International Intrigue

I have prayed for China since I was a boy in 1944, when the Marxists took over and stories of persecuted Christians starting drifting into the West. I�d read the remarkable tales of Hudson Taylor, a pioneering missionary to China in the 1800s. Reading those stories fueled my dream even as a boy to go preach in Shanghai, the very place where Hudson Taylor crossed the border. I know, I know, it�s a crazy, sentimental desire, but to me it felt somehow meaningful.

Finally, after many years, many prayers, and hard work, God made it happen. In 2000, I found myself entering China to preach in Shanghai. What an incredible experience!

So now I ask you: Do you crave adventure? I encourage you to look for opportunities to help “open up” a country to the staggering blessings of God. Research a closed country, then pray daily for its government and citizens. Practice intercession in private.� Make all the money you can.� Support overseas missionaries financially or go on a short-term missions trip yourself.

Step out in faith and let your attitude be like that of Paul when he wrote, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus,” [Phil. 3:13-14].