Grubb Mission Report – October 2019
“Go into all
the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
A Work of the Chestnut Mountain Church of Christ, Chestnut
Mountain, Georgia USA
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PLEASE PASS THIS REPORT TO THOSE YOU THINK MIGHT HAVE
INTEREST IN OUR WORK!
If any congregation would like for me to come and give
a report of our work, please let me know so that we can schedule it.
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China Trip
I departed Lampung, Sumatra on September 5th.
This was a different trip for me this time. I was going to China from Indonesia.
Also, because of a cancelled flight, I went through Jakarta and Bali before
getting to Shanghai. I had some new adventures in getting through immigration
in Bali. An uneventful flight was made to Shanghai. I slept most of the trip.
The time through immigration and customs was easy in China, but because of road
construction, instead of a forty-five minute trip to the hotel, it took two
hours. I finally got to bed about 4 am.
On Friday morning, I did not get up until
8:15. I had to go to the police station to register my visit. After doing that,
I walked on down to a shopping area to buy some things for while I was in
China. Friday evening is the time for a regular Bible class that meets in one
of our brethren’s office building. We met two others for dinner before going to
the class.
We do a lot of walking while in China. On
Friday, I took over 19,000 steps. Part of the reason for the walking is the use
of the subway system in Shanghai. You walk to the station. You walk from one
subway line to another. You walk from the subway to your desired location. The
subway is the most efficient and cheapest way to travel in the city.
On Saturday, I worked on catching up with
reports and PowerPoint presentations for the month of October. I had dinner
with the local preacher and his family on Saturday night.
On Sunday, I had the privilege to meet with
two congregations in Shanghai. I taught Bible class and preached in worship in
both congregations. One service was in the morning and the other service was in
the afternoon. There are other congregations in Shanghai as well, but I did not
have the time to visit them. I did get to teach a class that includes members
from one of the other congregations. Also, one of our Memphis School of
Preaching graduates works with another of the congregations in the city.
I had the privilege to conduct private Bible
studies with a prospect who had lived in the United States for two years. The
local preacher continued the study after I left the country. I also had the
privilege to teach a midweek study with a few members from various parts of the
city.
On the second Sunday in Shanghai, I was able,
once again, to speak at two congregations. One in the morning and one in the
afternoon.
On my last Monday in Shanghai, I was able to
visit my favorite spot in the city – the Bund. I was also able to visit a
religious bookstore and buy a couple of books for the local preacher.
On Tuesday, we were able to visit some of the
members of the church in Shanghai. We were also able to eat a meal with some of
them. I also bought my train ticket in preparation for the Thursday trip to
Hangzhou, where I would spend the last four days of the trip.
On Wednesday night, I had another private
Bible study with a prospect. The local preacher will continue the study next
week.
On Thursday, I made my first trip to
Hangzhou, China. I was met at the train station by the local preacher and taken
to the hotel. After getting settled in, the preacher took me to see the famous
Grand Canal in Hangzhou. That evening he and his wife took me to dinner and to
a night market to do some shopping for souvenirs.
On Friday, I was taken to the West Lake for
some sightseeing. We also went to a tower by the lake. It is a very famous site
in Hangzhou. On Friday night, we ate with some of the brethren and then in the
evening, we had the midweek Bible study.
On my last day in China, I had the privilege
to meet with the brethren in Hangzhou. We met for worship at 9:00 am, then took
a break for lunch. In the afternoon, we had the Bible class. In the worship, I
spoke on the mode and necessity of baptism. We had some good discussion on the
topic after the worship. Then, for the Bible study, I spoke on the subject of,
“how to find the church Jesus built.” Again, after the Bible study session, we
had some to stay behind and ask additional questions. We finished about 2:00
pm.
Later in the afternoon, I went to dinner with
the local preacher and his wife. After dinner, they drove me to the Shanghai
Airport. It was about a two and half hour trip to the airport. One of the
preachers from Shanghai met us there as well to see me off. The two preachers
in Shanghai: one is a graduate of Memphis School of Preaching and the other is
a graduate of Four Seas College in Singapore.
It was good to be with brethren in three
congregations and to also be able to meet with some brethren from other
congregations. I was happy to visit Hangzhou for the first time and hope to go
back there again in the future. I also hope to take my wife with me next year.
One of
the great benefits of my being able to go to China is that I do not need a
translator to present my lessons. I have now been speaking Chinese for over
thirty-seven years.
Back to Indonesia
The trip back to Indonesia was not
uneventful. We were an hour late leaving Shanghai and therefore put me into
Bali with little time to spare before my flight to Jakarta. Thanks to the
ground staff of Garuda International for taking me through immigration and
customs without having to stand in line. I made the boarding time with ten
minutes to spare. I had plenty of time in Jakarta, so it was no problem to
catch my last flight to Lampung, Sumatra and back to my wife and family.
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Financial Support
It is now the time of year when congregations
start making their budgets for the next year. Also, as we get near to the end of
the year, brethren think about making one-time contributions to a work, or make
a decision to become a regular supporter of a work. Our brethren have been
generous through the years and we are thankful for the continued generosity
which makes this work possible.
For the past thirty-eight years of our work,
our contributions and some of our contributors have changed from year to year.
We are thankful for the steady support we have received through the decades.
We hope that in the coming year, 2020, we
will be able to keep our current contributions, and, if possible, to have some
new contributors begin to support our work. It may be possible that some of our
contributors will be able to increase their contributions in the new year. If
that is possible, it will be greatly appreciated.
If you know of brethren who might be
interested in becoming part of our work, please forward this report to them, or
put them in touch with me so that I can inform them of the work we are trying
to do in evangelism and edification.
This
year, except for China and the United States, my wife is traveling with me on
all of my mission trips. I am thankful she is able to do this to enhance the
work we are doing. Because of our inability to obtain a visa for her, I am
spending more time overseas than I normally would. We have another trip
scheduled for the end of November through the middle of December. We will then
be going to several cities in Indonesia during the months of February and
March, 2020, to encourage the churches in those cities.
Thanks to you who have already made a
contribution to keep our work going. John and Eta Grubb.
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Speaking Appointments in October
If you are near where I will be speaking in
October, we will look forward to seeing you at Chestnut Mountain, Forest
Park/Atlanta, or Cape Fear, NC, or Richmond Hill, GA. See the Speaking
Schedule for dates.
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USEFUL WEBSITES
http://www.grubbchinese.org
http://www.wvbs.org
http://www.gbntv.org
http://www.ibtministries.org
http://www.oabs.org
http://ChineseBibleSchool.org
apologeticspress.org/OL_Chinese.aspx
Grubb Mission Reports can be read here:
http://grubbmissionwork.blogspot.com
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SPEAKING/TRAVELING SCHEDULE
2019
Oct. 13 PM Chestnut Mountain Report
Oct. 18 Forest Park Mission Forum
Oct. 20-23 Gospel Meeting - Cape Fear, NC
Oct. 26-27 S.E. GA Lectures – Richmond Hill
Nov. 5 – Jan. 8 Singapore – Taiwan – Indonesia
Nov. 23 – Dec.
1 Singapore
Dec. 2 – 17
Taiwan
2020
Feb. 10 – Mar. 10 Indonesia Mission Trip
May – June Malaysia Trip
– John and Eta Grubb
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Chinese Website: http://www.grubbchinese.org
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