As the providence of God would have it, my attention was suddenly directed to a young Chinese couple with their five and a half year-old daughter. I was waiting for our Delta Flight to Seattle, Washington, to arrive at our gate in the Hong Kong International Airport. It was Thursday, May 14, 2015. Melvine, Greg, and I would soon be on a flight to the United States of America. We had attended the 5th IPHC Global Assembly in Hong Kong, and flew with a large group of IPHC folks Beijing, China.
This beautiful Chinese girl was a natural dancer as she skipped, swirled, and skillfully cast a moving concentric shadow across this large waiting room carpeted floor. Her father was taking multiple photos of her with his expensive digital camera. Her mother watched with joyful admiration.
This beautiful Chinese girl was a natural dancer as she skipped, swirled, and skillfully cast a moving concentric shadow across this large waiting room carpeted floor. Her father was taking multiple photos of her with his expensive digital camera. Her mother watched with joyful admiration.
I spoke to the mother and asked if I might take a photo of her daughter. She consented without hesitation. I asked if she would have her little girl make some of the gestures she had made as she danced gracefully across the large waiting area. I asked the mother if I might make a photo of her with her daughter. She granted me that privilege.
I thanked them for allowing me to take the photos.
The mother came and sat next to me. She introduced herself as Zoe Cheng, and her daughter as Ayu. I gave Zoe my name and that we were on our way back to the United States after 10 days in Hong Kong, and Beijing, China.
Her daughter whispered in her mother’s left ear asking if she could sing a song for me. I responded by saying, “I would love it.” She sang, “Frosty, the Snowman” in perfect English with all the gestures she had learned. She was adorable and captured my heart as she sang for me.
Naturally, I applauded with approval and enthusiasm. That made her feel happy. You could see the delight in her face. It was apparent that Ayu is a highly intelligent child, and a little girl who likes to perform by singing and dancing for others. She is truly gifted by God and no doubt God will use this gift of dance and song to bless Ayu in her worship of God as well as others.
Then, I asked if I might sing them a song that my mother, who had been a missionary to China, taught me to sing as a little boy,“Jesus, Loves me, This I know for the Bible tells me so” in Cantonese Chinese. To my utter amazement, this little Chinese girl immediately began to sing it in Chinese using the identical words my mother had taught my sister, Mary Evelyn, and me to sing. Of course, her pronunciation was in perfect Cantonese. It is amazing how God can use what little we know, even with our own imperfections, to communicate His love for others in a different culture and language. I was pleased to have won the heart of a five and a half year-old Chinese girl. Only God could do that.
To view this song both with Chinese characters and words in English click Here.
Mel Tinney, my webmaster and friend who resides in Pepin, WS, has created my first YouTube video. It is now on YouTube. To watch and hear Chung-Chung, one of the four children who sang for us at the 2015 IPHC Global Assembly in Hong Kong at the Wing Kwong Church, please Click Here to see her sing on YouTube.
Once again, I applauded, but this time with deep love and joy knowing that this Chinese girl had learned to sing this song every child needs to learn about Jesus’ love for them. Unfortunately millions of children have never heard this song, even children growing up in the communities where we live in the United States of America.
Immediately, the mother spoke these startling words that revealed her openness, honesty, sincerity and transparency, “My daughter, is a Christian, my husband is a Christian, but I am not a Christian, yet!”
Wow, what a divine moment had come, and I said, “But you are getting ready to become a Christian.”
Like the woman, by the name of Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, mentioned in the Book of Acts 10:11-15, God opened the heart of this Chinese mother by the name of Zoe Cheng (changed last name to protect her identity) to receive the Gospel that I was prepared in that moment to share with her. She and her family were going to Hokkaido, Japan to have holiday.
Their flight was boarding at the adjacent gate to ours. She hung on to every word I shared about becoming a Christian. Finally, she had to run. All the passengers for that flight had boarded and the lady at the gate gave the final appeal to board the aircraft over the public address system.
However, before she hurriedly left to board the airplane, she gave me her business card. She made the flight and was on her way to Hokkaido, Japan with her family.
Since then, I have been corresponding with Zoe by e-mail. She wrote that after she got back home to Hong Kong and to work, she had shared meeting me with two of her Christian colleagues. Then, I was pleased to learn that Ayu will be promoted to Primary 1 in a Christian primary school on September this year. Her parents are "planning to give her a name as she begins classes in this Christian primary school," wrote her mother in an e-mail. They desire a Biblical or Christian name for her. Although Zoe has not given witness that she has become a Christian her desire for Ayu is that she will grow up under the guidance and influence of Jesus Christ in this Christian primary school. What an added blessing it will be when Zoe makes her commitment to invite Jesus into her heart and life. She is almost there, and I invite you to join me in claiming Zoe Cheng for Christ.
