2001年除夕，剛從費城參加“華人差傳大會”回來，本想一家四口閒懶一下，叫點外賣吃吃，然後圍著電視等著看紐約時報廣場的大蘋果掉下來，舉杯互祝新年快樂，就要這樣送走舊的一年，像許多個往年一樣。
但這個除夕截然不同，聖靈一直在內心激動，寶島家鄉的福音呼聲，一聲比一聲強烈。終於拗不過聖靈的催逼，拿起電話撥了幾個從台灣來，一起在教會聚會的家庭，邀請他們下午到寒舍，共同觀賞從大會帶回來的鄉福錄影帶--【來自鄉村的呼聲】。沒想到反應出奇熱烈，大大小小、老老少少共來了二十三人，教會張牧師雖然晚上家裡請客，也及時趕來。更感動的是，宣道組主席，從醫院做完他為病人照腹腔鏡後，也趕到了，只是肚子太餓，端了一碗飯，邊看影帶邊抓飯。看完影帶，由我、明雄和張牧師分享過去幾天在差傳大會上與鄉福同工接觸分享的所見所聞，以及如何化關懷為行動、從代禱、奉獻到成為鄉福之友、甚至由短宣中宣長宣以至到福音移民，一步步求神帶領。最後，輪流禱告，看到聖靈動工，每個人無不流淚為過去生活太安逸，幾乎忘了向故鄉償還福音的債而悔悟。
逝者己矣，來者猶可追，大家都願意響應每月初一的禱告日。從電子郵件中獲知代禱消息，同心禱告，也願帶兒女參與暑期短宣。
憑信心，我們將看見鄉福的棒子，一代一代的接下去，直到主來的日子。
願神親自恩待鄉福同工們的忠心與辛勞。
（作者在北美康州丹城華人宣道會聚會）
The Feed Back from Connecticut
It was New Years Eve 2001 and we had already come back from Chinese Mission2001 at Philadelphia. I had originally wanted the four members of my family to be at ease at home by having some take out and watching the Big Apple fall from the top of New York Time Square on TV. I was planning to celebrate and greet the New Year with a toast just like we did for so many years in the past.
However, there was something different in my heart, for Holy Spirit kept inspiring me with the calling of the gospel to my home country. The voice was stronger and stronger and I could not handle the urge in my heart any longer. I finally picked up the telephone and made several phone calls and invited some church family members who came from Taiwan to my little place for the afternoon. We gathered together to watch the VGM video tapes “Sounds Raised From the Village“ that we brought back from the Seminar. There came an unexpected warm response of 23 people together, big and small, youths and adults, children and elders. Surprisingly, pastor Chang made it on time regardless the evening invitation for his guests at his house. The thing that really touched us about the leader of our church Gospel Mission group was that he came over right after he did the colonoscopy examination for his patient at the hospital. He was so hungry that he took a bowel and with his hands scooped the rice while he was watching the video. After we finished watching the video, Ming H. Wu, pastor Chang and I shared what they saw and heard in the Chinese Mission 2001 and the situation of contacting VGM representatives in the past few days. We shared how to make it into action from “caring and praying” to “donations” and how to become friends with VGM. More over, we shared about God’s leading us step by step from short-term missions, to long-term missions to Gospel immigration. At the end, each of us took our turn praying. We saw the work of Holy Spirit moving everyone in tears for our lives have been at ease in the past year. We almost forgot to repent for the Gospel debts we have in our home country.
The past is gone but the future is possible. Everyone was willing to respond to the prayer day on the first of every month. We will obtain news from the list of prayers through emails and pray in one spirit and hoping to bring children in to join summer short-term missions.
Believing and walking by faith, we will see our children seize of the Baton from VGM and pass it on to generation after generation till the day the Lord comes.
