Ants

They came. And came. And kept coming!

The ants tried to move into our house this last week. They were not welcome guests.
Each time we repelled them, or blocked their access point, they found alternate entrances and kept coming. Using salt and some ant poison, we gained the upper hand in the battle. As the weather dries up outside, they are finding other places to live.

The question is, when the typhoon comes this week, will they return?

Sometimes we fight a similar battle with persistent invaders in our spiritual lives. Temptations, thoughts, discouragements, frustrations, etc., can all be like those ants. They just keep coming and coming and coming.

Join us in praying that we all will be filled with faith and fight the spiritual battles using the full armor of God.

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” (Eph 6:13)

Praise and Prayer

Weather Report

We know that Noah had the best method of obtaining a weather report. He opened a window and looked out. Our mobile phones are not quite as accurate.

This past week, our phones have consistently reported the heavy rain, very heavy rain, and torrential rain warnings for southern and central Taiwan. Work and classes were cancelled for many cities and counties. BUT! We prayed, and you prayed. And the rain did not affect the camp activities that we had last week.  That is something to praise God for!

One morning, as we exited the church building to drive to the school, it was raining. But as we drove across town the rain stopped (or was not falling on that side of town). God was very gracious. And the result was a great week! The leadership team included senior high school and college aged students. They bonded and worked well as a team–and encouraged one another’s faith. The elementary students were very responsive, with a total of 26 attending on Friday. Some campers indicated they wanted to ask Jesus to be their best friend.

However, southern Taiwan has had 11 consecutive days of heavy rainfall with more in the forecast. Records have been set for the amount of rain falling in some areas on certain days. The fields around us are all flooded, preventing farmers from accessing the crops. Large pumps are running almost continuously, pumping away the rainwater. Some low level areas of our town are under flood watch. And the conditions I have just reported are better than in some other towns–especially the mountainous areas and the coastal areas.

Please join us in praying for the rain to cease. Pray for churches in affected areas to have wisdom as they interact with people who are suffering from the natural disaster.

Praise and Prayer

2025 Baptism #2

Do you remember when Lorne told you that he was praying for five baptisms to take place at the Baozhong Alliance Church during 2025? We are 40% of the way there in seeing God answer that prayer.

On Sunday morning, July 27, Josh was baptized and shared his story of coming to the decision to declare his faith in Christ in this way.  Josh is the younger brother of James who was baptized on the first Sunday of this year. Josh was the last of his family to declare their faith by being baptized.

Please pray for him to grow in his faith. He will begin senior high school this Fall. He will board at a school in Taichung (about an hour’s drive away).

Please pray for more people to trust Christ Jesus to be their Saviour and declare it through baptism.

Praise and Prayer

Preparing for Camp

This year, the elementary student camp will be held July 28~August 1. The theme is “Treasured.”

A short-term team from a church in California will be on-site to assist with camp leadership. Lorne and Kathy-Lu have been requested to attend to help with translation.

There are 29 campers who have registered. Some are from a neighbouring town. Some will be first-time attendees.

Please pray:

• that God will help us to work well with the team coming.
• for the weather that week (no typhoons would be preferred).
• for God’s Spirit to work helping students to learn and to believe in Christ.
• for planned visitation of families that will happen after camp, seeking to develop relationships so that we can share the good news about Christ.

Creating a Godly Heritage

The theme for the Taiwan Alliance Holistic Growth Camp (adult sessions) for this year was “Creating a Godly Heritage.” There were separate sessions for the children and the youth had their own camp that ran simultaneously at the venue.

The incoming typhoon did prevent a small number of participants from the southernmost part of the island from attending. But, as can be seen in the photo, a large number of us were able to be there. The typhoon did not impact the area where the camp was held in a major way. (Thank-you for praying for safety.)

The teaching sessions were well received. We were challenged to not only live a life of serving Christ, but to also transmit the vision and passion for serving to the next generation. The information presented will be helpful to both parents and those training disciples within the church.

Praise and Prayer

Surprise! It is Arriving!

When I became an international worker, I did not realize that I would learn to read maps like this one. They track the paths of tropical storms and typhoons.

We plan things, but like Proverbs 27:1 says, one never knows what a day will bring. It looks like we have an uninvited guest arriving. We don’t know the precise time of arrival nor how long it will stay.

That brings uncertainty to life. We do not know the status of church services on Sunday, the probability of needing to cancel one or more days of planned camps and retreats, etc. We must wait and trust the God Who is sovereign over it all.

Each day while the typhoon is nearby, we will be checking government announcements to know whether work and classes will be cancelled or not.

Although the storms can sometimes be destructive, the island we live on is dependent on them to provide water to fill the reservoirs. So, in the midst of the storm, we can still find reasons to express thanks.

Praise and Prayer

Historic Site

While on vacation we visited a historic church that was built in 1971. The Sun Moon Lake Church of Christ was built by Taiwan’s President and First Lady so that they could attend services while vacationing in the mountains. For many years the church was closed to the public.

The building was damaged in the 1999 Jiji earthquake and the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration became responsible for the property. After restoration, a private bidder was found to open the building to the public. Sunday services resumed. Pastors from nearby churches are requested to come and preach.

It was a blessing to meet a retired pastor, Rev You, who is there to greet visitors to the building. In addition to talking about the history, he talks to people about their religious beliefs. He is introducing people to Christ Jesus–the God who is alive and trustworthy.

It is exciting to discover creative ways that are being used to share the good news about Jesus with people who have not yet heard. Please pray that God will continue to give creativity to Christ-followers so that  the message of salvation can be told to more people.

Please pray that God will give us creativity to communicate God’s love in ways that will touch people’s hearts leading them to belief in Christ.

Praise and Prayer

Reminders

There are many things around us that remind us that God is ever present with us. For instance, this was hanging on the wall of a steakhouse where we stopped for lunch on our day off.

I am not sure what the intent of the person decorating the walls of the steakhouse was, but it was a good prompt to remind me that God is always with us, never changing.

What reminder about Who God is have you noticed in your life recently?

Praise and Prayer

Still Here

A common topic of conversation these days is: “I heard you are going to retire…” Some people want to know “when,” while others seem to be probing to discover whether we might be persuaded to retire in Taiwan.

Our response is that we are still here and will not be leaving until next year.

But our focus is not on our departure! Our focus is to use this time to be with people so that we can share the good news about Jesus with them.

We must use some of our personal time to sort, simplify, and plan about how to dispose of our collected belongings. But we do not want this to fill our remaining time in Taiwan.

Please pray that our walks in the community and appointments we make with friends will lead to conversations about life and eternal life. Pray that we will be a safe place for people to talk about such things. Pray for wisdom to know how to respond in each situation.

Praise and Prayer

Time Zones

A group call this past week made us think of time zones and their influence on our lives.

Due to miscalculation, we have received calls or made calls at times that were less than convenient. The use of daylight saving time, or not, further complicates matters. But, advances in technology have made connections across multiple time zones much easier and more economical.

As international workers, we have had to ponder the fact that God exists outside of time but works so that we see evidence of Him acting within our own time zone. Sometimes because of time differences, an event will occur on a different day than in your time zone. We are thankful that God can sort it all out the tie differences, permitting your participation in prayer. Even if a prayer is offered a few minutes after the event, the intent is in God’s wisdom fused together to bring glory to His name.

Thank-you for taking time to pray! We have a God who invites us to pray and answers those prayers.

Praise and Prayer