Since you last heard from us:

• Ethan married his sweetheart Jill on July 31.  It was a beautiful wedding and a great chance to be together with the family members who were able to attend.
• After the wedding, Lorne and Kathy-Lu (along with Philip, Bethany, and Elyssa) travelled to Prince Edward Island.  We visited the Anne of Green Gables home and the A.B. Simpson memorial.  Simpson who was the founder of the C&MA was born in PEI.
• We all returned safely to our homes.  Lorne and Kathy-Lu are stil struggling to overcome jet-lag from the trip.
• Typhoon Soudelor visited Taiwan bringing strong winds and rain.  The government declared a holiday from work and classes to keep us all safe.

Typhoon Soudelor, although classified as a medium strength typhoon when it hit Taiwan, set some interesting records:

• The highest recorded wind speed at the Taoyuan INternational Airport (Taipei) at 209 km/hr (130 mph)
• The greatest movement of the anti-sway damper ball in the Taipei 101 skyscraper tower – one meter.  Wind has never caused it to move that much previously.
• The greatest number of households to lose power at one time.  4.1 million homes, about one out of every four, was without power during the storm.  As I write on Monday evening, more than 24 hours after the storm officially left the island, some people are still without power.  (This includes Albert and Elaine Lu who have been without power for more than 48 hours.)
• The highest wave recorded to crash against the mountain was 17.1 meters (56 feet) and occurred in a cave in XinBei City.

Baozhong was sheltered from the worst of the storm by the central mountain range.  So in our area:

• The storm began with about 12 hours of gale force wind.  Because there was no rain, the wind picked up sand and debris and used it to sandblast everything around.  This devastated recently planted corn and peanuts.  In one sugar cane field we saw that the leaves were gone leaving only the veins from inside the previously attached leaves.  Many trees were snapped off by the intense winds.
• The church sign, which was made of plasticized canvas, tore loose.   Thankfully it can be repaired.
• The sheet metal roof over the fourth floor balcony of our house (which is also the church building) came loose in the wind.  We have contacted our landlord to help deal with this so that it does not fall and injure anyone.
• We held our Sunday morning small group service without power.  We moved the chairs close to the windows at the front of the building so that we could see to read the Scripture.  We were still able to worship.

These things might sound like large challenges, but they are not very big when compared to what some other people are experiencing…..Seven Taiwanese died, five are declared as missing, and more than 400 were injured during the storm….The people of Myanmar are suffering much worse as they struggle with flooding and need help.

Praise the Lord with us for a good week of Elementary Summer Camp!

• There was suitable weather each morning for the students to play badminton–it stopped raining and was cooler than usual meaning that it was great for playing badminton.  Thank-you God for answering prayer.
• We were pleased with the number of family members who came to see the program on Friday.  The students performed well and there was an opportunity for Albert to use his Taiwanese language skills and share briefly about the peace that Jesus gives us.  Some students that have not previously attended the weekend children ministry expressed interest to do so when it begins again in the Fall.
• The team from Calgary Southgate Alliance Church were well-prepared to teach sports, crafts, and games.  The children were captivated by the Bible stories told using drama.  The theme song written by one of the team members reinforced the truths that were being taught each day.  Pray with us that the children will trust Jesus, experience freedom from fear, see needs supplied, receive healing, and have hope.

We are grateful to be able to take a week of vacation time so we can travel and attend our son Ethan’s wedding.  We are looking forward to seeing all our children and welcoming Jill into the family.  The wedding will occur on July 31 in Halifax.

Sign of progress:  We are rejoicing that those in the neighborhood can now find our church building more easily.  However the church is people, not the building, and we are sensing that God is doing some special things in people’s lives as they meet Christian believers in the community.  We are thankful for those who gave to help provide funding for our first sign. (photo attached)

The typhoons brought needed water to Taiwan.  One turned to the south and the other to the north of the island.  This resulted in only the last day of the camp in Chungli being cancelled.  The Westside Calgary Alliance Church team was able to come and be with us for Sunday morning service and we enjoyed some sightseeing in the afternoon.

The first day of youth camp has finished.  We had more than 60 students attend. We are thankful for the program and the talent that the team from Calgary is providing. We are also blessed to have some Taiwanese helping us.  Please continue to pray that God will use the camp to help students to understand and desire to believe in Christ.

