MINISTRY//Southwestern hospitality

Between September 14 and 23, 316NOW’s executive director visited with a number of our friends in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Here is his report.

Amazing hospitality

I was blown away by the open-arms welcome my wife and I received as we traveled in the Southwest. Brothers and sisters in Jesus met us with smiles — and hugs — when we visited their churches and homes. We ate more than we should have eaten at bounteous potluck meals. Generous Christians treated us to delicious restaurants. Busy people willingly carved time out of their schedules to talk about 316NOW.

Everywhere we visited, fellow Confessional Lutherans celebrated what the Spirit is doing in China through 316NOW. They listened intently to our ministry stories. They cried with joy over ministry successes — and, sometimes, in sadness over the 90% of the people who live in China without Jesus and the challenges that the Christians in China face.

It was the same everywhere. The State we were in did not matter. Whether our audience was Anglo, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American did not make a difference. Whether we spoke with pastors or laypeople it was the same. Everyone from young to old cheered the Spirit’s bringing “grace across NOW.”

Thank you

I want to use this blog post to publicly thank all of the Christians we met. Thank you for your gracious hospitality. Thank you for your support and prayers for our ministry. You are our partners in helping to make a difference in the eternal welfare of the people of China. Thank you.

What you can do: Invite us to talk to your church or group. 316NOW will make every effort to accommodate you — wherever you live in the United States. Email us at 316NOW@316NOW.org or at P.O. Box 28876, Greenfield, WI 53228-0876.