A Kingdom-focused Life
Today’s China is a world of rapid change. It’s home to 1.3 billion
individuals—one-fifth of the world’s population. Village dwellers flock to
trendy megacities with exploding populations. And China holds its own in the
world’s economy. It’s very different from the vast farmland Lottie Moon
entered in the 1800s. But one thing hasn’t changed: China’s need for a
Savior.
Lottie Moon—the namesake of the international missions
offering—has become something of a legend to us. But in her time Lottie was
anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today’s
missionaries. She was a hard-working, deep-loving Southern Baptist who
labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus.
Her mission
When she set sail for China, Lottie was 32 years old. She had turned down
a marriage proposal and left her job, home and family to follow God’s lead.
Her path wasn’t typical for an educated woman from a wealthy Southern
family. But Lottie did not serve a typical God. He had gripped her with the
Chinese peoples’ need for a Savior.
For 39 years Lottie labored, chiefly in Tengchow and P’ingtu. People
feared and rejected her, but she refused to leave. The aroma of fresh-baked
cookies drew people to her house. She adopted traditional Chinese dress, and
she learned China’s language and customs. Lottie didn’t just serve the
people of China; she identified with them. Many eventually accepted her. And
some accepted her Savior.
Her vision
Lottie’s vision wasn’t just for the people of China. It reached to her
fellow Southern Baptists in the United States. Like today’s missionaries,
she wrote letters home, detailing China’s hunger for truth and the struggle
of so few missionaries sharing the gospel with so many people—472 million
Chinese in her day. She shared another timely message, too: the urgent need
for more workers and for Southern Baptists passionately supporting them
through prayer and giving.
In 1912, during a time of war and famine,
Lottie silently starved, knowing that her beloved Chinese didn’t have enough
food. Her fellow Christians saw the ultimate sign of love: giving her life
for others. On Christmas Eve, Lottie died on a ship bound for the United
States.
But her legacy lives on. And today, when gifts aren’t growing as
quickly as the number of workers God is calling to the field, her call for
sacrificial giving rings with more urgency than ever.
[From the
International Mission Board's web site.]
