Thank-you for praying!  In answer to last week’s prayers, God intervened by removing the threat and caused the typhoon to dissipate after it left the Philippines.  So praise God!

We praise God for nine children who attended the Children’s Weekend Happy Camp last Saturday.  Three were first-time attendees.  We are hoping and praying they will return for the next activity in two weeks time.  (Photo is of Lorne making “Flextangles” with the children.)

This week we will continue preparing the participant handbooks for the upcoming Prayer Summit, November 11-17.   We will also continue our usual range of activities (class preparation, teaching English, telling stories, and visiting people).  Please pray for us to have stamina coming outa and not get sick during this period of busy-ness.

Report: We enjoyed using the new video projector this past weekend.  We are praising God for technology that helps us communicate the gospel with people.

Please pray as decisions need to be made this week about what will be the next focus for teaching both for Sunday mornings and for the Friday evening Bible Study.

Stripes are wonderful and nice to look at when they are in expected places.  But the across the PowerPoint image on the projection screen was not where we wanted to see them.  We were thankful that we were able to laugh and continue to worship God on Sunday.  Today I found out that those are expensive stripes.  It would cost more than CAD$450 to repair the projector.  Because a new projector,of similar quality was not that much more expensive and comes with a warranty, the decision was made to spend the extra money (a total of CAD$590) to purchase another projector for the church.  As Lorne negotiated with the company, he discovered that if this had happened one month earlier the warranty would have still been in effect and we would have only needed to pay a very small amount.  We do not know why such things happen, but we believe God is sovereign and in control of all things and the timing of them.  And, maybe this experience has increased our awareness of being thankful for the projector that we use quite frequently.

Fall typhoons are not real common, but this year there is a second one approaching Taiwan.  Typhoon Koppu is approaching Taiwan after visiting the Philippines.  It does not appear to be a strong storm, but will affect our weather later this week.  We know that typhoons have benefits as well as sometimes wreaking havoc.  They provide needed water for household and irrigation use.  Destruction of crops, damage to signs and buildings, flooding, higher vegetable prices, etc. are all expected challenges from typhoons.  We are currently waiting for workmen to help fix the old part of the corrugated roof over the fourth floor balcony.  In the meantime we pray that the damaged part of the roof that is still attached to the house will stay where it is and not blow off or injure anyone.

This week we will be busy with class preparation and teaching, planning and teaching the Saturday Kids Happy Weekend Club, and planning for the upcoming Prayer Summit, November 11-17.  This year a team is coming from North Richmond Alliance Church to join us in learning about prayer and praying for the Baozhong work.  Please pray God’s blessing on the five ladies who are coming.

We were thankful that the work of the Holy Spirit was evident as the pastors and representatives from the different Taiwan Alliance Churches met for the Fall Business Meeting.  Even when the issues were complicated, God helped them to come to a point of resolution.  Please pray for Pastor Kao and Pastor Chi as they serve as the president and vice-president for the Alliance in Taiwan.

Happy Thanksgiving!

On this weekend when families gather together and we remember that the blessings we have are from our Heavenly Father, we want to express our gratitude that God has permitted each and every one of you to be in our lives and a part of what God is doing in Taiwan.

Our “Grateful List” includes:

• Having computers and the internet so that we can frequently be in contact with you.
• Having the Windows 10 operating system on both of our computers and that the upgrade seems to have gone quite smoothly.
• Having friends with whom we can celebrate this special day and many other special days.
• Having food, shelter, transportation, and many other blessings that we often take for granted.
• For our parents, siblings, children, and granddaughters.  Each one is special.  We look forward to when we can give you a hug, but until then please accept this virtual one.

Recent happenings for which we can be thankful:

• Ms. C prayed a prayer of decision to accept Christ as her Saviour.  We are thankful to God for giving Elaine the opportunity to help Ms. C understand about Jesus.  Please pray for her as she grows in her new faith.
• Five women attended the first Women’s Bible Study led by Elaine.  They are looking at foundational stories that help people understand the Bible.  Please pray that all the believers and the seekers who attend this study will benefit from the study of God’s Word.
• J (an expat) and his Taiwanese wife have temporarily moved to Baozhong and he wants to attend services at our church.  Please pray for this family to connect well with our group.  Pray that we will be able to help them to move forward in their spiritual journey of knowing Jesus better.

The Taiwan Alliance Church Union (the C&MA denomination in Taiwan) will be having its Fall Business Meeting on Saturday, October 17.  Ministry plans for 2016 and next year’s denominational budget will be the focus of the reports and decision-making.  Representatives from all the C&MA churches will attend.  Please pray for special sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit and a Divinely created sense of unity as they meet to discuss the church’s business.

