March 1, 2020
Dear Partners,
Hope you are all healthy and active in serving the Lord wherever you are!
We just returned to southern China about 3 weeks ago. We flew into Hong Kong and stayed there for two days. Before they closed the border we entered Shenzhen the day before. The Corona virus may be scary but not for us. When the SARs virus broke out in Guangzhou in 2003, we still conducted our B*ble school and leadership training. Everyday, teachers, volunteers and students about 17 of us were still eating and laughing and praying together, until the plague passed over us.
This time the virus is more aggressive and contagious. The whole country seems like to be in a total lockdown. No restaurants are open except for fast food takeouts like McDonald and KFC. Only the grocery shops and food stores are open. Everyone is wearing a mask. Before we enter our apartment, the guard would check our temperature and identity before we enter the gate. No one, including the couriers, can enter the premise if they don't live there, including close relatives. Luckily my son’s family are living inside the same apartment complex only two buildings away. We can still meet and eat together as a family.
All our trainings are on the internet now. In fact, 4 of our counseling training are on the internet before this outbreak. Now the other two face to face meetings are online too. There is only one exception, since our town does not have a virus case so far, Queenie has moved 3 of our female counseling trainees in an apartment close by us. We are dealing with a special depression case which would last a year. And the clients have moved into our town too. Queenie and pastor Joyce are using this opportunity to train our trainees at the same time.
My Leadership Dynamic training will be postponed to this summer if the virus is contained then. Otherwise, we will have to do them online also. I plan to travel to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing for the training sessions.
Please pray for our safety. Also pray for China as revival of the churches is happening in Hong Kong and the mainland. God is using this pandemic to teach China a lesson. The church will be purified also.
Best Regards,Chuck Chan
Chairperson