August 2013 Dear mission partners,
The Isle of Skye is famous for its dramatic mountainous scenery and picturesque harbour. Last time I went up to Scotland, I missed it! This time, I visited with two COCM volunteers and I finally set foot on this island in northern Scotland with much anticipation. After a weekend of intensive ministry amongst the people of Glasgow Chinese Christian Church, it was refreshing to be embraced by na-‐ ture and to feel close to God. Along the way, we passed the wonderful scenery of the Scottish High-‐ lands and, after a long drive, finally reached Skye late in the afternoon. We were immediately drawn to the large and broad landscape and were completely immersed into the beautiful creation that God had presented us. Upon seeing the famous Cuillins Mountain on the island, one of the volunteers traveling with me nonchalantly commented, “Wow, that mountain over there is placed in a perfect location!” Yes, it is perfect because it is the work of God. When I saw the purple heather growing in the field and white seagulls flying across the sky, I could not help but praise God for His wonderful creation. It was only a one-‐day trip and we spent most of our time driving along the narrow and winding roads, but we thoroughly enjoyed our time. My mind was filled with praise and my whole being shouted out for God’s glory. As the psalmist exclaims in Psalm 8: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” These verses echoed our own experience on this trip. In ministry we can be so focused on our work that we can sometimes develop a tunnel vision. It can prevent us from seeing the bigger picture. My prayer is that God will send a team of workers who will not lose their focus on the day-‐to-‐day ministry and yet still see the bigger picture of God’s Kingdom. I was glad to take these two volunteers with me, just as the Apostle Paul always travelled with young people on his journeys. In the way that Paul was glad to include Timothy and Mark in his ministry, it was a privilege for me to have these volunteers accompany me on my visit to Glasgow and the High-‐ lands. This gave us a chance to serve the church and enjoy God’s creation together. In the first weekend of August we will have more than 50 young second-‐generation leaders coming to our mission centre to get ready for the upcoming PHAT Camp. The theme of this year’s conference is Lifted Up, drawing from the prophet Isaiah’s call for the Israelite people to lift their praise to God (Isaiah 40:9). We are hoping this ministry will point this group of young people to their purpose in life; encouraging them to whole-‐heartedly serve God and submit more of their lives to him. I’m pleased to see that our PHAT Camp team is led by Ian, Wesley and Josh, with many churches and fel-‐ lowships supporting this year’s event. Please continue to pray for this ministry, and for God to raise more Second Gen workers to serve him in Europe.
Serving together in Christ, Rev. Henry Lu General Director