The Taiwan government has requested that the Taiwan C&MA financial records for last year be audited.  No one is anticipating that there is a problem, but rather it is to verify that things are continuing to be done in the proper manner.  Each church must provide the transaction records for that year, as well as other supporting documents.  Please pray that the process will be accomplished efficiently without any difficulties.  Pray that those responsible for the finances will have wise answers for any questions asked.

Please pray for Lorne as he leads the small group worship and for Kathy-Lu as she leads the discussion from James 4 on Sunday, Oct. 18.  Please pray that God will empower us as we lead.  Pray that each participant will sense God the Holy Spirit teaching them and encouraging them.

2015 Mid-Autumn Festival Story time

Taiwan now has registered more than 15,000 cases of dengue fever.  Most are in the counties and cities to the south of us, so we are not sensing that this is a high risk for us at this time.  The number of cases in the whole country is much higher than in recent years.  Governments are fumigating drains to kill the mosquitoes that spread the disease.  Predictions are that the peak of the epidemic will happen in October-November.  Please pray for God to have mercy and protect the the people of Taiwan.

We are getting ready to celebrate Moon Festival!  We plan to hold a children and family event on Saturday afternoon (Sept 26) 4:30~6 PM.

• Please pray for good weather.
• Please pray that our neighbours and their guests will respect our request to not park on the employee parking lot across the street so that we can use it for our event.
• Please pray for each of our team who will be overseeing different aspects of the event:  Lorne (games and Bible story), Albert (food and music), Elaine (Contacting families of children who have previously come to camp), Kathy-Lu (general preparations and church activity invitation brochure).
• Please pray that there will be a good response of people to attend.

We are excited that the church schedule of services is changing from having Sunday services twice each month to weekly, beginning in October.  Please pray that this will be a positive transition for our small church group and that it will help us to be able to more easily invite people to come to church with us.

Hebrews 10:36 says: ” Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”  We along with our other international worker colleagues have noticed that  we are seeing more than the usual number of challenges in recent days.  Please pray that we will reflect the fullness of the Spirit as we deal with water and power outages, electronic device malfunctions, etc.  We want to continue to do God’s will even in these circumstances.

As we sit down to write this week we have things for which we are grateful and also some items to pray for:

• We were thankful that because of some generous designated gifts the CAD$575 was on hand for printing 2000 copies of the Chinese version of “The Ancient Path” tract to be used to share the gospel with people.  We’ve attached the English copy.  If you would like to participate in printing more of these in Chinese, Vietnamese, or another language, feel free to contact us to find out how to contribute.
• The first step in determining the Canadian C&MA 2016 budget for Taiwan is done.  Lorne was able to send our projections and requests in on time last Friday.  We are thankful to those who give to the Global Advance Fund so that we can live and work here in Taiwan.  We are trusting that God is will continue to faithfully provide for you so that your needs are met and so that resources for global ministries continue to be available.
• In the classroom, we are telling a series of stories from the book of Daniel.  When one of the first graders asked if it was a true story, the teacher doing the translating responded: “Yes, it is.  It really happened.”  Please pray that as the children hear the stories they will discover the nature of God and want to know Him better.
• 

  Making Butterflies

  This semester’s first “Children’s Weekend Happy Camp” happened at our home (also the church building) last Saturday afternoon.  Fourteen elementary school students attended (photos).  Butterflies, Zacchaeus, and new life were our theme for the day.

  

  Making a butterfly cocoon

• After discussion, prayer, and evaluation, we have decided to continue to have the Children’s Weekend Happy Camp activities twice each month.  The next time will occur on September 26, on the Mid Autumn Festival long weekend.  We would like to have a family activity so that we are able to meet some parents and other family members.  Please pray for the planning as this will be a lot of work, but we sense it will be worthwhile.
• There are Taiwanese Alliance churches who are willing to help us once again by sending teachers to help lead the Saturday children’s ministry.  Lorne will be writing a proposal this week to send to them requesting help and explaining the type of assistance needed.  Please pray for good, clear communication and that the churches would have members willing to serve God and help our church by leading games, teaching songs, telling stories, and organizing crafts.
• Although we will not have youth group meetings this Fall, we are welcoming interested youth to drop in on Saturday evenings for fun and food.  We were able to read a story from Jesus’ life with those who came last Saturday.  Please pray that the stories of Jesus will make them curious to learn more.
• A prominent group that knocks on doors, distributes magazines, and proselytizes to gain adherents are canvassing in our town.  Please pray that God’s truth will prevail and that people will not be deceived by false teachings.
• Kathy-Lu is visiting doctors this week, doing follow-up from previous surgeries.  Because she will be in Taipei for two days, she will also have opportunity to meet with some friends we have known for quite a few years.  We still desire to see them put their faith in Jesus, and in Him alone.  Please pray that God will direct the conversations that happen.

Moments of success
When did you feel successful recently?  I know we don’t always feel that way, but I can think of a few recent moments when there was the sense of accomplishment in my heart, or when I took note of something that made me have a sense that the goal is being accomplished.

