A Work of Art

The photo may not seem beautiful to you, but it is to us. The reason is that the pipes are no longer leaking.

The vibration from the pump caused leakage. The plumber came and used his expertise to fix the problem, adding an extra loop of pipe to help absorb the vibrations. As a result, we no longer have a wet floor, and neither does our neighbour on the other side of the wall.

This got me thinking today. Sometimes we need God, the Master Craftsman, to come and fix the problems that are beyond our ability to handle. And there are quite a few! The work He does is beautiful.  As Ecclesiastes 3:11 says,
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Do you or I need to request Him to come and create a work of His art in our lives?

Our GM Taiwan Team

We appreciated the opportunity to gather and celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving Day with our Canadian coworkers. The group includes our international worker families and the Global Alliance Professional families. Unfortunately, there were a few family members who were unable to be with us.

Praise and Prayer

Being God’s Messenger

We all like clean delegations. We like the tasks we are assigned to be clearly defined. We probably want to know:

• WHY? (What is the purpose? What is the goal?)
• WHO? (Is there anyone else? Will I have help?)
• WHAT? (What tasks are assigned? Are there unknowns?)
• WHEN? (How long? Is there mid-task evaluation?)
• WHERE? (Is remote work a possibility? What are the living conditions?)
• HOW? (Is the methodology assigned? Or do we have to figure it out?)

In Isaiah 6 we read about when the prophet Isaiah received his work assignment:

• WHY? (God wants a spokesperson.)
• WHO? (God was looking. Available people were hard to find. Isaiah is willing.)
• WHAT? (Be a spokesperson. Say what is needed, when it is needed.)
• WHEN? (The start seems immanent. There is no completion date mentioned.)
• WHERE? (The audience to whom Isaiah will speak is defined: “this people” = “God’s chosen people.” But later we see that it included surrounding nations.)
• HOW? (Isaiah is not told what to say, only to listen and to look expectantly toward God.)

The Taiwan Canadian international workers are asking those same questions as we meet together for a strategy retreat October 10-12. There are more than 23 million people living on the island where we are living. Together with Canadian Global Missions leaders, we will be asking God to define what our focus should be.

• WHY? (There is still a need for people to hear about God’s salvation.)
• WHO? (The current team? Do we need others? Is God redirecting anyone? How do we partner with the Taiwanese C&MA?)
• WHAT? (Through intentional presence, do the work of evangelism and starting churches. Do we need to do more? Do we need to stop doing anything?)
• WHEN? (Over the next five years, what should our focus be?)
• WHERE? (We currently work with the Minnan People (Taiwanese working class) and Vietnamese Diaspora. Are there others God wants us to include?)
• HOW? (Some principles may be mentioned during our strategy times, but this will likely be addressed later.)

Please pray for us as we prepare ourselves for these important days of listening to God and others. Pray for consensus, burden, and enthusiasm for what God wants the Canadian team to do.

Praise and Prayer

Remembering

Last Thursday was an important day in Taiwan.  It was the 921 Remembrance Day.

We were at the elementary school at 9:21 AM. That was the time set for an earthquake drill. Teachers donned hard hats. The principal and the directors wore vests that identified them as leaders. (They carried communication devices.) The students put on their head protectors and everyone moved to the designated meeting place.

The principal read some statements remembering the major earthquake that happened 24 years ago on September 21. He talked with the students, reviewing what to do in the event of a major earthquake.

The 921 Remembrance Day was used to remember the past and also as an educational opportunity to help people be safe as we live our lives today.

Praise and Prayer

Youth

Our church has a youth group!

It meets once or twice each month on Saturdays. The first meeting was on September 9. Those attending are all junior and senior high school students.

Pastor Joshua’s wife, Ilaine, leads with help from our intern pastor.

The youth attend different schools, with many living at school. Most of the schools plan compulsory activities on Sundays. This means they are unable to attend church services. The youth group is one way to have opportunity to interact with the students about spiritual matters.

Please pray for our youth. There is tremendous academic pressure. They have limited time to spend with family and to attend church activities. Pray that God will help them to have strong faith in Him.

Praise and Prayer

Children

It seems that there are more and more children in our lives recently.  This is a good thing, right?

Wednesday afternoon, we were at the church (not pictured) to tell a Bible story and practice English.  The final registration for the After-School Program is four students. One has tutorial class on Wednesday afternoons, so that meant we were with three students. The response is pretty good. We will need to think about whether we will continue to have both of us participate each week or adjust to only one of us.

Thursday mornings, we are at Fuhsing Elementary school.  We received a warm welcome for our first classes of the new semester.  The students were engaged as we told the creation story. We are both looking forward to continuing this teaching opportunity together.

Sunday mornings, we have a whole crowd of children who come from the community.  Our worship service numbers are about half children.  Kathy-Lu is one of the teachers who rotates teaching responsibility during the Sunday School class time. The students are full of energy and are gradually adjusting their expectations so that they participate more.

Working with children is one focus of our church ministry this Fall.  Please pray that we will represent our Saviour well and that the students will desire to know Christ as their personal Lord.

