HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thank-you for praying for us this past year, and especially this past month as we had additional outreach activities.  We are encouraged as we remember

• The involvement of the children at different activities throughout the month.  From decorating the tree, to their own pre-Christmas Weekend Happy Camp activity, carolling on the streets, and even one boy who has attended two Sunday activities.
• Telling the children in the schools that the story did not begin with the manger story, but rather with the prophecies even a few thousand years previous.  Those were new details about the Christmas story that some had not previously heard.
• Distributing candy bags in the schools where we work, and in the community.  The fact that our candy bags had a few more pieces of candy than previous years meant that many people felt that we were generous and it made them more willing to talk to us about Christmas and what it means.
• On Christmas Eve morning Lorne was requested to don the Santa suit to help our town’s largest elementary school celebrate.  It provided an opportunity to tell them about Saint Nicholas and how his worship of Jesus motivated him to be generous and give to the poor.   This meant that even the younger students whom he does not regularly teach had a chance to see and hear that Santa is only a game we play and not the true reason for Christmas.
• Receiving a gift of almost six dozen egg tarts on Christmas Day that we were able to share with neighbours and friends.  It is fun representing God by being generous.
• Opportunity to share with the youth that attended the Christmas party.

This week we have time off from teaching in the schools as people have holidays on January 1-2.  This will provide us an opportunity to do the year-end bookkeeping and statistical reports.  It should provide us a chance to catch our breath after a month with a number of extra activities.  We will also have the opportunity to work on some long-term projects that had been set aside for a few weeks.

Family News:  Our son Ethan asked Jill Shipley and she said “Yes!” that she would marry him.  So there is extra happiness in the Taiwan White House as we anticipate this event and their future life together.  Please pray for them as they plan for a summer 2015 wedding.  They will both be studying for the next four months.  Ethan will be at Ambrose University, in what is hopefully a final semester of study in the business program.  Jill will be in Quebec doing an internship.

We (Lorne and Kathy-Lu) are planning a Spring 2015 trip back to western Canada for vacation and ministry.  We will be based out of Abbotsford and are already scheduling times to connect with supporting churches April 16-22 and May 14-20.  If you, or your group, would like to connect with us during one of those two weeks, please contact us so that we can put you on the schedule.  We are excited for this opportunity to meet with those on mission together with us.