September 2011: Letter From Home

“Have you eaten?” is often the “Hi-how-are-you?” greeting in Singapore, and your polite answer would be, “Yes I have, thanks.” It is said that Singapore is the world’s capital for seafood (every time you see food, you eat).

This tiny (20×14 miles) island/city/nation, with a population of 5,000,000, is to most people, one great big delicious food court; but to dieter’s, it’s a disciplinary nightmare.

Did you miss us? We took a bit of a holiday last month. But now we’re back and we hope you enjoy this edition of .


               Letter from Home

Home for me growing up was Yantai, China (known then as Chefoo). I returned once, in 1986, with Donna and our son Peter. So, China and Asia have always been in my heart.

Right now, we find ourselves in Singapore, perched on the Equator and back in Asia to help co-lead an All Nations—All Generations Discipleship Training School; about 55 of us from almost 20 nations with ages ranging from 17-77.

For accommodation, Donna and I were invited to stay in a room by a pastor and his wife, whose ministry is to ‘ladies of the night.’ We are all living and learning right in the middle of the action.

A lady and her daughter from China, live in an adjoining room. Lisa, 16 years old, moved here two years ago to study, and her mother Mei Hua came to be with her. Amazingly, we discovered that their hometown is also Yantai, my birthplace! Coincidence?

Last week, Lisa wrote me a long letter, which has touched my heart very deeply. Here is some of it:

 Grandfather Peter,

I really do not know how to start the letter, as you are so special to me and to all of Yantai’s people. I know that Yantai made your childhood life very hard and gave you a lot of bad memories [actually not true—I was just a kid and imagined my life was ‘normal’! I was happy there.] I also know that a lot of Yantai’s people are saved because of your parents and you. You brought the gospel of Jesus to our forefathers. You spent three years in prison as a missionary child to share the love of Jesus. Maybe my forefathers did not stay with you and hear the gospel, but I believe that God was with you and where God is, the whole place or city is blessed. And here I am, which means that my forefathers were blessed and survived during the war. Grandmother Donna told me that there was somewhere else for you to stay in Singapore, but you decided to stay here. Then you met my mother and me. I think God wanted to show you the result. Everything we do for God is worth it. The fruit may not come out for the first year, but slowly it will.

[Your father and mother] put a seed in my forefather’s head, and this seed started to grow in my generation. [They] did a great job for Yantai, for now my mother and I are believers, and our other family members started to shake as they do not know whether to throw out the idols or not. I believe that God will slowly solve it. Thank you for you for all the things done for Yantai’s people, and gave our forefathers the seed of Jesus Christ. God bless you!

Mei Hua & Lisa

Ponder this: today we hear that there are perhaps more than 100,000,000 Christians in China. In 1949 when China closed down to all foreigners, the estimated number of Christians was 700,000. At that time there were approximately 1600 missionaries still there, and they all had to leave (including my father).

How many seeds in an apple? Easy to count.

How many apples in a seed? Only God knows.

The seeds were planted. The fruit is ripening fast.

 


                  Pride & Humility

The humble judge themselves first, the proud judge others first

The humble are honest with their sins and sorrows, but the proud are like the Pharisees, blind to their own sin and cannot admit their own brokenness

The humble live in surrender though they struggle; the proud live stubborn and self-reliant

The proud say, “Thank You Lord I am not like other men”; the humble say, “I am every man”

Pride and humility live in us all, it’s time to humble ourselves

We cannot humble others, we are never called to do that; we can only humble ourselves


Economics 101 – Your responses

 I fear I have opened another can of worms. (The last can I opened was back in the 90s . . . anyone remember that?) Maybe this one is more like a hornet’s nest.

This ‘can of worms’ concerns the “Economics 101” quote in the last eTouch, which spoke of poverty and the uneven distribution of wealth and about who is responsible for the poor . . . who according to Jesus, will always be among us.

To see the quote and continue to read, click here


The Last Thing I’d Ever Do by Peter Jordan, is about a family who heard God’s plan for them, threw off the cautious life they enjoyed, and stepped out in obedience and faith. And that was a bit frightening at first!
To see how to order this book, click anywhere on the photo above, then search for The Last Thing I’d Ever Do.


