He pitched His tent: The Christmas Story

What a story!  The first chapter of John tells us that God became man and “pitched his tent” among us.  That’s literally what the Bible verses in the first chapter of John tell us.  He didn’t just jump down to earth and leave a message . . . He came to live out his life among us.  That’s our Christmas gift:  God comes to this earth to bring salvation, life, joy and peace.

You know what, this reminds us of 1999 when Taiwan experienced a horrible earthquake, and we as Christians had the opportunity to also “pitch our tents” among them as well.  This was a chance for us to walk with the people and share their grief and tears.  We assisted by distributing walter filters, food and other items needed for daily use.  But we also were thrilled to start ministry and share God’s love with the people.  Now 13 years later here’s just a peek at the difference that “tent life” can make.  We received a call last night to tell us about a young man, now about 22 years old who moved from that village area to one of our big cities and has just been baptized and joined a local church.  His first exposure to the Gospel was in that village area.  What a Christmas present for us!!!!!

At this Christmas time 2012, we have also seen Christmas dramas, caroling, parties, school events, subway activities, choir performances, testimonies . . . all sharing the love of Jesus.  The Bible promises that His Word will not return void.  Boy, have we seen that truth lived out in East Asia:  lives transformed beyond anything that we can imagine.  God has provided hope for the hopeless, peace for those struggling and sent family church communities out to love the people around them.

May the spirit of Christmas abide with us throughout 2013 and spur us on to live out His love through our lives to impact family, friends and others around us.  We wish all of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.

God calls us to “Be the Difference”

Thursdays are very special for us!  What makes them so special?  Well, we have the opportunitiy to team with Pastor and Mrs. A who actually came out of the first church that we helped start in Taiwan.  They both have been to seminary and served in the Taiwan Pescadore Islands before beginning a new work in Chichin, an adjoining small island on the coastal side of Kaohsiung City.  Just like any place in the world there are all kinds of people located there . . . people whom God loves very much.  Last Thursday was filled with opportunities to mingle with the people.  We had a number of opportunities to connect with people and closed out our time visiting and sharing in the home of P. G.  There were 10 of us and God walked with us.  In fact, He was way out front leading the way.  As we sang and shared, K. P. began to open up and share.  She is a reader in a local temple, but has been passionately reading the Bible.  She wants to know more and is searching.  Suddenly, she shared that before meeting any Christians she had a dream, and in her dream Jesus appeared to her with outstretched arms.  His hands were wounded with blood flowing from them.  She had never told anyone about the dream.  This was a very moving time.  She loves to read the Bible and she believes but needs your prayers.  The next step is a BIG one for believers in East Asia . . . baptism — making it public.

We all had opportunity to share our own journeys and encourage these beautiful people in their search for Truth.  Then P. G. cried as she shared her hurts and struggles.  She has lived with abuse in her marriage for almost 40 years and has reached the end of her rope.  She’s looking for peace and meaning in life.  One of the new believers quickly jumped in to share her story of how God changed her family!!!! Absolutely powerful to see God at work in this place.  Ministry in Chichin is a challenge.  There are a LOT of people with special needs, demonic oppression is very strong, low income families struggle to make ends meet, alcoholism is prevalent, and all this is mixed together with many other family challenges.  Sounds depressing doesn’t it.  But as the Bible says, “Nothing is too difficult for God”.  We’re not looking for what we can do.  We desperately need what God can do and we already see his handiwork!  Thanks for partnering with us in prayer.  Stay tuned for more . . .

Families in crisis!

Early this Sunday morning we woke up to the loud sound of bands playing non-stop music and drums beating as hords of people marched and carried hand-made idols through the streets in front of our house.   This display of idols proceeded down the center of the city for about 1 and 1/2 hours.  The parade was a celebration of idols being carried through the streets to raise awareness and promote more visits to a nearby temple. The music, the haze of smoke and the loud popping of firecrackers caused me to think back several years to the L family in our community. 

When we met this family they had many needs.  They had a son ready to begin school, a younger daughter and a small infant son.  The parents were not well educated and really didn’t know much about parenting.  Ordinary house chores, school homework, work skills, and basic life skills were all challenges for this family.  Our church family felt compassion for them and jumped in to help, teaching them to wash clothes, clean house, tackle school work, deal with social issues and much more . . .

For a while things seemed to change a little, but over time the parents reverted back to their old ways of life and withdrew from the church community.  On one occasion, some saw the oldest son walking in a local god parade where he had joined with a group of mischievous boys in the community and followed them into activities with a local temple.  He dropped to the bottom of the class in school.  I can’t even begin to tell you about all the problems that erupted in this family.  My desire is not to criticize or talk badly about the family; but instead, to use this as a reminder to pray for the families of East Asia.  Pray for people to have a desire to seek the TRUTH.  They don’t need our pity –  they need our compassion and help.  This family is from our people group, the Hokkien people, and is especially characteristic of many grass root families.

Life can be challenging!  Pray for Christian leaders as they seek ways to encourage and assist families in .  You may be interested in following the link below.  According to recent statistics, one couple divorces every 10 minutes in Taiwan.   Families are in crisis.  Pray for strength and wisdom for churches to find avenues to love their communities in ways that will make a difference in these homes.  Believe me — your’re prayers do make a difference.

Families are in need

Friends are something you cannot buy, and we cherish every connection.  Recently, we have reconnected with so many friends and co-workers, but no news from our good friends, Mr. and Mrs. N, concerned us.  Some time ago, Mr. N and his family came to Christ and were eager to follow Jesus and learn as much as they could about the Bible.  They were genuinely hungry for God.  Mr. N, a great cook, opened a noodle shop and had a good business. His noodles weren’t just good . . .  they were fantastic!  But there was one demon that he struggled with:  making big money.  He didn’t want to just make a lot of money.  He wanted to make a fortune.  He was consumed with making it BIG for him and his family.  It seemed that no matter how he approached it, he couldn’t let it go.  This passionate pursuit took him down many bad paths. Eventually he couldn’t face life any more and committed suicide, leaving a wife and two sons.

We are grateful that many have supported this family, and they are dong well.  But what a tragedy!!!  In East Asia, this is not an uncommon response to tough challenges.  We pray that this will be a reminder to us to pray for families across East Asia.  In  Philippians 4:6-7, the Bible tells us:   do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.