How?

That's the big question! How are we going to accomplish all the tasks we believe God has set before us? Well, the answer is with His power and Spirit.

Aimee has already answered part of the question by explaining Bible-storying. It's a really neat way to teach someone Bible truths and for them to remember. The people you tell the story to actually glean so much truth because the Spirit speaks to them just as much as to us.

Also, we are doing VBS activities, women's Bible studies, and adult discipleship. (On the VBS thing... Aimee and I have been practicing balloon animals and swords!! So much fun!!) I'd like you to pray for me though as I am going to be leading the intro into each Bible story for the adults by using the Discple's Cross. Aimee and I had the privilege to go through MasterLife 1 and 2 earlier this year, and our trip leader, Randy, decided I needed to be the one to present the Discple's Cross on our trip. What an honor! I'm excited to share each part of it, but it's a lot of material to memorize and share. Pray that the Spirit uses the truths and tools that I share to help these Christians grow into effective disciples.

Here's a preview of the end. We have several things to be His disciples, among which:

1. LORD who asks for our all each and every day
2. RELATIONSHIPS with God and others
3. COMMITMENTS to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him
4. RESOURCES in His Word, prayer, fellowship, and witnessing
5. MINISTRIES of Teaching/Preaching, Worship/Intercession, Nurture, Evangelism, and Service
6. DISCIPLINES to have time with the Master, live in the Word, pray in faith, fellowship with believers, witness to the world, and minister to others

Thanks for stopping by and continuing to lift us up in prayer to a faithful and loving God!

Who are we ministering to?

You've heard from Aimee today some of how we are ministering to the Han in Paris. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare to story with them. I will expound on the things I am learning in preparation a little later.

Who are we ministering to? That's the next question I'll try to answer.

The Han Chinese people living in Paris is the quick answer. We are ministering to a church in Chinatown Paris. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ who need encouragement and have asked for us to come over and help them begin to minister to their neighbors. 

Let me add some items from our mission notes:

• This is essentially a brand new church plant that is small in numbers, with limited response from the community. The church (Paris Baptist Chinese Church) has ~25 attendees on a given Sunday. Most are long-term members, but there are 6-7 who have been believers less than two years. 
• The VBS week attendance runs 15-25.
• Several Chinese pastors have come and gone, discouraged by the lack of response. Pastor Au and Pearl are now there and need our prayers and encouragement.

In short, we are going to help them reach their own culture, one we don't understand and can't reach without their help.

Please be in prayer for Pastor Au and wife Pearl that they would continue to be strengthened in their work by the Holy Spirit. Pray that we are ready and able to encourage and equip the saints there.

To be called faithful!

My Take

Hi! Aimee here. :) Now that Chris has explained where and why we are going, I thought I'd drop in and talk about things that are personally going on with me.

As I have been preparing for this trip, I was introduced to "Bible Storying." The idea is that you take different stories in the Bible, memorize them, and then go and tell them to a group of children and/or adults. One of the stories I am memorizing is Jonah. Okay, let me just say, this is not an easy task. Going into it I thought, "I can tell the story of Jonah, I've heard it a million times!" Well, just because I've been in church and heard this story since I was in diapers does not mean I can tell it correctly. There is so much more to the book of Jonah than I thought! He was a very selfish, reluctant, easily angered man. He ran from God and didn't GO where he was asked to go; he tried to hide from God; then when God punished him by allowing some sailors to throw him overboard and then living in a fish for three days and nights, he finally did what he was told; then when God showed compassion and did not destroy Nineveh Jonah pouted and told God he would rather die!

As I have continued studying, memorizing, reading and re-reading this story, I began evaluating my own heart. How many times has God asked me to GO and I just didn't listen? How many opportunities have I missed out on because I was trying to "hide" from God? Now, I have never lived in the belly of a large fish (thank goodness!), but God doesn't let me get away with ignoring Him. It has been several years since I've gone on a mission trip, and now is the time God is telling me to GO! (I've also had to work on my getting easily angered problem too...). God is caring, compassionate, and abundant in loving-kindness!! I'm so grateful for his unconditional love and forgiveness.

This trip is not about me, how well I can tell a story, or how others view me. This trip is all about God, for His glory, and for the lives of the people God will place in my path. I am purely an instrument...just a sinful body that God is going to use to further His kingdom.

So, how can you pray for me? Pray that I will fully rely on God to use me and that I will continue to listen to Him when He wants me to GO!

