Shanghai STM 2017 - The Countdown Begins!
Pictured above: 6 out of the 8 of us will be heading to Shanghai!
In just three days, our team will be heading out to Shanghai! Our main focus for this trip is to continue building relationships and empowering orphans with disabilities through a weekend retreat. The theme of this retreat is “City of Stars,” as we work towards creating a space for people to discover their individual gifts and find ways for them to utilize these gifts in the building of God’s kingdom. We will be working alongside local churches to help open their eyes to and equip them for continuing the work of orphan care long after we are gone.
Over the past ten years, Renewal Missions has worked with the same group of orphans who have now grown into adulthood. Through the years of mentorship and deepening of these relationships, we are starting to see a couple of them express a heart for missions. This is a huge blessing and answer to prayer, as we seek to encourage those who would otherwise believe themselves nothing more than burdens to society that they are much more. They each have gifts worth using, if only they could see them. We pray and hope that we can help nurture their gifts and help them see themselves as precious, worthy children of God.
In addition to the retreat, we’ll be spending time volunteering at baby orphanages and supporting other existing organizations in their work. We hope to also establish new relationships with those involved in orphan care on the ground level. Our goal is to encourage adoption among the local Chinese, especially as international adoption from China has dwindled in recent years. Although the notion of adopting an unrelated child is still very new and foreign in traditional Chinese culture, with time and dedication, we hope that this will change in the future. Every child deserves a chance to flourish in a loving family.
How You Can Pray for Us:
- Team unity: courage and boldness in preaching the Gospel, and willingness to open up our lives to those we’re trying to serve.
- Physical safety and health, especially against persecution in China.
- Our partners in China: please pray for receptivity and unity as we work together.
- Tiffany Chu