While our small group Bible study has been studying Ephesians 4, that emphasizes the unity and harmony of the Body of Christ, Lorne and Kathy-Lu have become aware of situations involving conflict within churches with whom we have connection.  We firmly believe that Matthew 18 lays out a biblical process for resolving such matters.  As Christians, we are unique because we do not sweep matters under the carpet, but rather deal with each one by speaking the truth while extending grace and forgiveness.  Please pray for God to so indwell the church that such conflicts are worked through in healthy ways, bringing glory to Christ.

The international workers sent to Taiwan from the US C&MA will be holding a review of their strategic plan beginning next weekend.  There are leaders from the US office and from the region joining them for this process.  Please pray for them as they evaluate what is bring done and seek God’s leading for the future.

International workers from Canada, including us, are reviewing our strategic plans for the ministry year.  We are also projecting budget needs for the next calendar year.  These things are necessary as they help us to focus on the important things and to have the resources to do ministry.  Please pray that we will have God-given wisdom and leading as we work through these matters.

Lorne, along with Albert and Elaine Lu, is hoping to attend “Jonathan Training” September 15-20.  Please pray that what we learn will affirm the good things we are already doing and give additional ideas to help in the church planting process.

The Taiwanese school year began Monday, September 1.  Our commitment to volunteer in the elementary schools begins September 25.  Please pray for the students and for us as we gather additional teaching resources in preparation for the semester.

Monday, September 8, is the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival.  There will be a long weekend in Taiwan, and many families will gather together to barbecue on the Sunday evening.  We have not yet heard predictions about whether the full moon will be visible or not.  Please pray that believers will have good communication with family members and will at the same time be able to witness about Christ.

This week we were encouraged by God’s generosity and the commitment of God’s people as we met with representatives from seven Taiwan C&MA churches (photo).  The churches will take turns to send members to help run our church’s Fall semester of children and youth programs.   Events will be held twice each month for each age group.  Please pray for us as we continue to communicate with these volunteers.   Please pray that more students will register to attend the children’s “Weekend Happy Camp.”  (There are some families who are “thinking about it” and have not yet made a decision.)

We are celebrating today the faithfulness of the Lord as we mark the fourth anniversary since Kathy-Lu’s open heart surgery to repair her broken heart valve.  As the Scriptures say:  “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’ The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:22-26)

Some friends are coming to visit on Friday and bringing a Taiwanese Christian friend with them.  Their friend is originally from Baozhong and still has family living in the area.  Yesterday a couple of youth showed up at our door with some papaya.  Lorne had met one of them recently at the wedding.  He said that it is his aunt who is coming to visit us.  We are amazed at how God weaves things together and begins to put the pieces in place.  Please pray for us as we have a number of people like this to follow-up on over the next few months.

We are privileged to live in a world where communication has become much more convenient and reasonable.  However, on long weekends when we hear that families are travelling to be together, we are reminded of how far away we really are.  We also miss out on special family events–such as celebrating a life well-lived, or celebrating a wedding.  We are thankful for family members who are supportive of us through prayer and words of encouragement even though we do not get to be together very often.  We do not often take time to recognize the sacrifice they are making as we live so far away.  Would you please pray and ask God to bless and care for these people who are very special to us.

As we check in with you this week, we are encouraged from the good reports we are hearing of what God is doing in the nearby church plant in Sihhu.  Some of you will remember that we assisted in the work there prior to making Baozhong our sole focus.  Recently some people prayed to receive Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord.  There are people who wish to be baptized.  The number of people attending church activities has increased.  We join with them in rejoicing and pray God’s continued blessing on that work.
Lorne spent time this last week learning a new bookkeeping system for keeping track of the Mission finances.  He is sure that it will be done faster as he becomes more familiar with the system.  Having such tools help us to efficiently use the financial resources given to us.

We had a visit from a team from a church in Canada this past week to discuss ways to partner together. Our discussion included ways they could help us from a distance using technology as well as the potential for sending a team next summer.  Yes, we are already thinking about next year.  We encourage you to pray and ask God what He might want you to do during the next year.  Some things, like short-term mission trips, require advance planning.  Are you ready to be involved in what God is doing–either near where you live or further away?

