Dear friends,

I’ll be in a city 80 miles north-east of Chengdu tomorrow this time. We will have a camp with 40+ Bs&Ss from other cities and locally. We will not involve much of the practical help as we see it from news all day long here, as the government and military are doing excellent job in that aspect this time. And the national and international monetary and rebuild materials assistance is great (now over 4.4 billion USD.)

As of today, the earthquake death toll is 65,080, with another 23,150 still missing. Adding it up, it will be more than the population of Bloomington, Indiana. The aftershocks greater than 4.0 degree were over 182 times, with the one two days ago being the strongest (6.4 degree.) Lk. 13:4-5.

The ROUGH idea I’ve got at this time is: Our team will set up a field training center to train local Bs&Ss to do long term spiritual counseling (thank Dad, we got permission from local leaders yesterday we can have this camp at the playground of an elementary school.) PI is setting up about a dozen posts like this in this region. The areas that I was assigned are: to do documenting and meet some local officials and people using my background/ status as an “outsider”. So, I will be interviewing and writing most of the time, doing lots of field reports (Chn. & Eng.) so that coworkers come later to rebuild (may last for a few years) will be able to familiarize the work in this area shortly. I was also asked to provide spiritual resources (songs, sermons on my PC, which I have over 100 GB, haha!) Thank Dad, most org. release copy right when used in China for spreading the Word. I am very thankful that what I was assigned “happened” to be what I was gifted. But I am sure new tasks that I am not gifted will also come. Please pray Jn. 15:1-17. I will be in this area for about 2-4 weeks. During this time if I don’t have internet access, I may ask my friend from SF, CA to post an update on the blogger from time to time if she reaches me over the phone. I may or may not keep the same cell phone number.

Since I came back from Thailand trip in 2006, several of you have given me a total of $475, which I kept a close record. I will use all of your kind offering to help the people in need for this earthquake relief. May the Lord greatly reward you with Prov. 11: 25; 14:31b; 19:17; 22:9; Is. 58:10-14; 2 Cor. 8:1-10.

Please find hope from these couple of days’ devotion: Isa. 24-26; Ps. 79:8b-11; Ps. 80:17-19; 1 Jn. 5:12-15

Abide in Him,
zc