Making Friends

During this trimester we had the priviledge of meeting Nelson and Yammy, a missionary couple from Hong Kong. They are beginning their year of language study as we are finishing ours. There is a very interesting common bond that we share that we did not realize initially. One day as we traded missionary prayer cards we realized that we shared the same sending church. That’s not to say that Nelson and Yammy are members of our church in Florida, but they are members of a Christian and Missionary Alliance church in Hong Kong.

This fact began my thinking of how God has used our movement to impact the world. Ministries of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) are in 81 countries through out the world. There are more members in Alliance churches outside of the U.S. than there are in the United States. One of our fields, Indonesia, has more people in church than we have in the United States. This is a great blessing, because it illustrates that God has used our efforts to reach many people for Him. And this couple that we met have encouraged us that God continues to use the C&MA to impact the world for Christ. “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth” 1st Corinthians 3:7. To God be the Glory!

The following is a interview that I had with Nelson and Yammy. I trust that it encourages your heart, because you as well are part of this ministry that God is using to reach out to this world.

J: Thank you for meeting with me today and agreeing to share your story with me and with our prayer supporters. I want to ask several questions about your life that I believe will be an encouragement to those who are reading our prayerletters. First, let’s begin with: What Mission group serves as your sending agency?
N&Y: We are sent by Chinese Christian Mission (CCM), Hong Kong.

J: On your prayer card you have the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA). What is your connection with the C&MA?
N&Y: We are associated with the C&MA. Our mother church is Alliance and we are members in that church. The Alliance is not our sending agency. However, our home church does help with our financial support and there are two other Alliance churches that are part of our support base.

We also attended the Alliance Bible Seminary (ABS) in Hong Kong. This is the oldest seminary of its kind in China, dating back to 1899. In 1949, with all the politcal changes that took place, the seminary moved to Hong Kong.

J: Can you tell me about the C&MA church in Hong Kong?
N&Y: There are 102 churches in Hong Kong. These churches are very strong. They are involved in planting other churches, they have a bible college (ABS). They maintain book stores. They operate a counseling center. Currently they are planning to increase their the total number of churches and membership. Part of this plan includes developing kindergartens and secondary schools. If you organize schools and other social groups that develop the community you can more easily obtain property. The goal is to help the communities with solid schools that meet throughout the week and strong churches that will be able to utilize the facilities for worship and outreach.


J: Did you know any C&MA missionaries in Hong Kong?
N&Y: We did not know any Americans because nowadays the national church is developed enough where they are selfsufficient and the presense of foreign missionaries is not as common as it once was. Today the Alliance church in Hong Kong has approximately 30 to 40 missionaries that are being sent out.

J: How did you become involved in the C&MA in Hong Kong?
Y: During my secondary schooling, the Alliance church ministered at my school and as a result I joined the church in 1978.

N: I was born again in 1985. In 1988 I was attending a church but it was too far from where I lived. So I began to search for a church that was closer. My younger sister was a member of the Alliance church so I started attending. I later was baptized and became a member in the church.

J: How did you come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Y: The Alliance church worked in my secondary school every Friday after school. These times were referred to as “Fellowships.” Today they are still used in many secondary schools. During one “Fellowship” they held an evangelism service and I became a Christian as a result of that meeting.

N: I began attending a church in my commercial district. I was not a Christian when I began attending. I was a friendship member of the church, which means I would come to the services but was not an official member of the church. One day a friend took me to an evangelism meeting at the Hong Kong Stadium, which holds approximately 10,000 people. In that meeting I was touched by the Lord. I understood that he died on the cross for me and I wanted to live for Him.

J: Why did you decide to get involved in missions (How did you realize your call)?
Y: After I became a Christian I felt the need to share the Gospel with others and I felt that people needed to hear so that they could experience hope. Also, the Alliance church strongly encouraged us to be involved in missions.

I began asking myself, “What will I spend all my life doing?” I prayed and then I decided to go into missions. I became involved in Operation Mobilization (OM). I worked on their ship, the Doulos, for two years.

OM ships visit port cities throughout the world, supplying literature, encouraging cross-cultural understanding, training young people for ‘more effective life and service’, providing relief and sharing a message of hope in God wherever there is opportunity.