We had a good discussion at our team meeting today as we reviewed what God has been doing over the summer and listed things we anticipate will happen over the next few months.  We still need to make decisions and put plans in place with regard to where we will make time commitments for the Fall.  Please pray that we will know God’s desire about each aspect of our part in His ministry.

The October Prayer Short-Term Mission Trip is one of the Fall events.  This year there are five participants coming from the Toronto area.  They will be coming to pray for our town, for our church, for those working here, and for Light to push back the darkness.  We are thankful that God has placed on the hearts of certain individuals to be intercessors.  If you are one of those people, we welcome you to write for additional prayer requests.  Perhaps you could even come on a short-term prayer trip next year!  We value prayer and believe that God chooses to act to answer prayer.  Prayer is an foundational part of the work here in Baozhong.

The team from Nanaimo departed this morning for some sightseeing and then they will go to the airport for the trip home.  It has been a full 10 days of laughing, sharing, Kids Camp, Youth Meeting, and church times together.  They survived remarkably well in the heat of a Taiwan summer.  We had a total of 47 campers at the week-long event.  The children enjoyed themselves and some were very responsive to the Bible stories.  We have invited the children to register for the Saturday Happy Camp events that will be held at the church building (our house) twice each month beginning in September.  There are five students that have already registered.  We will continue to promote the Fall program and encourage more students to come.

Central and southern Taiwan have been experiencing heavy rains.  Although this is part of the normal summer weather pattern, this is not good timing for Kaohsiung–the large city in the south.  On July 31 they had explosions due to a petrochemical pipe leak that caused major damage to roads and buildings, also causing many deaths and injuries.  Now there is flooding in the area affected.  Please pray for those experiencing these difficulties and for those who are trying to mobilize resources to help them.  (Kaohsiung is about a three-hour drive south of where we live.)

We request prayer as we along with Albert and Elaine Lu discuss how to respond to the requests for involvement in local elementary schools.  They would like us to continue volunteering during the new school year that begins in September.  We will need wisdom as we seek to determine how much time will be committed to this community service.  It is an important part of how we relate to those living around us and helps us to make contact with people outside the church.  We appreciate you praying for us as we decide.

We are praying for our daughter Elyssa and trying to coach her from afar as she looks for a job.  Please pray that God will provide a job so that she is able to pay for college and for living expenses.

Last Sunday, July 27 was the beginning of the ghost month, the seventh month of the lunar calendar (July 27-August 24 this year).  The Taiwanese believe that the gates of hell are open during that time so that spirits of deceased people can return and interact with those still living.  Elaborate feasts and ceremonies happen to appease the ghosts, including the a large “Feast for the Good Brothers” that will be held next weekend.  By calling them “good brothers” people are trying to allay fears they might have about the ghosts being all around them.  During the ghost month, people do their best to avoid moving from one house to another, getting married, giving birth, or other major life events.  As Christians we sing “Peaceful July” as one way of testifying to the peace that Christ gives.  Please pray for us and the other Christ followers to clearly demonstrate the unlimited peace that God gives to us.

The team from Nanaimo Alliance Church arrived this last Friday morning.  They will be helping to lead a Children’s Summer Camp this week.  The theme is “You Are Special!”  Please pray that the students will remember the stories and understand how much God loves them.  Camp starts Monday and will be five days long.

Our daughter Elyssa is looking for employment in the Calgary area.  Please join us in praying that God will provide.

“Do you read this book?” he asked while holding a Bible.  When I responded that I do, he said, “Can you teach me how to read it?”  That was the start of a  conversation that I had with a young man after the wedding ceremony on Saturday.  Please pray that he will remain curious and want to read the stories about Jesus in the gospels.