2011 EuroGatherings Report

YWAM Associates Europe ran four Gatherings in Europe during July & August:

  • Just after the atrocities in Norway where over 70 lost their lives, YWAM Skjærgårdsheimen hosted the annual Norwegian inTouch Camp. Despite the shock and sadness the presence of God was very real and His peace was evident.
  • The first inTouch weekend was held at YWAM Hainichen, Germany at the end of July with participants from Germany & The Netherlands.
  • The annual inTouch Camp at YWAM Le Gault, France where 64 people from 4 continents representing 10 nations gathered in the midst of the Champagne Region.
  • YWAM Burtigny, Switzerland hosted the first inTouch retreat where one participant even flew all the way from Kona to be with us.

At each of these events many were renewed and refreshed in their faith as they enjoyed great worship & inspiring teaching, made new friends and reconnected with their YWAM co-workers from the past. Some were deeply touched in their spirits, their passion for God was reignited and others received physical healing. We’re thankful to God for all that He does during these IT Masthead Final.jpg events and are praying that He will grow the ministry to include more nations in our continent.

More at www.ywamassociates.eu

From Roy & Shirley Jones, coordinators – YWAM Associates, Europe.


Click here for more photos


Donna’s Corner

“It’s Not About You!” 

It’s about your children and your children’s children.

I often say that “It’s not about you,” when I teach. It’s so easy to think, “It’s all about me; what am I going to get out of it?” BUT it’s really all about our children and our children’s children, whether they are our physical or spiritual kids.

What are we passing on to our children? Will it be ‘fruit’ that lasts and multiplies? Is it good fruit from abiding in Jesus (John 15:1-8), or is it bad fruit from abiding in the world and believing lies from the enemy?

As Peter quoted from the letter above, though his father may have not seen much ‘soul’ fruit in China, we get to be blessed. The ways of God are so amazing. God told us to stay in this little room in this little church in Singapore, right in the ‘red light’ district.

I believe part of His plan was for us to meet this precious daughter and her mother. They bring us tropical fruit and do our laundry because of Peter’s father and mother being missionaries in their home city. They won’t receive financial payment. Lisa calls us grandmother and grandfather.

The Psalmist tells us that we should teach the next generation of the faithful deeds of God, of His power and the wonders He has done, so that they in turn would tell their children and those even yet to be born, so they would put their trust in God. (Ps 78:5-7)

A couple of years ago I was teaching at a DTS in Wollongong Australia. On one of the open nights, our daughter Michelle who lives in that city came with her daughter Rebekah. Another granddaughter, Leilani was a student in that DTS!

As I was speaking I started to get teary as I realized my daughter and my grandchildren were hearing the faithful deeds of God and the faithfulness of God to us for so many years. It was 26 years ago that Michelle’s DTS outreach team drove right across Australia and back with Peter Brownhill to pioneer the YWAM Perth base. But that’s her story!

Now, here in Singapore we are co-leading another All Nations—All Generations DTS, and guess who are three of our students? Our grandson Manu, along with two of our ‘adopted’ grandsons, Caleb Nonoa and Caleb Brown, two of Manu’s closest friends. Many Samoan fathers feel their children’s education isn’t complete until they do a DTS.

We’re believing—as it says in Psalm 78:7—that as they hear again the stories of God’s faithfulness they in turn will put their own trust in God, will not forget His deeds and will keep His commands; and then have their own stories of God’s faithfulness.

What are you passing down to your children and your children’s children? My heart is to teach them God’s ways, not my ways, so that they will truly believe.

Love and Blessings, 

 


Renewal Camps & Gatherings

2011

Nov 17-20: Singapore Renewal Gathering with Dan Sneed hosted by our YWAM Associates team, with Peter & Donna
Contact: gathering2011@ywamassociates-singapore.com

2012

Jan 13-15: Oxford, New Zealand with YWAM speaker Mark Parker
Contact: Click here to email Jeanetta McQuoid  phone: (07) 8831722

Feb 26-Mar 3: Kona MedCamp Gathering with speaker Dr Don Tredway, is for all healthcare professionals and those in training, e.g. medical students, nurses and physiotherapists, etc. This Camp will be organized by YWAM Associates International, and is being held in conjunction with University of the Nations’ Medical DTS led by Dr Bruce & Barbara Thompson. If you sense God leading you to attend this MedCamp, mark your calendar! Registration details will be in this space next month.

For Medical DTS info, click here.

More Camps & Gatherings coming in 2012 – stay tuned!


And Finally . . .

If an egg is broken by an outside force, a life ends.
If an egg breaks from within, life begins.
Great things always begin from within.

Till next time, be blessed,

 

 

Peter Jordan, Editor

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