I was driving into a construction zone when Kathy-Lu suddenly exclaimed “Oh!” or “Ah!”  I don’t remember her exact expression, only that I came close to using my head to open the sun roof in my friend’s car.  It took a moment to determine that there was not a problem.  She was seeing a brilliant rainbow, visible only from her side of the car.  My focus was elsewhere (like it should be) so I did not see that.  A few minutes later when driving the car back toward my friend’s house, I looked for the rainbow which would have been on my side of the car, but it was no where to be seen.  Disappointment welled up in my heart.  I wanted to see it too.  And then, after driving for about another ten minutes, just before arriving at my destination, I saw a spectacular long bright rainbow in the sky. Then, as I drove my own car back toward home, there was a sun spot rainbow, brightly displayed ahead of me for most of the trip.  I cannot explain why seeing the rainbow was so important to me yesterday.  I did not stop and take a photo using my mobile phone.  The scene was only captured by my eye and stored in my heart.  It was one of those sacred moments that seemed to be God affirming that He loved and cared about me.  He even created a rainbow when my heart yearned to see one.  Reflection and talking to God made an ordinary happening, become an extraordinary moment.

Have you recently had a moment when you particularly sensed God’s love for you?  Feel free to write and tell us about it.  And, may we encourage you to take time to look this week for the special moments when God is telling you He loves you and cares about you.

This past week Lorne was able to be with the students of Fuhsing Elementary School when they saw the short 3D film “美力台灣” (“Beautiful Taiwan”)  The link is of just one of the clips that was used to make the film.  For many of the students it was the first time they had seen a film with 3D technology.  They have a specially equipped truck that is being used to take the film to rural schools.  They are hoping it will motivate some students to use their creativity to do something special with their lives.

Kathy-Lu missed the above opportunity, and many other happenings, because she has been sick with the flu this past week.  Her health is slowly improving and she is looking forward to involvement in a number of activities this week—including going on an outing with the Baozhong Primary School teaching staff on Wednesday afternoon.  We appreciate prayer for her recovery and that Lorne will not get sick.  (He historically gets a nasty cold in November.)

In addition to our regular activities, we are gearing up for Christmas.  That is a special opportunity to share with people about Jesus.  We ask that you will join in praying for the following planned events:

• Saturday, December 6 Decorating the Tree:  Elementary students come and help decorate the tree as we talk about why Christmas is celebrated and the the meaning of some of the symbols of Christmas.
• Saturday, December 13 Kids’ Weekend Happy Camp:  Elementary students will hear the story of the announcements about Jesus birth to Mary and Joseph.
• Saturday, December 13 Youth Candy Bagging: Youth will help to prepare goody bags for distribution in the schools, community, and at church Christmas events.  Each will contain a tract.  They youth will continue to see and discuss segments of the Hope Project.
• Sunday, December 14 Small Group Worship followed by Candy Bagging:  Completing the task of preparing the goody bags.
• Friday, December 19 Christmas Carolling in the Community:   We will be inviting people we know to join us in singing.  This will be an opportunity to invite people to the Sunday morning Christmas celebration.  Please pray that it does not rain and that it will not be too cold.
• Sunday, December 21 Christmas Celebration:  Singing, Cake, Sharing by Rev. Simon Zhang. (Rev. Zhang will share in Taiwanese.)  Please pray that some of those invited will come and be a part of the celebration.
• Saturday, December 27 Kids’ Weekend Happy Camp:  Elementary students will hear the story of the birth of Jesus being announced to the shepherds.  This will be the children’s Christmas party.
• Saturday, December 27 Youth Christmas Party.

We are also looking to make some facility improvements over the next couple of months.  We need wisdom and good advice from local partners about purchasing a portable PA system for use at various activities, installing a sign so that people can find us more easily, a bulletin board, etc.  Please pray that God will lead us to make wise choices that will serve the church well over the next number of years.

