Sunday Night, China

It's late Sunday evening. Had a great day. It was wonderful being in our former church this morning. I preached from 2 Chronicles 20 about the need for courageous faith, focusing on the character of God, His faithfulness in the past, and our confidence to trust Him for the future. There were so many old friends to greet and former coworkers to catch up with. It was truly wonderful. By the time we left church, I had every lunch and dinner opportunity scheduled for all the days I'm here.

It's hard to describe the joy of walking through our old neighborhood, running into old friends and chatting and catching up with them. So many of the shopkeepers are still in the neighborhood, the tailors who made our clothes, the restaurants where we liked to eat. It's been a delight to hear of their lives and for some their growing faith.

This afternoon, a friend and I strolled through my favorite old part of the city. It's a large park with a lake in the middle. Very old Chinese layout and design. We stopped to watch dancers, listen to musicians, and enjoy the beauty of old Kunming. What a delight. We then sat over dinner for more than two hours, just sharing wonderful fellowship and talking about matters of faith and work.

Thanks for your prayers. I have appointments all these next three days with various people. Lots of opportunity for encouragement, ministry, and fellowship. Pray for wisdom and stamina with so many appointments. I want to give each one all that I can.