CHINA 2005

Hey guys, here’s the scoop on my recent China trip. The following are selections from my E-Newsletter (some of them sent while in China). You won’t believe some of the stuff that went down – so be sure to read on to the end…

PRIOR TO CHINA (Feb 21, 2005)
Hey everyone! As you may have heard, I will leave Wednesday to do a 2-week tour of China. It is an unprecedented opportunity, as we are guests of the Chinese government, performing concerts at schools and universities. The government is looking at these events as an English-language and western culture experience for their students, and surprisingly, they have no objection to the content of our songs. I plan to send a few email updates while I'm in China, so please sign up on the mailing list if you'd like to hear how it's going.

During the course of this trip, we will be meeting church leaders, government officials and students of all ages, and we'll perform throughout Southeast China (including the cities of Changsha, Jishou, Baojing, Zhangxiaxie, Guangzhou and others). In Guangzhou, we will also have the great privilege of meeting with one of the most famous church leaders in China. The church in this community is over 3000 strong. Finally, we will arrive home on March 9th. And then there will be much sleep…

I want to thank each of you again for your prayer support. This is going to be an amazing year, and this China trip is a great way to get it started. Please keep me in prayer as I head for China, wrap up the new CD, and prepare for our spring tour. And don't forget to sign up for the E-Newsletter!

In Him,
Scott

CHINA EMAIL #1 (Feb 24, 2005)
Hey guys! We made it to Shanghai, and we're now settling in at our hotel for a much-needed rest.

The day started out all wrong. I somehow overslept (you'd think 3 alarms would do the trick) and didn't wake up until someone called my cell to track me down. So... I missed our 4:30 am meeting time, and in the rush to get cleaned up and out the door, I dropped my passport. This came to light as I was trying to check my baggage at the airport (70 miles away from my house). My kindhearted and understanding wife found the passport and met me halfway, and in the end I got checked in and through security with an entire 15 minutes to spare!

So, many, many hours later (hours spent in airplanes and sitting around the Seattle and Tokyo airports), we are here. We have a few short hours to get some sleep, and then it's an early breakfast and orientation. Then we hit the road to get this tour started.

Please continue to keep me (actually, the whole team) in your...thoughts. We have a great opportunity here and I believe that some very good things will come from this trip. I will do my best to check in with y'all when I have a chance.

Blessings,
Scott

CHINA EMAIL #2 (March 6, 2005)
Hey y’all... Scott here... I'm in the computer room of a middle school in Baojing, China right now. We played an outdoor concert for over 3000 kids/teachers/etc. here last night -- it was amazing. Most have never heard of JC before, and we gave them plenty to think about... In some places we have more freedom than in others, and here we were able to say and sing just about whatever we wanted... Still have to be careful in email.

I haven't had email access since Shanghai, so there's lots to tell (but I've just been told it's time to go, so I'll make this fast).

This trip has been amazing in every way. I have never eaten so much good food in my life! We’ve all had a lot of new experiences (two words: “squatty potty”) and met so many wonderful people. We've faced some huge obstacles (electrical problems, difficulty communicating about technical needs, and of course, we've got about a million tons of luggage/sound gear and it has been tricky to get around on trains and airplanes...) but the Boss is good, the people have been great, and we have had so many great shows and opportunities to tell the Story. Lots of new friends – and new members of the “family”...

Please keep us in your ... thoughts. We've had word of several situations at home that are weighing heavily on our hearts (guitar player's wife in car crash -- she's ok -- and another's brother is in the hospital following a heart attack).

I've given away hundreds of CDs (and you can bet there are copies being made!). We also have bracelets with colored beads we’ve been giving away. There is a Story we can tell about JC when we give them away. We brought about 800 and we only have about 5 left. :-)

Gotta go! Peace,
Scott

CHINA EMAIL #3 (March 14, 2005)
Hey guys, here’s my final update on the China trip . . . 

WE’RE HOME . . . !
Never has the air smelled sweeter, never has my pillow felt softer, never have I been more thankful for clean clothes . . . (I could go on, but you get the idea).

This trip was life-changing for me and for everyone on the team. To be honest, I had modest expectations when we started out – I mean, would the Chinese government really go through with sponsoring (or even tolerating) a Christian concert tour? Sure, we had their cooperation and permission, but I secretly believed that we would get shut down halfway through the first show.

I was Wrong (with a capital “W”). And I don’t think anyone could have been prepared for what actually took place.

CHINA TRIP – THE READER’S DIGEST VERSION:
Within the span of two weeks, we played for thousands of people – most of whom had never heard of Jesus before. We gave out hundreds of CDs (which are sure to be copied and shared) and in some cases we distributed lyrics in both Chinese and English. We played at schools and universities and even a large corporation (Chinese guys in suits dancing – there’s a picture that I won’t ever forget!). We were on TV several times (how cool is that – Christian songs sneaking into the evening news in China!).

We even brought a guitar along on a shopping trip and did a few impromptu short performances on the streets. At one point, we were in a big public square and just minutes after starting the first song hundreds of people were crowded around (plus there were a couple of TV stations filming and interviewing our interpreter). We used these situations to give away CDs and the bead bracelets we brought (which are great tools for telling about Christ).

I never would have dreamed any of this could happen in China.

HOW GOD WORKS:
Here’s another example of how God worked in surprising ways on this trip: For our very first show in China, we did a concert for a “non-government” church group. For security reasons, we couldn’t all arrive at the same time, so only a few of us were able to set up the equipment beforehand. Not good. We managed to get everything thrown together and tried to do the concert, but nothing was set up right and we had constant problems. Afterward we greeted people and smiled a lot (and even taught “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” to their worship leader). The people seemed enthusiastic enough, but I left that place feeling pretty discouraged.

Fast forward to our last day in China: We were all sitting in a hotel room debriefing before leaving the country when we got an email from a person at that first church we had played at. The contents of that message left us all speechless: in the wake of our concert there, about 700 people had accepted Christ. Our performance had been recorded and some of the songs we brought were being used and – surprise! – it turns out God was doing something big, in spite of our technical problems and other frustrations.

SO . . .
I’m home and the trip was great. Now back to normal life, right? Wrong. I’m convinced that something really important has begun in China and I hope to be a part of it. I’d like to make semi-regular trips there to continue this work and help to expand it. It’s probably not the best career decision I could make, but I’m convinced that this is something I need to be doing as a part of my ministry. 

PRAYER:
So many things to pray for:

·          Thanks for our safety and for the overwhelming success of the trip

·          New Chinese believers (that they will be able to be a part of a strong fellowship and that they will be safe)

·          People who are listening to those CDs and wondering what this Jesus stuff is all about (that God will help them to find answers)

·          My ministry here in the states and in other parts of the world

·          The Govm’t officials we worked with (that God will reach them)

·          Anyway, many of you have supported me in prayer and otherwise, and I want you to know that I’m so grateful for your help. I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to me to have you guys in my corner – thanks a million.

That’s about it . . . But before I go collapse (not kidding about that), I want to remind y’all about my 2 new CDs coming out this year. The first is a short EP with the new radio single “Great Is The Lord” (plus other unreleased stuff). It’s only 6 bucks! My full CD is called “Bring Glory” and it will be out this summer. You can, of course, ORDER it online. . . :-)

Thanks again guys, and God bless you all!
Scott