Category Archives: What’s Happening?

2018 #48

Posted on by

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 48   November 26, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

They Came to Encourage

The Deep Grace Alliance Church (ShenKeng District of New Taipei City) has partnered with us for many years.  In the past they have sent workers to help with Saturday children and youth ministries.  Last Friday, about half of their church members made the trip down to visit us.  For some this was a return visit, others it was their first time to see Baozhong.

It was an encouraging time of fellowship.  The two photos on the top right show that we made good use of our expanded facility as we hosted them.  Our hope is that the churches can have further opportunities to fellowship and that they can support each other in evangelistic endeavors.

New Life! Growing Faith

May (last week we referred to her as “Beautiful-Jade) gave her testimony and was baptized.  The other two photos were taken on her baptism Sunday.  It is exciting to see God answering her simple prayers of faith.  We are praying that her husband will be willing to hear more about Christ as he sees her changed life.

Prayer Items

  • Please pray for Pastor Joshua’s father who was injured in a car accident last week.  Pray for Pastor Joshua as he spends a couple days with family to help.
  • Please pray for planning for the Dec. 8 Christmas Tree Decorating Parent-Child Event.  Pray that we will be able to present the Bible story and truth about Christ in a clear way.  Pray that people will want to hear more and attend other Christmas events and church services.
  • Praise the Lord that the elections were held throughout Taiwan without major problems.  The referendums (that are legally binding) resulted in choices that align with Biblical values and will benefit society.  Please pray that the recently elected  22 mayors and more than 200 township magistrates will govern with wisdom and righteousness.  Pray that the thousands elected as council members across Taiwan will do their jobs honestly and in a fair, equitable manner.
  • The Sunday School children are practicing a short play that they will do at the Nursing Home on December 15 and at the Christmas Outreach on December 23.  Please pray that the modern version of the prodigal son will touch their lives and the lives of those who watch them.

“As part of the C&MA family, we are very appreciative of your ongoing support to the Global Advance Fund (GAF).  The GAF supports 225+ workers to be living and serving in places all around the globe where there is very little access to Jesus. As we approach year-end, would you consider a special gift to the GAF.  Thank you.”

2018 #47

Posted on by

 

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 47   November 19, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

Is It Enough?

Today, Kathy-Lu had the privilege of teaching Sunday School for eight children.  They are age six through twelve.

Because the story was about five loaves and two fish, she brought some homemade pita bread.  She described the scene, helping them understand there was no easy way to provide food.  There were many people who were getting hungry.  She showed the bread to the children, and said the boy that shared his lunch had five loaves of bread like this, and two fish.  She asked: “Would 5 loaves and 2 fish be enough for more than 5000 people?”

She expected to hear “No way,” or “Of course not.”  But a third grade boy from a non-Christian home said:  “Enough!  Enough!” (”夠了！夠了！”)

She asked again:  “Enough.  Really?”  He replied: “Yes, with Jesus or when Jesus is there whatever you have is enough.“  （”是的。 耶穌在有什麼都夠啦！”）

Do we believe that?  It seems that he is beginning to understand this truth.

Stop the Press!  Breaking News!

A young mother told us this week she wants to be baptized on November 25.  She had previously attended the new believer classes that Pastor Joshua taught, but some family tragedies meant that a few weeks ago she was not ready to be baptized.  Now she is excitedly ready.  Please pray for “Beautiful-Jade” as she prepares to share her testimony and be baptized next Sunday.