Communication with someone else needs both a desired message (the content) as well as a way to send and receive the message..  We are reminded of this when we drive past a field just north of the centre of our town.  There are a number of transmission towers capable of sending radio signals.  We have been told that they were used to send radio messages to the residents of Mainland China, especially when the military situation was much more tense (during the middle of the last century).  They may still be used, but we are not the intended recipients and do not have the proper receiving apparatus.  Another local communication system is the seldom used and occasionally tested emergency broadcast system designed to alert residents of a military-related emergency.  When the sirens are tested, we all hear them.  More frequently we hear the neighbourhood public address system, used to inform residents of community happenings and other government-related announcements.  Recently we have been hearing loudspeakers mounted on broadcast vehicles (trucks, cars, motorcycles, bicycles).  These specially equipped vehicles have both advertising boards and loudspeakers to communicate the advertisements (political, stores, schools, etc.).  In these last few weeks leading up to the municipal elections, this is a favorite method being used by the various candidates. Last, but not least, is the relational communication system also known as the neighbourhood grapevine.  We are thankful for neighbours and friends who help to keep us informed about local happenings.

Most of these methods can be chosen to tell people about the church and about God’s love.  Our prayer is that wherever we go, and whatever we do, we will communicate in a positive way about Jesus and His church.  We want to be following the leading of our Saviour, and want people to be attracted to Jesus as 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (NLT) describes:

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

Please pray that we will consistently be a positive witness for Christ in what we say and do.

Recently we find ourselves providing spiritual and emotional support to people going though difficult struggles.  Please pray that God will be both a Fortress and a Comfort during this time.

This past week we were reminded of the differences between rural Taiwanese culture and the one in which we grew up.  Our neighbour was injured in an accident near our house.  We joined other neighbours and onlookers in providing assistance at the time (directing traffic, insuring that emergency services was called, etc.)  Thankfully their injuries that needed immediate medical care and ongoing follow-up are not considered to be life-threatening, nor extremely serious.  A few days later, our neighbour made a tasty meal for neighbours who assisted her, bringing it to our homes.  She explained that although it was coming from her heart, she also feels a sense of cultural obligation to express gratitude in this way.  Through this experience we are reminded that there are different ways to express gratitude.  Some take more effort than others.  I am not sure had I been the one recovering that I would have been as willing to make the effort to go to the extent she did to express thanks.  I would have been tempted to only use my words.

The Bible talks about demonstrating gratitude at different times and in different ways.  Some verses that will help to shape our expression of thanksgiving include:

• Be thankful in all circumstances……(1 Thess 5;18)
• Give thanks to the Lord….Let the whole world know what He has done…….. (1 Chron 16:8)
• The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to give thanks to the Lord……(2 Chron 5:13)
• It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High……..(Ps 92:1)
• …give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone……(Ps 109:30)
• The joyful voices … of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. They will sing,……..(Jer 33:11)
• Present your bread made with yeast as an offering of thanksgiving…..(Amos 4:5)
• …give thanks to God before eating……(Rom 14:6)
• Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God…..(Phil 1:3)
• …pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them……(1 Tim 2:1)

This week’s Praise and Prayer focus:

• We are thankful for safety and health as we are involved in a variety of activities each week.  Please join us in praising God for this, and ask for His continued blessing in these areas.
• We are thankful that God has provided our daughter, Elyssa, part-time work that will fit around her university class schedule.  Thank you to all who have prayed for this over the past number of months.
• We are thankful for Chinese-speaking church members in Canada, who are using graphic arts to produce Christmas and Chinese New Year publications to be distributed here in Taiwan.
• We are thankful for Taiwanese church members who teach at our church’s Children’s Weekend Happy Camp twice each month.  This week there will be people travelling from Taipei Alliance Church to help us (November 8).
• We are thankful that a short-term team is coming from a church in Calgary to lead a youth camp in July 2015.  The local junior high school has already agreed to the dates.
• We are thankful that planning for a number of Christmas related activities has begun.  Please pray for additional singers and suitable weather for the community carolling on December 19.  (We will provide a complete list of the activities in one of our next updates.)
• We are thankful for people like you, who faithfully partner with us by praying.

