Communication with someone else needs both a desired message (the content) as well as a way to send and receive the message..  We are reminded of this when we drive past a field just north of the centre of our town.  There are a number of transmission towers capable of sending radio signals.  We have been told that they were used to send radio messages to the residents of Mainland China, especially when the military situation was much more tense (during the middle of the last century).  They may still be used, but we are not the intended recipients and do not have the proper receiving apparatus.  Another local communication system is the seldom used and occasionally tested emergency broadcast system designed to alert residents of a military-related emergency.  When the sirens are tested, we all hear them.  More frequently we hear the neighbourhood public address system, used to inform residents of community happenings and other government-related announcements.  Recently we have been hearing loudspeakers mounted on broadcast vehicles (trucks, cars, motorcycles, bicycles).  These specially equipped vehicles have both advertising boards and loudspeakers to communicate the advertisements (political, stores, schools, etc.).  In these last few weeks leading up to the municipal elections, this is a favorite method being used by the various candidates. Last, but not least, is the relational communication system also known as the neighbourhood grapevine.  We are thankful for neighbours and friends who help to keep us informed about local happenings.

Most of these methods can be chosen to tell people about the church and about God’s love.  Our prayer is that wherever we go, and whatever we do, we will communicate in a positive way about Jesus and His church.  We want to be following the leading of our Saviour, and want people to be attracted to Jesus as 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (NLT) describes:

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

Please pray that we will consistently be a positive witness for Christ in what we say and do.

Recently we find ourselves providing spiritual and emotional support to people going though difficult struggles.  Please pray that God will be both a Fortress and a Comfort during this time.

This past week we were reminded of the differences between rural Taiwanese culture and the one in which we grew up.  Our neighbour was injured in an accident near our house.  We joined other neighbours and onlookers in providing assistance at the time (directing traffic, insuring that emergency services was called, etc.)  Thankfully their injuries that needed immediate medical care and ongoing follow-up are not considered to be life-threatening, nor extremely serious.  A few days later, our neighbour made a tasty meal for neighbours who assisted her, bringing it to our homes.  She explained that although it was coming from her heart, she also feels a sense of cultural obligation to express gratitude in this way.  Through this experience we are reminded that there are different ways to express gratitude.  Some take more effort than others.  I am not sure had I been the one recovering that I would have been as willing to make the effort to go to the extent she did to express thanks.  I would have been tempted to only use my words.

The Bible talks about demonstrating gratitude at different times and in different ways.  Some verses that will help to shape our expression of thanksgiving include:

• Be thankful in all circumstances……(1 Thess 5;18)
• Give thanks to the Lord….Let the whole world know what He has done…….. (1 Chron 16:8)
• The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to give thanks to the Lord……(2 Chron 5:13)
• It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High……..(Ps 92:1)
• …give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone……(Ps 109:30)
• The joyful voices … of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. They will sing,……..(Jer 33:11)
• Present your bread made with yeast as an offering of thanksgiving…..(Amos 4:5)
• …give thanks to God before eating……(Rom 14:6)
• Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God…..(Phil 1:3)
• …pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them……(1 Tim 2:1)

This week’s Praise and Prayer focus:

• We are thankful for safety and health as we are involved in a variety of activities each week.  Please join us in praising God for this, and ask for His continued blessing in these areas.
• We are thankful that God has provided our daughter, Elyssa, part-time work that will fit around her university class schedule.  Thank you to all who have prayed for this over the past number of months.
• We are thankful for Chinese-speaking church members in Canada, who are using graphic arts to produce Christmas and Chinese New Year publications to be distributed here in Taiwan.
• We are thankful for Taiwanese church members who teach at our church’s Children’s Weekend Happy Camp twice each month.  This week there will be people travelling from Taipei Alliance Church to help us (November 8).
• We are thankful that a short-term team is coming from a church in Calgary to lead a youth camp in July 2015.  The local junior high school has already agreed to the dates.
• We are thankful that planning for a number of Christmas related activities has begun.  Please pray for additional singers and suitable weather for the community carolling on December 19.  (We will provide a complete list of the activities in one of our next updates.)
• We are thankful for people like you, who faithfully partner with us by praying.

Did you know that the town in which we live is the birthplace of the pop singer Teresa Teng?  Her song, “Stories in a Small Town,” is played over the loudspeakers in our neighbourhood before announcements are made.  She began her life in the room her father rented.  Her father provided security for the sugar refinery that was located in our town.  That refinery closed many years ago, and our town has since undergone many changes.  The story is still being written, and we are hearing the plans that some politicians have to help our local economy and the quality of life for the residents.  We are hoping that changes in people’s belief patterns brought about by the message of the gospel, and the establishing of a church will be written into the storyline.  Please continue to pray toward this end.

