Please Pray for Camps!

The Junior High (Middle School) Camp has already begun (July 8-12).  Please pray that the short-term team teachers will connect with the students and get to know them quickly.  Please pray that there will be special “God conversations” where teachers can share about Christ.

Next week is the Elementary School Camp (July 15-19).  A short-term team from Taipei Alliance Church will be joined by two short-term workers from Washington State to teach the students.  Many of the students will have heard Bible stories previously.  Please pray for opportunities to talk with them about believing in Jesus.  Pray that the teachers will be able to have opportunities to share with the families too!

Because we are in Canada, Pastor Joshua along with Albert and Elaine Lu are overseeing these ministries.  Please pray for extra energy as they help with preparation, camp, and other activities too.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord that the team was able to book alternate airline flights and everyone arrived in Taiwan as planned.
• Please pray that we will be Spirit-anointed as we share at churches in Canada.
• We believe that God has the power to heal, and does heal people today.  However, we do not see it happen very frequently.  We are having some opportunities to pray for those in need of physical healing.  Please pray with us for God to show His power and glory in these situations.
• We are into the final preparations for Elyssa (our daughter) and Carl’s wedding (July 27).

Married!

On Saturday, June 29, Pastor Joshua Lee married Ilaine Wang (pronounced Elaine).  Although in Canada, we were able to see a few moments of the wedding on the live video feed.  Others have reported that their ceremony from start to finish honoured God.

Please pray that through their marriage they can be a testimony to family, friends, and the Baozhong community–demonstrating Christ’s love in their relationship.

Iliane has applied for a job transfer to a nearby town in our county.  The new position will become available in late August or early September.  Please pray that the negotiation of the final details can be accomplished soon.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for safe travels for the short-term team.  Some flights are being re-booked due to an airline strike.
• Praise the Lord for safe travels to Canada, and that we are adjusting well to the time difference.
• Please pray that we will be Spirit-anointed as we share at churches in Canada.
• We are into the final preparations for Elyssa (our daughter) and Carl’s wedding (July 27).  We look forward to seeing them within a few days.

Leadership

Today we want you to pray for church leaders.  The photo shows pastors (some with wives) who attended the recent Strategy Meetings.  (There were some who were unable to attend this year.)  They are called by God to shepherd His church during this generation.

Some are tired.  Some are seeking new vision and direction.  Others are rejoicing in what God is doing while still seeking more.

Please pray for the Spirit’s empowering as they work together and serve the Body of Christ.

Praise and Prayer

• This past week has included moments of weakness (while we were sick) and moments of great effort as we anticipate summer needs.  We are praising God that His grace is sufficient for every circumstance.
• Please pray for healing as Lorne’s Dad recovers from surgery.  Pray for hope, even during painful moments.
• As the date of Elyssa (our daughter) and Carl’s wedding approaches, there have been more frequent calls.  We are pleased to report that planning is going well.  We will be with them in early July.

Baptism

Warren declared his faith in Christ and was baptized at the service on June 16.

He shared how when he was unconscious in the hospital God gave him a dream that helped bring him to be willing to believe in Christ.  (He did not know that people were praying for that to happen.)  He is now a child of God, a part of the spiritual family that we call the church.

Please pray for Warren and May to grow in their faith.  May God help them to establish a home where Christ is honored.

Summer Schedule (Canada)

Praise and Prayer

• Thank-you for praying as we attended Field Forum last week.  The weather was rainy but there are lots of good memories.
• Praise the Lord for a good start to the Taiwan C&MA Strategy meetings (June 16-18).
• Please pray for final preparations for our trip to Canada and for God’s blessing as Elyssa (our daughter) and Carl are married on July 27.

Answers to Prayers

Over the past number of years we have asked that you pray 10:02 prayers.  Based on Luke 10:2, we asked you to join us in praying that “the Lord who is in charge of the harvest…send more workers into his fields.”

On Sunday, June 9 we witnessed one way that God is answering that prayer.  It was the Taiwan Alliance Theological College graduation.  Three of this year’s five graduates will be pastors in Alliance churches.