Did you know that the town in which we live is the birthplace of the pop singer Teresa Teng?  Her song, “Stories in a Small Town,” is played over the loudspeakers in our neighbourhood before announcements are made.  She began her life in the room her father rented.  Her father provided security for the sugar refinery that was located in our town.  That refinery closed many years ago, and our town has since undergone many changes.  The story is still being written, and we are hearing the plans that some politicians have to help our local economy and the quality of life for the residents.  We are hoping that changes in people’s belief patterns brought about by the message of the gospel, and the establishing of a church will be written into the storyline.  Please continue to pray toward this end.

Story-telling is becoming a major part of what we are doing in our town.  Lorne and Kathy-Lu tell English Bible stories to elementary school students using PowerPoint pictures and dramatic expression.  Elaine has begun telling Bible stories in Taiwanese on her weekly visits to our town.  Testimonies that believers share when visiting with us are the story of God at work in people’s lives.  We have begun to show segments of the video http://www.thehopeproject.com/ to our youth group, helping them to better understand the story of the Bible.  Please pray that God will use these stories and more to bring hope and blessing into people’s lives.

Ten elementary students attended the Saturday afternoon children’s activity, with two regular attendees absent because of happenings in their family. Please pray that the stories and truths the children hear will result in faith at a young age. We are thankful for their exuberance as they attend each time.

Did you know that the area of Taiwan in which we live is known for the large number of temples?  There are major temples, like the largest one in our town, that have influence that extend to other parts of Taiwan.  There are also a large number of smaller temples, shrines and temples in people’s homes, and new start-ups happening all the time.  There are small shrines for burning incense, burning ‘spirit money,’ and leaving simple food offerings in each neighbourhood, allowing people to ask the idol known as the “god of the land” to help and protect them.  Recently we have been reminded of this significant feature of our area as there have been a larger number of idol parades through the streets. These coincide with the birthday of the idol god, or other auspicious days.  There are many paragraphs in the Old Testament that declare that the God Who made the heavens and earth is greater (e.g. Jeremiah 10). Please join us in praying that people will be attracted to belief in Jesus, rather than believing in the idols and following the religious teaching of temple leaders.  May many more people find Jesus to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life–the only way to God in heaven.

We also request that you pray for God to grant us wisdom to know how to reach out to and follow up some youth.  Some have decided to believe in Jesus and need teaching to further understand their faith.  Others are curious and need to know more before making a decision.  Pray that God will guide the topics of conversation and help us to express things in ways that they understand.

Wishing our family and friends in Canada a very warm and happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Praise the Lord with us for a good week of sharing, praying, and bringing words of blessing to the people of our town.  We appreciate the energy that the team from First Alliance Church in Toronto brought to the week.  There were glimpses of God working in people’s lives on different days throughout the week.  For example:

• Tuesday – hearing the testimony of the pastor in the nearby town of Sihhu reminded everyone that God is mighty to save.
• Thursday – words of affirmation and direction as on-site workers were prayed for.
• Saturday – Three youth asked to come over, even though the usually scheduled youth event was cancelled, and there was a good time of interacting with one of our short-term team members.
• Sunday – we had a total of 18 people celebrate Thanksgiving, including the two of us.  Four of the six people from the community were first time attendees.  (see attached photo)

This week we will continue teaching English and telling Bible stories in the schools.  Please pray that the students would be willing to carefully listen and that the content of the stories would take root in their hearts.

We have heard of a single parent family in town that is in crisis and needs outside help. Please pray that we will be able to make contact this week if it is God’s will for us to be His presence in this situation.

“Coming to Taiwan, we are seeing and experiencing things that words could not have described.”  That is a translation of what one of our short-term team members said.  We are just completing our third day together and enjoying the fellowship and opportunities to share.  But most of all we are excited about the time we are spending praying together. We are so glad that this team has come to pray with us.  (See photo)  Maybe you want to think about coming as part of a team for next year.  We would love to dialogue with you about the possibilities.

Thank you for praying for the English classes and the English Bible story-telling.  We had another great week.  In one class, the students seemed disappointed that the story stopped when it did,  They all wanted to know what comes next.  In another class, when asked what they could learn from the story the students said: to trust God, to pray to God, and many other good answers.  We are thankful for the opportunity to plant some seeds of truth, and are hoping to reap a harvest from the younger generation.

