He is Risen!

What has impressed you as you reflected again on the events that we celebrate at Easter?  At the service Good Friday evening, I was impressed by the wide range of emotions that the disciples must have experienced in just over a week.  There must have been a lot of hope and even security as Jesus rode into Jerusalem.  There must have been shock when Jesus changed the traditional Passover meal.  At other moments they experienced confusion, exhaustion, anger, fear, frustration, disillusionment, disappointment, etc.  Then came the third day and the resurrection and a whole new range of emotions.  Thinking about the lessons they learned at each stage of the story brought the story to life in a new way for me (Lorne).

We frequently think about our friends in Baojhong.  They have little opportunity to hear the truth of the Easter story.  We want them not only to hear about Christ’s death and resurrection, but also to know the Lord Jesus in a personal way.  Please pray that God will help them to believe when they do hear the Gospel.

Elyssa stayed in Calgary for the Easter weekend.  She writes final exams on April 14-19 and comes home to Abbotsford on Friday, April 20.  She is still trusting God for summer employment.

Our departure from Abbotsford for Taiwan is planned for 10 weeks from today.  We are beginning to think about shopping for things to take with us, selling our car, disposing of furnishings, etc.  If you are aware of an attic or crawl space that has room for storing some of our keepsakes for the next four years, please let us know.

We are looking forward to sharing this week at North Richmond Alliance Church Thursday, April 12 through Sunday, April 15.

Praise the Lord that the C&MA in Taiwan at a meeting March 31 affirmed its desire to send a missionary couple from Taiwan to the Middle East next year. Please pray for these Taiwanese churches and individual believers as they make decisions about pledging their financial support.

Praise the Lord that Kathy-Lu’s recovery from surgery is going well. She is able to begin to do some activities again, but must be careful to not over-do it. Thank-you for praying for her and the continued recovery process.

April 5 is the Tomb Sweeping Holiday also known as the Clear and Bright Festival. In addition to tidying the graves of ancestors, families traditionally spend time in ancestor worship rituals. Please pray for Christian believers to have opportunities to explain their faith as they interact with family members.

Special services are being planned during the Easter season in Taiwan, including some missionary-led church plants. Please pray for God to use the Easter celebrations to expand His kingdom for the glory of His name.
♦  A Good Friday service will be held in Yuanchang.
♦  A Easter Sunday service will be held in Sihhu.
♦  A Easter baptismal service will be held in the Taipei Ximen District.

Tim and Penny Iverson, international workers serving in Yuanchang, received a request to help with English classes at the largest elementary school in Baojhong (where we live). They will talk to the English teacher involved letting her know that we would be willing to consider this opportunity for community service after we return to Baojhong. Please pray for God to continue to guide in the start of the new church, including opportunities for building relationships.

Please continue to pray for the need for a Taiwanese C&MA church to partner with us in the Baojhong Hidden in Plain Sight work. Believing that it is better for churches to plant new churches, we see this as an important strategic step.

Last week, plane tickets were arranged for our return to Taiwan. Please pray for God to provide storage space for some special personal belongings that we need to leave in Canada.

Please pray for the ongoing planning for the First Annual Vision Prayer Trip. We desire prayer to continue to be a foundational part of the Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry.

We like our new website: www.hiddenintaiwan.org         Please check it out and bookmark this new location. Special thanks to Dave Dick for helping with the new design. We will continue to add more photos and content over the next few weeks.

The C&MA pastors in Taiwan will hold Strategy Meetings March 29-30 This is a special time for mutual encouragement and for discussing matters of importance to the Taiwan C&MA family of churches. Please pray that God will use the time to maintain unity and bring greater cooperation within the denomination.

Please pray for God’s leading as informal inquiries are made to find out which C&MA pastors and churches may be willing to partner with us in the Baojhong church planting work. The timing is in God’s hands, but we are praying that this partnership can be in place prior to our return to Taiwan in June.