• The broken doorbell system was replaced by a new wireless  system.  You are welcome to come visit and try it out.
• The print-ready file for the Chinese-only version of a tract, “The Ancient Path” is delivered to the printer.  We are praying that this gospel presentation written by colleague John Tolbert will be used of God to challenge people to consider belief in Jesus.
• The first English class at ChaoCuo Elementary School had 26 students and it went well.  We are looking forward to being back there this week.
• The church in Taiwan is growing!  The latest published statistics are from 2013, but they show that the Kingdom of God is expanding.  (Pages 6 and 7 show the growth of the church since 1989.)  You have had a part in this as you have prayed and as you have supported workers such as us.
• Sometimes it is a conversation with someone that allows us to talk about the Bible or Jesus that helps us to feel that things are moving forward and something is being accomplished.

But the sense of success is not always with us.

• The water flowed from another entry point and ran across the room to the floor drain when heavy rain came today.  The original excitement of having solved the problem was definitely dampened. (Pun intended)
• When an anticipated few minute online transaction eats up more than an hour of time before it is completed.
• When unexpected health challenges suck away energy and time that we would rather use for other pursuits.
• When technology lets us down, and the video of the song we are leading stops unexpectedly.

Yes, all of those things have happened to us in the past couple of weeks.  It is easy to ride the emotional roller coaster if we get on board.  But I was recently reminded that the Christian believers in Acts 4 did not respond that way.  When things got tough, they prayed and spoke about the sovereignty of God.  They remembered the faithfulness of God and how He had helped in the past.  They mentioned his great power.  They had a time of worship in the middle of their prayer!  And then just before finishing their prayer, they think to include the problem they are facing.  That is successful living.  That is living in the power of the Holy Spirit.  That is the kind of successful living we want.

Will you please pray for us this week to keep our spiritual eyes on Jesus.  Ask God to help us to use the right measuring stick for whether or not we are making progress.

One more thing:  It would be good to successfully complete the budget projections for 2016 as they are due on this Friday.  We are praying that God will help us to be wise in our use of the part of the Global Advance Funds that are allocated to support us and the work here in Taiwan.  We appreciate your sacrificial support and want to find the best ways to use the funds.  Please pray for us as we dream and ask God to tell us what He wants us to do in 2016.

Until next week,

Lorne and Kathy-Lu

Last week we made a trip to the Oasis.  It is a guesthouse in southern Taiwan operated by OMF.  It was busy before we arrived, but all the guests departed meaning that it became a quiet place for us to rest, reflect, and recharge.  It was a profitable time away as both Kathy-Lu and Lorne were able to take some of the time to write down some of their dreams and plans for the next 8-10 months.  Some of the themes that God was impressing in our hearts were affirmed in the message we heard at an English-speaking church we attended on Sunday. More details will be shared with our supporting partners after we have had opportunity to discuss them with Albert and Elaine.

There are new efforts being made to create times to pray with each other and for each other.  One of those times will be Wednesday morning (the first Wednesday of the month) when the C&MA church planters from our area will gather to pray for each other and for the works we are involved in.  Pastor and Mrs. Tong from the Sihhu Alliance Church (located about 25 minutes from us) have also been invited to join with us.  Please pray that as we pray we will sense God’s Spirit at work in each of us, bringing healing where it is needed, unity, empowerment, and passion for living for God.

Wednesday afternoon we will meet with a Taiwanese C&MA Pastor who is representing some Alliance churches interested in helping us to have the Saturday Children’s Club again this year.  Please pray that we will have good communication and know God’s leading as we consider this ministry.

Friday will be our first day in the classroom telling Bible stories and teaching English.  The Thursday afternoon classes begin next week.  Please pray for us as we prepare, as we teach, and as we try to learn as many of the 600 students’ names as possible.  We are hoping that many children will be interested in attending the church’s weekend activities because they become acquainted with us in the classroom.  We are also hoping to connect with parents and to be able to get to know them better.  Relationship is one key component of sharing truths about having Jesus in our lives.

We were thankful that we were able to receive a slightly more favorable exchange rate for the monthly wire transfer in August.  We appreciate that so many people sacrificially give to the Global Advance Fund that provides for our basic support costs.  Others have designated gifts to our work special allowing us to purchase a replacement computer for Kathy-Lu.  The old one was no longer dependable.  We are also planning to use more funds that have been given to print some booklet tracts to use in our ministry.  Lorne has been formatting it so it is ready to send to the printer.  This is possible because of your financial partnership.  Thank-you so very much!

