Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
– Ephesians 3:20-21
The gospel is something that has been on our hearts from the beginning. We want to be a testimony in this area for Jesus. There have been many times of being in the gospel since we first migrated. Saints have spent time on campuses, in parks, and around grocery stores. We have also had a number of gospel events over Zoom. Saints have had it in their hearts to pray for or share something of Jesus with their co-workers, friends, and neighbors. As such, we have had many hours of prayer for the gospel.
Personally, I was finding it a challenge to connect with some of these gospel ventures. Some of them were not held in my language, which limited my participation. Other times, I was able to participate but struggled to find any burden or joy in them. Despite these challenges, I still had one connection with the gospel – prayer. I have been praying for ways that Jesus would shine through me at work, even though we’re all remote right now. I have also been praying with the saints and with my companions for creative ways and breakthroughs in the gospel.
When some saints (Timothy Miller and Austin and Lilly Funk) made a decision to come visit us over Memorial Day weekend, we considered how to best use the time. One idea that came out was to have a children’s song time in the park on Saturday. When Vern fellowshipped the idea with me, I was immediately excited. Finally, a creative gospel venture that I felt burdened for! I couldn’t wait to try it! If this time went well, then we could consider how to continue it with the strength of the saints here in the RTP area. This idea seemed like it could be an answer to many prayers!
This children’s song time was going to be our first big non-virtual gospel event. We had not tried anything like this before. We had no idea how it would turn out or how many people would stop by. Yet we were not deterred. Fei-Fei sent invitations to a WeChat group she’s part of that contains a number of families from the RTP area, many of whom we hadn’t met in person. The day before the event, we scoped out several parks and found an ideal location nearby where several walking paths intersected, so hopefully people could see us and feel free to join. We also invited the saints to come, bring their kids, enjoy the time, and meet any new ones who participated.
It hardly seemed like any time passed between the conception of the gospel idea and the morning where we were finally going to execute it. I had a call with a sister that morning and we had such encouraging prayer together for the event. Then, I rode with Timothy, Austin, and Lilly to the park. Halfway there, Austin suggested for us to pray for the time. From that moment on, we prayed right up until Timothy parked the car. Our spirits were charged up and ready to go! Timothy and Austin led the music while Lilly and I were tasked with engaging the children and Vern and Fei-Fei tried to meet anyone who stopped by. We had a sign letting people know what we were doing and inviting them to join us.
It started off slow, with a mother and her daughter who requested a song that we didn’t know. But Timothy and Austin were quick to adjust. They looked up the song and tried their best to play it anyway. Before long we all learned it and were having fun singing along. Luckily, Jonathan Fang (Vern and Fei-Fei’s 8-year-old son) knew the song and helped add some funny lyrics (it was that kind of song). His energy and creativity helped us all to break the ice and really get going.
We had brought dance scarves and musical instruments to hand out to children. As more families began to arrive I grabbed a few of the scarves and instruments and began passing them out. A nice breeze kept us cool and made the scarves extra fun for the kids to use. As Timothy and Austin played, Lilly and I tried to welcome the children in and to help them have a fun time. One of the saints brought a bubble machine with them and asked if they could set it up. It was a big hit with the kids. Before long, more families began to arrive. While some stayed on the sides and watched, others ventured to join us. Pretty soon, there were many families joining in. We played music, sang our hearts out, and helped the children have a good time. Kids who didn’t know what was going on in the beginning were shaking maracas and dancing with scarves by the end. Many parents were smiling. One mother even liked a song we sang so much that she asked to take a picture of the lyrics. That song was such a big hit that we sang it again at the end!
We ended up staying in the park an hour longer than we had planned, talking with families and saints who had stuck around. Timothy, Austin and Lilly tossed a disc with a student from Duke whom Vern had met previously. Timothy was able to preach the gospel to him. Many parents expressed their gratitude and wanted to know when we would do it again. It seemed like this simple event had met a real need. It was apparent to us all that the Lord had blessed the time.
Many prayers preceded this event and the Lord was faithful to answer them: the weather, which had previously been hot, held pretty well and there was a nice, cool breeze; more families came and participated than we anticipated, including at least 15-20 families which we had never met before (many came from the WeChat group invitation)! The response from the ones who came was so encouraging. The Lord made a way for us to be in the community and meet people in such a joyful way. God did far more abundantly beyond what we prayed for or expected!
Prayer is still needed! This children’s song time was only the beginning. We plan to continue having times like this and are excited for how Jesus can use us to reach people. We would like to continue to partner with Him and follow His leading for these children’s song times. Our heart is that these times would not become an activity, but that they would remain fresh and open up doors to build relationships with these families. We also hope many of the saints here can have a burden to participate and put themselves in more; that this could become a church-wide effort! One thing we realized is that we didn’t have enough people to talk with everyone who came. None of us were able to have real deep conversations with the families this time. We’re praying that the Lord will bring them back to future events so we can grow our relationships with them and have more opportunities to share Jesus.
The Lord really blessed this gospel event! I am confident that it would not have happened as it did without the prayers of the saints. Please continue to stand with us by praying for the gospel here, specifically through future gospel events. Pray the practical needs (like good locations and good weather) could be taken care of. Pray for our ability to follow the Lord’s leading and not turn these times into religious activities. Pray that all the saints here can share Jesus’ love through these events to the community and build relationships with the people who show up. Pray that the gospel would continue to go forth through us. May all our prayers be bold, for we know that God will continue to do far more beyond all that we ask or think!