The Holy Spirit has empowered you and me to be witnesses wherever we go in this wide world He has made. He uses what we have been given, even a children’s song, to be the springboard for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to complete strangers we might meet. Our calling as Christians is to lift up Jesus to everyone who will receive our witness. And through lifting Him up, some may come to believe and be redeemed through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Please join me in prayer that this young Chinese mother will make her decision to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior very soon. She will become a witness in her own country and other countries where she will travel in the global business enterprise.
How will the Chinese people become Christians? I think one of the many ways God will use to win Chinese people is through the anointed witnessing of Chinese Christians like Zoe and Ayu, and of course Mr. Cheng, Zoe's husband.
[Hugh's footnote: Please join me in praying for the salvation of Zoe Cheng. As of this writing she has not reported that she has made a commitment to receive Jesus Christ. I have done all I know to do. I do know this that God is far more interested in Zoe's salvation than my desire to hear she has been born again and a member of the family of God.
I am indebted to Celia Cheng, one of the angels assigned to us by the leadership of the Wing Kwong Church in Hong Kong. She is a gifted linguist who transliterated the theme song, "Place of Hope, People of Promise," that we learned to sing at the 2015 IPHC Global Assembly in May from Chinese characters to words in English. The composer is Ernece Ma. The lyrics were written by Donavan Ng, Ernece Ma, Jennifer Kwok, Jonathan Magre.
Because of her talents in linguistics I asked if she would transliterate the characters of the song, "Jesus Loves Me This I Know for the Bible Tells Me So," into English words. I provided a hyperlink above so you could see her exceptional work that will now go around the world for all to see and read.
In addition, I wanted a Chinese girl to sing this song about Jesus' love for children. Here is what she wrote in her wonderful response about accomplishing the mission I asked her to complete: "The little girl in the video is called Chung-Chung("Chung" literally means "praise"), a very obedient and adorable girl from our church. By Chung-Chung's good behavior, we all know that her mom, Ms. Yi-Jing Man is really good at parenting. When I asked Ms. Man for a favor about recording the song, she practiced singing with Chung-Chung for a week! I'm impressed by their seriousness. So here it comes the perfect Cantonese version of the song!"
Sometimes it takes quite a while to get a story all together, especially when communicating with people across the world in another culture and language. I want to thank Chung-Chung for singing for us, for her precious mother, Ms. Yi-Jing who worked diligently with Chung-Chung to learn the song and be ready to sing for the video produced by Celia Cheng. And, I can't thank Celia Cheng enough for this video and transliteration of Chinese characters into English.
To see and hear Chung-Chung, a darling Chinese girl from the Wing Kwong Church in Hong Kong you may Click Here on this link to my first YouTube video.
The mother came and sat next to me. She introduced herself as Zoe Cheng, and her daughter as Ayu. I gave Zoe my name and that we were on our way back to the United States after 10 days in Hong Kong, and Beijing, China.
Her daughter whispered in her mother’s left ear asking if she could sing a song for me. I responded by saying, “I would love it.” She sang, “Frosty, the Snowman” in perfect English with all the gestures she had learned. She was adorable and captured my heart as she sang for me.
Naturally, I applauded with approval and enthusiasm. That made her feel happy. You could see the delight in her face. It was apparent that Ayu is a highly intelligent child, and a little girl who likes to perform by singing and dancing for others. She is truly gifted by God and no doubt God will use this gift of dance and song to bless Ayu in her worship of God as well as others.
Then, I asked if I might sing them a song that my mother, who had been a missionary to China, taught me to sing as a little boy,“Jesus, Loves me, This I know for the Bible tells me so” in Cantonese Chinese. To my utter amazement, this little Chinese girl immediately began to sing it in Chinese using the identical words my mother had taught my sister, Mary Evelyn, and me to sing. Of course, her pronunciation was in perfect Cantonese. It is amazing how God can use what little we know, even with our own imperfections, to communicate His love for others in a different culture and language. I was pleased to have won the heart of a five and a half year-old Chinese girl. Only God could do that.
To view this song both with Chinese characters and words in English click Here.
Mel Tinney, my webmaster and friend who resides in Pepin, WS, has created my first YouTube video. It is now on YouTube. To watch and hear Chung-Chung, one of the four children who sang for us at the 2015 IPHC Global Assembly in Hong Kong at the Wing Kwong Church, please Click Here to see her sing on YouTube.
