The Church Planters Who Lost Their Shoes

You can plant tomatoes. You can plant sunflowers. You can even plant a tree. But can you plant a church? Not with a shovel and a packet of seeds! Planting a church means helping a new group of people learn about Jesus and grow in their faith. Sometimes that takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

How do you think a church gets planted? A church plant starts with a leader and a group of members. They get together to pray and plan. When they are ready, they put the plan into action.

Some church plants are started by a people who give Bible studies to their friends. Other church plants are started when people use their home or garage as a meeting place for health seminars. Sometimes people use their hobbies to start a church plant. One man decided to teach a beekeeping class, hoping to make new friends in his community. He’s hoping it will lead to a new church in his town. 

Church planting is a lot of work, but it can be very rewarding—as three university students in China discovered.

Unselfish Service

Starting a church group isn’t always easy, especially in places where people are suspicious of Christians.

Jing, Shen, and Tai* were university students in China. They had grown up in comfortable homes in a large city and had never faced many hardships. Yet all three young men felt called to share God’s love with people in a difficult place.

They moved to a remote village in another province where many families lived in poverty and often didn’t have enough food to eat. The villagers did not trust Christians and were unhappy that the students had come to live among them.

Since there was nowhere nearby to buy new shoes, they continued traveling barefoot.

Life in the village was very different from what Jing, Shen, and Tai were used to. Instead of living in comfortable homes, they stayed in a simple straw hut. Food was scarce, so they ate mostly potatoes and wild greens. They didn’t have bicycles or other transportation. To travel anywhere, they walked for miles along muddy roads and steep mountain paths.

During the day the students worked alongside local farmers in the fields. At night they shared Bible studies with anyone willing to listen.

Their long walks eventually wore out their shoes. Since there was nowhere nearby to buy new ones, they continued traveling barefoot. Their feet became sore and cut from the rough roads, but they chose to stay. They believed their sacrifices were a way to show the villagers Christ’s unselfish love.

The village children often became sick because of poor living conditions, limited food, and a lack of medical care. One day the students visited a 12-year-old boy who frequently suffered from severe nosebleeds. This time they found him unconscious.

The nearest medical facility was hours away. Without hesitation Jing, Shen, and Tai took turns carrying the boy on their backs along the mountain trails. For six hours they walked and prayed, determined to get him help. Thankfully, the boy survived. When he was well enough, the students brought him safely back home.

The boy’s parents were deeply moved by what the young men had done. They could see that Jing, Shen, and Tai truly cared about their son. The family’s attitude toward Christianity began to change, and they eventually accepted Jesus. Other relatives and friends also chose to follow Him.

After this experience Jing, Shen, and Tai returned to the university to complete their studies. But their example reminds us that sharing God’s love often begins with simple acts of kindness and service.

*Names have been changed.