Prayer Items

  • The C&MA international workers will gather on Thursday to celebrate American Thanksgiving.  There will be a meal and an opportunity to give thanks to God.  It will also be an opportunity to say “Good-bye” to John and Bev Tolbert.  They will be redeploying away from Taiwan at the end of the year.
  • Melody Truong is back from her missions trip.  We are looking forward to hearing about her experiences on Thursday.
  • Saturday, Nov. 24, is the Nine-in-One Ekection.  Mayors, Council Members, and Neighbourhood Chiefs will be elected for all areas of Taiwan.  There are also referendum questions that deal with the definition of marriage and other public matters.  We know that God is Sovereign over such things.  Please pray for harmony in the community and for Christians to be wise in their conversations so that their testimony for Christ shines brightly.
  • The poster for the Christmas Outreach has been designed and will be printed this week.  Please pray that people will respond to the invitations and come.
  • The Sunday School children are practicing a short play that they will do at the Nursing Home on December 15 and at the Christmas Outreach on December 23.  Please pray that the modern version of the prodigal son will touch their lives and the lives of those who watch them.

2018 #46

Posted on by

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 46   November 12, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

A Creative Solution?

We don’t have much to report this week as we were on vacation for the past week.  We accomplished some tasks around the house and had some relaxing outings.  It feels good to have made some progress on those tasks.

The pollution levels were particularly bad last week, with warnings about outdoor activities.  As we drove toward the the coast, Kathy-Lu saw the wind turbines.  Her idea was to re-purpose them, turning them to blow the pollution away from us.   We had a chuckle and hopefully you will too.

Prayer Items

  • Lieu returned to Taiwan on November 7.  She applied to have her  tourist visa changed to a resident visa.  The application was accepted, but because it had been too long since her medical that needs to be done again.  We are seeing the answers to your many prayers and have hearts filled with hope!
  • Melody Truong is on a Missions Trip with some students from her school.  The MK school has sent out a number of teams that will be ministering in neighboring countries this week. Please pray for safety and for God to use the students’ experiences to deepen their faith.
  • Planning for the Baozhong Christmas Outreach.  If you have graphic design skills, and have some time to assist in designing a poster, please let us know.  We would love to have some help.  (Chinese language skills are needed.)
  • There are chairs to purchase and some painting to be done to finish the church renovations.  Pray for wisdom as we do the final steps in enhancing our worship center.

2018 #45

Posted on by

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 45   November 4, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

Keeping the Purpose in Mind

Recently Lorne has been supervising the building renovations and managing the budget related to that.  Because the steel security door is badly rusted, but has now become a part of the indoor space, we determined that it would be wise to paint it.  But that meant grinding off the rust first, creating billows of dusty particles.  So, Pastor Joshua with a little help from Lorne has been cleaning, and cleaning some more.

It would be easy to make completing the renovations our focus right now.  Without a general contractor to supervise, there are many things to manage.  But on Sunday Nov. 3, we were reminded why we are doing the renovations.  We had 13 adults and 11 children attend our Sunday morning service and Sunday School.

The above photo was taken before church started, so a number of people had not yet arrived. (Yes it happens that way here too.)  Although the building needs are currently taking effort and time, the reason we are doing it is to provide a place to worship Christ, to tell others about Christ.

Please Keep Praying

Please continue to pray for God to make a way for wives to overcome obstacles to attend church services and Bible studies.  We are catching glimpses that God is starting to answer your prayers.  We have seen people come who have not been permitted to do so in the past.  We don’t know if it is a one-time occurrence or a newly-gained freedom.  So keep praying!

More Prayer Items

  • Monday, Nov 5, Lieu will pick up her visa to return to Taiwan.  We will not know until they what type of visa has been granted.  Please pray for the remaining process needed for her to obtain her resident card.
  • Planning for the Baozhong Christmas Outreach continues.  Job assignments have been given.  We have confirmed that we may use the local junior high school activity center.  Participants are being requested to act in the skit or do other things.  Please pray for wisdom in all the preparations.
  • We are thankful for a week of vacation.  We will “unplug” from the regular routine and do some things for relaxation and renewing our energy.  This may mean a delay in us responding to your emails and social media messages.

