All Saints Day

Today is “All Saints Day.”  That was the original reason the night before was considered “holy” or “hallowed. November 1 is also known as “All Hallows’ Day.” It is a day on the Christian calendar to remember the known and the unknown saints.

Recognizing that certain traditions and arms of the church have taken this a different direction, I want to pull us back to the original meaning, the original intent.  It has a connection with a core belief claimed by our denomination—Christ is our Sanctifier.

The New Testament frequently refers to those who are in Christ Jesus as being saints.  A few, because they are apostles or had their story recorded in Scripture, seem to have special recognition or precedence.  But Scripture does not make that demarcation.  All true believers who are redeemed by Christ’s blood and made holy in Christ are saints.

So, today we salute the saints in our lives. We appreciate the work that God is doing in your lives and appreciate your example of commitment to belief in our Lord.  We value your partnership through prayer and sacrificial giving that make it possible to give more people access to becoming saints.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for opportunities to share with groups both online and in person.  (Photo above is from a recent online presentation.)  Your words of encouragement and support are something God uses to energize us.
• Planning for Christmas events is in progress at Baozhong Alliance Church, just like it is at your church.  (I have our grandchildren’s Christmas program marked on my calendar.)  Please pray that God will use the celebrations to lead people toward putting their trust in Christ.
• Plans are being made to restart the ukulele classes at the church in Baozhong.  Now that pandemic protocols are being eased, this is again possible.

As Often…

This past weekend, we shared during the service and ate Holy Communion with the church family in Langley BC.  That was the church that prayerfully commissioned us when we first went to Taiwan in 1990.

As often as we partake in the sacrament by eating the bread and drinking the cup, we remember Jesus death; It is the thing that Christ-followers do together regardless of where in the world one lives.  While on Home Assignment we have the privilege of doing this in different local churches with different believers.  Each time we proclaim our unity in Christ.  As often as we do it, we together proclaim Jesus’s death and resurrection.

It is not just the cause of giving people access to Jesus so that they can choose to become disciples that unites us.  It is our Saviour and His sacrificial death that truly unites us.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for the unity of soul and mind at the Annual Meeting of the C&MA in Taiwan on Oct. 16
• Praise the Lord for the teaching and interaction with classmates at the course Lorne attended last week.  May God help him to use some of the skills to serve God in additional ways.
• While on home assignment, we try to schedule medical check-ups and even some treatment.  Pandemic protocols are creating longer than usual wait times for many procedures.  Please pray that things can be accomplished and for peace from God for things that cannot be done this time.

The Places We Go

Arriving home after being with family for Thanksgiving, we discovered an email from Google.  It informed us that we visited 24 cities and 113 places in September.

Whether accurate or not (we sometimes went places without our phone or with the data turned off on our phones), it does remind us that life has been busy.

A more important question might be:  While at those places did I represent God’s kingdom well?  Did Christ’s rule expand in my own life or in the lives of those with whom we spent time?  Did we witness for Christ?…

Jesus taught his followers to pray: “…Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”  Saying those words may be easier than allowing the Father to act in those ways in our own lives.  Don’t you think so?

Let’s pray those words and also give God permission to answer those requests as we go different places each day.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for unity and Christ-inspired fellowship as the Taiwan C&MA pastors and church leaders meet Oct. 16 for the annual denomination business meeting.  The pandemic, political views, societal problems, and personal biases all tend to divide.  We believe that the Holy Spirit wants to unite people in Christ.  Let’s pray for this to happen.
• Praise the Lord for safety as we travelled this past week.  Because of schedule changes, we took some time to rest before joining our daughter and son-in-law for Thanksgiving.  We have much for which to give thanks.

Double Ten

October 10 is known as Double Ten Day.  It is the day that Taiwan celebrates its National Day.

News reports of recent days have mentioned growing tensions in Southeast Asia as the large country to Taiwan’s west exerts its influence.  Many nations, both those in the region and those who feel responsibility to maintain world peace, are expressing their concerns.

