Can We Visit?

We are scheduling Fall 2026 visits with church groups and ministry partners.
Our time together can be informal or can include a formal presentation.
We would love to meet in person to express our appreciation for your support over the past 35+ years.

(There is a possibility of a short visit to Greater Toronto Area in mid September if there is interest. Please let us know.)

Would you like us to visit? Please send your invitation

Retirement Thanksgiving Service

We appreciate the 75 people who attended the Saturday, May 23 Thanksgiving Service for our 35+ years of missionary service in Taiwan. We appreciate the emphasis on praising God together for what has happened. We felt honoured as the church gave us a leather wall hanging to commemorate the event and our time in Taiwan.  (More photos)

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for the time of fellowship and celebration at the Thanksgiving Service last Saturday. We felt honoured and did our best to give all the glory to Christ Jesus.
• The search for suitable housing in Abbotsford (or nearby) will formally begin in June. Please pray for God to guide our inquiries and provide for our needs.
• The Taiwan Field members are sent from Canada, USA, and Indonesia. We are involved in many different ministries. We will gather together June 1-4 for a Field Retreat. Please pray for times of spiritual nourishment, mutual encouragement, and rich fellowship.

Retreat

Baozhong Alliance Church held its first church retreat on May 15-16. It is hoped that it can become an annual happening.

It was promoted as an opportunity to spend time with the two of us before we leave Taiwan. The additional goal of creating a lasting memory for the two of us was achieved.

We walked in the bamboo forest in the XiTou Forest Recreational Area. We drank tea and stayed at a resort near there, enjoying the lush green scenery. We also visited the FengHuangGu Bird and Ecological Park. Our final activity was to visit the ShuiLi Snake Kiln.

We are thankful for the opportunity to enjoy each site, and for the conversations about faith and life.

The first church retreat was judged as successful.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord that Pastor Xiao is recovering from her heart catheterization surgery. Please pray for the needed healing to occur.
• Please pray that conversations we had with people while on the retreat will lead to spiritual growth in their lives.
• Recently there have been some visitors attending worship services at Baozhong Alliance Church. Please pray that they will grow in faith and become active members of the church family.

Mother’s Day

We are in Baozhong to celebrate Mother’s Day! The church prepared flowers and a small gift for each mother who attended. We were able to take a few of the remaining items to bless mothers we know in the community.

Praise and Prayer

• We are preparing to attend the Baozhong Alliance Church Retreat – May 15-16. Please pray for safety and for good fellowship as we take an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of creation.
• Please pray for C&MA Pastor Ho who experienced severe burns. Pray for protection from infection and that the pain will subside.
• Please pray for C&MA Pastor Xiao who will undergo heart catheterization surgery on Friday, May 15.

Relationships

We attended the Family Rally last Saturday. A total of 47 people attended from seven Alliance churches.

There was a presentation about giving and receiving “love.” It was explained that we often try to demonstrate love and care for others using our own preferred way of receiving love.

• Providing financial stability and things that enable an easier life. This includes gift-giving.
• Making efforts to spend time together.
• Using hugs, holding hands, a gentle punch inthe arm, or another form of touch.
• Speaking words of praise and affirmation.
• Looking for practical ways to help and serve the other person.

These are all valid ways to express care for others. However, discovering the other person’s preferred way of receiving care (in a family or friendship relationship) will strengthen the relationship.

It was the first time that some attendees had considered their own “love language” and that it might be different from other people.

Jesus stated that love for each other is to be a recognizable characteristic of Christian relationship. Please pray that God will use the learning from that seminar and the interaction with others to strengthen family relationships and increase our testimony for Christ.

Praise and Prayer

• Thank-you for praying! The car was sold last week! God provided a buyer. (We are borrowing friends’ cars until we depart from Taiwan.)
• Mother’s Day is an important day in Taiwan. We have seen advertising for weeks about how to make mothers feel special. The Taiwanese value care for parents and older family members. Please pray that the ways that mothers are honoured will be one of the positive ways that Christians demonstrate their faith.

