Journal from Germany, 3/30/12

Last night was restful. The weather turned colder than before, which
makes for a good night for sleeping. This is the third time I slept
in
Gospel Center; it feels like home.

Wang Bai came around noon and gave me a German SIM card so I can call.
We talked about ministry and needs in Leipzig; he mentioned that RL
has a great change last year, mainly because God listened to his
prayer for his father’s conversion. His father had been a devout
法輪功follower for many years, and he felt hopeless relative to his
father’s possible conversion to Christianity. But last summer when he
went back to Beijing to preach the gospel to his father, he believed
and became very interested in following the Lord. Now his father
spent a lot of time watching DVD’s of preaching. That clear answering
of prayer turned him around, and now with Wang Bai’s help he is
involved in ministry again. The conflict with the two companies is
also gradually forgotten. Wang Bai said all these were people he
brought to the Lord and they trust him, and are willing to listen to
him. Praise the Lord that while he is still young his maturity in the
Lord is beyond his years of training. He said the Spanish church
wanted to keep him but he saw Leipzig as where the Lord wanted him to
serve.

We went to the train station together and have lunch there. There are
now several Asian fast food places in the station. Afterwards I took
the train to Braunsweig. A new student, YS came to pick me up. I
visited HP and DY’s house, she is expecting her second child in about
a month so is easily tired. She said include her second one there are
now 5 kids in the Braunsweig church – need children’s Sunday school.
The dinner was prepared by Sister Ma Wen-feng and there are about 13
people. The fellowship has about 20 people including those who did
not come for dinner. Most are working people only a few are students.
The scripture was on John 6: 1- 21 on the miracle of 5 loaves and 2
fish, but the discussion quickly turned to how does one define a
miracle and whether things happen due to co-incidence or miracle. A
new comer WYJ was a seeker who had been influenced by her mom’s
Buddhist belief, but she was open-minded and we pointed out that the
biggest difference between Christianity and Buddhism is not that one
does charity but whose power we employ to get the good deeds done. I
think she is willing to come again. After the fellowship, I talked
with a teacher Wendy 游who was quiet through the meeting and found out
she came from Hong Kong. I started talking to her in Cantonese and it
seemed she just found an old friend that was lost for a long time, as
she said there are so few there who speaks the language and she cannot
converse very well in Mandarin. I suggest I pray for her, and as soon
as I opened my mouth she started crying and tears came down her
cheeks. Afterwards I asked her whether she wanted to accept Jesus
Christ as her savior, she held my hands and said yes. So we did it.
This was a new experience for me as when we started talking I did not
know she was not yet a Christian, but through the process we see the
Holy Spirit was in control and led her to Christ. Praise the Lord!

I stayed the night at YXX and XC’s apartment, they are the couple who
were from Magdeburg who found jobs in Braunsweig and rented an
apartment quite close to the meeting place (ESG) and has a large
living room that can be used as a gathering place for fellowship.
Tomorrow I will teach the first few chapters of Genesis in their
apartment

Blessings
Rchard