hands, His feet...

What an awesome opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ in a foreign land! It's only 8 days until I leave for China now. As I've been praying, I've been overwhelmed with the fact that Christ counts me worthy to serve Him! In the Casting Crowns song, "Go where he sends me" the words describe my heart right now.

"...I am willing yet am so afraid
you give me strength when I say ...
I wanna be your hands, I wanna be your feet
I'll go where you send me, go where you send me
I'll be your hands, I'll be your feet
I'll go where you send me, go where you send me
And I'll try, yeah I'll try
to touch the world like you touched my life
And I'll find my way
To be your hands
I'll abandon every selfish thought
I surrender everything I've got
You can have everything I am
And perfect everything I'm not
I am willing, I'm not afraid
you give me strength when I say ...
I wanna be your hands
I wanna be your feet
I'll go where you send me, go where you send me

All He asks is that we are willing to let Him work in and through us. We just have to be empty vessels that contain His Spirit. He will accomplish everything He chooses to accomplish in and through us if we are just willing...I don't have to be strong, I don't have to be learned, I don't have to be anything but empty...

Let me always remember that I am deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted and absolutely complete in Christ. As I empty myself and allow Him full access, He will overflow my life with His love and joy. May it radiate out so others can see Him living in me.