THAT EXTRA TOUCH!

This morning we ran by a copy shop in Kaohsiung to have a book mark printed to hand out in SE Asia. The last time we dropped by the shop was one year ago. Immediately the owner came over and said that he had failed to give us all of our book marks last time — only about 25 or so — and he had kept them in order to return them to us the next time he saw us. MAN , , , what a surprise. What service! Come on now . . . a year later just for 25 book marks. This guy is so kind and ready to help each and every customer who comes in his print shop. He is not yet a believer. His entire countenance and demeanor caused me to stop and think about the way I AND and WE as Christians should respond to others.

You know Jesus had that extra touch. AND since JESUS abides in us, then HE also wants to pass on that EXTRA TOUCH OF LOVE to others. We have had the opportunity while revisiting our friends to share a little TLC and serve others. You know, because there is a relationship with people, we have an open door to gradually pass along the Lord’s love. We have to be honest. We know a lot of people who know the Gospel, but have chosen not to believe. They are friends. In fact, one person asked me if she did not become a Christian, would we continue to still be her friend. Of course, I told her that we would always be friends. We were thrilled when she later did accept Christ. She married and her husband, daughter and son are also fervent believers. However, that is not always the case. We know many who choose not to believe. We also know people who, like the seeds talked about in the Bible, said they would follow Jesus but later just dried up and faded away.

Last week as I was walking to a nearby school to exercise, I could hardly breathe. The air was clogged with smoke from the temple furnace where they were burning paper to beg their idols to answer their prayers — much like the photo above. Some have asked the government to address this issue that definitely affects the environment. These people are fervent in their faith and seeking answers to life’s problems. Oh I pray that they would know Jesus and be free from the bondage and fears related to their religious groups. Chris Tomlin sings it well.

While riding the bus home today I saw elderly people with no one to help them on or off the bus. Oh, there were people who tried, but truthfully, they should have not been alone. Later a Buddhist nun got on the bus, and I prayed that even tonight Jesus would speak to her in her dreams. This week we also had the privilege to share with 2 taxi drivers who did not know about Christ. One had no religion of any kind. We are surrounded by people with so many needs. Please pray that our eyes will be open and hands ready to respond as God opens opportunities. We pray for a Spiritual Awakening across Asia that will impact the entire world. We’re praying for THAT EXTRA TOUCH that only God can give.

Thanks for joining us on the journey.

Robert and Donna Burris

 

A WAKE UP CALL

Returning to East and SE Asia each year has without a doubt helped us to realize how precious life is. It seems that on every occasion we discover the news that some of our friends are seriously ill, have been injured or have passed away. When our friends here are in the middle of ministry and dealing with life’s issues, they don’t necessarily remember to let us know about some of life’s details. When we peel back life there are always challenges that help us realize that we can’t do this journey by ourselves.

This fall when we returned, we found out that one of our former pastors, Gan Beng-Seng passed away. On the heels of that news we also heard that a younger father and husband connected to our church also passed away very suddenly. There was also plenty of news about family break-ups and addiction issues. I will say that we were encouraged with the news that one of our friends whom we met with has just completed chemo for liver cancer and is doing well . . . and the story goes on and on.

This week the news in Taiwan also reported the crash of one of their trains on Taiwan’s east coast. So far 18 deaths were reported with more than 170 injuries. It was horrible. A number of the deaths were also Christians from East Taiwan.

THEN, just as I am writing this blog, a 6.0 earthquake occurred in northern Taiwan. Wow! A wake up call? This is no different than when we were told that Robert had cancer three years ago. These are all personal earthquakes and life experiences that should grab our attention and help us to focus on TODAY. That is all that we have. LIFE is precious. Pray for all of us in Hokkien ministry and beyond to seize the opportunities that God brings our way to bring HOPE, PEACE, LOVE AND THE OFFER OF SALVATION to a hurting world.

We have many WAKE UP CALLS don’t we!

LAST BAG OF RICE

Have you ever worried and struggled to take care of personal problems or ministry challenges? We’re surrounded by life’s issues. However, God promises to provide for us. I recently heard a Taiwanese pastor share from the life of Hudson Taylor and was greatly encouraged to have FAITH.

James Hudson Taylor (Chinese: 戴德生; 21 May 1832 – 3 June 1905) was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM, now OMF International). Taylor spent 51 years in China. He and his went went to China alone. The society that he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country who began 125 schools and directly resulted in 18,000 Christian conversions, as well as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more than 500 local helpers in all eighteen provinces. Amazing!