• Wen-Yuan Ho (left) will be installed as the pastor of Agape Alliance Church on July 7.  This church was planted by international workers Thu and Hanh Nguyen and is ministering to Vietnamese living in Taiwan.
• Zhi-Shu Chian (center) will be joining US international workers in planting the Sihhu Alliance Church.  It is about a 20 minute drive west of us, and is a work focussed on reaching the Taiwan Working Class.
• Wen-Jun Lee (right) has been the intern pastor of the Amazing Grace Alliance Church while completing his last year of studies.  He will formally become the pastor of that church (located about a 10 minute drive south of us) and will receive assistance from a US international worker who is returning from home assignment.   They will work together to continue establishing the church.

God is answering prayer!  He has called these young men to work in His church, helping people discover abundant life in Christ.  Thank-you for praying!

Please continue to pray 10:02 prayers!

Another answer!

Warren’s baptism is scheduled for next Sunday!  Lord willing, he will declare his faith in Christ by being baptized in the morning service on June 16.  Please pray for God to help him to continue to grow in his faith.

Praise and Prayer

• Pray for the C&MA international workers who will attend the annual Field Forum June 10-15.  Rev. Daniel Shen (Metro Detroit Chinese Alliance Church) is our speaker.  Pray for us as we gather for relaxation, reporting, rejoicing, and strategizing.
• June 16-18 the Taiwan Alliance pastors (including international workers) will gather for their annual in-service training and strategy discussions.  Rev. Shen will speak about strategies for starting new churches.
• Thank-you for remembering to pray for us as we prepare for our summer in Canada:  Elyssa’s wedding (July 27), speaking in churches, and connecting with partners.
• Camps for elementary and middle school students are being planned for the Summer.

The Broken Watch Strap

My watch strap broke.  The shop did not have a replacement in stock.  So I found myself for about a week looking at my wrist before realizing I needed to take the phone out of my pocket in order to know the time.  I missed my watch!  When the text arrived to say that it was repaired, I was over to the shop within a few minutes to retrieve it.

What about other things in my life?  If they were suddenly missing, would I notice?  Would I be thinking about them, missing them?  If I suddenly could not go to church, or I was prevented from reading my Bible,  would my life feel different.

Those are challenging thoughts that are reminding me to think about what is really important in my life.  May God help us to keep the right people, the right activities, the right  priorities in our lives.

Thanks for Praying!

The phone rang a few minutes before church service started.  It was a request for Pastor Joshua to provide transportation for Warren.  We believe it is the first time he has attended a Sunday worship service.  Please keep praying for God to continue and complete the work of healing and transformation needed in his life.

Prayer Needs

• Praise the Lord that the application process for our resident certificates went smoothly. We will pick them up next week.
• God used an air raid drill to provide extra time in the schedule, allowing Lorne to consult and complete our income tax forms. Thanks for praying.
• Thank-you for remembering to pray for us as we prepare for our summer in Canada: Elyssa’s wedding (July 27), speaking in churches, and connecting with partners.
• Camps for elementary and middle school students are being planned for the Summer. Please pray for clear communication with the schools and with the teams coming to help.

Schedule Highlights

• June 6: Bible Storytelling and English teaching at Baozhong Primary School and Fuhsing Elementary School. These will be the final classes for this semester.
• June 9: Lorne will be sharing at Baozhong Alliance Church. The focus will be John 6:25-40. “The Bread of Life”
• June 9: Taiwan Alliance Theological College Graduation Ceremonies
• June 10-14: Annual Field Forum (Conference for international workers to be encouraged, hear teaching from God’s Word, and hear reports.)
• June 16-18: Church Mission Strategy Meetings (Pastors and International Workers will learn about church planting strategies, and discuss other business.)

The Pause Button

Last week we shared that the church is preparing a classroom to be used as a nursery. The preparations were nearing completions. And God hit the “Pause” button. We discovered the wrong shelf unit had been purchased. The sound system “died” and needed repairs that could take up to one week. When we went to the store to exchange the shelf, special authorization from the denominational headquarters was required. Suddenly we were stopped in all dependency on self. Our reliance on technology and things was challenged.

It is the same week we were reading in Romans and were preparing to read chapter 8. It is like God wanted to know if we truly believed what our lips were saying. Do we truly believe that the Christian life is received through grace? Are we yoked to getting things done or to a relationship with Jesus?

