Three nineteen-year old Chinese students came to know Jesus during a 2002 short-term mission trip to western Germany. However, since there were no Chinese Christian ministries in eastern Germany, they were soon lost in the crowd after they returned to the east! Our hearts ached for these kids. Through much effort, we found a few small groups of students like them scattered over various campuses in the east. We sent over our longings for them:

Thinking of You

As the leaves fall and the wind chills,

We are thinking of you!

Nearing the end of the year,

Far away from that distant and foreign land,

We are thinking of you!

We think of you hustling between classrooms and part-time jobs,

Your collars standing up tall;

We think of you catching the bus,

Carrying your books and your groceries…

We think of your youth, your sincerity, your enthusiasm,

Your dreams and passions, hardships and perplexities, longings and hopes;

You are so homesick, so frustrated, yet so persevering!

We are thinking of you,

Far away in that distant and foreign land!

We’d like to come and visit with you,

To listen to you, to understand your hearts;

To chat with you, to talk about our homeland,

To remember our own youth, to speak of our past struggles and successes,

And to share the great joy and peace we enjoy in Jesus Christ.

So…Starting Christmas 2003, we went on our way to eastern Germany.  With hearts burning for the Gospel, driving through snow and strange roads in a tiny rented car, we visited Chinese students on a dozen of campuses. We listened, cared, shared Christ, and founded Bible study fellowships. In 2004 and 2005, more workers went over for weeks or months at a time, following up, caring, discipling…