A Thousand Lives for China

"If I had a thousand lives, I would give them all for China," said Lottie Moon.

Lottie came from a wealthy family, but her father died when she was in her teens, and in her grief and rebellion, she turned away from God. She went to a women’s university, and became one of the first woman to earn a master’s degree in Latin, Greek, French, Italian and Spanish.

Years later a friend took her to a gospel meeting, where the Holy Spirit convicted her of her sin of rebellion. She became a child of God, committed her life to serve Christ, and at 33-years of age, Lottie Moon sailed to China as a Southern Baptist missionary.

Her missionary work in remote mountain villages was harsh, and physically difficult, but the needs in China were so great, and her desire to bring souls to Christ so compelling, that Lottie often neglected her own health.

Lottie Moon spent 40 years teaching God’s Word, and thousands of Chinese people came to Jesus. When she was in her seventies, China suffered a severe famine, and millions died of starvation. Lottie wouldn’t eat because children had no food, and she gave her food to her precious Chinese people who had nothing to eat.

Finally, when she weighed only 50 pounds, friends stepped in to help, and put her on a ship to return to America for a rest. But Lottie Moon died of starvation on Christmas Eve, 1912, before the ship reached America.

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Missions, named in honor of this little woman, is an annual offering collected in thousands of churches. This offering raises more money each year than any missions offering in the world.

Lottie Moon did not give a thousand imaginary lives for China, as she often said, but she gave the one life she had so the Chinese people could hear about Christ.

Blessings,

Willie Jordan, (Mrs. Fred Jordan)