Featured in Worship Musician Magazine!

Click HERE to check out the article on Mark/Worshiplanet.
Jump ahead  to page 50 of the digital magazine!

http://v.rbc.cn/play--s-/play_id_71111.html 
The Door is now officially playing on the web and air waves in China! :)

Here's a Chinese write up on us.  Check it out!
http://am774.rbc.cn/netfm/interactive/postinfo/201103/t20110317_646846.htm

Please pray for us as we board Mongolian Airways tonight. We are due to land in Ulaan Batar late Friday nite after a 90 minute flight. Disappointingly, a previously scheduled trip cancelled abruptly so we kicked into ‘plan B’.  But it doesn’t sound so ‘bish’ now because the Mongolian pastor said to Mark on the phone, “I was on my knees yesterday morning, asking God for encouragement and discipline within our worship teams, then the phone rang. I was shocked that my pastor friend in Beijing said you were coming to Mongolia! What a quick answer to my prayer.” 

We are encouraged that maybe what we viewed as plan ‘B’ might have been the best plan all along.  Pray for a fruitful 5 days and that what little Russian language skill we possess will return and multiply!

We had a two hour window of chill time before the workshops. We met up with Benjamin & Megan and took the guys to 789, Beijing's premier art district.  It is so encouraging to see budding artists with less and less restrictions.  Little increments in the area of 'freedom of expression' really do make a difference in society as the years tick by!

The WP Band lead two services at the BICF, Beijing's largest legal fellowship. Fourteen congregations, passports must be shown, and LOTS OF PASSIONATE worship!

Workshop Afternoon

Had the privilege of training leaders in worship over the weekend. Carrie worked with keyboards, Mark - guitar & vocal leading, Josh - bass, and Jon - drums. Lots of good interaction that came loaded with questions...and hopefully answers!

There's no better way to keep a band happy than provide them with a little retail therapy and shopping for chopsticks did the trick.

Josh & Jon got their weapons out and were ready for the Chinese RMB to USDollars conversion in the Ya Show. It was a bit of a competition - Jon with his calculator and Josh with his handwritten chart!  

Five hundred senior students filled the Yuxin High School auditorium on Friday afternoon and we got to worship over them! The opening song was, 'Happy Day' and further in the program the students sang along with, 'Sing Beijing' and tried to whistle in the chorus of, 'Good Life'.

Had first half of the day off so we headed out to the Great Wall. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Never tire of seeing it. 

Thursday evening we worshipped with the folks at embassy- BICF's young adult's weekly meeting. Young professionals, students, workers, and teachers made up the multinational congregation. It was a sweet time of intercession and worship, really refreshing for our team. 

Played a one hour concert for 800 Tibetan students at a high school. What great kids!

Mark & the team had a fab time with the hosts of the eTune internet show on Radio 773 Beijing. We played live, answered questions originating from all across China via the chat room, and loved getting to know David & Daisy & Christine at the station. Songs from both THE DOOR & RESTORE CD/DVD went out over the internet today. It was live streaming and available for replay.

Link to follow soon so watch this space.

Our band-in-a-box is now complete. Jon & Josh landed safely last night. Today we rehearsed and gathered up last minute equipment items. Lunch was yummy steamed dumplings and oolong tea. Then we showed the jet lagged travelers a bit of Beijing. Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Beihei with its Buddhist temple were on the list. Tomorrow the work begins!

We shut down worship-world and treated ourselves to some cooking lessons Sunday evening. Carrie's friend Chunyi runs a little hutong cooking school.

Benjamin & Megan met us there and we chopped and woked away! If you are ever in Beijing, you HAVE to do this. Check our Chunyis site at www.hutongcuisine.com

Sunday Morning Worship Services

 Early morning Saturday rehearsal with the multinational team that will lead BICF services. English speaking congregations but 70 nationalities! 

Had a yummy lunch with CCTV (China Central Television) host and friend today. This was the same team that filmed us playing music at the BICF morning services in 2007. They also filmed our concerts leading up to the Olympics on 2008. It was great to catch up with Eva and hear about her work reporting the arts across Beijing. She brought a friend to lunch with her and together they listened to the new (not-yet-released) Arabic worship tune & viewed the I BELIEVE REMIX video. We invited them to bring out a film crew to any of the music events next week. Her response, "I will check with my producer and hopefully bring out a camera." Awesome opportunities here. And lovely, lovely people to work with! 

Generosity is a national trait of the Chinese. They are forever giving things to each other. We met with two Chinese worship leaders today to plan a bi-lingual and over hot drinks, I received a gift. My friend Christopher made his formal presentation and said, "For your health - a bag of oats and raisins from Xianjang province." If ever a gift brought me to tears, it was today.

Meeting with Chinese worship leaders.

A cure for transpacific jet lag!

The world's coolest driver

Spacing - like timing - is everything.

A local worship leader helps us find a good deal on speakers & a small mixer. 

Zipped past the Olympic Bird's Nest building on the way!