Praise and Prayer

Good News

Hector dropped by for a visit while back in Yunlin. He is entering his third year of university studies. He participates in the leadership of the Christian fellowship on campus. It is always encouraging to receive news of people continuing to live for Christ.

Colossians 1:10 refers to the hope we have as we teach and pray for people.

“Then the  way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”

May God help Hector to continue to live for Christ as he continues his college studies.

Praise and Prayer

Currents

The bodies of water around Taiwan are frequently being mentioned in the news.  One reason is the military exercises in the South and East China Seas. The map shows the locations of those bodies of water in relation to Taiwan.

The Kurioshio Current flows from the tropics towards southern Taiwan. It brings rich nutrients that feed the corals and aquatic animals near Taiwan.  The warm air that accompanies it makes southern Taiwan warmer than the rest of the island.

The current passes through waterways that are important for international shipping and for fishing.  Conflicts with neighboring countries are not just about democratic freedoms.  They are attempts to stake claim over potentially resource-rich areas.

We sometimes use the image of currents to refer to influences that bring changes to our lives. While scheduling and planning we often have opportunity to identify and reflect on such currents:

• Institutional change: there are new ways of doing things and improved ways of reporting.
• Spiritual change: the annual events associated with traditional religions and superstitious practices dictate which topics can be openly discussed without causing offense.
• Political change: the decisions of those whom God has entrusted with authority determine the type of religious freedom available.
• Relational change: people leave and people come into our lives as they pursue employment and education.

In addition to being an anchor during change, God gives wisdom, insight, and opportunities to live out a spirit-empowered life.  Sometimes that means holding firm to what we have been doing, and other times it means trying new things. In all circumstances we are loved and receive all that we need to live and serve Him.

Praise and Prayer

Waves

We saw lots of massive waves this past week.  The influence of pressure systems related to the two typhoons that passed nearby meant that
swimming activities were banned on the beaches.  But the noise of the waves and the unique beauty in each one made for some restful relaxation nearby (out of their reach).

There are different kinds of waves that we experience in life:

• Waves of joy: especially when we see evidence of God working in someone’s life. (We spent time last weekend with friends who are excitedly following God into a new area of ministry.)
• Waves of frustration: when the sound system does not work on Sunday morning.  (Yes, this happened yesterday.)
• Waves of anger: when we see injustice and prejudice harming people. (Community leaders are using multiple excuses to avoid disposing of a large quantity of bagged refuse. May God give perseverance and help us find a way to help this less-advantaged family.)

I think you get the idea. A feature of waves is continuous repetitive action or emotion.  They seldom stop without an outside influence  such as:

• Provision of answers.
• Miraculous calming of the storm.
• Breakthrough in a situation.

Let’s trust God to provide what is needed to fill us with hope and faith for each wave-washed situation.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for restful times during our vacation.  We also made some new friends.
• These two weeks are the time when we must write the 2024 budget request.  We need to request financial resources for anticipated ministry in the next calendar year.  Please pray that we will be filled with faith and wisdom as we work through the process of creating the budget request.
• Planning for Fall ministries is happening. Please pray for God’s guidance.
• And, there are people we desire to visit.  Pray God will make a way for that to happen.

Reading and Writing Camp

There are students from our town and from surrounding towns who have registered for the “Reading and Writing Camp” which will be held at our church this week. (The publicity is in this week’s photo.) The class times are each morning.

The instructor is a member of the FuHsing Alliance Church in YungHo.  Some of you may remember that we worked with that church in our first term of service in Taiwan.

Pastor Joshua will tell Bible stories each of the three days.  Please pray that hearts will be open to receive truth and that there will be some who respond to the invitation to have a relationship with Christ.

(A typhoon is predicted to come across the island on Wednesday, July 26.  Please pray that it will not cause cancellation of any days of this camp activity.)

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord that we experienced a wonderful week of fellowship as we attended the Taiwan Missionary Fellowship Conference last week.  The theme for the week was ‘Collaboration.’
• Praise the Lord that our short-term team members have arrived home safely. Please pray God’s blessing on them as they recover and as they process the memories of their experiences.
• Please pray that we will be successful in applying for passport renewal.  We must travel to Taipei for this.
• Lorne is investigating whether it is suitable to use the ‘Peace Generation’ curriculum here in Taiwan.  Please pray for God’s leading and for his provision of help with the translation if we choose to use it.

Plan Your Summer 2024!

We have just finished the Elementary Student English Character-Building Camp.  It was a blessing.  AND, we had three first-time attendees in Sunday School after the camp!

We have talked with Pastor Joshua, and we are looking for a short-term team to come in early July to teach at next year’s camp.

Are you available?
Is your church willing to sponsor and send a team?

Write us and let us know!

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for a good response from the students at the camp.  The dinner for their families on Friday evening at the church was attended by quite a few students and some family members (Sorry, I forgot to count how many.)
• Thanks to Victoria Chinese Alliance and Heritage Alliance Churches for their financial help for camp expenses.
• Thank-you to the short-term team members who sacrificially came, giving of their time and personal finances to be a part of our event.  They have departed from Baozhong and will soon be arriving at home.
• Praise the Lord that we had 11 elementary-aged students in Sunday School on Sunday morning.