We will be flying over the ocean on our way back to Oregon. This is our final update, and we want to close with our gratitude for your notes, prayers, generosity, and encouragement these past 6 months.
The lessons we've learned while in Beijing are too numerous to list, and it goes without saying that each of us has been changed in big and small ways. We did our best to obey the Lord and serve as we were invited here in China, but we received far more than we gave. A piece of our hearts will forever be invested here, and we hope there will be more visits to Beijing and other parts of China to encourage and support the faithful believers who are serving God in this nation.
A few photos ...
We squeezed in a final training session with the worship team of an unregistered church here in Beijing (you can see how excited I was as I waited for my friend to translate what I had just said). But seriously, there are Christians meeting together all over China in groups large and small, and the way they worship God with joy is inspiring.
One of our final goals of this mission was to complete the training for the Haidian Church sound and technical teams in 2 areas: (1) how to use the new equipment we brought and installed, and (2) what to listen for to create good quality sound for their worship services. I was thrilled to see their staff and volunteers learning the technology, and I am confident they will be able keep moving forward. This task took much longer than I expected. I'm thankful we had 6 months to finish the installation, testing, training, and releasing phases of the project. We worked together until the very end, and we made it!
The past week has been filled with goodbyes ... frankly, we are tired of saying goodbye. We have shared life and ministry with amazing people we love and will miss dearly. The most difficult goodbye was certainly with the man in the green shirt. If you think to pray for the nation of China, please pray for him. His English name is Peter (I use this name for safety reasons, although no one in Beijing calls him by this name). He leads the church we served at, and he is a man of great courage, responsibility, and faith. He also lives on the front lines of freedom for Chinese Christians, and he needs the continued protection and blessing of God very much.
The view from our apartment window
I'll finish with just one more photo ... a rather ordinary one. This was the view I saw each morning as I read my Bible and spent time in prayer (well ... not every morning - this was taken on a "good air quality day"). It serves as a reminder for me of the value of prayer.
I learned a lesson during this mission about the value of prayer that is PROACTIVE, rather than REACTIVE. Often times, we wait for a crisis to hit our lives, and then we call to God in prayer. For the Mills family, we had an army of people praying for us in preparation for and during this mission. The COVERING of prayer surrounding our family was significant -- here are a few points of tangible evidence of the protection and blessing of God:
none of us needed a single visit to a doctor, dentist, or orthodontist (including no kidney stones -- I know people were praying specifically for those in my body)
family members traveled over 137,000 miles (by plane, train, boat, and other unusual forms of transportation), without issues ... In all that travel, we didn't have a single piece of luggage lost!
no trouble with visas and immigration
no trouble with police
no limitations in what we could say, who we could meet with, or ways we could serve in ministry
no traffic accidents (including taxis & scooters), crime, or safety issues in the city of Beijing
finances were provided - we always had what we needed
protection over our home in Oregon and our friends the Andersons who cared for it
Our time in China was certainly not perfect - we had our share of challenges, and we were reminded often that our American lifestyle allows far more freedom, comfort, and privilege than we experienced in Beijing. We had our faith stretched daily, and I think we each grew closer to Jesus and to each one another as a family.
However ... I cannot think of a time our family has gone 6 months without health, financial, travel, or safety issues, even while living in the US! We were clearly being protected by the hand of God, and I can say with all sincerity we do not deserve the blessing that God would listen to your prayers and answer them on our behalf. Thank you for praying, but even more, thanks be to God for his grace and covering.
My encouragement to you is DON'T WAIT FOR A CRISIS TO CALL OUT TO GOD. As the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing to you each week for the past 6 months. I hope the stories have brought the culture and people of China close to home for you, and I also hope we have encouraged you to seek God in your lives. Thanks for reading and joining us on the journey.
I speak for all 5 of us when I say that we would love the opportunity to talk with you in person if you have time to catch up with us at home. If you live in Oregon, let's meet for coffee, and if you live elsewhere, let's set a time to talk by phone. We've missed you, and we're interested in what has been happening in your lives.
The people on this email list come from many places and different walks of life. Whether you share a common interest with us on a soccer field, a music rehearsal room, a church sanctuary, or somewhere else, we are thankful for your friendship, and we are thankful for the privilege we had to serve on this mission with God in Beijing.
May the grace and blessing of God be with you always.
Zai jian,
The Mills Family
(Brent, Kim, Ali, Olivia, and Jake)
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