Dr. William Parker, the medical missionary who established the hospital in Ningbo, was called back to Scotland after the sudden passing of his wife, which left four young children to raise. He supported the hospital through his private practice in China, but that funding ended when he left. Dr. Parker approached Taylor to take over. It would be no small undertaking, with an average of 50 inpatients on any given day, plus many more accessing the pharmacy. All the care to the sick — along with the medicines dispensed — were free.  But where would the money come from to support it?

After fervently seeking the Lord about it, Taylor agreed to take over. Taylor is well known for his statement, “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” He believed and trusted God. Just remember that there were no electronic transfers of funds in 19^th Century China; it took five months for a ship to make it from London to Shanghai. So even if a letter was sent expressing the urgency of the situation, it would take months to hear something. When Dr. Parker left, there were only funds on hand to cover the current month’s expenses. Things continued to decline, and people began to worry. What would they do? What about the hospital? People worried, but Hudson prayed. The hospital’s cook, Kuei-hui, came and told him that they were desperate and had just opened their last bag of rice, and it was disappearing rapidly.

What was Taylor’s response? “Then the Lord’s time for helping us must be close at hand,” he told Khei-hui. Taylor, once again, prayed. Hudson felt God seldom shows up early, but He is never too late. Before the last bag of rice was devoured, a letter arrived for Taylor that was among the most extraordinary he ever received. In the letter from a Mr. Berger in the U.K. was a check for 50 pounds — equivalent to $3,660 today when factoring in cost-of-living increases or $30,500 using average earnings increases. His father had just passed away, and he wanted to invest this money in God’s Kingdom work. Not only that, he also wanted to give Taylor and this ministry regular support. A God thing for sure!

Taylor’s faith was strong. He experienced the death of a number of children, and his wife also died from cholera following childbirth. He married again but also had tremendous challenges with many issues. In spite all of this He trusted God to provide for the people of China and his family needs. (https://blog.godreports.com/2013/07/hudson-taylors-last-bag-of-rice/)

Please PRAY for us and our Hokkien Harvest partners to have THIS KIND OF FAITH.

♥ Robert preaches Sunday regarding deacon selection at the Hok-Tek Baptist Church

♥ We leave for SE Asia on October 30 and will have 3 ministry points on our first leg in that country. Pray for Robert as he preaches. Pray for our team of 4 as we present special music and give testimonies. Pray for open hearts.

♥ Pray for the Big Hokkien Harvest Rally in Singapore on November 6. This is the last leg of our journey in SE Asia. Pray for open hearts for this city-wide Hokkien evangelistic event. Pray for Pastor Oh as he preaches and for all involved in music and worship leadership. There will be two services, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Pray too for follow-up and discipleship as people come to Christ.

Thanks so much for your prayers, Robert and Donna

BROKEN!

We have worked full time with people for about 50 years now, and we would like to say that things look better. However, the truth is that in our world there are no perfect people. Returning to ministry points in Asia also once again reminds us that BROKENNESS is everywhere. Do you remember the story in the Bible about planting seeds in Matthew 13? Some seeds that were planted just didn’t make it, but others thrived.
Well, that is a truth that doesn’t change. In our years of ministry we have seen people follow Christ, and we have seen others begin the journey, make some really bad choices and then face devastating consequences. BUT there are those who also choose to come BACK. As long as there is LIFE there is HOPE. We are broken hearted to see families torn apart, but we pray God will do miracles in their lives. Pray with us

♥ A young couple GD and IS have divorced with 2 small children who are now split apart from each other — a very hurtful situation. They are Christians. Pray for God’s power to change these lives. Pray for protection for these children. The church is actively nvolved.

♥ Another young couple who are Christians and church leaders, O & J, have divorced as well. Pray for spiritual maturity and for God to bring healing into their lives.

♥ Another young couple have divorced and given their child to another relative to raise. They are not Christians, but the parents are. The son has moved in with his parents, but he himself struggles with alcohol and has very poor health. The ex-wife now wants to return, but the family is struggling with this issue. Please pray.

♥ Pray for Mr. P, who is now in hospice. He is a relatively new believer but has a background filled with abandonment and anger. His family has deserted him. Pray for peace for him in his final days. The church is ministering to him.

♥ Pray for two young people in SE Asia. Their mother died last year and this week their father died of a stroke. Our ministry there has loved on these two children. Pray for transition and a future home for them.

