GOD SAID GO — AND THEY DID!

I know this is a longer blog . . . but the ministry in this particular area made such an impression on us. I wish you could have been with us as we viewed the posters on the wall of a Baptist church in SE Asia showing the huge number of ministries they are providing in their community and beyond.  This church was started by IMB missionaries and Southern Baptists many years ago, and it is a real lighthouse in their community.  Community connections everywhere. They are well known by both Christians and non-Christians throughout that region.

We first visited the DIALYSIS CENTER.  Yes, a dialysis center . . . so touching with lives hanging in the balance as they are dependent on these machines for LIFE. This is a first class medical facility committed to loving these people and their families — all ages young and old.

Then of course the ORPHANGE was such a touching place.  30 children currently live there. One young teenager has been there since she was a baby. Her mother is deaf and mute.  She is the youngest of 10 children, 6 of whom were sold by their father. The remaining children were protected and sent to the orphanage. Every child has a unique story and is in need of love and care.

The TRAINING CENTER FOR EMOTIONALLY CHALLENGED is life transforming.  Teaching personal hygiene, life skills and job skills for those who are higher functioning is just a little of what they do.  Haircuts, showers, clothing choices, family visits — on and on it goes.

The SOUP KITCHEN feeds about 120 persons daily during the week. Some of those who assist with this ministry have been trained through the EMOTIONALLY CHALLENGED TRAINING CENTER. This provided opportunities for us to minister there and invite them to the evangelistic Hokkien meeting on Thursday night.

Then on to THE SENIOR ADULT ACTIVITY CENTER that provides care daily during the week for Senior Adults. We enjoyed eating breakfast and sharing with them. We also reconnected with some of them at the Hokkien meeting. This is separate from the visitation ministry they provide in other Senior Adult Care Facilities.

It was also a treat to take a tour and visit their KINDERGARTEN.  300 children are enrolled in this state-of-the-art school.  Equipped with special features such as computer labs and science labs plus teaching multiple languages is very impressive to say the least.  All of this is wrapped in God’s love with stories of Jesus and His love for us. What a community outreach. Their curriculum is now being used in about  100 schools throughout their country. They shared that ministry for Jesus desires the very best and they strive to maintain that concept.

Then PRISON MINISTRY is another great need in this community for both men and women and those on death row. We went with the pastor to visit an inmate from another country who is on death row. You don’t play with drugs in Asia! The church also has two HALF-WAY HOUSES that minister to prisoner’s families. We commend the church for their loving service.

Oh I could go on forever —- SPORTS MINISTRY, SENIOR ADULT HOME VISITATION, BLESSING MINISTRY THAT PROVIDES A STORE AND FREE MUSIC LESSONS, ETC., YOUTH AND CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES , DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING . . .

We observed the great cooperation and effort of their ministry teams — all heart ♥ with lots of sacrifices and great team work.  IT IS NOT A MEGA CHURCH, but it has a MEGA impact on the community. HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. Pray for this church as they continue to live out the Great Commission to the nations.

FROM THE OLD TO THE NEW

Most are very familiar with the the Bible passage from Ephesians 4:22-24:

²² You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; ²³ you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; ²⁴ you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. (HCSB)

The image itself is so vivid, but when we see God work this out in the lives of believers, it becomes even more brilliant.  While in SE Asia we had the privilege of spending some special time with some new friends there.  We had met them before, but this was our first opportunity to actually stay in BH and KS’s home.  They had previously shared their testimony of how their “idol worshiping family” turned to Christ.  For years the husband, BH, was very adamant about refusing to allow people to share the Gospel with him.  However, there was a time in his life when the business failed and his life hung in the balance with serious physical problems . . .  and Christ breathed into him NEW LIFE — from the OLD to the NEW.

His sons are now adults, and the elder son, MJ, and his wife, KS, actually were the first ones to turn to Christ.  The younger son has not yet made that decision.  The story itself really speaks into my heart, but as we toured their home and listened to BH share, we were even more touched.  He showed us special Christian plaques and hangings on the walls where previously idols and other related religious items were displayed.  They are very bold and passionate about their walk with Christ.  THEN . . .

