Year: October 1902
Jonathan Goforth-43 years old
Jonathan Goforth's Journal
This is month number two that my family has been back in China with me. God gave me the idea of what He wanted us to do during this time in China.
Every month we would travel with the other missionaries to a new village and live in the new village for a month. WE would teach and share the Good News about the living God who loved them then move on to a new village. We would continue for ten months. At the end of the time we would spend the last two months of the year revisiting the ten villages to see if they needed help.
Last time I told you about our first day in Wuan. Our second day we set up a building that was given to us to use. The big room would be our church. The small room in the back would be my family's home. Rosalind spent the day setting up our home while the other missionaries and I set up the big room with the portable organ, a lectern, chairs for the people, and a big sign with words for the songs.
Many villagers came the next day for our first service. I knew they mostly came because they were curious why foreigners came back after so many had been killed in the Boxer Rebellion. I used that question as a chance to tell them about the God who loved them. They wanted to know more so they came back to the church service.
One day, Mr. Yen came to my office. He held the Bible I gave him in his hand. "I don't understand."
"What is the question?" I asked.
"Ever since I started reading this book you gave me, I have problems sleeping. But this only happens on days when I make a judgement against a person that I know is a wrong decision. Sometime I am paid to convict an innocent person. Sometimes I order the person to pay more than they have too.
"Since I have started reading this book, I cannot sleep the nights I make a wrong judgement. I don't understand why that is. Sleep never was a problem for me before."
I invited Mr. Yen to tea. We sat on the floor together. For the rest of the afternoon I shared with him about the God who loves him. The God who expects us to be honest and keep His law.
He had many questions.
I showed him the answers in the Bible he brought with him.
When the month ended in Wuan, twenty people had believed in the God who loves them and his Son, Jesus Christ. There were also many other people who were very interested in hearing more about God.
Over the next several years, we went to villages in the North Honan region of China telling the Chinese people about the living God, not one made of stone or wood. In every place we were welcomed, and many people listened and asked questions.
Jonathan has many stories to share. Come back each Monday to find out what happened next.
Resources Used for This Series
Being, Janet, and Geoff Benge. Jonathan Goforth: An Open Door in China. Seattle. WA: YWAM Pub., 2001.Print
Doyle, G. Wright. Builders of the Chinese Church: Pioneer Protestant Missionaries and Chinese Church Leaders. Eugene Oregon: Pickwick Pub, 2015. Print.
Goforth, Jonathan, and Rosaline Goforth, Miracle Lives of China, London" Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1931, Print.
Goforth, Jonathan. "By My Spirit" Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1942. Print
Goforth, Rosalind. Climbing; Memories of a Missionary's Wife. Chicago: Moody Pub, n.d. Print
Goforth, Rosalind, How I Know God Answers Prayers; The Personal Testimony of One Life-time, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1921. Print
Goforth, Rosalind. Jonathan Goforth. Minneapolis, MN: Bethan House, 1986. Print
Goforth, Rosalind, How God Answers Prayer: The Mighty Miracles of God from the Mission Field of Jonathan Goforth. USA: Revival, 2016. Print Original copyright not stated.
Jackson, Dave, and Neta Jackson. Mask of the Wolf Boy: Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1999. Print.
McCleary, Walter. An Hour with Jonathan Goforth: A Biography. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1938. Print.
Meloche, Renee Taft., and Bryan Pollard. Jonathan Goforth: Never Give up. Seattle, WA: YWAM, 2004. Print.
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