We were privileged to attend the annual Taiwan Missionary Fellowship Conference last week.  The guest speaker shared with us from Malachi, explaining that God was challenging Israel to examine their hearts.  There are some good challenges about trusting God and not just going through the motions in that book.  We also appreciated the opportunity to visit with friends that we only see once a year.  We also were able to exchange some ideas with other church planters and mutually encourage one another.  Kathy-Lu and I especially enjoyed the conversations around the table during meals.

Feeling like there was going to be more work than I might be able to handle during the Elementary Summer Camp (August 4-8), I began to pray.  God answered prayer by having five people volunteer to come and help.  Those people will join the team of four coming from Nanaimo Alliance Church.  We stated that we would accept 50 campers, and as of today there are 45 registered with four more in the process of registering.  We will tell a Bible story each day and challenge the children to find 5 people to whom they can tell the story each evening.  Please pray that God’s Word will enter their hearts and make a difference in their lives at an early age.

We are thankful that there are some Taiwanese churches coming to help us follow up the children who attend camp.  They will help us to do “Weekend Camp” twice each month beginning in September.  Please pray that children will want to register and that their parents will allow them to do so.

We have not reminded you recently to pray 10–4 prayers.  Luke 10:4 tells us to pray asking God to send workers into the fields to reap the harvest.  We are thankful for those who are coming to help us in rural Taiwan.  But there is still room for more.  Please continue to pray that God will send workers to share with the grandparents, the shopkeepers, the farmers, etc.  There are still many more who need to learn about God and His great love.

We had a wonderful time at the youth camp and have been enjoying the contacts with students since.  About 80 students attended the camp, and thoroughly enjoyed the activities led by the Heritage Alliance Church team and the Taiwanese volunteers.  Relationships developed through the week and by the end of the week we were welcoming about 20 students per day to our home.  We even had 8 come to our small group church on the Sunday.  Many students continue to drop by or connect with us on FaceBook.  Join us in praising God and thanking all our volunteers!  (The photo is of students playing table games with the team at our house.)

As we do follow-up with interested middle school students, we are also planning for the next camp–Elementary Student Camp–August 4-8. The theme is “You are Special!”  We have seen some of the creative activities being planned by the team coming from Nanaimo Alliance Church.  Please pray that the children would not only feel special, but they would learn how to have Jesus as their best friend.  Please pray for Lorne as he prepares for telling Bible stories and special talks for helping them learn about Jesus.

Although typhoons (Pacific Ocean hurricanes) are common weather phenomena during the summer months, the strong winds and heavy rain can disrupt life and cause damage.  We are on typhoon watch, expecting the first one to actually come to Taiwan in this next week.  We are praying that there will be no typhoons during the camp week, making it safer for the students and causing less disruptions.

Lorne will be officiating at Gary and Rachel’s wedding on Saturday.  For many of the relatives, it will be the first Christian wedding they have observed.  Please pray that God will use it to open their hearts to want to learn more about believing in Jesus.

We are thankful for the Deep Grace Alliance Church helping to plan Fall activities for children and youth.  Because the frequency of the events will increase to twice each month, other C&MA churches will also be helping.  Please pray for God’s blessing on these pastors and church members as they commit to helping us plant the church.  The plan is to begin publicizing the Fall activities at the August camp.

Youth Camp began on Monday morning!  Our house is full of people and life is busy.  We have about 75 campers attending each day.  The first day went OK, but there were a few things that did not go as well as we had hoped.  Tuesday felt like it went much better.  We will be starting our Wednesday camp day in just a few hours.  It hardly seems possible that the week is already close to half done.

Please continue to pray for the camp:

• We have a great group of talented leaders.  Please pray that we will have stamina in the heat and that we will have wisdom to be both a good example and also to know how to verbally interact with the students.
• We are thankful that God directed the typhoon to not come to Taiwan this week, but are aware that the result is that our colleagues in Japan are bracing for wind and rain.  Please continue to pray for good weather for camp and for those in in other areas in our region who will be affected by the storm.
• Pray that the students will learn some things that will help them in their daily lives.  We would love for them to be willing to invite Jesus to help them in the challenges they are facing.
• Thank-you for praying for Kathy-Lu.  She is feeling better than she was, but is not yet 100%.  We are thankful that God is giving her the ability to cook wonderful meals for us and keep the house in order.  The rest of us that are enjoying the results of her acts of service believe that God and she deserve kudos!
• We are trying to connect with the students outside of the camp itself.  Please pray that students will be willing to spend time with the leaders in the afternoons and that they will come to the drop-in coffeehouse time on Saturday evening.

