SE Asia Life

Our trip to SE Asia was GREAT but not without challenges. We visited five different ministry centers: Three in the north, one in the middle of the country and one in the south. Our trip began with a plane delay in Kaohsiung which caused us to miss our next connection. So we didn’t get to our destination until about 12:30 on Sunday morning.

We had the privilege of worshiping with a local church and hear Robert share how God is at work in Hokkien ministry. The next day we attended the annual Hokkien meeting in that country where local churches come together to start new work and assist existing churches as needed.

The following evening we had the privilege of attending the first Hokkien Music Festival in this country. AWESOME! There were more than 600 people present with 20 churches partnering to make this event possible. Seven different praise teams took turns in leading in worship. It was outstanding. Click below for a chance to join in and listen.

In a nearby country a second Hokkien Music Festival was also held. Nine churches came together to make this event happen with seven different praise teams leading in worship. About 320 persons joined in the event. Amazing. Almost 1,000 people coming together to praise the Lord in Hokkien with 29 churches partnering in ministry. Sounds like HEAVEN doesn’t it! We are very excited to see God at work.

Then on Wednesday morning we traveled to KKN to take a tour of the community mission work which is just about the best I have ever seen:  Dialysis center, kindergarten, soup kitchen, senior adult care day center, orphanage, special needs training center, prison ministry, half way house, community adoption program, music classes, small groups, sports program and they are currently in the process of planning to build a drug rehab center. They also arrange for mobile health clinics for communities in need. A local Christian doctor also assists each week on Thursday to see patients for free at the soup kitchen and senior adult center.

We also had the privilege of touring the abandoned church property that has been given to them. In the past we have asked prayer for this Hokkien community. Please continue to pray with us for workers in this harvest field. This church also has multiple languages for worship:  Tamil, English, and Hokkien. On Thursday evening we helped lead the Hokkien service. A large crowd was in attendance and many came forward for prayer. Naturally, they continually have people respond through their community ministry.

Friday morning we flew out to connect with J & A and then drove by car to KKS in southern part of the country. We handed out a few flyers and then held an evangelism event in the open air on Friday evening. It was hot! 5 out of the 6 people on our team were ill (including Robert and Donna) with bacterial infections. BUT God really gave us strength to preach, sing and share testimonies. The next morning following our ministry, a man came to ask us how to receive Christ. It doesn’t get better than that. Two accepted Christ in this new ministry church point. There is no church in this community.

We were really challenged with these infections, but continued on to our last ministry place which was bi-lingual where we partnered in ministry in Hokkien that was translated into another local language as well. In each of the preaching opportunities our team also sang and shared testimonies.

Please pray for gospel seeds that were planted. Pray for open hearts and for entire families to come to Christ. We have returned to Taiwan, some have seen the doctor and we are taking some time to recover. Thank you so much for all your prayers!

Want to see more? Enjoy the photos below. As always, stay tuned! Blessings

 

TRUST!?

For many of us, TRUST really can be a tricky thing. I remember about 6 years ago when Robert and I were preparing for a trip to do ministry in SE Asia. We really didn’t have many connections; however, one of our Taiwan pastors came to us and said that he had a mission heart and  wanted to partner with us to do ministry there. We had previously gone with him on a trip there, and consequently we were thrilled that we once again had that opportunity. HOWEVER, Pastor L had an aneurysm that ruptured and he passed away. We were saddened and devastated. The loss of such a dear friend was very tough! He and his wife were a precious couple. He was a gifted pastor, spoke many languages, and really knew how to relate to people and share the Gospel. HOWEVER, God quickly spoke into my heart and brought to my mind a scripture from Psalm 20:7 . . . Some trust in horses or chariots, but we trust in the name of the Lord your God. We had already planned our trip, and we followed through and went to SE Asia alone. BUT we were not alone. God proved his LOVE for us and opened doors that blew our minds! He continues to do this among Hokkien people in SE Asia today. I could spend hours telling you about ways that God has continued to move among the people there.

NOW, years later you would think that I would have learned this lesson of TRUST, right?! Well, just this week as Robert was completing travel plans for our Taiwan mission team, he discovered that 2 of the passports were only valid for 4 more months. We must have at least 6 months remaining on our passports in order to be allowed in the country. Well, believe it or not, in Taiwan we were right in the middle of a 4 day holiday, so no way to make connections with government offices until Wednesday to get new passports. So what did I think? Well, MY mind went directly back to the experience with Pastor L. I thought maybe they would not be able to go with us. We already had ministry planned. Now what? FEAR. SADNESS. AND THEN GOD calmed my spirit and gently encouraged me to TRUST HIM for this outcome. It’s so much easier to SAY that I will TRUST than to actually practice that. BUT Tuesday night, I genuinely placed that in God’s hands and told Him that I didn’t want to worry about the outcome. Instead I wanted to really TRUST God and believe that he does love us and knows our needs.