God was present at our service on Sunday as we did things using “older technology” and in creative ways. And, I think we will appreciate that sound system more when it returns for our use on Wednesday.

Thanks for Praying!

Warren has remained in hospital over the past week. The situation was not suitable for Pastor Joshua to teach the last pre-baptismal class. Please pray that God will continue to bring healing into Warren’s life, including in areas that we are not aware of the need. Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead him in the near future to want to express his belief in Jesus through baptism.

Prayer Needs

• We are applying for Resident Certificate renewal this week.  Please pray for favor and for the process to go smoothly.
• Lorne continues to collect information and documents for completing the filing of taxes on both sides of the ocean.
• Thank-you for remembering to pray for us as we prepare for our summer in Canada:  Elyssa’s wedding (July 27), speaking in churches, and connecting with partners.
• Some ministries are winding up before the summer.  Please pray for us to finish well, asking God to use the relational aspects of these activities to touch peoples’ hearts in a unique ways.
• Planning for possible camps in the Summer, Fall, and Winter are being discussed.  Please pray for wisdom as we evaluate each opportunity.

Schedule Highlights

May 30: Bible Storytelling and English teaching at Baozhong Primary School. Afternoon classes at Fuhsing Elementary are cancelled due to the scheduled air raid drill.

June 2: Pastor Joshua will be sharing at Baozhong Alliance Church. The focus will be Genesis 23 : “Buried”

June 9: Taiwan Alliance Theological College Graduation Ceremonies

June 10-14: Annual Field Forum (Conference for international workers to be encouraged, hear teaching from God’s Word, and strategic discussions.)

June 16-18: Church Mission Strategy Meetings (Pastors and International Workers will learn about church planting strategies, and discuss other business.)

Nursery Tales

The church is preparing a classroom to be used as a nursery.  The walls are painted, the floor has foam mats, toys are waiting, and this past week we installed a speaker on the wall so that parents watching the younger children can listen to the service.

Our neighbor has sound system expertise, so we hired him to come and help.  We were glad we did!  The newly installed volume switch initially controlled the volume in the nursery and in the sanctuary too.  It took his expertise to to allow the volume in the different rooms to be controlled separately.

The experience has made me think about God’s desire that we change from controlling our lives to letting Him do so.  Sometimes it is easy to say we are giving control to Him, but in reality still hang onto the control of things.  The reality is that more sanctification is needed if we are to be holy as He is holy.

Thanks for Praying!

Our few days away allowed us to accomplish the things we desired.  We are more refreshed and better prepared for things that will be happening soon.

Prayer Needs

• The “Plum Rains” have arrived.  We are thankful for the water, but are still recovering from the disappointment of cancelling last Saturday’s church outdoor activity.
• Please pray that the incisions from Warren’s surgery will heal quickly.  Also pray for him as he prepares for baptism.
• This month is the season for calculating Taiwan income taxes. We are having difficulty figuring out the recent changes that are supposed to prevent double taxation between Taiwan and Canada.  Please pray we will find the right people to assist us in this.
• Thank-you for remembering to pray for us as we prepare for our summer in Canada:  Elyssa’s wedding (July 27), speaking in churches, and connecting with partners.

Schedule Highlights

Happy Mother’s Day

We want to be among the first to send greetings to those who are being honoured on this special day.  It is a time to remember our own mothers, Lorne’s who we can still talk to and Kathy-Lu’s for whom we have cherished memories.

We are thankful for the influence of our mothers and other godly women in our lives.  God uses such people to guide us into knowing God more.  We learn from their examples

Schedule Highlights

Prayer Needs

• Praise the Lord that the waterproofing arranged by our landlord was completed before the Spring monsoon.  So far we are pleased with the result.
• Warren is home from hospital.  He is taking the Basic Belief class in preparation for baptism.  Please pray that he will desire to learn and will follow Christ without turning back.
• Summer Need:  Car for use in Abbotsford — Provided
• Summer Need:  Car for use in Calgary (July) — Still needed
• We use technology frequently.  We are thankful for those who have contributed to our work fund giving us resources to purchase a new computer for Lorne.  Thank-you!