♥ Pray for two teenage boys who were abandoned by their mother and the father has a drinking problem. Neither of the boys cares much for school. They have little guidance from home, BUT they do come to church. PRAY for miracles in their lives.

♥ Pray for a home where the father died last year, and the mother is not a good care giver for the 4 girls. There is so much dysfunction. We ask God to intervene. The church has poured a lot of love into this family.

♥ Pray for a family of three who have all committed their lives to Christ. The father is active in church. However, the mother is now attending another religious group, and the young adult son is not going to church at all. Pray for Christ to bring restoration into this home.

♥ Pray too for a family that had a rough beginning, but have chosen to follow Christ. They have two girls and are expecting a son. These young people have come out of a devout Taoist background, but are committed to Christ. We are so grateful to see God work in this family.

♥ Pray especially for our Hokkien/Taiwanese churches that are involved in grassroots ministry. It is tough — messy — and filled with ups and downs. Pray for our church leaders to be filled with God’s wisdom and strength as they reach out in these communities.

♥ Pray for a family that has a lot of dysfunction. They have left the church, and recently the mother almost died. Pray for restoration and healing.

♥ Pray for a Hokkien/Taiwanese community that is filled with hurting families. It is a tough mission field. Addictions, hurts and bad habits hold this community hostage. Pray for the church in the center of this community to find ways to connect and share God’s love.

We will be in Asia until November 19. Thanks so much for partnering with us in prayer as we journey through East and SE Asia. We pray that God will use us to encourage others as we connect.

We laugh and say that God has now called us to be Professional Cheerleaders! 

Thanks for joining us on the journey!

HOW DO WE NEIGHBOR?

I don’t know about you, but for me the word “neighbor” has always been a noun. However, recently, in our church, we have emphasized the importance of loving our neighbor just like we love ourselves. You know, what I’m saying. Jesus commanded us to do this …. LOVE GOD, OURSELVES AND OTHERS.

I also noticed that the word “neighbor” changed from the noun form to a VERB. How do you neighbor? How do I neighbor? I love it!!!

Whether we are at home in the US, on a mission trip, or living overseas . . . the message is the same. LOVE GOD, OURSELVES AND OTHERS. It’s not complicated, but definitely challenging. Pray for creativity, courage and connections.

♥ Pray for believers who live in the US to neighbor well.

♥ Pray for those who connect with internationals to neighbor well.

♥ Pray for those who live overseas to neighbor well.

♥ Pray for our Hokkien workers and believers to also neighbor well.

♥ Pray for us, Robert and Donna, to neighbor well as we travel through East and SE Asia.

HOW DO I, YOU, WE NEIGHBOR? BEST WISHES FOR GOOD NEIGHBORING!

GOOD TIMES!

Thank you so much for praying for the High Praise Hokkien Harvest Music Festival in SE Asia. These are Good Times. As always, God continues to work in the lives of the Hokkien people there AND beyond. Hundreds of people attend these events and have an opportunity through Hokkien music to touch the face of God. We KNOW that God will continue to move in the lives of those who attended in the days ahead. God promises that when HIS WORD is shared, NOTHING will return void. Exciting!

We are very grateful for our Hokkien team partners who have sacrificed to make this happen.

Pray for them to be balanced — caring for body, spirit and soul. Pray for their families as they work in the harvest field loving on the people in their communities and in far away places.

Also continue to pray as local churches follow through with connections. Pray with us that entire families will open their hearts and come to Christ.

THANK YOU Hokkien Harvest Team for your ministry. (Photos below)

What a journey!!!

ISLAND MINISTRY!

Historically speaking, many Hokkien people have come from fishing families. Whether in East or SE Asia, there are many islands as well as coastal areas where Hokkien people maintain fishing businesses. We also have had the privilege of partnering in ministry in a number of Hokkien fishing communities. One of these islands is PK, an island in SE Asia that has not only Hokkien speaking people but Teochew people as well (people originally from the eastern Guandong Province in China). One of our teams has invested a lot of ministry in this particular island. We have a church there, and weekly the team travels to this area to love on the people — children, students and adults.

Recently, through Chinese communities, family and friends celebrated the Mid Autumn Festival.

We thought you might like to join along with them. So the videos below will take you on that journey. Please pray for these team members and local believers on this island as they seek to be Christ’s hands and feet among this community.

PK Island Video 1:  Click HERE

PK Island Video 2:  Click HERE

PK Island Video 3: Click HERE

HAPPY MOON FESTIVAL!!!!!!!