Rejoicing

We joined the pastor and members of the Sihhu Alliance Church to give thanks to God for the purchase of this building that will now be their church facility. A Thanksgiving Service was held on April 25.  Rev. Silas Yang, President on the C&MA in Taiwan. spoke and challenged them to represent Christ well in their community.

The initial cost of the building was beyond the means of the church. About a year later, the price had come down, but was still much higher than the church could afford. People prayed. One church member encouraged the church to make an offer that they felt was appropriate and within their means. The owner countered with an offer still beyond their budget.

After prayer, the church board set a maximum price they could offer, and stated that if the owner would agree to that price or less they would purchase the building. The owner made a final offer that just happened to be the number that the church board had set. However, the conditions were that the real estate agent’s fee could not be deducted from what the owner received.

Usually the fee an agent would charge for selling such a building would be a percentage of the final purchase price. That would be beyond the church’s ability to pay. However, the agent decreased their fee to a set amount that was within the church ability to pay.

God made a way for them to purchase this building when it seemed there was no way to do so.

Please join us in praising God! And please pray for the church as they make plans to use this newer and bigger facility to share the good news about Jesus with those living nearby.

Praise and Prayer

• We joined with many others and witnessed JiaWei’s baptism on April 26. Her family and friends heard her explain why she trusts Christ as her Saviour.  Please pray for her as she continues to live for Christ. Pray for other family members to join her and put their faith in Christ.
• We have added additional ways of advertising that our car is for sale. Please pray for God to provide a buyer.
• May 2 will be a family rally at Amazing Grace Alliance Church in YuanChang Township (about a 10-minute drive from our house). Please pray that God will use what is shared to help build healthy families.

Learning from History

While visiting in Taipei, we heard the history of two of our Alliance churches.

The NanGang Alliance Church (top photo) was started in 1965. The goal was to share the gospel with coal miners. The area has since been redeveloped and the church is now located near Academia Sinica (the most prestigious academic institution in Taiwan).

The SongShan Alliance Church was started in 1958. The goal was to share the gospel with railway workers. The church was located near one of the major railway hubs. The area has since become a major commercial district in Taipei City. Older buildings are being replaced by high rises.

Those churches, and many others around Taiwan, were started because people needed to hear the good news about Jesus.

Please  pray that the need for people to hear about Jesus would continue to motivate believers to share the gospel and to start new churches.

Praise and Prayer

• More than 300 people witnessed Jerry and Jennifer as they said their wedding vows last Saturday. Please pray for them as they begin their life together as a couple.
• We continue to advertise the car. So far there have not been any inquiries. Please pray that we will find the right buyer.
• It will be about three months until we arrive in Canada. Please pray for God to provide housing, a dependable used vehicle, and other things that will be needed as we return to living in Canada.
• Please continue to pray that we will recognize opportunities and know what to say to have conversations with people about living in a relationship with Christ.

Red Envelopes

It is time to use another red envelope.

On Saturday, two of our Alliance pastors will get married. It is traditional for friends of the family and all guests attending the wedding ceremony and wedding feast to use money in a red envelope as a wedding gift.

The cultural expectation is that the amount given will be sufficient to cover the cost of the wedding banquet and something extra to bless the couple as they begin their marriage.

Please pray for Jerry and Jennifer as they say their vows before God and other witnesses. Pray for God to lead them and guide them as they navigate life together.

Praise and Prayer

• We are busy down-sizing. Photos and documents are being digitalized because a computer file has less weight than the paper version. Pray for wisdom as we make preparations for our July move back to Canada.
• Each time Lorne hauls a cartload of recycling to a local collector, neighbors take notice and ask about our plans. Pray that we will have opportunities to talk about God’s love in addition to explaining about our upcoming retirement.
• Please pray that we are able to find a buyer for our car. We are asking God for that to happen sooner rather than later.

Religious Fervor

Do you consider yourself to be a devout religious person?  Are you passionate about your beliefs?

Mazu is one of the most revered goddesses in Taiwan. There are numerous images and many temples dedicated to her worship. Frequently, devotees will request her to protect them. Worship of Mazu is especially prominent among fishermen.