2018 #44

Posted on by

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 44   October 29, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

Thanksgiving Moment

The Taiwanese Working Class people group needs to hear the good news about Jesus being their Saviour.  We are thankful for the group of people who want to see that happen.  Some, like you, are praying each week for this to happen.  Others are coming and helping short-term.  Still others are providing the financial support.  There are people who advise and those who help with specific projects.  Some have a ministry of encouragement, sending messages to encourage us and others on our team.

Each person is appreciated!  We thank God for each and every one of you!  Thank-you for being an important part of helping Taiwanese people learn about Jesus and the new life He provides.

Receiving Something Different

Sometimes we pray and ask for one thing, and receive something different than we asked for.   For instance:

  • We prayed for God to work out the details to have the meeting room renovations done well at the end of the month.  Last Thursday evening we received notification that the workmen were coming on Friday to install the new wall (pictured above).  That meant last minute adjustments to our schedule.  We stayed in Baozhong and did not go to the C&MA Central Area Prayer Meeting as previously planned.  In addition to being present to answer the questions about the construction, it was also an unplanned additional time for preparing some Bible stories for use in the classroom.  God is good!  The timing was not what we were expecting, but it is working out for the benefit of us all.
  • We mentioned last week that Lieu would be applying for her resident visa on Monday, Oct. 29.  She successfully accomplished the needed application.  The response was different than what we were hoping.  She is being granted a visitor visa.  The visitor visa being granted will allow Lieu to apply from within Taiwan for a change of visa status, permitting her to apply for the visa after her return to Taiwan next week.  The application was not completed in one step as hoped, but it is another step forward in the process.  Please keep praying for her visa to be granted.

More Prayer Items

  • Thank-you for praying for our building renovations.  The major work is done on the roadside wall.  The expanded meeting space is great!  We need the contractor to make a few small adjustments to improve things, and have a few more important tasks to complete before the job is done.  Please pray for us as we handle these things in addition to the regular demands of our ministry.
  • Lieu is visiting family this week.  Please pray that she will be able to share Jesus’ love with those who do not yet know Jesus as their Saviour.
  • Praise the Lord for a good meeting between Rev. Cuong Do and Rev. Andy Chi.  Please pray that God’s love will continue to cross linguistic and cultural barriers so that people will hear about Jesus.  We are thankful for the opportunities for cooperation and partnership that were discussed at the meeting.
  • We had a wonderful time celebrating with the Songshan Alliance Church.  Maybe you saw we were tagged in some photos on FaceBook.  It is a church that continues to share the good news about Jesus, and equip people for both lay ministry and full-time ministry.  It is good to be able to celebrate with them.
  • Planning for the Baozhong Christmas Outreach continues.  Job assignments have been given.  Lorne is responsible for the venue and promotion.  Kathy-Lu will be involved in worship leading.  Others have different assignments. Please pray for each of us to do our assigned tasks well.

2018 #43

Posted on by

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 43   October 22, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

Thanksgiving Moment

This week we are thankful for Jason who through baptism testified to his faith in Christ.  His teacher and classmate came to witness the event.

We are also thankful that Christ brought peace, harmony, and unity to the C&MA Taiwan delegates at last Saturday’s denominational meeting.  Some important decisions were made, and people respectfully listened to others.  We praise God for how He is working in and through the C&MA in Taiwan.

Safe!

We were shocked to hear about the train derailment on Sunday evening, Taiwan time.  Although we are thankful that our missionary coworkers and people we know were not involved, our hearts grieve for the families of the 18 who were killed and the 187 who were injured.  Many of them do not have the hope we have in Christ of seeing their loved ones again.

Oct 28 – Next Step

The next step in the process to obtain a resident visa for Lieu will happen on Monday, October 29.  (BUT, that is October 28 in North America.)  Would you please pray that Lieu will find favor when she makes application for her visa on that date.

