By land or by sea!

God is ever present no matter what circumstances we encounter, and He is such a creative God.  Recently, some of our co-workers, Mike and Carolyn Miller, shared with us how God is using ships to also bring glory to HIS name in the Kaohsiung harbor area and beyond.  They had the privilege of attending the launching ceremony for their latest ship, Dolores 858. Carolyn shares:

The owners of this shipping company are Filipino and are strong Christians. They really want to give God the glory in all they do. They have a chaplain on board their ships who leads a bible study every day. Even in the company that is “on land”, I was told also they also have a bible study group.

One of the owners, Dolores, shared a wonderful evangelistic message at the ship’s launching ceremony, even using some Hokkien language in hopes that the many Taiwanese listening could understand better. (The Philippines is also an area where many groups of Hokkien people live.)  Each of the ships is named after Dolores followed by a number to distinguish it from the other ships.

Mike also shared a strong evangelistic message. Unfortunately, since this place is a ship yard, and people were talking, it was difficult to hear them. We first were introduced to this family from a young man (also Filipino) who works at this company and goes to our new church, New Life, located in Kaohsiung City.  So God is a great networker and brought these people together.

So it is true, by land or by sea, God’s great love  is unstoppable. Pray for this family as they seek to give God glory and see others come to Christ as well. God has His ways and His people around our world who are sharing God’s love through their lives.

Click on photos to enlarge . . .

TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH?

Welcome once again to the Hokkien Harvest Blog. Just a reminder, that if you click on the photos they will enlarge. Below is another story from our recent journeys.

When we look at church ministry and especially starting new work, how much effort is too little or too much? Well, that’s a question that each of us must answer. However, I do want to share a story with you of a church and church leadership that really desire for people to come to Christ. Last year we had the opportunity to meet a pastor in SE Asia at a retreat. Then this Spring, God provided the opportunity for us to travel to their city and spend time with them.  Wow! What a special family and church family — and God is using them in so many ways to bring people to Christ and allow HIM to transform lives. This summer we had more time together and saw just some of the things that God is doing through their lives. On Friday evening, the pastor, his wife and three children, picked us up at our hotel and drove to a town about 1 1/2 hours from our location.  This is just one of the two church starts that they are involved with.  They also have another new church in a different location on Friday evening, so the pastor and one of his staff take turns each week at these two different locations.

This Friday evening church worship begins at 8 pm.  When we arrived at this new church, the pastor, his wife, and their second son were part of the worship team. However, they have done a good job of training local people to also lead. What a privilege to see people and families of all ages in worship. They have been reached for Christ in this new ministry. Following church we joined together at a local eating place for some fun and fellowship. The pastor’s oldest son also takes his turn in playing the drums at different worship celebrations.

Then on Sunday morning, we joined with the mother church in two of their Sunday services: Hokkien and Mandarin. Lots of BODY LIFE, and that only comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. Robert was asked to preach in the Hokkien service, and the pastor’s oldest son played the drums on the worship team. Also sitting behind us was a group of men whom the pastor has mentored and encouraged to leave lives filled with addictions. Wow!  We pray for God’s grace in their lives, because leaving any addiction is tough. Their small group that meets regularly is a GREAT encouragement to them. The pastor also often travels to different venues helping some churches know better how to help transform the lives of people ravaged with addictions.

The Mandarin service was equally meaningful, and it was a privilege to spend this time with them. Then our time that morning ended with a Durian party in front of the church. One of the men in the church had provided 150 Durians for all to share. Amazing! Now, I must admit, there are different kinds of Durian and their Durian was VERY nice.  It also was accompanied by some additional SE Asian fruits that are unique. Fruit is very important to this region, and we could see it on their faces. BUT our story doesn’t stop here!

The pastor also volunteers as a facilitator and leader among the Hokkien to help encourage Hokkien ministry through education and training, and to also encourage the start of new Hokkien ministry. Praise God for the energy and heart these people bring before Christ. This doesn’t even mention the visitation, counseling, Bible studies and other opportunities that the church has to reach out to their community. However, FAMILY is also very important and they work hard to balance out their family time as well in the middle of a very busy lifestyle. There is one thing for sure — this pastor and his family, with HUGE hearts, are really focused on sharing the love of Christ with a lost world. We desire the the sweet smell of the WORD OF GOD, the Gospel, to be just like the beautiful fruit with its wonderful flavors and aromas, to be shared and multiplied across SE Asia and beyond.

How much is too little or too much or just right? Well, that’s a personal question that all of us have to answer before God, but we give praise and thanks for this family and church family and their commitment to follow Christ’s call.

Your GIVING changes lives and communities

Remember the story in the Bible of the widow who gave an offering that consisted of everything that she had?  Well, much like the widow, there are many people through the years who have given freely to see that God’s love continues to be spread:  feeding hungry people, healing the sick, helping those in crisis, and sharing the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Sometimes we hear people talk about it, but don’t necessarily see the difference through the years that so quickly pass in front of us.

Recently, we spent time with a Baptist church in Southeast Asia that was birthed and supported by missionaries and imb funding.  A Baptist church in a large city was started by Tan Siew Nai (Mrs. Oh Hock Teck)who was from Swatow, China.  With her passionate spirit she helped start the work that was established as a church in 1953 with G. W. Strother serving as honorary pastor.  They used Mandarin as their language.  However, some of the people in this area were English educated, so an English service was started by those who could not communicate in Mandarin.  As a result, the English group was established as a church in October 14, 1956 with Carl Yarnell as pastor.

Soon the church with a grant from the Foreign Mission Board (now the imb) purchased property where the church building still stands today.  In the early years with the drive and vision of Southern Baptist missionaries and financial resources from the Mission Board, the church grew quickly and also planted other churches.

In June 2014 we had the opportunity to hear their story and also see the building that is under construction and will seat 1,000 people.  They were quick to share that they exist because missionaries came and the monthly offerings, as well as the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering monies supported them.  Well, you might ask, how does this ministry relate to reaching the Hokkien.  This church that now works with a larger staff uses multiple languages and continues to reach out to the community in numerous ways to reach others for Christ. One of these congregations is Hokkien.  This Hokkien ministry which began in 2001 is unique because it is made up of street people in the city.  Some are peddlers and some are homeless and sleep on the streets.  People struggling with drugs and alcohol are just some of the challenges that this ministry faces.

Along with weekly worship, the church also reaches out with community help through the Drop-In Center and Feeding Program called “The Garden of Life.”  Prayer and cell group ministry also bring these people together during the week.  This outreach requires a lot of money, labor and love. However, this church shares that they have no greater joy than to see their friends come to Christ – doing whatever it takes.

Today because the love of Christ was shared with these people, these ministries not only stand tall to serve in their community and beyond, but also have given birth to new churches that are also on mission.  They exist to honor God, to be transformed by God’s Word, to be equipped to serve others and to impact the city for God.

So, we want to say a big thank you to all of you who have not only given in the past, but continue to give to support ministry around the world. Bibles, missionary support, and numerous gospel ministries are just some of the ways that money is spent.  It’s definitely a team effort and we thank ALL OF YOU for your prayer support and sacrificial giving that has multiplied throughout our world. May God get the glory.  For more information on how you can financially support ministries around the world, just click here.