Dear Supporters and Friends,
This new year, as we approach our third year in Xi’an, we are thankful for all those who give to and pray for us. This year has begun with an unexpected hurdle, but at the same time we can see that God is still working and that excites us.
Many have asked us about the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus, so I’ll take some time and address how this has affected us here in Xian. The outbreak was not something people where worrying about we they returned home for Chinese New Year. Many people who left town for the holidays are either locked down in their home towns or have no way to get back to Xi’an as many of the means of transportation have been shut down here. So we do have several people who are currently stranded in several surrounding provinces. We do have one family, the Zhao Family, who stayed in Xian for the holidays, and so they have have been able to continue to attend services.
The Xi’an government has begun enforcing some restrictions to try to contain the spread of the virus in our city. Most communities are not allowing anyone who is not a resident into the community, and also taking temperatures and registering everyone who comes and goes. Though this might seem like an affective way to control the virus, because of the long incubation period, people seem to be communicable before showing any symptoms. Also, meeting together for services can be quite tricky. Before we organized Pillar Baptist Church we rented an apartment space for the church to meet in, and as of right now the community is still allowing non-residents to enter the building. Those entering are required to have their temperature checked and register their information with the management company. For obvious reason, this is not an ideal situation. At the same time, we have not had to cancel services, and we are thanking the Lord for His protection. Please pray that they would continue to allow us to meet there next week. Both Pastor Xu’s community and our community have put restrictions in place, making meeting at either one of our houses nearly impossible.
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