More Prayer Items

  • Please pray for Jason.  He will likely have many opportunities to talk about his faith this week as other classmates hear about his baptism.  Pray that God will protect him and help his understanding of his faith to continue to grow.
  • The electrician came and put in some improvements as the work on our meeting area began.  The next step will be a new wall and entryway.  That should happen the last week of the month.  Please pray that things will continue to go smoothly and within budget.
  • Lorne will meet with Rev. Cuong Do (Association of Vietnamese Alliance Churches) and Rev. Andy Chi (President of the C&MA in Taiwan) on Friday.  Please pray for good communication across language and cultural lines.  We are thankful for this opportunity to see God use partnership to expand His kingdom.
  • Lorne and Kathy-Lu will attend the October 28 Service of Thanksgiving for the Songshan Alliance Church 60th Anniversary.  It will be an opportunity to rejoice with the church members and guests who attend the service.
  • Planning for the Baozhong Christmas Outreach has begun.  Please pray that we will be wise as we arrange for the venue, approach people to share, sing, or act in the play.  This year our church is responsible for overseeing the cooperative effort with the Village Gospel Mission Gospel Center.

2018 #42

Posted on by

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 42   October 15, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

Thanksgiving Moment

Continuing our theme of making October a month of thanks, we are thankful for co-workers.  Sometimes life gets busy.  It is comforting to know that there are others working with us and helping to carry the load.

We are also thankful for two short term teams that will be coming in early 2019.  We will be spending time communicating with them this week, helping in the planning process.

Ups and Downs

Last week was a busy week with both encouraging and challenging happenings.

  • Kathy-Lu and I had a Thanksgiving Date for a Pasta Restaurant.  It wasn’t turkey, but our hearts were thankful.  (Definitely was an “up” event!)
  • The second bid on the renovations was received.  We are getting closer to starting the work of increasing the church meeting space.
  • Wednesday was “Double Ten Day” which is Taiwan’s National Day.  We had a more relaxed day, and met with some colleagues.  It was also the day that the long-awaited documents arrived in Taiwan.
  • Thursday was English teaching day.  Classes went well.
  • Friday we went with Chinh and Lieu to the government office and learned that “you cannot do that here.”  So plans have now been made to apply for Lieu’s visa at the end of the month at a location outside of Taiwan.  It was a disappointing moment, but we are glad that God is sovereign even over this.
  • Saturday we went to the nursing home.  In addition to singing, sharing, and visiting, we presented a Bible that will be placed in the newly refurbished “Prayer Corner.”  Although the traditional religious pictures and altar have become more prominent at the nursing home in recent months, we are thankful that there is openness to include Christianity in this way.  Maybe God will provide the person and the opportunity for Bible reading times for the residents. That is something to hope for.

More Prayer Items

  • The annual Denominational Fall Business Meeting will be held on Saturday Oct. 20.  In addition to approving budgets for the Taiwan C&MA for next year, other reports and business will be discussed.  Please pray that God’s Spirit will lead church delegates to a unity of vision and strategies so that a strong testimony for Christ is maintained.
  • We are planning a $80K (CAD$3,500) renovation upgrade on our Sunday meeting area.  It will allow for more seating.  Please pray for wisdom as we work with contractors on the plans.
  • Please pray for Jason as he is baptized on Oct. 21.  He is hoping a teacher and some of his classmates will attend, hear his testimony, and witness his declaration of faith.

2018 #41

Posted on by

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 41   October 8, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

Thanksgiving

October is Canadian Thanksgiving month.  Continuing in our expressions of thanks, we want to praise God that the needed document for Lieu’s visa application was finally received, and it is in transit on its way to Taiwan.  We are thankful that this bottleneck in the process has been removed.  We will be thankfully making application for her visa after the document arrives in Taiwan.  (Thank-you God! And thanks to all those who have been praying!)

Outdoor Service

We were very pleased with the outcome of the service in the park.  We arrived to find that the park was full of people and other events were being held.  That meant that we had to select a different location than the one originally planned, but it worked well.  We even had trees to provide protection from the intense sunlight.  The weather was great.  We had 18 adults and 9 children attend.  Playing and eating together provided opportunities to deepen relationships.  We were particularly pleased that our neighbour joined us.