Early Wednesday morning as soon as the government office opened our friends went to check on their passports. They were told that it could be completed in one day. I am sooooo thankful that God enabled Robert to discover this problem ahead of Saturday, our travel day. If not, they could not have boarded the plane.

My take away? Trust is so very important for me. The answers in my life may not always be the ones I want to hear, but is God trustworthy? Can I really place my trust in Him? If it doesn’t go like I want it to is God capable and big enough to orchestrate things and work miracles in these circumstances. I know He is! The tough part is that I need to DAILY practice this truth.

GOOD NEWS! We all have valid passports and ask you to join us in prayer for this 11 day journey into SE Asia. We are excited to see God at work there and in OUR hearts as well. We leave October 14 and will return to Taiwan on October 24. Once again thanks for partnering with us on this journey!♥

HAPPY BUT SAD

 

Returning to East and SE Asia stirs a lot of emotions in us. We are always excited to see how people have allowed God to work in their lives. It’s thrilling! However, we are also very sad to observe how some people have shown excitement in following Christ and then seem to just fade away and go down some very scary roads. One thing is for sure, and that is we know that Jesus loves us so very much and desires for us to follow Him.

My paternal grandfather was known to say, “It’s not how high you jump, but how far you run when you hit the ground.” I have thought a lot about that; however, no matter what happens, I am always saddened to see people not only go their own way . . . but actually get their lives in a real mess. They may express a lot of excitement in following Christ, but they didn’t make a genuine commitment and they lose their passion and leave the church family. For us that is very sad, because we want everyone to know the joy that God has brought into our lives.

Today, we ask you to join us in praying for the L family. We have asked prayer for them in the past. The mother and father in this family both went their own ways and abandoned 4 daughters to make it on their own. The youngest was 4 and the oldest was a teenager. One of our churches worked with a social worker to care for the girls. The father eventually returned; however, since he was an alcoholic, it was a very precarious situation. It was complicated and abuse was evident. This was definitely not a healthy environment in which 4 girls could mature.

When we returned to Taiwan last week we received word that this father had recently fallen from a small ladder, hit his head and died. The oldest daughter already had run away from home and recently given birth to a little boy. I am sad, very sad. I wish so much more for these kids. Jesus does bring hope, but we as humans seem to bring a lot of “mess” into our lives. The three girls are currently living with our pastor and family in our ministry building. The three are now 3^rd grade, 5^th grade and a senior in high school. Please pray with us for this family. God knows their needs. We pray for a future filled with hope, not poverty and despair. For a long time now, the church has provided help for them in school and these three are thriving. That in itself is a miracle. Abandonment issues can be and are often devastating!

Sunday two of the girls sat with us in church. They want to be loved so much. Their English names are Sally, Ann and Susan. I looked down at them with tears in my eyes. I have no idea what it feels like to be abandoned like that. Pray for God to wrap his arms around this family and comfort them. Only God can bring beauty from ashes.

Please PRAY as we come before God with broken hearts for these kids.

Pray for this new baby born to a teenage mom who does not want that responsibility.

Pray for care givers through this church family.

Pray that these girls will not be led into temptation but be delivered from evil.

Pray for God’s blessings on fall on this family.

CELEBRATING!

We are celebrating with Pastor A and his church family as they complete their new ministry and worship center on Ci Jian Island across from Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Talking about impossible . . .  well some people would think so in this harbor area. This is definitely a challenging mission field, BUT GOD! . . .  all things are possible.

Pastor A can be see in the schools in this area reaching out to teachers and students, and in the homes and shops of the local people as well. There are so many stories of how God uses Pastor A and the church there to love on people in this fishing community. Whether Pastor A is leading children, planning ministry, working with adults, or whatever, God continues to open doors. In the photos at the end of the blog, you will see the BEFORE and AFTER buildings as they move into this new facility. EXCITING!

Pray for these community of believers as they reach out to people with strong Taoist beliefs, some with special needs, AND children, youth and adults of all ages in this area. Pray for more workers in the harvest. Pray too that God will continue to provide needed resources as they seek to love on, share with and reach out to people in this fishing village area.