Praise the Lord with us that the typhoon stayed out on the ocean and turned northward so that it did not affect our local weather and we were able to have our Sunday meeting.  It was even more special because it was the first time that there has been a baptism at our church.  KC declared his faith in Christ and was baptized on Sunday morning, August 23.  In addition to his family some of his good friends came to witness the event and celebrate with him.  It was exciting to have a total of 20 people attend (including us).  We need to continue to pray for KC as he seeks to put Jesus first in his daily life.

Having the Amazing Grace Alliance Church’s bright orange plastic baptismal tub at our house for a few days prior to our service sparked a number of conversations about belief in Jesus and explanations about the nature of baptism.  Today Lorne met someone who knows KC and there was another conversation about the difference believing in Jesus makes in a person’s life.  Please pray that we would have the right words to say as we interact with people about such matters.

We have submitted our response to each of the three schools stating that we will be available for this semester to teach English and tell Bible stories.  Although the stories are considered by some to be mythological, we believe such stories have special power because they are the Word of God.  Please pray that God will use the sharing of the stories to kindle faith in the hearers’ hearts.  We will begin in September.  If you would like to specifically pray for this, please remember to pray for our preparation time as well as the class schedule which is as follows:

• Thursday afternoons (September 10 – January 21) 1:30-4:00 PM at Fuhsing Elementary School – English teaching and Bible Storytelling
• Friday mornings (September 4 – January 22) 8:40-12:00 noon at Baozhong Primary School – Bible Storytelling
• Friday afternoons (September 4 – January 22) 3:05-4:00 PM at Chaocuo Elementary School – English teaching and Bible Storytelling

As I was driving the car this morning, I noticed that there are many trees in our town that are half green and half brown.  The recent storms have damaged the leaves and branches on the side that faced the wind.  The trees are recovering and continuing to grow.  New leaves are sprouting forth and the healthy areas are supporting the parts of the tree that need extra help at this time.  I wondered how Jesus might use those trees as an illustration.  I thought it is a good parable of how a healthy church functions.  But I also thought about the fact there are experiences we face that batter and bruise us.  They probably change us.  But God’s plan is for healing and growth to occur so that we can continue to produce fruit.  Our output may be affected in the short-term, but with God’s help we should be able to recover and have new strengths.  Maybe that is what Paul was talking about when he wrote:  “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but are not crushed.  We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.  We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.  Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the lif of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies….That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.” (2 Cor. 4:8-10,16)

The summer schedule has been busy with camps, church activities, and personal family events.  We will be taking some days this week to have some quiet time to reflect on what has been happening and to prayerfully think about our coming Fall activities.  Jesus told us to love God with all our hearts, souls and minds and to love our neighbour as our self. We are encouraged by the C&MA in Canada to take time to evaluate our relationship with God to make sure that we are remaining healthy in all areas of our life. We will take some time to do that and to quietly do some planning for the next few months.  Our prayer is that we will return refreshed and ready to serve God as He desires.

I am also supposed to mention on behalf of an excited A-Ma (grandma) that Philip and Bethany are expecting our fourth grandchild in January.  A-Ma (pronounced Ah-Mah) is the Taiwanese word for Grandmother.

Praise the Lord we are winning the battle with jet-lag.  We are beginning to feel as if we have some energy for tackling the tasks at hand.

Praise the Lord that KC plans to be baptized on Sunday morning August 23.  This will be the first baptismal service for the Baozhong Alliance Church.  Please pray for him as he prepares his heart for this step of commitment.  Pray that the family and friends he invites will be willing to attend and witness his step of faith.  Please pray for God’s protection on him and his family.

Praise the Lord that the church sign was able to be repaired and it only cost CAD$1.25.  That’s right!  The shop that sews canvas awnings was able to fold and sew along the sides and put in new grommets.  The sign is already back hanging in its rightful place (photo).  We do have a decision to make though, whether or not to take it down and protect it when the next typhoon (tropical storm) arrives in about a week’s time.

Over the next two weeks many important decisions will be made about Fall ministry.  Please pray that we will know God’s will regarding the frequency of youth and children’s meetings, and our Sunday events.  Along with this we need to make decisions regarding whom on our ministry team will give leadership to the different aspects of the ministry.  Alliance Churches in Taiwan who have been involved in the past are deciding whether they will be able to continue to do so for another semester.

We are being asked to respond to invitations to tell Bible stories and teach English in the local elementary schools.  All three schools that we worked in last year have indicated that they would like us to continue.  We wish we had  an additional native English-speaker who could take on this responsibility.  Because we do not yet have such a person, we are trying to clarify whether we can continue the previous time commitment or will need to cut back.  Church ministry programs also are demanding out time.  Please pray for needed wisdom as we make these decisions.

John and Bev Tolbert will be visiting us for a few days this week.  They are working with our Canadian C&MA team reaching out to Vietnamese speaking people residing in Taiwan.  We would like for them to be able to make contact with some Vietnamese labourers in a local Baozhong factory.  Please pray that God will help us to make the necessary connections.