Taiwan is home to about 23 million people.  Historically it has been ruled by Polynesians, Europeans, the Japanese, and by the Chinese.  Although it is currently a democratic republic that is self-governed, the long-term political status of the island is disputed.  Some feel it is a province of China that needs to be reunited.  Others are pursuing a goal of greater autonomy. Between the two polar viewpoints is a large range of moderating views.

Caught in the middle are the residents of Taiwan.  Their views also span the wide spectrum mentioned.  But the most urgent concerns relate to providing for every day life.

It seems that regional tensions, that include the future of Taiwan, will not be resolved naturally.  The ambitious goals of competing powers seem destined for further conflict. Peace and security are unlikely to be found through political or military means.

This highlights the need for Taiwanese people to hear about Jesus. Christ provides citizenship in a heavenly kingdom that will be eternal.  He gives meaning to life and hope for the future, including during times of stress.

Please pray for the Taiwanese as they celebrate Double Ten Day.  Pray that God will reveal Himself to them and they will find hope and identity in Christ.

Praise and Prayer

• May God help us to have gratitude-filled hearts as we prepare for celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving.  Taiwan does not have an official Thanksgiving Day. However, having a heart full of thanks is a habit that helps to produce a healthy spiritual life.  Please pray that we will all aspire towards this goal.
• Please pray for unity and Christ-inspired fellowship as the Taiwan C&MA pastors and church leaders meet Oct. 16 for the annual denomination business meeting.  The pandemic, political views, societal problems, and personal biases all tend to divide.  We believe that the Holy Spirit wants to unite people in Christ.  Let’s pray for this to happen.

Remembering

As Kathy-Lu shared this last week at the midweek Primetimers event (Heritage Alliance Church), she talked about her grade 12 Sunday School teacher’s influence.

The teacher taught the lessons and also lived out the truths she was teaching.  It left a lasting impression.

That Godly woman is an example to us all to stay engaged in the lives of those around us, including those who are younger than us.

Will you pray that God will raise up Godly influencers to help working class Taiwanese to become disciples of Christ.

Praise and Prayer

• As the limitations of the Covid regulations are easing, Baozhong Alliance Church is planning to offer classes to the community.  Please pray as plans are made and believers commit time to these efforts.  The hope is that the transformational message of the gospel can be shared through the friendships that are developed.
• Please pray that seeds of truth planted in people’s minds (some a  long time ago) would produce the fruit of belief.  Pray that those words will be remembered, will be dreamed about, and that the memories will motivate people to seek out knowing Christ.

Traction

The time is coming to put winter tires on the car.  The purpose of changing the tires is to increase traction.

Have you ever asked God what change you need to experience in order to have better traction in your spiritual life?

The Psalmist prayed: Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!  (Psalm 139:23-24)

Please pray that believers in both Taiwan and Canada will not only pray such a prayer but also have courage to allow God to change the “snow tires” in our lives.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for Canada as it votes in a federal election. Decisions that are made about the economy, the pandemic, and international relations all affect efforts to give people access to hear about  Jesus.
• Pray for Lin Mama’s family to receive comfort.  Pastor Joshua will officiate at her funeral on Monday, September 20.
• Praise the Lord for people showing interest to serve as international workers in Taiwan.  Please pray for discernment and for visas to be granted in the near future.
• Pray for church leaders in Taiwan and Canada as they navigate ever-changing regulations that affect ministries.  Pray for wisdom and resilience as they guide those whom they shepherd.

HMR

According to Wikipedia there are at least 28 meanings to the acronym “HMR.”  They range from Heavy Metal Rock to Hazardous Material Report (or Regulations).  There is also the less usual, such as: High Moisture Resistance.

For C&MA international workers, HMR means Home Ministries Retreat.  This year it is designed to be an online time of teaching, sharing, and workshops.  It is designed for people like us who have returned from an overseas location to connect with people and groups in Canada.  We will be attending (virtually) all week.