While working with OM I realized that everyone, everywhere needs to hear the Gospel. OM heightened my awareness for missions. After finishing my two years with OM I returned to Hong Kong and realized I needed more—I was not satisfied with only two years of missions. However, I struggled at this time with family issues that held me back.

N: I was involved in an accident in which I believe God spared my life. I was motivated to do missions by the knowledge that God through Christ had saved me both bodily and spiritually. I wanted to offer my life to Him because of the sacrifice He made for me. I wanted to be a servant of God. I believed that the Gospel should be preached all around the world especially to Chinese who are typically not happy or satisfied with life.
As I prayed, God guided me. At times I fasted to search for what God wanted and hoped that He would call me as soon as possible.

N&Y: God used a special scripture when He called us. It is Romans 12:1–2 which says,

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We found that verse during one of our quiet times and it reflected what we believed. Later, during a missions meeting, the Lord used that verse to confirm our calling. That afternoon the words of the songs reminded us of the verse, the scripture that was read was a reminder, and the sermon that was preached was a confirmation of our calling. That afternoon, we accepted the calling to missions with tears on our face. We agreed tor be a LIVING SACRIFICE!

J: Does your family support you in your decision?
Y: They don’t object. But they preferred that I would have stayed with them.

K: They didn’t object. In their heart they would have liked to have me stay with them. They are both 82 years old. They believe in Christ, but my mother’s faith is not strong and she is not go to church regularly. My father does go to church often.

J: Where are you going when you complete your time in Costa Rica?
N&Y: Quayaquil, Ecuador.

J: Why did you choose or feel called to Ecuador?
N&Y: God consistently let us know that Central America was the area He wanted us to serve. We would never have picked this area without the Lord’s leading. Time and again we were reminded of the need in Central America. Once we were told about Panama. Another time we were told about Venezuela. Two people from Canada visited our church and shared the need for missionaries in Central America. So we began praying praying about the possibility of serving in Central America. Later CCM told us of their desire to develop chinese ministries in Ecuador. God kept leading us to Central America and in the end the Lord confirmed our mission to Ecuador through scripture. He used Isaiah 58:6–9 and John 16:33 which says:

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." … "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

J: What will you be doing in Ecuador?
N&Y: We will be involved in church planting. We will be starting a Chinese church in Quito. We are not sure with whom we will be working with in Ecuador. We would like to have co-workers and we are hoping that some will be joining us soon. We have a supervisor in Canada who has experience planting a Chinese church in Central America. He will direct us in the process and visit our work.

J: You are learning Spanish in a school that predominately has english-speaking students. You speak some English, but it is not your first language. What challenges are you experiencing?
N&Y: There are many. First there is culture shock, but not just between two cultures, we are dealing with three cultures. Second there are different styles of doing things, for example there are different learning methods to which we must become accostomed. The other students tend to be more independent and they often times have stronger personalities, and at times a lack of patience. However, overall most are very friendly.

J: I agree with your general evaluation of the students, of which I am one. And I will even agree that I am one of the ones who, at times, lacks patience (lo siento or I’m sorry). We are from different cultures, I’m from the States and you are from Hong Kong. I’ve experienced some things in this new culture here in Costa Rica that are very different from my own culture. What are some things that are very different here in Costa Rica to your culture in Hong Kong?
N&Y: Efficiency. In Hong Kong, everything is more rapid and efficient. Here, things tend to be slower. Also, many things here are unclear. For example, there are no street signs or house addresses. This is very different from Hong Kong. There are also holes in the roads and in the sidewalks here. You need to be very careful, or else you may fall into a hole. And of course, the people here drive on the opposite side of the road.

J: To wrap things up, I was wondering how we could be praying for you. How can our prayer supporters be praying for you? What are some specific requests that you have?
N&Y: Please pray for:

1. Our safety when driving our car in the evenings to visit people within the chinese church.
2. Safety from thieves. Our neighborhood has had break-ins since we’ve moved here.
3. Our ability in learning the language.
4. Wisdom and enjoyment within the culturewhile here.
5. Our time management. Once a month we both preach in the chinese church here in Costa Rica. And every Sunday we teach a class. And throughout the week we visit people within the church. We are very busy with both language learning and minisitry.