Note to Self:  Weather Warnings do not always coincide with life’s plans.
The photo is from the local weather website.  It shows three tropical storms all coming toward Taiwan.  Such storms push hot air masses in front of them resulting in record-breaking temperatures here in Taiwan this last week.  If the storms strengthen, they will be called typhoons.  If extreme wind or rain is anticipated, the local governments may make the decision whether to cancel work and classes. If they choose to cancel, everything shuts down and we brace for the storm.  Taiwan needs the rainfall that tropical storms bring but we all dislike the danger and damage that result from extreme conditions.

Upcoming activities that could be affected if the storms change direction slightly and make a direct hit on Taiwan include:

• The Taiwan Alliance Church Union is having its annual family camp July 5-7.  It is unlikely to be affected very much as it will be finishing as the storm begins to influence that area.  Please pray that the camp will be beneficial to those attending.  (Lorne and Kathy-Lu are not attending this year so that they can focus their energies on the summer camps our church is sponsoring.)
• The short-term team from Westside Calgary Chinese Alliance Church (WCCAC) is in Taiwan and will be leading a youth camp July 6-10 (helping the Life Alliance Church in Chungli City).  There is the potential for wind and heavy rain beginning Tuesday afternoon and lasting through the rest of the week.  Please pray that the weather will not prevent students from learning what God desires them to learn this week.
• Albert and Elaine Lu will be moving on Thursday, July 9.  At the moment there is only a 5% prediction of wind and rain for that day.  Please pray for safety and protection of their belongings from getting wet.
• The WCCAC team will be arriving in Baozhong on Saturday, July 11.  A team recreational outing is planned for Sunday afternoon (12th) and they will lead the youth camp July 13-17.  It is too early to predict whether the tropical storms will have an effect, but we ask you to pray that the storm will not have a major effect on the activities and what God desires to do.

Praise the Lord that we were able to have two air conditioners repaired and accomplish many of the other things that will make the short-term team stay more pleasant.  It will be crowded though, with 14 people joining us to minister at the youth camp and everyone living at our house.  Please pray that everyone will experience the sufficiency of God’s grace as we live and work together.

The last day of school for this school year is tomorrow (Tuesday, June 30).  Some junior high and senior high students are writing exams these two days, but most other students have completed their studies and will have special class activities.

We were thankful to have the best attendance ever at our children’s event on this last Saturday.  There were 16 students, plus two moms with two younger children who attended.  The children made shape cookies and heard the story of Daniel in the lions’ den.  Many of the children are looking forward to when the club time starts up again in the Fall.

The house that is rented for Albert and Elaine to live is only about a ten-to-fifteen minute walk from our home.  We will be helping paint some walls to help them get ready for moving day in less than two weeks.  Please pray for them as they handle many details related to setting up their new home and all the work of packing and moving.

We are thankful that the schools have been very willing to provide classroom space, video projectors, sound systems, keyboards, etc.  for us to use during the camps.  Many details are in place.  Our focus is now on preparing our home for the large number of people who will be sleeping here.  The first camp starts two weeks today.  Please continue to pray that the hearts of the students will be open to hear the truths presented.

We enjoyed spending time out in the community this last weekend attending the two Dragonboat Festival events.  (Some of you will have seen photos on FaceBook.)  We ate the traditional bamboo leaf wrapped dumplings and were able to meet some parents of our students.

This is our last week in the classroom for this semester.  We praise God that we have had this wonderful opportunity to interact with the children and to tell them Bible stories.  Please pray for us as we take the break from teaching to evaluate our time commitments and pray for God’s leading for making commitments for the Fall.

Praise the Lord that there are 82 students registered for the Summer Youth Camp (July 13-17) and 56 students registered for the Summer Children’s Camp (July 20-24).  Please pray for the two teams from Calgary who are making final preparations to come and staff these camps.  Pray that God will give the students open hearts to receive the truth that is presented.

Lorne is excited to be meeting with KC for Bible studies.  Please pray that God will continue to encourage him and help his faith to grow.

Praise the Lord that our son Ethan has found employment, pending final security checks, at ATB Financial in Calgary.  He begins in his new position in early July.

We have a heavy rain advisory for our area.  One storm with wind and rain passed through yesterday evening.  This morning we noticed that a field of almost ready to harvest rice is flattened.  It made me think about the fact that maturity by itself does not make us invincible when the storms of life hit.  We need to rely on Christ.  When we find things flattened, Jesus is still with us to pick up the pieces.  Isn’t that wonderful news?