The theme for this year is “Resilience.”  We want to be resilient followers of Christ who serve well.  Just like the annual physical examination that people schedule to remain healthy, this will be a time to have a spiritual check-up.  One of the key areas we will focus on is “Managing Transition and Stress Well.”

Thanks for praying that this week (Aug 9-13) will be a time when God renews, refreshes, and revitalizes those who attend.

Praise and Prayer

• A recent tropical storm that tracked across Taiwan resulted in flooding from the heavy rains.  Please pray for farmers who have suffered huge agricultural losses.  Pray for those whos cities and neighbourhoods have experienced heavy damage.  (News Story)
• Thanks for praying as we work through the process of re-obtaining Canadian driver licenses.  Progress is being made.
• Taiwan celebrated Fathers’ Day on August 8.  Please pray God’s blessing on those who are following the example of our Heavenly Father as they fill this important role.

Provision

Thank-you for praying.  God has provided.
We were able to purchase a 2012 Nissan Altima for use this year.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for the Taiwan C&MA International Worker Team!  The mothers of two members, one from Thailand and one from the USA, passed away.  Please pray for their families to be comforted.
• Pray for us this week as we continue to navigate the process of reclaiming our Canadian driver licenses.
• Praise the Lord that soft lockdown epidemic protocols have been relaxed slightly allowing smaller churches to hold services in their buildings.
• Missions agencies, including the Alliance, are waiting for the soft lockdown protocols to be further relaxed so that workers may apply for visas.  Please pray that the measures to fight the epidemic will be successful so that this can happen.

Both – And

Because the Lord has been giving the Taiwanese success in fighting the virus, the number of daily new infections has been decreasing.  So the soft lockdown protocols are being adjusted.  This will permit indoor gatherings of up to 50 people, and outdoor gatherings of up to 100 people.  That means that a small church like Baozhong Alliance Church is able to once again meet for Sunday services starting next Sunday.

However, like in North America, not everyone is ready to return to indoor in-person services.  Therefore the decision has been made to continue live broadcasts in addition to the services at the church building.  The photo is our pastor’s wife leading the worship singing this past Sunday.

There were problems with the newly-installed internet and there were sound quality difficulties yesterday.  Please pray that these can be resolved for future weeks.

Praise and Prayer

• We’re free from quarantine!  Our first days have been filled with caring for our granddaughters.  We are working on various items that could could not accomplished while in quarantine.
• We made an agreement to purchase a car, and hope to pick it up on Tuesday (tomorrow).  Thank-you for praying about this.
• Please pray for Silas Yang, the president of the C&MA in Taiwan.  His weekly duties now include contacting government offices to determine how the latest soft lockdown measures are going to be enforced.  He must advise all the churches so that our Christian testimony is protected.  In addition to his denominational leadership duties, he is the lead pastor of a church.  Pray for him to have wisdom and grace as he navigates this challenging time.

Comforted by the Familiar

As we unpack items that we had stored, and items that we brought with us from Taiwan, there is a warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from having familiar belongings around us.

But our comfort is not fully satisfied by belongings.  Family and friends add but cannot provide to the extent that we desire it.

The Psalmist reminds us that God’s unfailing, limitless love is the place we are able obtain sufficient comfort.

Praise and Prayer

• We praise God for negative Covid tests and that quarantine will end this week.
• We have been looking online.  We have not yet found a vehicle that seems right for us. This week we begin to go look at vehicles that are for sale.  We need an affordable, dependable car that we can use this year.  Please pray for God to direct us to the right vehicle.
• The daily number of new Covid cases continues to decrease in Taiwan.  Vaccination numbers are slowly increasing. Pray for wisdom for church leaders as the soft lockdown protocols change to permit some meetings.
• Pray that online meetings we have scheduled for this week will lead to God-honouring decisions and the building of His kingdom.