SO VERY THANKFUL

We are so blessed to see God answering prayers all around us. This week we received a note from J, a friend in Kaohsiung.  We met “J” following the 1999 earthquake in central Taiwan when we were assisting in disaster relief.  J, a new believer at that time, was the only Christian in her family. She was a breath of fresh air for us as we desperately needed partners to assist with the numerous volunteers who were coming in and out of the earthquake area.  We became great friends, and have been in ministry together ever since that time. Friends are friends forever in the Lord, right?

Years ago, J shared how her younger brother died in an accident when she was young and the inability of her parents to accept that tragedy.  Consequently she grew up in a hurting environment struggling with parental relationships and deeply desiring love.  Her parents are not yet Christians, and through the years, J has been challenged with a lot of struggles in many different ways.  BUT WE HAVE CONTINUED TO PRAY!!!

For years J has been surrounded by missionary and church friends. The Gentry, Varner, Burris, Miller and Strupp families . . . well many more and on and on we could go . . . have all had contact with this family.  God has not given up.   J is a teacher in a middle school in Kaohsiung. She married a great guy and they now have a daughter. Her husband too became a believer and they have a beautiful family. Through all the trauma and drama, J and her family have continued to LOVE her parents.  Recently, they once again went home to visit them and had a good visit. When they returned home to Kaohsiung, she called to let her mom know that they arrived safely. AND God had a special surprise for her.  Her mom asked her to forgive her for all the wrongs she has done to her through the years.  They cried together, and of course J responded with grace to her mom.

PRAY for J and her family. Pray for the salvation of her mom and dad, and pray that God will bring J the desires of her heart. Pray too for her husband’s family — that all family members will have an opportunity to know the freeing grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS:

WE WISH FOR YOU A BLESSED THANKSGIVING.

A THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION!

Remember the story of Paul and Silas in prison and how God spoke into the lives of the jailer and consequently, HE and HIS FAMILY all believed and were baptized.  Well, God is still working like that TODAY. We received an early morning phone call from Taiwan on November 20 to let us know that 3 people whom we have kept in our prayers for a long time have come to Christ. This is a HUGE .

A few years ago, a young man, J, a student in our community was encouraged by one of our members to attend the youth group. At first, the parents were reluctant, but eventually with their approval he began to attend. His father, TY also was connected and both of them came to Christ and were baptized. The mother, A, has been witnessed to for a long time by her siblings who are already Christians, but her parents often begged her not to become a Christian so that she could continue the Buddhist/Taoist tradition and worship them after their deaths. She struggled because she desired to be a filial daughter, but also wanted her mom and dad to come to know Christ.

In 2014, a mission team came from Malaysia and during that time, the mother, A, made a decision to accept Christ. However, since she desired for her parents to follow Christ as well, she delayed her baptism. So the big news is that NOW all three members of their family are believers. The parents had no contact with the church, BUT they did have these family members who are believers.

A REAL MIRACLE:  So this news that we received yesterday was not just a simple declaration by mouth that these parents desire to believe. The parents asked the church to come and remove all the idols and worship altar from their home and pray for a new beginning. So they did. They are all so excited about this new found faith. They will be baptized at Christmas.

Photo above is of the K family. Photo on the right is of the Hok-Tek Church and the parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. The photo below is of the L family —- definitely a Happy Thanksgiving.

PRAY:

• * For the K family as they, father, mother and son are now a complete family in Christ.
• * For J as he continues his college studies and is a shining light for the Lord in that community.
• * For the L family, the grandparents, as they begin this new journey in following Jesus.
• * For the Hok-Tek Church as they encourage and love on this family.
• * For those in the Hok-Tek Church to continue to love their family and community with Christ’s love.

ACTS 16:29-34   ²⁹Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰Then he escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. ³³ He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴ He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had believed God with his entire household.

A THOUSAND LITTLE THINGS

This week has been very special.  There are so many answers to prayer for Robert, me and our family that one of my special songs from the group, Point of Grace, expresses my thoughts very well. The song, A Thousand Little Things, overflows with the things that surround us and may seem ordinary, BUT daily fill our lives and should bring us to THANKS AND PRAISE! It expresses the thoughts in my mind and heart.  

As we stay with Lisa, Rhett, Greyson and Rhylen, DAILY we are reminded of ways we can be thankful because there is a very large chalkboard (left photo) in the kitchen where we can write down all the things that we are thankful for during the week. THIS week we have an unusually long list filled with academic and athletic achievements, opportunities, answers to prayer, cancer treatment victories and family happenings as well.

This week as we have experienced God’s grace here in Texas, God has also been up to AMAZING things in South East Asia.  YOU PRAYED AND GOD ANSWERED. The Hokkien Harvest
retreat in South East Asia once again was a venue to mobilize and send forth workers into the Lord’s HARVEST fields. Robert was asked to participate by preparing a video for the occasion.  Don’t you just love technology! Exciting things are happening as numerous churches and workers join together to share God’s love among the HOKKIEN and BEYOND. I mean, that’s what it’s all about, right?  You know, THE GREAT COMMISSION. . . GO, TEACH, BAPTIZE, TEACH THEM TO OBEY . . . 

Lisa and Rhett have filled their home with scripture and words of encouragement. One of those is I Corinthians 13, the love chapter.  What a reminder that LOVE changes everything and is so very powerful.  This morning following the news of the Paris attacks, this is a reminder that we MUST look to Jesus.  Love, not hate, anger or fear are freeing and allow us to live with peace in our hearts. So whether is a sunrise, school performance, a grandson learning to crawl, grandchildren racing in the Awana races, Hokkien Harvest ministries or WHATEVER . . . we want to be thankful for all those LITTLE and BIG THINGS.

Thank you again for your prayers for Robert as he continues with cancer treatment.  In this photo he really is wrapped in love, as our church family from our former pastorate at First Baptist Hoover in Alabama made this blanket for him. It’s a DAILY reminder of the LOVE that surrounds us.  We will post a new update on Facebook and Pinterest today.

 

 

 

A NEW BEGINNING

We have GREAT news to share. Since July we have asked you to pray for Mama L who also accompanied us on our mission trip to SE Asia. She traveled with her married son to work with our team in island ministry.  She is as cute as a bug . . . great to be around . . . loves to sing Karaoke and full of many questions regarding Christianity.  It was a real pleasure to get to know her, and we appreciate her friendship and exuberance for life.

WELL, the GOOD NEWS is that this week she prayed to receive Jesus Christ as her Savior. Now, of course, we all realize that this is not the final goal, but actually the first step or you might say A NEW BEGINNING! Pray for Mama L as believers disciple her and seek to find a church near her house. This is an important decision that brings us God’s abundant life.
Even with an abundant life, LIFE is always filled with challenges, but pray for these new Christian friends as they surround Mama L with encouragement and support. Pray for Mama L to cling to Christ as she faces daily challenges in Kaohsiung, Taiwan from non-Christian surroundings. Pray too for Mama L’s son, daughter-in-law, and baby granddaughter.

We are EXCITED! This is a huge answer to prayer and we thank you so much for traveling this journey with us.