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Helping to develop Christian leaders of character is one of ACCTS' major objectives, and it often starts with very junior cadets. This God Story continues the ACCTS' China Ministry to China last summer.
In early February, members of the ACCTS staff accompanied two Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) cadets from last summer's Beijing trip to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, along with the chaplain from VFMA. Li is a junior from Inner Mongolia and Gui is a senior from Beijing who hopes to study filmmaking. The purpose of the trip was to offer the cadets spiritual encouragement through the events surrounding the prayer breakfast.
Upon arrival at their hotel, the cadets were warmly welcomed and invited to participate in various activities, even though they weren't delegates. Since VFMA is in Pennsylvania, the speaker Senator Casey, met privately with the VFMA cadets, and invited them to tour his office. What a loving welcome!
After the evening program, the speaker, Kosovo's Ambassador to Japan, told the cadets that the Japanese were praying for China and that they should ask their Chinese friends pray for Japan. When one of the cadets later whispered that the Japanese should first apologize to the Chinese for their WW II atrocities, an ACCTS staff member explained that Christians should make the first move toward forgiving their enemies. Later that evening, they met with a former ACCTS Board member whose husband had served a diplomatic tour in Taiwan, and had been privileged to participate with Chiang Kai Shek and his wife as they prayed fervently for the people of China. What powerful lessons in Christian living and leadership!
The next morning, the cadets had breakfast with a retired Foreign Service Officer who had served many years in China. His son is a film editor in New York, and Gui was thrilled to make plans to meet with him. Later, another delegate offered to connect Gui with with Christian filmmakers in Los Angeles, and he saw an advance showing of the movie "Son of God" and meet its producers. God provides more than we can hope or imagine!
Since the cadets weren't official delegates to the National Prayer Breakfast, there was concern about getting them tickets for the leadership luncheon and closing banquet. As they fretted about the schedule, one of the ACCTS staff assured them that God would provide. The chaplain from VFMA had been diligently trying to find tickets without success, so on the escalator to the Banquet Hall, he prayed in a loud voice, "Lord Jesus, we need tickets for lunch and dinner. Please help us!" As they reached the bottom, a woman noticed the boys' uniforms, said that her son and her brother were VFMA alumni, and that she had extra tickets for both lunch and dinner! God answers prayer! 
After the cadets dined with diplomats and Members of Congress, they spent the afternoon touring Mount Vernon. At Washington's tomb, one of them inquired about the inscription "John 11:25-26," and an ACCTS staff member explained the verse: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." How fitting that this time of spiritual growth for these cadets should conclude with the Gospel message from our first President!
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