. . . .A MORNING SUPRISE!  As we awoke early the next morning we were invited to join them for family worship.  BH loaded a praise DVD and we all stood as we sang through the entire DVD before we kneeled on prayer cushions to pray before the Father. Such passion!  Praise the Lord for HIS saving grace that brought this family from old ways of life to new ways in HIM. Such joy! 

Join us in prayer as we pray for their youngest son, MC, to come to Christ.  Pray for a soft and open heart and for a willingness to hear and respond to God’s voice. This family lives daily with servant hearts in their church and throughout their community.  Join us as we keep them in our prayers.  May their tribe increase!

 

 

SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

Looking out our hotel in an historic area is a blended view of the new and the old.  So much history from numerous cultures has impacted this city. But as we know, the most precious part of the city is the people.

Hotel

Taiwan Population Graying Quickly . . .

The Taiwan population is graying quickly . . . according to one source that I recently read. No matter what the circumstance, God’s love is the “real deal” for everyone, no matter what age or race.

This week I was out with one of my Taiwan friends, Victoria, in Taipei — a rare occasion.  We walked into a hospital waiting room and sat down by a very kind 84 year old woman. The moment I began to speak Taiwanese —- well, heads turned like crazy and conversations were flying around like you wouldn’t believe. Believe it or not, we had the opportunity to engage about 15 people in conversation. It just was unbelievable! Of course the typical questions are — Why do you speak Taiwanese? Why are you in Taiwan? Tell us about your family— an open door for sure. They were full of questions. I gave out everything that I had concerning the Gospel that was in my purse: tracts as well as our family photos with testimony.

Two of the women had daughters who are now Christians and are trying their best to get “Mother” to come to church. The 84 year old shared that her son has been an
alcoholic and led a very messed up life UNTIL NOW. He is now a believer. Then an older gentleman in front of me turned and said that his 91 year-old father had accepted Christ and was baptized last Sunday. Another woman several rows up shared that she has been a believer since childhood. Talking about a rare and unique opportunity – a real jewel. She proceeded to talk about her experience and asked a million questions.

We had the opportunity to share our faith, encourage and we continue to pray for these precious people. As we left, others at the registration desk (also “marveling”) stopped us and we also had the opportunity to share with them too. Leaving was somewhat like leaving family and friends — very warm, very receptive and a precious gift for those of us who are foreigners here in this region.

How to pray?

* Pray for the older gentleman to follow his father in faith and baptism.

* Ask the Father to use the daughters to lead their mothers to Christ.

* Pray for us as we connect with all kinds of people in Taiwan and beyond.

* Pray for every gospel seed that was sown not to return void.

IT’S HERE —- HH NEW APP!

We have a HUGE answer to prayer as the NEW HOKKIEN HARVEST APP is now available for FREE in both GOOGLE and ITUNE/APPLE STORES.  Believe us, we have been excitedly waiting for this day.  We want to do everything we can to make resources available for Hokkien workers as they minister to others worldwide.  Years of God’s faithfulness in resource development and network connections have made this possible.

So whether you have an android or Apple product, you have access to the HH app. Here’s just a brief list of the categories that contain Hokkien materials: Bible resources, Discipleship, Evangelism, Music and additional Tools to assist Christians workers and  churches in sharing the love of Christ with the Hokkien world.  Materials are available in  all kinds of formats:  audio, video and printed.

Check it out and pass the word along.   Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions.  You can contact us through hokkien@pobox.com.  The email connection is also available on the Hokkien Harvest app. SOOOO many things are available through our app —- so don’t miss the opportunity to connect.  We also use Vimeo, YouTube and Google to help facilitate these resources.  We have included the download page images for Google and Apple to give you a peek at our pages.  So whether you’re a Hokkien speaker or just want the convenience of connecting to our daily Twitter and Facebook prayer requests or our weekly blog and Pinterest updates — there is something there for everyone. Blessings on you has you PRAY and GO in your ministry in the days ahead.