We are aware of churches who are discussing whether to send short-term ministry teams to work with us next summer.  Please pray for God’s confirmation regarding this matter.  We are hoping to hold a DVBS-style children’s camp in July and a youth camp event in August.  If you have interest in joining others to be a part of such a team, please let us know.  We can help you connect with others who are interested.

Happy Epiphany! We enjoy celebrating the day set aside to commemorate the travel and visit by the Magi that allowed them to worship Jesus. Their efforts were rewarded when they were in His presence. God promises that if we seek Him with our whole heart, He will be found. We hope and pray that is a common experience among all who receive our email update.

Both Lorne and Kathy-Lu have been filling time with coughs and sniffles. (Yes, Lorne was generous when he shouldn’t have been.) Lorne saw a different doctor today, and has a large selection of medicines to help his body fight the infections in his sinus and in his chest. Thank-you for praying for recovery from what is starting to feel like a chronic condition.

As we enter 2014, we are being asked about our planned activities for children, youth, and families. School and government officials would like to know what is planned so that they can be supportive in our efforts to serve families. However, this is difficult to answer as we do not yet have confirmations on short-term teams coming to assist us. Please pray for wisdom to know how to answer these inquiries.

If you as an individual, as a couple, as a family, or as a group from a church have interest in participating in short-term missions in Taiwan in the summer, please let us know. We would love to dialogue to see if we can match your interest with the needs here in Taiwan.

Our hope is that 2014 will be the year when a Taiwanese coworker joins the church planting work. Your prayers that God will call and equip such a person, and your financial gifts to the Hidden in Plain Sight Ministry through your local Canadian Alliance Church are ways that you can have a part in seeing this happen. We appreciate your partnership.

Happy New Year!

We want to take this opportunity to thank you for taking time this past year to read our updates and to pray for the gospel work happening here in Taiwan. You are a valued partner!

On the last Saturday of 2013, we were blessed to have the pastoral couple from Deep Grace Alliance Church with us. They took on additional responsibility in leading the children’s story activity to give Lorne extra time to rest as he continues to recover from his cold. There were some returning students and some first time attendees. There was also opportunity after the event to have a visit with parents who had sat and observed their daughters’ participation. Thank-you for continuing to pray that children would at an early age put their trust in Jesus.

As we enter 2014, we are being asked about our planned activities for children, youth, and families. This is difficult to answer as we do not yet have confirmations on short-term teams coming to assist us. Are you interested in coming to participate in the ministry in July or August 2014? Are you wanting to be part of an October prayer retreat here in Taiwan? If so, please let us know so that we can dialogue with you and begin to solidify our 2014 planning.

May God bless you all with hope, joy and love in 2014.

Lorne and Kathy-Lu

Hello prayer partners,

Once again it is Kathy-Lu here trying to help keep you up to date with life in Baojhong.

Last week included:

Lorne telling the Bible story of Christmas at Baojhong Elementary School.

• Giving away Christmas cards and candy canes to the students and teachers we work with at Fuhsing and Chaortsoa schools. We also got to show a short video on why Christmas is significant for everyone all around the world. (The real reason we celebrate)
• Going out Thursday evening for “carolling” and giving away candy bags, tracts, and magazines with a short term missions team who came down from one of our C&MA churches in Taipei.
• Because the weather was cold, windy, and drizzly that evening, Lorne went back out Saturday morning to distribute most of the remaining items.
• Sunday morning we had a small group Christmas worship time. It was a joy for us to be joined by a young father and his 16 month old son who drove in from another township north of ours to participate.

This week includes our regular activities plus:

• Year end financial reports and…
• Turning our regular time of teaching at Fuhsing school on Thursday into a Christmas party.
• Our children’s Bible story event on Saturday afternoon (focusing on Christmas)
• The monthly youth drop in/ coffee house event on Saturday evening.

We especially covet your prayers for the many who are learning the true meaning of Christmas–that God will bring fruit of the seeds planted. We also would appreciate you particularly remembering Lorne’s health as he has now been struggling with a severe chest cold cough for close to a month. (It has been discouraging.)

We have been praying concertedly this week for all the Christmas activities going on through the ministry of missionary coworkers, and in our churches in North America. May God bring glory to His name as He builds His Church.

With love and thankfulness,

Kathy-Lu

To all our dear prayer team members,

My apologies that this week’s prayer update is going out a little later than usual, and does not have Lorne’s well polished touch. He has been very sick since the end of November with a bad chest cold which in spite of seeing doctors and following medication regimens, seems to me to be worse rather than improved. Please pray as this season is one of our busiest times for outreach ministry in our community.

Thursday, December 19th is scheduled to be our annual carolling and candy/tract distribution evening. We are being joined by church members from Taipei, and this year they will include a puppet show version of telling the story of Jesus birth. According to the weather bureau, it is also to be our coldest day of this winter which would mean people will be tucked safely indoors where it will be harder to connect with them. Our other C&MA church plant works here in Yunlin have activities this week as well. Would you pray that God will not only warm the weather, but also people’s hearts to respond to His invitation to know Him personally.

Your continued prayers for Taiwanese pastors for our church and two others nearby in Yunlin are appreciated. We appreciate the help of Taiwanese C&MA church leadership who make time in their busy schedules to help us locate and screen the few candidates available. Please continue to pray that God will send out workers to reap His harvest.

This year’s decorating crew did a great job on the Christmas tree. We had lots of fun and got the job done. We were also able to take a few minutes and watch a video of the true Christmas story. Our hope is that these children will be back to hear more Bible stories in the future.

