In our last letter we looked at the first of three characteristics of a successful returnee: they have been discipled as a Chinese Christian to live in a Chinese context. In this newsletter we have some suggested resources.
https://thrivingturtles.org/2017/05/10/what-does-it-take-for-returnees-to-thrive-part-1/
What is Discipleship?
This 12 minute video clip by Tony Payne of Matthias Media is a very helpful summary of Christian discipleship.
http://gotherefor.com/offer.php?intid=29631
Why Contextualise?
What is the importance of considering culture and contextualisation when doing ministry with Chinese? In this podcast Australian Sam Chan and American Jackson Wu discuss contextualisation and how it works out in Chinese ministry. Note: this podcast talks about some complex issues so you may want to listen to it a few times in order to understand.
Chinese Christians and Chinese Culture
What are some of the issues that Christians face in Chinese culture? This article highlights some of the issues Chinese students and returnees face.
Wish Lanterns: Young lives in New China
This book follows the lives of six young Chinese people born in the 80s and 90s. Their stories are a window into what makes this generation tick. This is not a Christian book but it is helpful for understanding the culture and context of Chinese international students here in Australia.
Ash, A. (2016). Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China. Picador (can be purchased on Amazon).
Thriving Turtles – Our Values
In the last two letters we have shared our vision and mission statements. Below are our values, that is the way we seek to work together as a team as we seek to glorify God by completing the task he has given us.
- Faith in God – We depend on God to provide all our ministry needs through prayer.
- Biblical – We are centred in the Bible.
- Innovation – We value creativity and “out of the box thinking”.
- Love and humility – We practice love and humility in our team and with other ministries, as we forge a new way forward.