In His Name!!
Aimee :)

Why are we going?

I promised to try and post each day about the trip and answer some of the questions we had leading up to this adventure with our amazing Creator. It's a lot later in the evening that I had intended, but that happens when you're busy preparing stories for the trip.

Yesterday, I said I would try and answer the question of why Aimee and I chose the Paris trip over others. First, Aimee and I had already prayed and felt God's leading that we needed to be on mission with Him, not just locally, but globally. This didn't mean just using our financial and prayer assets. It meant using our hands and feet to GO. The verse we picked on our wedding day was Psalm 90:17.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; 
   establish the work of our hands for us—
   yes, establish the work of our hands.

God began to show us that if we wanted to ask for His favor, then the work of our hands should be to help expand His Kingdom. We will lift up His name! What better way to ask the Lord to establish the work of our hands than to be about His business?

Second, we did have the opportunities to join with groups traveling to Venezuela, Netherlands, Mexico, and others this year, but Aimee and I new that we needed a trip that spoke to each of our talents and gifts. Paris fit the bill. Aimee is an incredible teacher of kids: the Paris trip is going to have a VBS-style focus. I am much more comfortable teaching adults, and lately I've been studying discipleship: the Paris trip is going to have an adult discipleship focus.

Third, we wanted to help start a new ministry, be on the first line of offense for the Kingdom in a new place. As I talked about yesterday, this trip engages a people group that needs Jesus and encourages existing believers. I'll talk more about what we hope to accomplish with this mission.

And finally, God has confirmed this trip in our hearts and others who have prayed with us and for us. Not only have people given generously and sacrificially to help, but God has continually shown Aimee and myself His will through passages of scripture we've read and heard from our pastor.

Thanks for coming by. Please keep praying for safety for each member of our team leading up to and through the trip. Pray for God to continue preparing the soil for the seed and fruit He's producing in each of us.

Hopefully we'll hear from Aimee tomorrow about her heart and what's going through her mind about this journey.

In His name!


How then can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’    Romans 10:14-15

Why Paris? Why the Han?

Thanks for coming by to read about our mission trip this summer. Aimee and I will both be posting things that are on our hearts and minds before, during, and after this amazing opportunity.

I'll try to post something every day before the trip explaining why we are going, who we are ministering to, how we are ministering, and what we hope to accomplish with God while we are in Paris.

So, I'll start with the first item in my list today... WHY PARIS? WHY THE HAN CHINESE?

The Han Chinese are the largest unreached people group in the world. An unreached people group is a group of people that share culture and language but have less than 2% Evangelical Christians. Tom Elliff (as the new president of the International Mission Board for the Southern Baptists) cast a vision on the final convention day for Southern Baptists to reach the unengaged people of the world. It begins with a call of commitment for each of these 3,800 groups to be adopted by a church within the next year. Our church (First Baptist in Broken Arrow) had already begun the adoption process of two new groups last year. FBCBA has had tremendous success with the Tanti people in India and felt it was time to reach out to more. The two groups that the church is now adopting after prayer and consideration are the Han Chinese in Paris, France and the Armenian refugees in the Netherlands.

Now that you understand 'why the Han' I can begin to explain 'why Paris'. First, it is very difficult to reach out and minister in China because of the government and the sheer daunting task of a billion people. Paris is a lot easier to get to for an American without medical training or a business. Second, there are around 250,000 Han in Paris that are unreached and unengaged. That means that there are less than 5000 Evangelical Christians (we believe there are far fewer than that). Paris is a mission field among these people, and Christ told us to GO! Third, the pastor of the church we will be primarily working through in Paris is asking for our help. They have never asked for help from anyone outside the Chinese, much less Americans.

And a final broad stroke to this trip is that we hope to minister to, encourage, and disciple the believers in Paris so that they will return home to share in China, that they will win and disciple souls in Paris, and that those in turn will do the same when/if they return to China. They will have many more tools to begin that work in places we cannot go.

Next time I'll answer why Aimee and I chose this mission and call over so many others our church offers. My heart and mind is so full of things right now to post and talk about. I'll try and limit it each day so I don't overwhelm anyone coming in for the first time.

More Information:
Article about SBC Service and Committment for Unreached/Unengaged
Information about the Unreached and Unengaged

God is good!! We are so blessed to be called his children and be on mission with Him!

Beginning the Blog

Here is a first post to get going. I'll write more tonight about what this trip is and why we're on this mission.