We are thankful to report answers to more than one of our recent requests for prayer.

• A high school student has agreed spend her some of her Fall vacation helping to watch the Lu children during the first part of the Vision Prayer Event (October 4-12).  This will allow Albert and Elaine to both participate in the different activities of the week.  Praise the Lord!
• We had a good start to English classes in two schools last week.  The children loved hearing the story of David and Goliath. (This week Lorne has prepared the story of David and Jonathan’s promise of friendship.  Lord willing, Lorne will also have the first opportunity of this semester to begin telling Bible stories at the Baozhong Primary School on Friday morning.)
• Kathy-Lu’s eye is recovering well after her cataract surgery.  She still needs to be careful, and her eye is still very sensitive to bright light, but we are very encouraged as we see God’s work of healing.  Praise the Lord!

Final preparations are happening as we anticipate the Saturday morning arrival of the team from First Alliance Church in Toronto.  Our desire is that all of us who participate will sense God’s leading and releasing of His power through prayer. Specific requests for the prayer event are:

• That our focus will be on God, remain on God, and prayerfully follow God to the people and topics that are on God’s heart.
• Pray that God’s Spirit will be free to work, and that the enemy of our souls will be thwarted.
• Pray for health and protection on the participants and the families of participants.   Pray that God’s will be done in the establishing of a church in Baozhong Township.

Finally, we want to take a few lines in this update to thank you for being on mission together with us.  Your generosity in supporting us through giving to the Global Advance Fund, and your ongoing prayer support, make it possible to build relationships with people and share with them the good news of Jesus.  With your help and companionship on this mission, many more people are having an opportunity to hear about Jesus.  Thank-you for your continuing commitment to be involved.

Thanks for praying as Lorne attended the Jonathan Training (Church Multiplication Movement training) last week.  There were moments when God used His Word and the course content to affirm what we are doing.  At other moments we were challenged to consider doing things differently.  There was beneficial interaction with church planters who are using methods that we would like to begin to use this year. For example, starting groups that discuss Bible Stories.  The course framework provided time for Lorne, Albert and Elaine to discuss the direction and emphasis of the work that they will increasingly become a part of.  It was a worthwhile expenditure of time and energy.

We will begin teaching in the schools on Thursday and Friday this week.  Thanks for praying for our preparation, good relationships with the students, and for a good start to the year.

We will have a final planning session for the October 4-12 Vision Prayer Short Term Team event on Wednesday morning.  It has been difficult to find a high school youth who is able to come and watch Albert and Elaine’s children during those days.  Please pray for this need to be met, and for creativity when solving other challenges.

Our next Children’s Weekend Happy Camp happens this Saturday afternoon.  Please pray for good attendance and that God will empower this week’s teachers from Taichung Alliance Church.

Many of the youth will be writing a major English exam on Saturday. We are praying that those taking the exam will remember the things they have studied, and that they will personally pray to God asking Him to help them. Because the youth are busy, we will not be able to take them to visit the Logos Hope (OM Ship) that is docked in Tainan.  We are still praying that the literature ministry and interactions with the ship’s crew will encourage many Taiwanese to obediently follow Jesus.

Thank-you for praying for us this past week.  Although it was a very full week, we were able to accomplish the many things in the schedule. We are very grateful to God that Kathy-Lu’s cataract surgery went well and Kathy-Lu is home recovering.

Lorne is attending the Jonathan Training (Church Multiplication Movement) this week. It is a chance for him, along with Albert and Elaine Lu, to be reminded of Scriptural principles.  There will also be some practical suggestions of how to apply those teachings in the Taiwan ministry. There are a number of friends from other mission groups who are also attending the sessions. Please pray for God to help us to take special note of the things He wants to teach us.

Praise the Lord that there were nine elementary children who attended last Saturday afternoon’s Weekend Happy Camp. We are very thankful for the help of the C&MA churches that are sending members to help with this ministry. Please pray for those who attended and that more children will come to future events.