We had extra help from Canada this year as we bagged tracts and candy to be distributed at our Christmas events. Sherry’s parents were visiting and pitched in, joining our local believers and our neighbours. In total we prepared close to 1,000 candy bags. That is a substantial increase in number from last year. We know that there will be people from other towns who will receive one, but numerically there are enough bags so that potentially one of every 12 people who live in our town could receive one. Please pray that God would use this small gesture to touch lives and encourage people to explore a relationship with Jesus.

Thank-you for praying for our health. There is a slight improvement. However, Lorne continues to struggle with a bronchial infection resulting in a persistent cough. Please pray for God to complete what He has begun.

Have a great week! We hope you will find time to reflect on the feelings and thoughts of the different characters in the Biblical Christmas story. We hope you will experience some of that same awe, hope, peace, and joy.

We have a number of Christmas-related events that are happening this month.  We appreciate your prayers for:

• The telling of the Christmas story in the schools.  Last week I struggled with students who did not want to listen and with a computer that would not communicate with the video projector.  Please pray that even when things do not go as planned that God will use the message to touch hearts.
• Dec. 7   –  Decorating the Christmas Tree at our house (the church) with elementary school students.
• Dec. 8   –  Candy-Bagging Party after the morning worship time to prepare bags with candies and a tract for use during the Christmas season.
• Dec. 19 –  Christmas Carolling:  The Christmas story will be told using puppets at least once.
• Dec. 22 –  Christmas Worship
• Dec. 26 –  Christmas Celebration at Fuhsing Elementary School
• Dec. 28 –  Kids Story-Time: The Christmas story and related activities
• Dec. 28 –  Youth Group Night

We ask that you pray for our health as both Kathy-Lu and Lorne are not feeling well.  Pray for energy to be able to press forward and fulfill the commitments we have made for the above activities.

Thanksgiving was the topic of some of last week’s English classes.  This week Kathy-Lu and I will enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving Day with our American co-workers.  We are looking forward to the fellowship, food, and fun.

Because the Baozhong Primary School English classes are scheduled to hear a Bible story only once each month, Lorne will tell the story of the first Christmas to students beginning this Friday. Your prayers are appreciated.

Fear of what might happen is one of the things that hinders people from being willing to put their faith in Christ Jesus.   One of the youth who came to weekend events at the church told us it would now be necessary to “go and do traditional Taiwanese worship at a local temple in order  to avoid stirring up trouble in life.”  There are stories circulating about others who stopped doing the traditional worship rituals and had horrific nightmares afterwards.  We believe that both the nightmares and the fear that they might occur are part of the spiritual battle.  Will you please join us in praying that those who dare to explore about a relationship with Jesus would be protected from nightmares and demonic manifestations?  And please pray that the Holy Spirit will have freedom to work, bringing people to faith in Christ.

Please pray for the final editing and graphic design of a tract being designed to be distributed inside the Christmas candy bags.  Pray that God will use it to make people curious about the peace that Jesus gives.

Thank-you to those who are praying for our English-teaching in the elementary schools.  There has been some improvement in classroom dynamics since our October 11 request for additional prayer.  Your continued participation is appreciated.

A religious sect that does not believe that Jesus is God has been making regular visits to our town.  The schedule of their visits seems to coincide with the weekends when we have monthly children and youth activities.  We suspect the proseletizing may be causing some in the community to put up additional defenses that are affecting our ability to talk to them about deeper matters.   Please pray that God will protect the seeds of truth that are being planted so they are not stolen away or choked out by false teaching.

Another week has past, and we are getting closer to Christmas. It is a special opportunity to tell the story of Jesus to people.  We are preparing to tell the story of Jesus birth in schools and in various church activities.  At the same time we want to be worshippers, and enjoy the opportunity to reflect on the historical and theological truths.  Please pray that God will use us to draw people toward a relationship with Jesus during this Christmas season.

This week I was challenged as I read a review of the book:    All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life (by Mark Batterson).  According to the reviewer, the author “implores believers … to exercise the Lordship of Christ in everything. His premise is that grace doesn’t cost anything, but demands everything. It demands placing all that we have into God’s hands. Kneeling at the foot of cross of Christ and surrendering to His Lordship is a radical act of dethroning yourself and enthroning Christ as King.” That is a lot to think about.  This book is now on my list of books to be read in the new year.  What about you?  Other than the Bible, what are you reading that is challenging you to go deeper in your relationship with the Christ of Christmas?  Feel free to write and tell us.

You know you live in rural Taiwan when:

• You see pigs on the way to market parked on the street near your house because the driver is getting cash from the ATM machine at the bank.
• You spend time each week sweeping up feathers that are blowing around in your house entry-way.
• You can identify the crops being grown:  peanuts, rice, garlic, leeks, etc. and the equipment used for planting and harvesting.
• Crops like rice and peanuts are spread on the road to sun-dry, and the expectation is that people will drive around them or take an alternate route.
• The nearest McDonalds is located at least 20 minutes drive from your house in a larger centre.  However local fast foods (stinky-tofu, chicken gizzards, etc.) are still readily available.
• Winds, with dust from as far away as China mixed with local particulates, are the expected meteorological phenomenon for the winter months.  (It is one reason we appreciate the rain, although the high humidity brings other challenges like mildew, easy to get chilled, etc.)
• And…we know we are adapting when none of the above bother us, or at least not very much.

We are thankful for those that have covenanted with us to pray each week as Lorne tells Bible stories in the elementary school.  In addition to this, we need people to pray for the English classes that we teach on Thursday and Friday afternoons (Your Wednesday and Thursday late evenings).   Overall it is going well, but there are some challenges as we encourage students to show respect for each other.  We need God to help us to select suitable learning activities and use them in ways that help the students to learn and make the classroom a safe learning environment.  We want the students to sense that God loves and cares for them because of their interactions with us.