MORE GOOD NEWS!

November and December have been filled with many evangelistic events, BUT believe me these were peppered with prayer throughout the year. Many of you have prayed with us for God to touch the hearts of people in Hokkien communities and draw them to himself. Visits have been made, TLC given to so many, and the gospel of Jesus Christ was continually shared. Then invitations were also given for people to attend these special parties and celebrations. What a harvest!!!

We are so excited to see how God has continued to change lives, bring hope and transform people. Thanks for praying with us during 2018.

One of our teams just reported a large group of believers who have made decisions to images (1)accept Christ. So what does that mean? Are they instantaneously changed people with no problems? Of course not! The workers on this fishing island in SE Asia have been faithful for the last 5 or 6 years. They have prayed and weekly led teams to build relationships, understand needs and share God’s saving grace and love with these people.

In the beginning there was not much response, but little by little people have come to hear these messages about Jesus. They call the church building, “the Jesus house.” So this is definitely a process. Some are timid, but continue to come until one day they too want to know this Jesus. What an exciting journey to see how God loves on these people.

Pictured below is the group of people from this island who during this holiday season made decisions to follow Jesus. They need our prayers for hope, strength and wisdom. Pray for our workers as they disciple and love on these people. Pray for entire families to come to Christ.

Like I always say, stay tuned . . . there is definitely more to come.

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Christmas on the road!

How does anyone share about Christmas with others in Asia? Well, there really are about a million different ways: parties, musicals, evangelism events, banquets, dramas and much much more. il_570xN.1360598117_qv9sThe Hok-Tek Baptist Church in Kaohsiung, Taiwan has a history of using Christmas dramas that they often create themselves. The script, costumes, set decorations . . . they do it all. AND then they take it on the road — churches, schools, hospitals and of course a special presentation in their church for Christmas.

We are so proud of them for all the work that goes into this presentation. God continues to open doors into so many venues for them to share the story of Christmas. Thanks for praying for these special Christmas events in East and SE Asia as our partners share the story of Jesus in their communities.

Enjoy these photos of Hok-Tek’s Christmas drama. Pray too for the special presentation this Saturday. Good things are happening. Christmas blessings to all.

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

We are so excited to announce ministry in a new Hokkien ministry in an ureached country with a new Hokkien pastor! What a Christmas present. Last week a Christmas party was held for the children, and was followed by an adult program. There will also be a party for youth this weekend. This new church only has 5 or 6 people with less than 50 Christians on the entire island, BUT it’s new and they now have a pastor and God is in control.
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Pastor A has only been there about 2 weeks. Pray for him as God builds this Hokkien congregation. Workers from other countries are also supporting them. Join in the celebration and enjoy a bit of the Children’s Christmas party in village B. This ministry is in a new ministry area in a different country in SE Asia. These are exciting days. Merry Christmas to all. Enjoy the party — 6 snippets of video to tell the story. Especially pray for the upcoming Christmas party this weekend.

SUPER SENIORS!

Where we live in Texas, anyone 65 or over is called a SUPER SENIOR. Of course, we all kIMG-20181206-WA0001now that they are trying to be respectful to those of us who are growing older. BUT you know, ALL of us are getting older, aren’t we!?!

As children many of us learned songs about Jesus. Remember the song, Jesus loves the little children . . . Well,if we changed the words a bit we could sing it like this . . .

Jesus loves the SUPER SENIORS. All the seniors of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the SUPER SENIORS of the world.

PP_SuperSeniors_TASK_SSWith the amazing medical discoveries in our world, so much progress has been made and people are living longer. However, with this explosion of SUPER SENIORS, there is also  a tremendous need for ministry among them as well.

IMG-20181206-WA0000Through East and SE Asia there are many Christians who are reaching into families and community groups to touch SUPER SENIORS. Pray with us as churches consider options and opportunities for meeting needs in this arena.

 

 

Loneliness, depression, fear, anger, confusion and so many other emotions often smother these precious people. And you know what? Many Hokkien people in this age group have never heard the good news about Jesus Christ and his love for us. Please pray for our Hokkien workers as they continue to touch their communities and beyond to share God’s love with these SUPER SENIORS.

Take a peek . . .

 

All By Myself

All of us have many voices that speak into our lives. One of those voices is VERY loud telling us that if we just have enough confidence and work hard enough we can do image014almost anything. Don’t get down, and do whatever it takes to become a successful person. In MY world, the voice is very loud as I watch TV, check out the daily news and listen to many community musings. Oh, I have a lot of other voices too, but this one is so over the top that it screams at me. The idea that I can handle anything. I just need to get my act together. So I guess the theme is ALL BY MYSELF.

Untitled-1HOWEVER, there are times when life comes at me much like a freight train. It seemingly comes out of nowhere. I make my plans, and attempt to hang on to my dreams, but life often opens up like Pandora’s box filled with many challenges — things I NEVER thought about or expected.

So how do I respond to circumstances like this? Some have suggested that I shouldn’t worry because God’s got this! True, I know. Others have said that I don’t have to worry because God won’t let me experience beyond what I can handle. As I was talking to my sister recently, we were discussing this. They too know difficult circumstances because years ago my brother-in-law almost died overseas, paralyzed from the neck down. With three small preschool children they returned to the US for him to recover.  Those were really tough years.

As we talked I appreciated the perspective that she gave to me. She emphasized the fact that as we hit these TOUGH times, we can’t handle them and that is so important for us to realize and God wants us to realize that I can’t do it by myself. It is in these moments that I so deeply realize that God is omniscient all powerful and HE knows I CANNOT handle things alone. It is through these types of encounters that he has allowed and I experience how deeply God speaks into my life and draws me to HIMSELF. How do I EVER get the idea that I can just coast through life and do it by myself?

There is so much that I do not know, but the loss of a baby granddaughter, the death of our parents, Robert’s cancer, our son-in-law’s cancer and the journey we have followed of so many friends brings me to DAILY realize that my HOPE has to be in Christ not ME.  Yesterday we received word from our youngest daughter that there was a 7.0 earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska. Once again, a reminder that life is precious and beyond my control. We are grateful that they are all okay.

Robert and I really do appreciate all the love and support you have sent our way. One of my desires in life is to be real and transparent as I try my best to follow in the steps of Jesus. Thanks for joining us on this journey.

We hope this Christmas season will be your most meaningful ever.

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