**August 12**
Pastor Xia Changhua from Australia shared the Word of God with us.
**September 8**
The 12th Anniversary Praise Evening of Jia'en Church, led by Pastor Zhong Kaipeng and the Auckland Chuangyue Choir, presented a wonderful praise concert for the Chinese community in Tauranga.
**September 9**
On the Thanksgiving Sunday celebrating the 12th anniversary of Tauranga Methodist Church Jia'en, temporary annual conference president Pastor Gong Ziyang, church leader Brother Yang Jingyi, the Auckland Chuangyue Choir, brothers and sisters from afar, and the Tauranga community gathered together to celebrate this beautiful day. We are grateful that Jia'en Church has been under God's care and protection for these twelve years, and all glory and praise belong to our God.
**November 4**
The members' meeting of Tauranga Methodist Church Jia'en was held, with new members attending and listening to the president's report.
**November 17-18**
A team of 21 brothers and sisters, including children, participated in a short-term mission trip to New Plymouth, sharing God's love and the gospel of the Kingdom with the Chinese community there.
**November 30 - December 2**
Pastor Lingai, Brother David, and Brother Ron participated in a three-day, 28-hour study of "Methodist Theology," with a total of 19 brothers and sisters fully engaged in this learning.
**December 1-2**
The children's instrumental group and choir visited three nursing homes in Tauranga, bringing wonderful performances and sharing God's love, contributing to the community and bearing witness to God.
**December 2**
On Baptism Sunday, three adults and two children were baptized in the name of the Lord. They are: Cheng Cheng, Gan Yunxi, Hu Cailan, Lin Jiashang, and Cheng Xiyin. Additionally, two brothers and sisters, Peter Zhu and Vanessa Zhu, officially became registered members of the Methodist Church. May the Lord guide and protect their steps, allowing them to live in His love always.
**Brothers and Sisters' Sharing**
-- Testifier: Yuan Hua
My encounter with Jesus Christ was purely by chance. In May 2002, while working in Jinan, my mother-in-law came to stay with us. One day, we steamed some buns, and after the meal, I noticed we had quite a few left over, so I packed a plate to take to our neighbor across the hall. She was a woman in her fifties living with her mother. We had only exchanged smiles in the hallway before. That was my first direct interaction with her.
A few days later, the neighbor brought us some delicious food in return. After that, my mother-in-law often mentioned her; she would take walks in the neighborhood and gradually became familiar with the neighbor, chatting together. Not long after, the neighbor gave me a Bible and a hymn book because my mother-in-law told her I liked to read. That was my first time reading the Bible, and I was deeply impressed by chapters like Genesis, Exodus, Noah's Ark, and the Ten Commandments. However, I only read parts of the Old Testament before stopping, partly because I found many violent and bloody accounts in the Bible that scared me. The other reason was that in September of that year, I went to Shanghai University for my graduate studies, and the heavy coursework shifted my focus to my major studies.
During my graduate studies, I encountered books on Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, gaining a rough understanding of their cultural backgrounds, key figures, and writings. It wasn't until last year, after settling in Tauranga, that Tracy invited me to our church, and I decided to attend. At that time, the Sunday School was discussing "How to Handle Relationships," and each lecture was beneficial. The discussions after each session helped me understand my brothers and sisters better, and I loved being among everyone. Their sharing provided me with countless insights, so I committed to attending church every Sunday to hear sermons and lectures. At the same time, I began reading the Bible again.
Every time I came to church and saw everyone singing joyfully, the atmosphere of brothers and sisters reverently worshiping God deeply moved me, filling my heart with inexplicable joy. I was never an atheist; before knowing God, I subconsciously believed that He must exist, but I didn’t know who He was or where He was. During this time, Yan Yan, Sister Jianmei, Pastor Lingai, and Sister Shumin visited our home to share the gospel. They brought delicious snacks and warm words that made me feel very welcomed. At that time, my son was having nightmares every night, waking up crying, which troubled me. Lingai and Sister Shumin prayed for Yuan Yuan, and during the prayer, Pastor Lingai placed her hand on my shoulder. In her words of prayer, I felt a power being transmitted to me. After that, I began to pray for Yuan Yuan every night. He would occasionally have nightmares, but now he would just call out or cry a little and then fall back asleep, no longer crying for a long time or being tormented in a way that left him unable to wake or sleep peacefully.
Every Sunday, I continued to attend church for sermons and participate in Sunday School. Later, the theme of Sunday School shifted to studying the Bible. One topic that left a deep impression on me was "How to View Setbacks," with the scripture: "For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering." — Hebrews 2:10
This is very similar to a passage in Confucius' "Mencius": "When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person, it will first make his mind suffer, make his muscles and bones labor, make his body hungry and his person impoverished, and make his actions thwarted, so that he may be moved to endure and gain what he cannot." After this, I began to ponder the differences between the moral teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism and what the Bible conveys.
One night, I suddenly realized that the founders of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism—Confucius, Laozi, and Buddha—were all "humans." The Bible records the words of Jesus as spoken by His disciples, but Jesus Christ is both "man" and "God." This must be the fundamental difference between them. I thank God for opening my mind, allowing me to fully submit to Him, to know Him anew, and to experience Him.
Since then, the pastor's wife has been teaching me "Foundations for New Believers" for ten weeks. Each class has been enriching, unraveling the doubts in my heart and deepening my understanding of the Bible. The baptism class led by the pastor has also been very beneficial. I look forward to future discipleship classes. Meanwhile, my husband miraculously passed the IELTS exam. He had no time to study, and his English foundation was weak; he took the exam almost without preparation. After finishing, he immediately began looking up the date for the next IELTS exam, preparing to register again. However, a miracle truly happened—he passed smoothly. During this time, I shared my worries with the pastor's wife and several sisters, and I am very grateful for their prayers for my husband, which led God to fulfill our wishes and help us achieve our goals.
Since our family arrived in New Zealand, everything has gone smoothly, and we have hardly encountered any major setbacks or difficulties. We have faced some minor challenges, but they were quickly resolved. I believe that God has always been with our family, surrounding us with love and paving the way for us.
Thank God! Thank you to all the brothers and sisters who brought me before God! It is because of your love that I have become who I am today! I am endlessly grateful!
**Sharing from the Discipleship Course**
-- Testifier: Tina Zhang
Hello everyone, I am Tina. In the blink of an eye, the 9-month discipleship course has come to an end. When I first learned that I would be taking this course for 9 months, I struggled because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stick with it. But I want to thank my mother for encouraging me and giving me the confidence to take the discipleship course.
I was baptized in high school, brought into the youth group by a friend. I often listened to their stories from the Bible and their testimonies of miracles in their lives. At that time, I thought God was amazing, and I believed that as long as I trusted in Him, He would help me solve all my problems whenever I faced difficulties or couldn't make a decision. I thought that was what being a Christian meant. However, I gradually realized that when I shared about God with others, I didn't really understand the Bible. I had never read it completely; I would get confused when I reached the genealogies after starting