FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a typical day for you?

A typical day for us is always somewhat different. There are some activities that are fixed in our week. We have regular English classes that are scheduled. We have regular meetings with individuals and with groups. But in between these fixed blocks of time, each day brings different opportunities. One day we are visiting friends where they work. One day we are preparing for a special event - like a "Make Your Own" pizza party. One day we are working on teaching resources for English classes. One day we are preparing for a BIble study or a teaching at Macau Baptist Church. The one thing that does stay the same is that we seek to be available to people when they are available.

How are you financially supported?

Our financial support comes to us from a number of churches and individuals. Their generous gifts make it possible for us to maintain our lives and work in Macau. Each month our giving fluctuates due to the ability of these churches and individuals to share their resources with us. We are daily grateful for their willingness to participate with us in the work. If you are interested in participating in the ministry through financial contributions, please see the About Us page.

What kind of schooling have you done with your boys?

When we first arrived in Macau, our sons were 4 and 2 years old. We decided to put Joshua in a Chinese kindergarten class and see how well this would work. Our desire was for our whole family to learn the local language (Cantonese) and culture. The first 6 months of school for Joshua were really tough. Many challenges for us all to overcome with his schooling but we survived. His brother followed in school a year later. Both boys stayed in a completely Chinese educational environment through 4th grade - 7 years in all. Beginning in 5th grade, Joshua first and then Nathanael, entered the English section of their local school. This meant that English was the instruction medium - however they were still in a Chinese context. They have continued in the local Chinese school's English section and will graduate after grade 12.

What is the food like in Macau?

The food in Macau is some of the best in the world. Of course there are many varieties of Chinese food to be found in Macau. You can also find Thai, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Burmese, Japanese, Korean, etc. You get the point. There is a local style of food called Macanese which is a fusion of Chinese and Portuguese. Very interesting tastes. One thing that surprised us about the food in Macau is the number and variety of bakeries around town. Fresh bread is very easy to find and comes in a great variety. Really nice.

What language do you speak at home?

We made a commitment that when it is only the four of us at home, we use English. When our local friends are visiting we use Cantonese. It is important to us to make people feel welcome in our home and one of the ways we do this is by using their heart language as much as possible. Since our whole family speaks Cantonese, this is a very easy choice to follow.

What language do you use in your church?

Our church, Macau Baptist Church, is a Cantonese speaking congregation. We do teach a Chinese/English Bible study. But primarily we use Cantonese for all our interactions with the church. The weekly staff meeting is held in Cantonese and all worship and congregational meetings use Cantonese.

Why did you choose to live and work in Macau?

Our initial choice to come to Macau grew out of years of praying for the city of Macau. A classmate couple from our seminary days came to Macau in 1991 to work with students. During their 2 years in Macau we prayed for them and their relationships in Macau. After they returned to the USA we continued to pray for Macau and when we were looking for a place to serve outside the USA in 1994, Macau was already on our heart. Through our application process with the first mission board we were with, God continued to confirm and guide us to Macau.

In 2003 we were faced with a clear choice. Due to major changes with our initial mission agency, we had to choose to stay in Macau and find a new support model or leave Macau and return to the USA. Through weeks or prayerfully seeking God's will, we determined that we should stay in Macau and trust the Lord to provide for our support. This decision has been affirmed repeatedly and we have never been more happy to be in Macau.

How often do you return to the USA?

We have returned to the USA about once every 2 years for 2 months at a time. Due to the relational focus of our work in Macau, we don't feel that being away from Macau for longer than a couple months is beneficial. Our next planned Stateside visit is summer 2010. If you would be interested in meeting with us then, please contact us early as our travel and meeting schedule fills up fast.

What do you miss about the USA?

Macau is wall-to-wall city. We sometimes miss the wide open spaces of the USA. But mostly we miss being with family and friends. We miss sharing in the events of life. We miss seeing nieces and nephews growing up. We miss being able to sit around the dinner table after a meal, listening and telling stories of family life.

How do local people relate to you?

We have never felt anything other than welcome in Macau. We have many friends and have always been treated with courtesy and friendliness. Due to our many relationships with locals, we feel very at home in Macau.

How can I financially support the work in Macau?

If you would like to participate in our financial support, please feel free to make a tax deductible contribution to Light for the City Missions and mail it to:

Light for the City Missions
c/o Allen Campbell
202 Spickard Street
Blacksburg, VA 24060

Please see our About Us page

I'm interested in coming to help in Macau...

First off, please check our Volunteer pages. If you are still interested, please contact us about current needs and opportunities. We welcome volunteers any time of the year and hope that we can help you to fulfill your calling to participate in God's working around the world.

How can people support the work in Macau?

One of the best things you can do is to pray. Prayer is a powerful and effective means of supporting the workings of God among the people of Macau.

What makes you stay in Macau?

As of 6 June, 2009, we will have been in Macau for 13 years. Not all of those years have been easy nor pleasant. Living in Macau has it's challenges. But the thing that keeps us here is the people we know and the lives we interact with every day. Macau still has a Christian population of less than 1%. The church has been growing but only just keeping pace with the growth of the population as a whole. There are tens of thousands of people who still need to see and hear and experience the reality of Jesus Christ. We stay here for them. We also stay here because we have no sense that God is calling us to go anywhere else. This is where we have been called to live, serve, give witness to the grace of God.

What is the biggest challenge you face in Macau?

Macau continues to provide religious freedom for all it's residents and so we don't face a threat of persecution. People have been very welcoming and accepting of us our whole time in Macau. We have a nice apartment to live in and plenty of food to eat. Our water is mostly clean and the air is not always polluted. The thing we find most challenging for us in this very livable city is discouragement. It is easy to get discouraged. Positive responses to the Gospel often take years and years to develop in people's hearts. In Macau we can typically face indifference from people - they just don't care to know about Jesus nor are they willing to engage us about Jesus. We feel at times as though we are not accomplishing anything lasting or significant. We sometimes feel isolated, because even though we have many friends we will always be seen as outsiders. We face "Initiation Fatigue" as we invite and invite only to see very few respond. So we have to guard our hearts and mind from discouragement and feelings of being overwhelmed by the task.

How can I keep in touch with you?

Email is the best way to communicate with us. You can also regularly check back on our website. We post a newsletter - MacauMoos - at least quarterly. Please feel free to download the newsletter and share this with your friends and church.

What is your purpose in Macau?

We are in Macau to incarnate the living Lord Jesus Christ. We are here to give witness to the reality of Jesus Christ and to be His hands, feet and mouth. The Bible verse that informs and guides our being in Macau is 2 Corinthians 5:20

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

We are in Macau as guests and we seek to behave as respectful and honoring guests. We are not here to force anything upon anyone. We are inviting people to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Do you pastor a local church in Macau?

No, although in the past we have served as advisory pastor for a small congregation. Primarily we provide support for the local church. Currently we serve in the context of Macau Baptist Church as part-time staff. While we perform some pastoral functions, we are not the pastor for the church. To learn more about Macau Baptist Church, her ministries and staff, please visit her website: www.mbc.org.mo

What kind of work do you do in Macau?

Our work has been different over the years in Macau. The focus of our ministry is with people who work in the Service Industry (primarily restaurants and hotels). We serve them through teaching English and by being friends. Please check through the Our Work section of the website to see more about this.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us.