Story-telling is becoming a major part of what we are doing in our town.  Lorne and Kathy-Lu tell English Bible stories to elementary school students using PowerPoint pictures and dramatic expression.  Elaine has begun telling Bible stories in Taiwanese on her weekly visits to our town.  Testimonies that believers share when visiting with us are the story of God at work in people’s lives.  We have begun to show segments of the video http://www.thehopeproject.com/ to our youth group, helping them to better understand the story of the Bible.  Please pray that God will use these stories and more to bring hope and blessing into people’s lives.

Ten elementary students attended the Saturday afternoon children’s activity, with two regular attendees absent because of happenings in their family. Please pray that the stories and truths the children hear will result in faith at a young age. We are thankful for their exuberance as they attend each time.

Did you know that the area of Taiwan in which we live is known for the large number of temples?  There are major temples, like the largest one in our town, that have influence that extend to other parts of Taiwan.  There are also a large number of smaller temples, shrines and temples in people’s homes, and new start-ups happening all the time.  There are small shrines for burning incense, burning ‘spirit money,’ and leaving simple food offerings in each neighbourhood, allowing people to ask the idol known as the “god of the land” to help and protect them.  Recently we have been reminded of this significant feature of our area as there have been a larger number of idol parades through the streets. These coincide with the birthday of the idol god, or other auspicious days.  There are many paragraphs in the Old Testament that declare that the God Who made the heavens and earth is greater (e.g. Jeremiah 10). Please join us in praying that people will be attracted to belief in Jesus, rather than believing in the idols and following the religious teaching of temple leaders.  May many more people find Jesus to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life–the only way to God in heaven.

We also request that you pray for God to grant us wisdom to know how to reach out to and follow up some youth.  Some have decided to believe in Jesus and need teaching to further understand their faith.  Others are curious and need to know more before making a decision.  Pray that God will guide the topics of conversation and help us to express things in ways that they understand.

Wishing our family and friends in Canada a very warm and happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Praise the Lord with us for a good week of sharing, praying, and bringing words of blessing to the people of our town.  We appreciate the energy that the team from First Alliance Church in Toronto brought to the week.  There were glimpses of God working in people’s lives on different days throughout the week.  For example:

• Tuesday – hearing the testimony of the pastor in the nearby town of Sihhu reminded everyone that God is mighty to save.
• Thursday – words of affirmation and direction as on-site workers were prayed for.
• Saturday – Three youth asked to come over, even though the usually scheduled youth event was cancelled, and there was a good time of interacting with one of our short-term team members.
• Sunday – we had a total of 18 people celebrate Thanksgiving, including the two of us.  Four of the six people from the community were first time attendees.  (see attached photo)

This week we will continue teaching English and telling Bible stories in the schools.  Please pray that the students would be willing to carefully listen and that the content of the stories would take root in their hearts.

We have heard of a single parent family in town that is in crisis and needs outside help. Please pray that we will be able to make contact this week if it is God’s will for us to be His presence in this situation.

“Coming to Taiwan, we are seeing and experiencing things that words could not have described.”  That is a translation of what one of our short-term team members said.  We are just completing our third day together and enjoying the fellowship and opportunities to share.  But most of all we are excited about the time we are spending praying together. We are so glad that this team has come to pray with us.  (See photo)  Maybe you want to think about coming as part of a team for next year.  We would love to dialogue with you about the possibilities.

Thank you for praying for the English classes and the English Bible story-telling.  We had another great week.  In one class, the students seemed disappointed that the story stopped when it did,  They all wanted to know what comes next.  In another class, when asked what they could learn from the story the students said: to trust God, to pray to God, and many other good answers.  We are thankful for the opportunity to plant some seeds of truth, and are hoping to reap a harvest from the younger generation.

We are thankful to report answers to more than one of our recent requests for prayer.

• A high school student has agreed spend her some of her Fall vacation helping to watch the Lu children during the first part of the Vision Prayer Event (October 4-12).  This will allow Albert and Elaine to both participate in the different activities of the week.  Praise the Lord!
• We had a good start to English classes in two schools last week.  The children loved hearing the story of David and Goliath. (This week Lorne has prepared the story of David and Jonathan’s promise of friendship.  Lord willing, Lorne will also have the first opportunity of this semester to begin telling Bible stories at the Baozhong Primary School on Friday morning.)
• Kathy-Lu’s eye is recovering well after her cataract surgery.  She still needs to be careful, and her eye is still very sensitive to bright light, but we are very encouraged as we see God’s work of healing.  Praise the Lord!

Final preparations are happening as we anticipate the Saturday morning arrival of the team from First Alliance Church in Toronto.  Our desire is that all of us who participate will sense God’s leading and releasing of His power through prayer. Specific requests for the prayer event are:

• That our focus will be on God, remain on God, and prayerfully follow God to the people and topics that are on God’s heart.
• Pray that God’s Spirit will be free to work, and that the enemy of our souls will be thwarted.
• Pray for health and protection on the participants and the families of participants.   Pray that God’s will be done in the establishing of a church in Baozhong Township.