Each Spring, one of the most famous Mazu images is paraded through the streets on a circuit through central Taiwan. The destination is a temple that is temple located about 14 km south of where we live. This year, the pilgrimage will begin just before midnight on April 12, carrying the image 400 km in four days. Devout pilgrims will walk the route with the image.

The photo above is from a news report that stated people lined up for one and one-half kilometers to register to walk in the procession. More than 300,000 people have already registered, and more are adding their names daily. Those who participate will make the pilgrimage, seeking personal protection and blessing.

Please pray for opportunities for Christians to have significant spiritual conversations during this time when people are sometimes more open to talking about such matters.

Praise and Prayer

• The Baozhong Alliance Church decorated hard-boiled eggs and church members distributed them in the community on Sunday morning. It provided an opportunity to tell others about Resurrection Sunday when we celebrate Jesus’ greatest miracle. Please pray that people will be curious to learn more about Jesus.
• Please pray that we are able to find a buyer for our car. We are asking God for that to happen sooner rather than later.
• The warmer weather has arrived. (You would likely think it is hot!) Please pray for stamina and good health as we live through our final months in Taiwan.
• Although it is early to begin looking for housing, please pray for God’s provision of a place to live when we return to Canada in July. (We will need to purchase a car too.)

Holy Week

We join believers around the world to celebrate the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord, Christ Jesus. It is something we should remember daily, weekly, and monthly. But this week is traditionally set aside for special times of remembrance.

The Yunlin County Alliance Churches will gather on Good Friday evening for a Time of Remembering.

On Saturday, the Baozhong Alliance Church will prepare decorated eggs. These will be distributed in the community on Easter Sunday morning prior to church. It will be an opportunity (our last Easter before leaving Baozhong) to remind people that we celebrate Resurrection Sunday.

Sunday worship will include Holy Communion.

How will you celebrate Holy Week and Easter?

Praise and Prayer

• We attended Brother YuZhu’s  celebration of life service last Saturday. More than fifty people attended.  Please continue to pray for his mother and older sister as they continue to grieve. Knowing that he is present with the Lord is a great comfort.
• Thank-you for praying for the Strategy Meetings. There was positive feedback from many who attended.
• This year, Easter weekend in Taiwan is a long weekend. This is because of the “Children’s Day’ holiday and the ‘Clear and Bright Festival.’ Families will send representatives to tidy the graves of the ancestors. Those who follow traditional religious practices will include veneration and requests for protection from the spirits of the deceased. Please pray for Christians to have wisdom in talking with family members about spiritual beliefs and values.

Invited

This week’s photo is Rev. Hsieh presenting Lorne with a special gift to commemorate our international service in Taiwan. This happened during the service on Sunday morning at the Fullness of Life Alliance Church.

Many years ago, while Lorne was serving as Field Leader for both the USA and the Canadian mission organizations, Lorne began praying for an area of Taiwan south of the Taipei International Airport. Driving through that district, there were temples everywhere one looked.  But no church crosses were visible.

Each time Lorne saw the sign for the freeway exit to go to that town, he prayed that God would make ways for the residents to hear the gospel and have the opportunity to place their faith in Christ. About a year later, an established Alliance Church informed Lorne that they had plans to start another Alliance Church. The chosen location was in Chungli, but on the western side close to the district that had been in Lorne’s prayers. The name chosen for the new church was “Fullness of Life Alliance Church.”

God blessed that work and a church was established. At the end of last year the church relocated to new facilities. It was exciting to be able to visit and share in their new location.

But to the truthful, the greatest excitement (maybe I should say ‘joy’) was to think back of how God invited Lorne to be a part of the work that God wanted to establish. God could have accomplished it without Lorne’s participation, but chose to generously invite participation.

We are in relationship with a wonderful, holy God!

Praise and Prayer

• Please continue to pray for Lorne’s friend who is reading the Gospels.  Please pray for Christ to reveal Himself to him.
• Annual Strategy Meetings are scheduled for March 23-25. We will join Alliance pastors from around Taiwan to attend. Please pray for the keynote speaker as he prepares to come and teach us. Pray for denomination leaders who will lead discussions about church ministry.