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Macao is the Portuguese spelling of Macau. This map gives you an idea

where Macau is located. It is a 50-minute ferry ride to Hong Kong. 55,000 people per square mile. Population 602,057. Macau is twelve time zones from Fort Wayne in the summer; 12 time zones now. I was hoping to be in Macau before this winter. In May it seems like Macau with all the rain we are having here in Fort Wayne, IN.

April 2017 No. 2017.05.05

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SERVING THE LORD IN

MACAU, CHINA MACAU MISSION WORK: DAVID & BARBARA BUSH - NEWS

david.bush@lcmsintl.org

In about 30 A.D., a grave (tomb) which

had been occupied for only three days by

a man who was crucified was found

empty. It was reported He had risen

from the dead. And later, He, Jesus

appeared to those who knew him well.

He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” --Ephesians 2:8

School Edition

I took picture of new bridge under construction from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry. Part of connection is a tunnel under the water.

In this picture you can see the piers upon which the bridge will be set.

Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macau Bridge

This bridge is still under construction. Hopefully it will open in December of this year. When I take the ferry from Macau to Hong Kong, I go under this bridge. It is really a series of bridges and tunnels. The bridge crosses the Lingdingyang channel. The Pearl River from China empties into this channel where many ocean ships travel. The bridge must be high enough for ships to pass under it. The construction of the bridge started December 15, 2009. It has taken many years to build this bridge. The longest segment of the bridge is 18.4 miles long. This bridge connects the cities of Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau. Before this bridge, it was a 99-mile drive. With the bridge completed it will be a 19-mile drive. It cost over 10 billion dollars to build this 31 mile highway to connect the three major cities.

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PLEASE PRAY:

• For the children at Concordia School for Special Education (CSSE) to learn about Jesus and be baptized.

• For more funding for our five-plus years of mission work.

• For David and Barbara Bush to love the people in Macau as Christ loves them.

GIVE THANKS:

• For all the Lutheran Schools to help the teachers and students grow in faith and trust Jesus our Savior.

• For the Macau mission team who are working so tirelessly sharing Christ with others as they go. (Matthew 28:19)

• For all the safe travel and good weather for travel we have had so far.

PRAISE GOD:

• For the Concordia School of Special Education in helping the visa process proceed. The visa we hope will only take another 8 to 10 weeks as of May 1st.

• For the great support, love, and interest of so many people, groups, schools, organizations, and congregations.

There are many opportunities to serve as short-term or GEO missionaries. Check out the current list and download an application at lcms.org/service. Click on “Service Opportunities.”

To support the LCMS through the work of David and Barbara Bush, you may send a tax-deductible gift to:

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod P.O. Box 66861 St. Louis, MO 63166-6861

Or

Mission Central

40718 Highway E 16

Mapleton, Iowa 51034

Make checks payable to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Mark checks comment line: “Bush-Macau”. Gifts can also be given securely online through the LCMS website, on my online giving page at www.lcms.org/bush

Ministry Update

David & Barbara Bush, Missionaries

I should have our VISA in about 8 to 10 weeks.

In order to leave the United States to visit foreign countries a person must have a passport from the United States of America. This passport proves you are a citizen of the United States. A passport is a picture identification. Many foreign countries require you to have not only a passport from your country but you also need a visa. I must have a visa to stay in Macau because I will be there more than 45 days. A country gives you a visa to show you have their permission to visit and stay in their country. The process for obtaining my visa began September 1, 2016. It has taken a long time. But now, soon, I can return to Macau to continue our mission work. Praise the Lord!

My co-workers, Gail Grieser and Pastor Wu, are in St. Louis for a few days in May. I pray they have safe travel back to Macau. My other co-worker, the Rev. Steve Mahlburg, has been reassigned to Sri Lanka. God bless him and his family as they make disciples in Sri Lanka.

What do you think? – The Liturgy as Catechism – 3

After the Invocation that begins our Lutheran liturgy, there is a section called CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION (Lutheran Service Book (LSB), page184ff). This part of the service is based upon what Jesus told the disciples on Easter as recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 20:22-23. “And when he (Jesus) had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit, If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.’”

When Isaiah, an Old Testament prophet, realized he was in the presence of Almighty God he said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Jesus, on the cross, atoned for our sins. This is why when we come before Jesus in the Divine Service, the pastor can say, “by the command of…Christ I forgive you.” [See LSB, page 326]

This picture on the right is of the chancel at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Macau. This is the new location of the Concordia English Center. Each day we pray many will come here to learn about Jesus, their Savior. Black was for Good Friday.