Finally, we want to take a few lines in this update to thank you for being on mission together with us.  Your generosity in supporting us through giving to the Global Advance Fund, and your ongoing prayer support, make it possible to build relationships with people and share with them the good news of Jesus.  With your help and companionship on this mission, many more people are having an opportunity to hear about Jesus.  Thank-you for your continuing commitment to be involved.

Thanks for praying as Lorne attended the Jonathan Training (Church Multiplication Movement training) last week.  There were moments when God used His Word and the course content to affirm what we are doing.  At other moments we were challenged to consider doing things differently.  There was beneficial interaction with church planters who are using methods that we would like to begin to use this year. For example, starting groups that discuss Bible Stories.  The course framework provided time for Lorne, Albert and Elaine to discuss the direction and emphasis of the work that they will increasingly become a part of.  It was a worthwhile expenditure of time and energy.

We will begin teaching in the schools on Thursday and Friday this week.  Thanks for praying for our preparation, good relationships with the students, and for a good start to the year.

We will have a final planning session for the October 4-12 Vision Prayer Short Term Team event on Wednesday morning.  It has been difficult to find a high school youth who is able to come and watch Albert and Elaine’s children during those days.  Please pray for this need to be met, and for creativity when solving other challenges.

Our next Children’s Weekend Happy Camp happens this Saturday afternoon.  Please pray for good attendance and that God will empower this week’s teachers from Taichung Alliance Church.

Many of the youth will be writing a major English exam on Saturday. We are praying that those taking the exam will remember the things they have studied, and that they will personally pray to God asking Him to help them. Because the youth are busy, we will not be able to take them to visit the Logos Hope (OM Ship) that is docked in Tainan.  We are still praying that the literature ministry and interactions with the ship’s crew will encourage many Taiwanese to obediently follow Jesus.

Thank-you for praying for us this past week.  Although it was a very full week, we were able to accomplish the many things in the schedule. We are very grateful to God that Kathy-Lu’s cataract surgery went well and Kathy-Lu is home recovering.

Lorne is attending the Jonathan Training (Church Multiplication Movement) this week. It is a chance for him, along with Albert and Elaine Lu, to be reminded of Scriptural principles.  There will also be some practical suggestions of how to apply those teachings in the Taiwan ministry. There are a number of friends from other mission groups who are also attending the sessions. Please pray for God to help us to take special note of the things He wants to teach us.

Praise the Lord that there were nine elementary children who attended last Saturday afternoon’s Weekend Happy Camp. We are very thankful for the help of the C&MA churches that are sending members to help with this ministry. Please pray for those who attended and that more children will come to future events.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!  It has been an enjoyable Moon Festival long weekend.  Many families had BBQ with family members who returned from other places and with friends.  It was nice to connect with a number of friends in this relaxed atmosphere.  Kathy-Lu and I did not BBQ this year, but went for a mango snow cone (fresh mango over shaved frozen condensed milk with a scoop of mango ice cream).

Last week was the official registration for the November 29 elections.  Cities and towns across Taiwan all elect their local political leaders on that day.  So the campaigning has now officially begun.  Please pray that this year’s campaign will be free from vote-buying and other illegal practices.  Pray for good leaders to prevail and be put in positions of leadership, whether they be elected or appointed officials.

This week we will be busy with the following:

•     Interview with the Taiwan Field US C&MA Strategic Field Review committee.
•     Planning for the October 5-12 Vision Prayer Retreat.
•     Finalizing the 2015 Taiwan Field Canadian Budget request.
•     Visiting a first-year university student who begins classes this week.
•     Meeting with some friends in Taipei, to encourage them in their faith.
•     Cataract surgery for Kathy-Lu.
•     The first of the Children’s Weekend Happy Camp activities on Saturday,  September 13.
•     Youth Activity on the evening of September 13.
•     Small Group Worship on September 14.

Thank-you for your prayers that we will trust in the Lord with all our might, and not lean on our own understanding.  May we in all our ways acknowledge Him and let Him direct our paths.

We would also like to thank those who are supporting us.  We appreciate the generosity of God’s people, including those in Taiwan and those who live elsewhere.  Canadian supporters can participate in the following ways (tax-deductible receipt issued for the following):

• Global Advance Fund (GAF provides for our living allowances, transportation, rent, phone and internet, etc,. for all Canadian C&MA international workers).
• Taiwan White Work Special (WS provides for Lorne and Kathy-Lu’s additional ministry related expenses such as computer maintenance, travel to regional meetings, evangelism materials, etc.).
• Taiwan Hidden in Plain Sight Approved Special (HPS provides for costs related to the church start.  In the near future we will be needing to purchase a sign for the front of the building, bulletin board, sound system, keyboard, etc.)
• Find links to give to these needs at:  http://www.cmacan.org/give or give through your local C&MA church.

Thank-you for your generous giving to God’s work in Taiwan and other places around the world.