Greeted in an Unusual Way

The doorway to the bank has acquired the above contraption.  Everyone desiring to enter must first visit the new robot-like greeter—it takes each person’s temperature and dispenses the hand sanitizer.

The contraption means the guard does not need to manually screen everyone entering the building. The automation of this activity will allow him to focus on other duties assigned to him.  Of course, he must still deal with those who missed the automated screening.

Not recognizing this new greeter, I had to retrace my steps and fit in with the new procedures.

I think I still prefer the human greeter though!

Wishing Each of You Many Blessings at the Start of the “Year of the Ox!”

According to the Lunar Calendar, the start of the year is on Friday, February 12.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for a successful third Ukulele Class. There will be a one-week break for the Lunar New Year Holiday before continuing classes.
• Pray for us as we prepare stories and teaching materials for elementary school English classes that start Feb. 25.
• Please pray for the effectiveness of precautions against Covid.  Two of the new measures being taken include:
  • Holiday Crowd Measures limiting the number of people at scenic areas and amusement parks.
  • Winter Vacation has been extended by four days to allow the disinfecting of school facilities before the students return to the classroom.

To Meet or not to Meet, That was the Question

The executive leadership of the Taiwan C&MA met last week.  One of the topics they had to decide was whether or not to hold the February 3-5 “Annual Lunar New Year Banquet and Pastor Family Retreat.”

If the event was held, all attending pastors would need to quarantine for two weeks after returning to their homes.  That would leave the whole nation (or almost the whole nation) without Alliance pastors to care for the church members.

After evaluating the virus threat, and the government directives for such meetings, the event has been cancelled for this year.  We are disappointed to not have fellowship with everyone, but affirm the leaders that it was the right decision.

We are surprised at how quickly those days originally designated for the retreat have been filled with other important activities.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for a good second Ukulele Class. The students were told a 5-minute Bible story during their rest break.
• Pray for the US international worker team as they meet to discuss their Taiwan strategy on Wednesday and Thursday.  They are one of our most important partners in the work in Taiwan.
• Praise the Lord that we have been asked to continue teaching English and telling Bible stories at the two elementary schools next semester.  Pray for us as we plan the new set of classes that will begin February 25.

Organized Chaos

The first class for the ukulele students happened last Saturday (1/23).  Thirteen students is more than we initially anticipated.  

As students practiced individually, it was both lively and bustling.  The hope is that out of the chaos we heard during the first class, there will one day be the sound of heart-warming and harmonious music.

The students appeared to enjoy the experience, and parents expressed appreciation that the class was being offered.

Please pray for Pastor Joshua’s wife Ilaine as she gives oversight to the ten-class event.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for a good start to the Ukulele Classes.
• Pray for student outreaches happening around Taiwan during the Winter Vacation that starts this week.
• Pray for protection as Taiwan is reporting its first local transmissions of COVID.  Although it is not happening in our local area, we are praying for wisdom for the decision-makers who are creating protocols to keep people safe.

Sugar Refinery Visit

We were privileged this past week to accompany the staff of Fuhsing Elementary School to tour the sugar refinery in nearby Huwei Township.  The Taisuco plant was built more than 100 years ago, and the pictured smoke stack is said to be that old.  Many years ago, Baozhong had a refinery located on the northern side of town.  When Taiwanese operations were consolidated, the original 42 factories were reduced to the 3 remaining ones.  The one in our town was one that disappeared.

On the field trip, we learned about the discovery of sugar, the development of a new strain of sugar cane, transportation of cane using rail and truck, and the complete process used in the production of both molasses and granulated sugar.  It was interesting to learn that the fibrous waste product is burned and used to generate electricity.

The process of producing cane sugar requires cutting, shredding, pressure, heat, and distilling.  The result is the desired product.  Having a pastoral heart, couldn’t help myself in thinking of spiritual parallels.  God uses a variety of environmental and experiential processes to create in each of us the likeness of His Son Jesus.  That is His desired product.

Praise and Prayer

• The Ukulele Classes begin on Saturday, January 23.  Kathy-Lu will be one of those assisting at the 10 classes for this session.  Please pray that the 11 students who registered will all come and will be faithful in attending.  During the break time in the 1 ½ hour class, the students will have a snack and hear a Bible story.  Hopefully there can also be some significant interactions with other family members.

Population Decreasing

The number of people living in Taiwan decreased in 2020.  It is a historical first.  The number of deaths exceeded the number of births.

The aging population and low birth rate are concerns for those collecting taxes and those providing societal benefits.  They are also a concern for those desiring to see the kingdom of God come and God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Winter weather has arrived.  There is a cold surge that has caused temperatures below normal across SE Asia.  Snow has fallen on some Taiwan mountains. Some roads and some schools have had safety related closures.  Like many people, we are using space heaters in our home and are hoping for milder weather to arrive soon.

There is a reported higher number of deaths among the elderly and those with heart conditions during the cold weather.  We see a number of newly erected funeral tents around our town.  Of concern is, how many had the opportunity to hear about Jesus while they were living?

Thank-you for your support and participation in helping people to hear about Christ.  Our founder, Albert B. Simpson, wrote a song to motivate believers to join those who are proclaiming the gospel to those who have never heard.  You can find it here.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord!  Registrations for the ukulele class mean we have a full class!  We may even have some on a waiting list, in case someone changes their mind.  Thanks for praying about this!
• Please pray for a friend and his family.  He has cancer and the reports from the doctor are forcing them to make difficult decisions.
• Although the semester at the elementary school concludes on January 27, we are not scheduled to teach again until next semester.  Please pray as we select Bible stories and activities for next semester.

