It's great to have you by my side!
On November 1, 2009, while I was serving in China, my father suffered a stroke and collapsed. From the time I returned to the United States in mid-November to the time I write this article, I have been traveling between the hospital in New York and my home in Pennsylvania.
During Thanksgiving, I still hope that my father will be able to stand up and go home to spend Christmas together. But Father God did not grant our prayers, and Dad continued to recuperate in the hospital. After all, the doctor diagnosed Dad with an extremely serious stroke, affecting the right side of his brain and causing a high mortality rate. During these two major holidays last year, the whole family had to reunite at his bedside. On Christmas Eve, my son Andrew and I performed Christmas hymns for my father and other elderly people in the hall of the hospital. Dad was a very good tenor and knew many poems well. When we played, he sang a few words along with him and started crying several times. When we played "Silent Night", it was my turn to cry. Was it the Holy Spirit comforting me through the songs?
Once, a nurse said to my father: "You are so lucky to have a family that loves you and takes care of you so much." I quickly replied to the nurse: "Actually, we are the lucky ones! He can be said to be the best father in the world!" "Yes, dad is not only my role model in serving, but also makes me deeply understand the love of God the Father and boldly trust in God's help. It is he who faithfully completes the faithful, sacrificial, pure, selfless and joy-filled love of God the Father." The earth was given to me, and I still firmly believe that the Heavenly Father who created me will love me and care for me to the end.
Kingdom Resources for Christ Association’s summer (2009) Pennsylvania camp ended with thanksgiving! In our eleventh year, we are still experiencing Father God’s faithful leadership. Over the past six years, God the Father has given us the Maria Monastery as a home for our summer fellowship. However, last autumn, the hospital was finally closed due to consecutive years of losses. Therefore, this summer camp will be held grandly at our new home, St. Francis Retreat Center, from August 11th to 22nd. We sincerely invite you to come and participate in this grand event!
At the end of October last year, KRC held a camp in Taiwan for the first time. Although there were only three classes, it was very inspiring for every participant! In particular, almost all the preparations for this event were taken care of by Taiwanese volunteers, and we truly saw the Lord accomplishing His work through the people He called. Cultural ministry has always been the most neglected service that requires long-term management and investment of a lot of resources. I have always been concerned that there are not enough workers and poor inheritance. The average age of the participants in this Taiwan camp has dropped, which is another proof of God the Father’s blessing. Please read the special review report of the first KRC Taiwan Cultural Practice Camp on pages 55 to 58.
The focus of this issue is particularly on the sexual values of young people. Articles such as Returning the Beauty of My Family provide in-depth coverage of churches and institutions in Taiwan and North America to see how they are fighting to save young people and strengthen families. The Hakka Village Gospel Action in Taiwan explores the path. A Hakka daughter-in-law has transformed from a prayer warrior to a vanguard of words. She visits Hakka Village in the hope of awakening you and me to value Hakka missionary work. The relationship unit studies the causes of conflicts among church leaders in detail from the vision of the Peacemaker Ministry, and establishes conflict resolution models from examples to provide insights into the truth. There are many other wonderful articles that cannot be described in detail due to space limitations. Please continue reading and you will gain a lot. There are difficulties when facing new ministries in the new year, but because we clearly understand that they are from the Lord, we have nothing to fear. I particularly remember a song "I have a dream" sung by ABBA, a pop band from my college days, which mentioned: In life there are tears and laughter; there are tribulations and help; there are difficulties and blessings; there are poems and beautiful scenery. , and a good friend like you - accompany us through the most unforgettable time in our lives! May Father God guide and bless you and your family in the new year!
Author profile
Lily is the founder and CEO of Kingdom Resources for Christ. After spending many years as an executive in large companies, she now serves in full-time ministry, often speaking, teaching, and leading retreats throughout North America and Asia. She also founded and runs the natural and ethical skincare and cosmetics company, LordnLily.com.