More Prayer Updates and Requests

  • The annual Denominational Fall Business Meeting will be held on Saturday Oct. 20.  In addition to approving budgets for the Taiwan C&MA for next year, other reports and business will be discussed.  Please pray that God’s Spirit will lead church delegates to a unity of vision and strategies so that a strong testimony for Christ is maintained.
  • We are planning a $80K (CAD$3,500) renovation upgrade on our Sunday meeting area.  It will allow for more seating.  Please pray for wisdom as we work with contractors on the plans.
  • We are asking God for two or three more families to join the church over the next year.  Would you like to pray about this with us?
  • A Baptismal service is being planned for October 21.

2018 #40

Posted on by

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 40   October 1, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

Thanksgiving

October is Canadian Thanksgiving month.  So let us start the month with thanksgiving for progress made in obtaining the document for Lieu’s visa application.  We are thankful for our “friend” in the Philippines who when to 6 different offices to help us obtain what was needed.  She is supposed to receive the elusive document on Wednesday this week and it should make it to Taiwan a few days after that.  We plan to submit Lieu’s visa application on October 9 at the office in Taichung.

Thanks for praying and thank-you for continuing to pray as we enter what appears to be the “home stretch” in the process.

Bible Reading Plan

The schedule for the final three months of Bible reading was posted today.  One of our church members said that when the challenge was given to read the whole Bible in just two years, he had doubts that it could be done.  Now he is excited to be nearing the end of the challenge and has a sense of accomplishment.

As we move into the final stretch, we are thankful there are a number of people who have faithfully participated and recorded their progress on a social media app.

More Prayer Updates and Requests

  • An Outdoor Service is planned for next Sunday.  Please pray for good weather and for many visitors to attend.
  • The last typhoon turned and went to Japan.  We feel sorry for them.  Now the question is what will Typhoon Kong-Rey do?  Will it come to Taiwan or go elsewhere?  We are thankful that God knows how to keep us all safe, and how to bring healing when that is needed.
  • We will meet with the Baozhong area pastors on Wednesday to pray together.  We will also be planning a joint Christmas outreach event scheduled for December 23.
  • We are planning a CAD$3,500 (TWD$80K) renovation upgrade on our Sunday meeting area.  It will allow for more seating.  We need wisdom as we work with contractors on the plans.  We are asking God for two or three more families to join the church over the next year and will need the extra room.   Would you like to pray about this with us?

2018 #39

Posted on by

Mondays with the Whites 
Volume 39   September 24, 2018   

Taiwan – Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry 

Waves

We saw some powerful waves on our trip to the coast.  Because the typhoon that crossed south of Taiwan affected the tides and waves, we saw 15-20 foot waves when we first went down to the south part of the island.  A couple of days later the waves were back to their usual size.

Life is like that sometimes.  We have seasons when busy-ness, emotional responses, or other pressures mount and threaten to overwhelm us.   It is at those times that we are thankful for God’s promises that He will protect and help us to safely persevere.

We were refreshed by our vacation and dove into regular life commitments on our return.  We recognize that dependence on God is necessary every day if we are going to be able to thrive in the ups and downs of life.

Mentors and Trailblazers
Do you have someone you look up to as a mentor or trailblazer?  We all need people in our lives that help us to become who God wants us to be.  Lorne is speaking next Sunday about choosing Godly Examples and Mentors.  He would appreciate it if you could email him 2-3 sentences telling him what reasons or qualities make the person in your life to be a good spiritual mentor-trailblazer.

More Prayer Updates and Requests

  • The next steps in the process of obtaining necessary documents for Lieu’s visa are happening starting Monday this week.  Please pray that the government officials will respond favorably to the requests that are made.  Please pray that God will help us to accomplish the visa application process prior to the end of October.
  • We are encouraged as we see people discovering spiritual principles as they read their Bibles.  Please pray with us that the faith of young Christians will grow strong without wavering.