Starting the New Year with Music

As we were asked to sing 我用信心抬起頭 (I Use Faith and Look Up) I realized how comforting the words were to my heart.  It is good to be reminded that our faith is in the God who cares about us regardless of the circumstances.

Sometimes music speaks to us in a special way.  That is one reason we are desiring to have a ukulele class for elementary students (poster).  Currently there are three registrations.  We need a minimum of five students.  Please pray for God to provide enough students, and that the students and their families will have their hearts touched by the words of some of the songs that are learned.

Here’s a translation of the lyrics of the above mentioned song for those of you who struggle to understand Chinese.  You will find it below the Chinese and Pinyin lyrics.

Praise and Prayer

This year, the President of our Taiwan C&MA is casting the vision: “Claiming Our Historical Vision, Unblocking Bottlenecks as We Advance.”  As the year begins he will be sharing with everyone how we will work together: (1) everyone preaching the gospel, (2) every pastor and elder shepherding the church members, (3) everyone waiting for Christ’s Second Coming.  May God help our church to wholeheartedly participate.  May we press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Old Ways, New Ways

Taking a tour at the New Palace Western Museum, we were surprised to see the display in the photograph.  The slides that are placed in the viewer are all Bible story pictures that were used by missionaries who wanted to tell others about the God of the Bible.

We now have computers, video projectors, and other resources that we use, but the purpose is unchanged.  We continue to want to tell people about the God of the Bible.  That God is like no other.

As we read Isaiah 57 and look around us, we see the need of people to hear the message of love from the God of the Bible.  As we look at the news, and listen to reports of the pandemic,  we are aware that people need the peace that is promised by the God of the Bible.

Thank-you for your partnership in prayer, giving, and personal participation throughout the past year.  May God help us to help people one-by-one to discover life in relationship with the God of the Bible.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for students to register for the new set of ukulele classes that will start January 23.
• Please pray for healing of those suffering from physical pain, including migraine headaches.  Some of our Taiwanese church leaders struggle to overcome such pain.
• We praise the Lord for faithful supporters  like you.  Your sacrificial giving means there are sufficient funds to pay all the bills.  Because you gave, people have heard about God’s love.  There is still time for a year-end gift if you are able.  Please designate it to the Global Advance Fund.  Donations as we finish the year will help support the sending of new workers to places around the world in early 2021.

As we told the second part of the Christmas story in the classroom this past week, we had fun watching the students.  One young boy, who was hearing the story for the first time, had exclamations of surprise.  During the discussion after the story, Pastor Joshua asked the students about the reason for celebrating Christmas.  The answer in all three classes was “to get presents.”  It was an excellent opportunity to talk about Jesus being God’s present to mankind.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit will help them understand and receive God’s most precious gift.

If you have a few minutes, why not write and tell us what someone’s response was when you talked with them about the Christmas story.  We’d love to hear!

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for students to register for the new set of ukulele classes that are scheduled to start January 16.
• Please pray for the Christmas Carolling at the night market on Christmas Eve.  Our church will be joined by the Village Gospel Mission Church for this event.  A bag with candy and a tract will be given to people who stop by to listen.
• We praise the Lord for faithful supporters  like you.  Your sacrificial giving means there are sufficient funds to pay all the bills.  Because you gave, people have heard about God’s love.  There is still time for a year-end gift if you are able.  Please designate it to the Global Advance Fund.  Donations as we finish the year will help support the sending of new workers to places around the world in early 2021.

A Surprise Visit

This year, a recurring theme in songs and talks about Christmas is that it is not about Santa Claus, but is about Jesus.

So, we were pleased that the surprise visitor to our church Christmas Program was not Santa, but rather Sheriff Woody.  (The pastor of Taipei Church dressed up as this animated movie character.)  The children and parents all loved it!

“Woody” led us in singing songs about Jesus being  the greatest gift, and of course ‘Silent Night.’ In Chinese the carol is translated as “Peaceful Night.”  That is also the term that is used to describe Christmas Eve.

Praise the Lord for a happy, fun-filled event.  And the students did very well playing after their three lessons.  A new ten-week class will begin on December 26.  We are hoping many of the students will choose to continue learning to play the ukulele, and continue relationship with our church.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for students to register for the ukulele classes
• Please pray for those who are pressured to work overtime prior to the end of the calendar year.  Pray that they will be encouraged even though they cannot attend services.
• Pray that the students at FuHsing Elementary School will understand that Jesus is the greatest gift that they can receive.
• Pray as we advise FuHsing Elementary School and provide resources for a school Christmas Celebration that the principal is planning for Dec. 24.

Water

Water is a topic of conversation these days.
I would not have thought to mention it in our newsletter if a water shutoff notice had not been posted for our neighbourhood.  The town is repairing water mains.

But the real reason that water is a topic of conversation is that 2020 is the first year since 1964 that typhoons has not hit Taiwan.  This is a concern as typhoons provide water to fill the reservoirs.  December through April is usually Taiwan’s dry season when little rain is expected. ^ref  Low water levels mean that people are talking about conserving water.

Please pray that God will provide the needed water for Taiwan’s people.  Pray for farmers who may have their livelihood affected by water rationing.

Thankfully, there is no shortage of ‘living water” that Christ has promised.  Please pray that Taiwanese will drink and be satisfied as Jesus has promised.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for the recital and Christmas Rally on Saturday evening (12/12).
  • The students and their families are invited to stay at the church building for dinner after class.
  • Pastor Joshua will share that evening.
  • The church members will sing “The Most Precious Gift“
  • Pray that God will use His Word to touch people’s heart.

• Please pray for Lin Mama who is recovering after being hit by a car.