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| Dear friend,
It has been a delight to catch up with some of my friends and family in Toronto again. A year and a half have gone by so fast in Hong Kong (HK). God let me experience and learn things that I would never have dreamt of in HK. But I guess that is how God works, in mysterious and breath-taking ways. Through the ups and downs in HK, I discovered again and again that His grace is enough for my every need. When I had no friends, God gave me amazing brothers and sisters to support me. When I was unemployed and feeling worthless, God reminded me that my identity came not from what I do, but from who I am in Christ. By being intertwined with Christ, we become His faithful servant, His close friend, His beloved child and His intimate bride. In HK, God blessed me with the opportunity to work for a company/ministry that produced events and media. My co-workers and people in our Christian artist fellowship became loving friends and family. After my arrival back in Toronto, God gave me opportunities to spend time with the youth in our church; teaching, learning and loving. More recently, He answered my prayer for a job and my co-workers are very nice.
I am excited to share with you that I will spend one year in East-Asia starting in August. For the past few years, God has developing a deeper love in my heart for these people. I will be taking classes of the local language in the local university. I believe the people in university are the future leaders of this country; when they are transformed from the inside out, they will transform their whole country and culture. Atheism has left a huge void in the hearts and minds of many. People are searching for meaning, significance and intimacy. What if they could hear that God knew every detail about us even before we were born, knitting us in our mother womb, desiring us to know Him personally and intimately? What if they knew that all they ever longed for was to connect with their Creator and Father, through the death and life of Jesus, resulting in wholeness and the new life of God Spirit in them? In addition, there are many superstitions, cults and legalists in this country. With humble boldness, I desire to set people free in God truth and grace. That is why I am excited to encourage and guide people in the power of the Holy Spirit to surrender to God loving leadership in and through them, bringing healing, reconciliation, freedom and peace. My vision is to communicate Jesus in such a way as to woo them to His glorious beauty, ground them in His grace-filled truth and sustain them in His abundant life.
I believe God loves teamwork. God ministers in the Old Testament were supported by the Israelites, Jesus had people supporting Him (Luke 8:3) and Paul received help from different people. There is something beautiful about working together. Will you consider God role for you in revealing His goodness, mercy and power in the souls of East Asia, investing in heavenly treasures where rust and moth will not destroy, nor thieves break in and steal (Matt. 6:20)? Please consider being a prayer/financial partner. Your investment is an act of faith to declare that Jesus is the only hope for this world. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate and dearly cherish your love and support. ou will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God?(2 Cor.. 9:11)!
Partnering with Christ and YOU,
Casey Lee
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During my studies in university, a
particular letter update from a sister in Christ in East Asia spoke to me. This
sister mentioned that they needed more male workers in the field to lead people
in Jesus?grace and truth. I remember feeling that it is worth thinking about
since I a male and I like to exhort people to find life and satisfaction in
Christ. A few years passed and I found myself graduating university and
traveling to Hong Kong to visit my relatives. Near the end of my stay, I was encouraged by
my parents to stay to look for a job so that I could gain experience and grow
as a person. When I explained to this sister in Christ why I wanted to stay in
HK to look for a job, she told me that I could be molded and stretched even
more by living in a certain country in East
Asia. This was another seed that God used
to plant into my heart.
I ended up staying in Hong Kong for a year and a half. God let me learn and experience so many
things. I felt like I learned more in that one year than I did in three years!
Through the time I spent in HK, God grew my heart of love for East Asians (I
cannot say the name of the place). God used my friends, colleagues and
relatives to stir a yearning in my heart for the East Asian population. God
also blessed me with a couple of trips to East
Asia; one of them was a mission trip. I
witnessed the hunger in the hearts of those people to embrace the Way, the
Truth and the Life. Many people wanted to receive the love of God in Christ.
When we left, my inner spirit was saying, who will help these young ones to
grow? God planted another seed in me.
I began to think a bit more if I ought to go to East Asia for a one year trip
with Campus for Christ to reach out to university students. I believe God
revealed to me a couple of things. First, the university students of this
country will be the future leaders. Transform them and they will transform the
culture and country. Second, by spending one year there, I will learn a
language that will be very useful in the country. At the same time, I began to
love the language more and more. Third, people in this country are extremely
open to the gospel and many have never heard of the new life available in
Christ by the filling of the Holy Spirit. Fourth, a brother in this country
told me that there are many cults and false teachings in this country. Many are
being deceived in teachings that are legalistic and bring bondage. Thus, I
began to pray and think more seriously whether I should go to East Asia.
The following weekend, the message given was about stepping out in faith. In
the gospels, Peter saw Jesus walking in the stormy sea and He stepped out in
faith to walk to Jesus. Peter did the impossible and walked on water, however
when he took his eyes off of Jesus and into the storm he sunk. He cried for
help and Jesus grasped his hands and lifted him up. One hesitation I have about
going to East Asia is the difficulty I will encounter with a new environment and
language. However, God spoke truth into my fear. It is true that I will be
walking into a storm, but Jesus is IN the midst of the storm. When my mind is
stayed on Christ, I will walk on water, but if I focus on the obstacles I will
start sinking. Nevertheless He comforts me with the promise that when I cry out
to Him, His grace is enough and He is mighty to save.
The week after, I went to a church that typically gave an invitation every week
after the service for people to come to the right of the stage if they wanted
to receive Jesus and to the left of the stage if they wanted to receive prayer.
This particular Sunday, and only on this Sunday (I have not seen it done before
or after, just this once), the Pastor asked people to go to the left of the
stage if they wanted to devote themselves to going on missions. God encouraged
me through the prayer of the intercessor.
Collectively, the above events propelled me to make the wise decision of
receiving God calling to go to East Asia for the coming year. | | |
| Different Methods of Support
There are several giving options:
1.
Online (with credit card)
Go to www.crusade.org/giving/staff.html
and click ive a Gift? Under the ift
Information?part, enter Lee, Casey
(89986) at the ther (if not in list above) icon. The reason for this is that this trip is
confidential for security reasons. All
donations are tax deductible.
2.
Monthly bank withdrawal or credit card
Fill out the Campus Crusade for Christ form
with the relevant credit card information. If by monthly bank withdrawal then
please include a void cheque.
3.
Cheque
Please write cheque payable to ?/span>Richmond Hill Chinese Baptist Church?on the note section please write asey Lee East Asia Mission Trip? Please return cheque to me. DO NOT put cheque in offering box.
If you have any questions please email me at riceoflife@yahoo.ca he point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as
he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver?(2 Cor. 9:6-7).
Thank you for your grace and generosity,
Casey Lee | | |
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