Thank-you for praying for us as we attended the annual field conference.  We sensed God’s presence and instruction throughout the week.  The coworkers from the USA were able to complete their decision-making and there were moments of fun for everyone.  The photo is of those who participated in the conference.

A local family visited our church’s small group meeting on Sunday.  It was exciting to have visitors.  Please pray for us as we get to know each other better.  Our goal is to help each other to walk in obedience to Jesus.

This week the schools will hold their graduation ceremonies. It is also the Dragonboat Festival on Saturday, so Friday is a holiday.  Our town has special community activities planned on the weekend because the name of our town sounds similar to the Chinese words for “wrapping dumplings.” The dumplings eaten on this festival are made with glutinous rice and wrapped in bamboo leaves before steaming (or boiling).

Thanks for praying for us this past week.

This past week we are thankful for:

• Albert and Elaine Lu finding a possible house to rent.  We still need to talk more with the landlord and need God to confirm that this is where He wants them to live for at least the next two years.  But finding a unit that appears to be suitable for their family is encouraging.
• a conversation that happened because someone said that they found the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead harder to believe.  This is encouraging because it shows that at least some people are thinking about the Bible stories on a deeper level.
• air conditioners!  The hot weather with high humidity would greatly reduce our productivity if we were not able to cool down sometimes.

We discovered more major changes happening in our town:

• A new water system is being installed so that the town can receive water from a reservoir located in the mountains near Douliu City (the county seat).  Although the excavating of the roads is a short-term nuisance, we have hope for a consistent better quality water supply.  It will also help to reduce the reliance on ground water, the pumping of which was causing the land to sink and settle.
• The large grocery store located close to our home closed.  We are most concerned for the workers and their families.  The competition from the opening of two chain store outlets is a major reason.  (One is in town and another in a nearby town.)  There are unconfirmed rumors that one of the other dry good supermarkets will be moving into the location.
• The ChaoCuo Elementary School where we teach on Friday afternoons is adding seventh grade next year.  They are running a specialized curriculum based on the Waldorf teaching methods. By adding seventh grade, the school is providing for students entering junior high school to continue a similar learning system for another year.

Summer Camp registrations for the elementary camp are currently at 42 students.  Please pray that those who are still deciding will choose to come and register before the June 15 deadline.  We have not yet heard from the junior high school about actual registrations, but are anticipating about 75 students to register for that one.

We are not sure if it is allergy related or if it is a lingering effect of the cold that Kathy-Lu appears to have recovered from, but her voice is very strained at this time.  This makes it difficult for her to talk and sing.  Please pray that it will quickly recover.  Kathy-Lu is looking forward to worshipping and having conversations with people during the field conference this week.

The Taiwan Field annual Field Forum will be held June 8-12.  Rev. Charles Smith and his wife Leslie will be providing the spiritual teaching.  Times have been allocated for recreation as well as for business.  We will hear reports on each work and pray.  The US members will also take time for discussions and decisions regarding whom will do what ministries over the next year.  Your prayers are appreciated.

We are thankful for all the things that have been accomplished in our first week back.  In addition to what we wrote about last week, Lorne has almost caught up with the financial record-keeping and we successfully applied for extensions to our residence permits.

Last week we told the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and Lorne will tell it to third graders at the largest school on this Friday.  Please pray that the students will listen and remember the stories about Jesus.

We will be attending the annual Field Forum June 8-12.  Rev. Charles Smith and his wife Leslie will be providing the spiritual teaching.  The number of international workers attending is less this year. Times have been allocated for recreation as well as for business.  We will hear reports on each work and pray.  The US members will also take time for discussions and decisions regarding whom will do what ministries over the next year.  Your prayers are appreciated.

Preparations for the summer camps are moving ahead at full speed.  Please pray for:

• Youth Camp – July 13-17 The school is encouraging students that attended last year’s camp to attend this year.
• Elementary Children’s Camp – July 20-24   There were 38 registered by early last week.
• For the preparations being done by the two teams from Calgary
• For Students to register by June 15
• For arrangements being made for lodging and transportation while the teams are visiting.
• For God to work in people’s lives, creating new life and relationship with Him.

Thank-you for inviting us to be on mission together with you!