Grace and Peace in the name of Jesus,
I want to share with you a challenging ministry opportunity that God has presented to me. From May 14 through 28, God has offered me the chance to go to China with fellow Dallas Baptist University students and Alumni. This 2 week missions trip will be reaching out and spreading the gospel to Young Chinese students while also teaching the students English and learning more about the people there and their culture, and working towards the calling on my life to be in Missions.
While God has opened up a door for me to develop a greater heart of compassion for His people around the world, the exciting part is that you will be able to share in this compassion in several ways. First, you can help pray for me and my fellow students. We will need prayers that God will prepare us for our visit and bless our efforts as we minister to the people of China. We will also need prayers that our financial needs will be met.
The Chinese call their country中国Zhongguo, meaning "The Middle Kingdom." The Chinese have been most influenced by Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism throughout their history, but since the advent of Communism in 1949 most Chinese could be accurately described as nonreligious.
By the time missionaries were expelled from China in the 1950s, it is generally agreed there were no more than 750,000 Chinese Protestants across the nation. Since that time, China has experienced one of the greatest revivals in church history, with some eastern provinces experiencing continual growth for more than 30 years.
Despite these great developments, hundreds of millions of Han Chinese today have yet to hear the name of Christ. It is not known exactly how many Chinese consider themselves Christian. Estimates of Christians in China are difficult to obtain because of the numbers of Christians unwilling to reveal their beliefs, the hostility of the national government towards some Christian sects, and difficulties in obtaining accurate statistics on house churches.
§ The CIA World Factbook indicates that 3%-4% of all the population in China are Christians (2002 est.).
§ Many Christians choose however to meet independently of these organizations, typically in house churches. These fellowships are not officially registered and are seen as illegal entities that are persecuted heavily. For this reason some meetings take place underground, coining the term "underground church". These Christians have been persecuted throughout the 20th century, especially during the Cultural Revolution, and there remains some official harassment in the form of arrests and interrogations of Chinese Christians.
§ The Government restricts legal religious practice to government-sanctioned organizations and registered religious groups and places of worship, and seeks to control the growth and scope of the activity of both registered and unregistered religious groups, including "house churches." Government authorities limit proselytism, particularly by foreigners and unregistered religious groups, but permit proselytism in state-approved religious venues and private settings.
Our Destination would be the City of昆明 Kunming, in the Yunnan Province of China. The purpose for this trip is to use such a great opportunity as the Government has allowed us, to help other fellow Chinese college students of Kunming University with their English and also share the message, and the Good News with them.
I'm excited about the opportunity and experience that lie ahead. I hope you see the value in what we will accomplish. To go, I need to raise a total $2,300 total by March 25th, 2011; if you can support me in a financial way, I would be very grateful. Any financial support I receive from you is crucial but secondary to your prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God's leading in ministry in these countries. If you would like to be part of this mission through your financial support, send a check to the return address on the white envelope enclosed for your convenience.
Please make your check payable to Akevia Oaties and write "China Missions" All contributions are tax deductible.
Upon my return, I will be getting in contact with you to share with you what God did through and to me during this mission trip in China. I am humbled and excited to have this opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission directly by being an international missionary. Again, Thank You for helping me spread the Good News to the nations.
Willing Servant
Akevia Oaties