This past week Sherry Huang completed her commitments in Baozhong.  Some of her students and coworkers came to the farewell party last Saturday evening.  Please join us in praying God’s blessing on Sherry and ask God to guide her as she discerns the next things God wants her to do.

A college student from Calgary will be coming next week to work for the summer months in the job that Sherry was previously doing.  Please pray that she will be able to adjust quickly to life in Baozhong.  Pray that God will use us to encourage her during the time she is here.

Youth Camp News  (July 7-11)

• There have been more registrations.  We think there will be about 80 students attending.
• Most of the supplies have been purchased.  The T-shirts for the leaders are ready to distribute.  The guest rooms just need a few finishing touches and then they are ready.  Praise the Lord that all these things have been accomplished.
• The team from Heritage Alliance Church in Abbotsford, BC will arrive on our Saturday morning.
• The weather is hot, and hotter.  We are thankful for air conditioners and that there are no reports of typhoons forming.  Please pray that we will continue to have good weather and that God will give us endurance in the hot temperatures.
• The sharing sessions that focus on “Finding Our Way in Life” will have Jeremiah 29:11 as the foundation (“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”)  Please pray for Lorne to be able to share clearly and that God will work in the students’ hearts.
• Kathy-Lu will be very busy with hostessing duties.  Please pray for God to give her strength, wisdom, and stamina.  Please pray that God will heal her sinus infection.

Although most of our time needs to be focussed on the camps, planning for the Fall church programs is happening.  Deep Grace Alliance Church plans to continue partnering with us, and is helping us to recruit other Taiwan C&MA churches to participate with them.  The goal is that beginning in the Fall the children’s ministry will happen twice each month in an expanded format.  We are also hoping and praying that we can have greater interaction with the parents and grandparents who bring the children.  The goal is to have the plans in place so that the Fall activities can be advertised at the August 4-8 children’s DVBS camp.  Please pray for God help in this important planning.

Yesterday at the small group worship time we looked Ephesians 1:3-14 taking note of the things listed that God has done and is doing.  Today we have our challenge.  When the car won’t start, interrupting the plans we have for the day, will I still keep my thoughts directed toward God with praise and gratefulness or will I focus on self and feel sorry about things.  Hmm!  God does allow things to happen to help us hear His voice and learn from Him.  We hope that you are hearing and learning from Him too.

Today we learned that the junior high school is projecting there will be 70 campers at the youth camp.  The academic director last Wednesday was apologetic because only two registrations had been received.  Lorne told her we would pray about that matter and see if God will put it in the students’ hearts to register and attend.  God has shown He is a powerful God–there are ten registered as of today.  Adding that to the number of new students coming from different elementary schools, and she reached her estimate of seventy.  We will prepare for a few more than that to be sure we have room for last minute registrations.  Please praise God for what He is doing and what He will do through the camp.

The youth camp starts two weeks from today.  We are still working on many final details and purchasing supplies.  We are looking forward to the team from Heritage Alliance Church (Abbotsford, BC) arriving.  There will also be seven Taiwanese joining us to be a part of our leadership team, plus a grandmother who will come help Kathy-Lu in the kitchen.  Please pray for good communication and that we will all work well together.  Pray those participating will not only see and hear what it means to believe in a God who cares about them, but that they would be willing decide to take the next steps in putting their faith in Christ.

Yesterday, after our small group worship here in Baozhong, we were privileged to witness the baptism of J at Amazing Grace Alliance Church (in an adjacent town).  He will be one of the volunteers who will be helping us at the youth camp.  It was also exciting to see the support he received from his high school buddy who says that he is working things through so that he too can be baptized.  It is exciting to see God at work and people responding in obedience.