What Do You Want, Lord? What Do You Want?
From the Archives: 2008
By Candace Waters
My late husband Dwight and I were publishing Christian books to be distributed in prisons and jails and although it was a fruitful ministry, we sensed God had something more in store for us. So, we turned off the t.v. and began to seek His direction-“What do you want, Lord?”
During this earnest seeking we were invited to the dedication of the Nelson Bell Building through Samaritan’s Purse. Nelson Bell was Ruth Bell Graham’s missionary father who spent many years spreading the gospel in China. As part of the ceremony, each guest was given a copy of Nelson Bell’s book entitled “Foreign Devil in China”. This book fired Dwight up and a passion for China began to grown in his heart.
Just after this, we visited Alliance Bible Fellowship during a service when they were sending one of their missionaries back to China. Kim Parker was a single woman and that night she shared her heart and her love for China. When she had finished, Dwight rushed to the front and bombarded her with questions. We were warmly invited over to her parent’s home where we watched video of her life there in China.
God was speaking and Dwight was stirred. Kim suggested Dwight contact University Language Services and Inner-Christo Job Placement. It seemed he was too old and over-qualified for Inter-Christo, but the door swung wide open at University Language Services and he was offered a teaching position.
Dwight and I immediately began looking for someone who could teach us to speak Chinese. We checked ASU, but they weren’t offering Chinese that term. However, there was a Chinese exchange Professor who needed housing, so we invited Bao Hui Nan to live with us in exchange for lessons. That day we also found out we were expecting a baby!
University Language Services had wanted us to come for the winter term. I was sure if I had to deliver this baby in China, I would die. Thankfully, after considering our circumstances, University Language Services decided it would be best if we had the baby before we went to China. Our departure was postponed until the following August.
Anna was born April 29, 1992 and four months later the three of us were standing on the Great Wall of China. People flocked to the fair little blonde with her blue eyes and fat little cheeks. She was the perfect magnet.
Our primary purpose in China was “seed sowing”. Dwight’s classroom was composed of practicing lawyers, practicing prosecutors, with a few judges thrown in for good measure. At the China University of Political Science and Law, he could discuss anything pertaining to American law. Our friend, attorney Lynn Pace of Blowing Rock, helped Dwight prepare an outline entitled “The Laws in America as Found in the Bible”. This outline was handed out to his students as reference material.
Immediately, the students began to ask “What is this Deuteronomy, this Leviticus?” Dwight was wearing a long coat and began unbuttoning it as he replied, “I’m so glad you asked”, and he began pulling Chinese language Bibles from his pockets. As his pupils began to reach for them, he announced these were also reference books for the class.
Dwight and I served our Lord in China from August 1992 to December 1996. During that time, we had the opportunity to show all of his students the “Jesus” film distributed through Campus Crusade for Christ. Many of these students responded to the invitation to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Shortly before Dwight died in December of 1999, he returned to China with a group of men from Campus Crusade for Christ to bid a final farewell to his beloved China.