Once again, I applauded, but this time with deep love and joy knowing that this Chinese girl had learned to sing this song every child needs to learn about Jesus’ love for them. Unfortunately millions of children have never heard this song, even children growing up in the communities where we live in the United States of America.
Immediately, the mother spoke these startling words that revealed her openness, honesty, sincerity and transparency, “My daughter, is a Christian, my husband is a Christian, but I am not a Christian, yet!”
Wow, what a divine moment had come, and I said, “But you are getting ready to become a Christian.”
Like the woman, by the name of Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, mentioned in the Book of Acts 10:11-15, God opened the heart of this Chinese mother by the name of Zoe Cheng (changed last name to protect her identity) to receive the Gospel that I was prepared in that moment to share with her. She and her family were going to Hokkaido, Japan to have holiday.
Their flight was boarding at the adjacent gate to ours. She hung on to every word I shared about becoming a Christian. Finally, she had to run. All the passengers for that flight had boarded and the lady at the gate gave the final appeal to board the aircraft over the public address system.
However, before she hurriedly left to board the airplane, she gave me her business card. She made the flight and was on her way to Hokkaido, Japan with her family.
Since then, I have been corresponding with Zoe by e-mail. She wrote that after she got back home to Hong Kong and to work, she had shared meeting me with two of her Christian colleagues. Then, I was pleased to learn that Ayu will be promoted to Primary 1 in a Christian primary school on September this year. Her parents are "planning to give her a name as she begins classes in this Christian primary school," wrote her mother in an e-mail. They desire a Biblical or Christian name for her. Although Zoe has not given witness that she has become a Christian her desire for Ayu is that she will grow up under the guidance and influence of Jesus Christ in this Christian primary school. What an added blessing it will be when Zoe makes her commitment to invite Jesus into her heart and life. She is almost there, and I invite you to join me in claiming Zoe Cheng for Christ.
The Holy Spirit has empowered you and me to be witnesses wherever we go in this wide world He has made. He uses what we have been given, even a children’s song, to be the springboard for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to complete strangers we might meet. Our calling as Christians is to lift up Jesus to everyone who will receive our witness. And through lifting Him up, some may come to believe and be redeemed through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Please join me in prayer that this young Chinese mother will make her decision to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior very soon. She will become a witness in her own country and other countries where she will travel in the global business enterprise.
How will the Chinese people become Christians? I think one of the many ways God will use to win Chinese people is through the anointed witnessing of Chinese Christians like Zoe and Ayu, and of course Mr. Cheng, Zoe's husband.
[Hugh's footnote: Please join me in praying for the salvation of Zoe Cheng. As of this writing she has not reported that she has made a commitment to receive Jesus Christ. I have done all I know to do. I do know this that God is far more interested in Zoe's salvation than my desire to hear she has been born again and a member of the family of God.
I am indebted to Celia Cheng, one of the angels assigned to us by the leadership of the Wing Kwong Church in Hong Kong. She is a gifted linguist who transliterated the theme song, "Place of Hope, People of Promise," that we learned to sing at the 2015 IPHC Global Assembly in May from Chinese characters to words in English. The composer is Ernece Ma. The lyrics were written by Donavan Ng, Ernece Ma, Jennifer Kwok, Jonathan Magre.
Because of her talents in linguistics I asked if she would transliterate the characters of the song, "Jesus Loves Me This I Know for the Bible Tells Me So," into English words. I provided a hyperlink above so you could see her exceptional work that will now go around the world for all to see and read.
In addition, I wanted a Chinese girl to sing this song about Jesus' love for children. Here is what she wrote in her wonderful response about accomplishing the mission I asked her to complete: "The little girl in the video is called Chung-Chung("Chung" literally means "praise"), a very obedient and adorable girl from our church. By Chung-Chung's good behavior, we all know that her mom, Ms. Yi-Jing Man is really good at parenting. When I asked Ms. Man for a favor about recording the song, she practiced singing with Chung-Chung for a week! I'm impressed by their seriousness. So here it comes the perfect Cantonese version of the song!"
Sometimes it takes quite a while to get a story all together, especially when communicating with people across the world in another culture and language. I want to thank Chung-Chung for singing for us, for her precious mother, Ms. Yi-Jing who worked diligently with Chung-Chung to learn the song and be ready to sing for the video produced by Celia Cheng. And, I can't thank Celia Cheng enough for this video and transliteration of Chinese characters into English.
To see and hear Chung-Chung, a darling Chinese girl from the Wing Kwong Church in Hong Kong you may Click Here on this link to my first YouTube video.