Navigation

In today’s world, many people rely on navigation devices. But they are not always reliable in a rural setting. If a person uses Google Maps to come to our house, they will be directed to a neighbor who lives almost half a block away.

The local township government issued new address plaques this past week. Residents are responsible to affix them to the outside of their home (or building). The one in the photo will be attached to the front of the church building. We were one of the first to adhere the new address indicator to the front of our house.

Having house numbers should correct a long-term problem. Most buildings have not had a number that is visible from the street.

In a conversation with a friend, he laughed stating that most people making deliveries already know where the addresses are located. The implied meaning was that the effort made by the township government was maybe unnecessary.

We live in a world where many people believe that they know the location of heaven and how to navigate to it. They have an existing concept of how to relate to the “god” they know.

We commonly interact with Taiwanese who have adopted a pluralistic philosophy. They believe that there are many ways to communicate with God and to get to heaven. Some react to the claim of exclusivity that Jesus made.

Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Please pray that curiosity will overcome the sense of being offended by Jesus’ words. Pray people will investigate the teachings of the Bible, discovering the truth about the location of heaven and how to navigate there.

Praise and Prayer

Lanterns

Lantern Festival occurs on Saturday, February 24 (because it is the 15th day of the lunar new year). Most people consider this to be the end of the lunar new year celebrations.

Many view it as a fun cultural activity, with children carrying lanterns (such as the one pictured above). But there are other religious activities associated with this festival:

• The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival began in 1999. They continue the centuries-old tradition of releasing lanterns into the night sky. Lanterns are made from paper and bamboo, and are lit using a small candle or a paraffin-soaked paper. People use the lanterns to send off wishes (prayers) for well-being in the new year.
• Tainan has been chosen for this year’s national lantern festival. It is the Year of the Dragon. Among the large outdoor display of lanterns will be featured lanterns with a dragon theme.
• Baozhong Township also has a well-known tradition on Lantern Festival. The largest temple in our town organizes a celebration, “The Baozhong Feast Day,”  that will attract tens of thousands of people. People participate to obtain some of the cooked “oily rice” and through that transaction obtain blessing from the temple gods. This past week, the banners advertising the event were attached to roadside poles.

Such activities remind us that people are searching for hope, for peace, for light. Please pray that we can represent our Saviour well and introduce people to the True Light of the World.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12)

 

Praise and Prayer

Years, Months, Days

Did you know that we track time using two different calendars. Taiwan uses both the Western calendar and the Taiwanese lunar calendar. The latter has an intimate connection to Taiwanese culture.

We commonly refer to the year as 2024 when using the Western calendar. But it can also be called the year 113. This number marks the 113th year since the establishing of the Republic of China. The republic was established at the end of the Qing Dynasty (sometimes written as Ch’ing Dynasty). The republic was established in 1911 in Nanjing (a city in eastern China) by Dr. Sun Yat-sen and continues to thrive in Taiwan today. Referring to the year as 113 is very common in everyday life.

The calendar in Taiwan also has two ways of recording the months. In the Western calendar, the year starts on New Year’s Day. We are now in the second month–February. But the lunar calendar starts each new year on the Lunar New Year’s Day. Each month has 30 days. So an extra month must be added into the calendar every two or three years. (This would be more confusing if our calendars did not have the small black writing under the numbers. Those tell us what the lunar calendar date is.)

This year, February 9 was the thirtieth day of the twelfth month. The first day of the first month of the new lunar year began on February 10.

I wonder, will we use a calendar in heaven? Or will we experience the time of eternity in a different way? It will be exciting to discover such things as we enjoy eternity in Christ’s presence.

Praise and Prayer

That Time of Year

The ladder has found a temporary home in our living room for the past few days.  That is because it is once again time to do Spring cleaning.

Everyone in the neighbourhood is cleaning the inside and outside of their houses! It happens each year just before the Lunar New Year’s Day. That day is also known as “Spring Festival.”

When we have completed this year’s clean-up work, we will post new red banners with blessings written on them. This year, we found an unusual one–it is written in Taiwanese (not Mandarin). It says: “Grace is sufficient.” The English-like words beside are the Taiwanese Romanization for the words.

The message on this banner is both a blessing and a reality that we are able to experience in our every day lives. God is good!

Praise and Prayer

Have You Told Jesus?

‘Bright and Morning Star’ Camp was held last week. On Friday morning, one of the teachers was not feeling well. A fourth grader asked one of the other teachers why the teacher was not in the class. When she explained to him that he was recovering from not feeling well, he asked: “Have you told Jesus?”

She assured him that she had prayed to Jesus, and encouraged him to pray as well. After sitting quietly for a few moments, he continued to participate in the camp activities.

That student came to Sunday School yesterday (the first weekend after the camp). He previously attended Sunday School one time when he was a first grader. Three years later he has returned. We don’t know if he will become a regular attendee or if he came to be able to see a couple of his camp leaders one more time. We are hoping for the former.

• Please pray for his faith in Christ to grow.
• Please pray for God to supply workers so that another camp can be held July 1-5. Are you available? See the video request

Praise and Prayer

Focussed Prayer

We often invite you to pray for specific requests. This time we invite you consider joining others who are choosing to pray for 21 consecutive days. (You may choose whether to add fasting to your participation.)

Join others in a 21-day journey of fasting and praying for God’s blessings on 21 unreached people groups, that they may encounter the hope and love of Christ. Beginning February 1, 2024, and culminating with a global prayer event on February 22. Sign up here.

Praise and Prayer

Quietly Waiting for God

I (Lorne) went to Amazing Grace Alliance Church this morning. Before the service began the above picture was on the television monitors. (They use televisions instead of screens for projecting the PowerPoint images and videos.

It said, “Quietly Waiting for God.” But as I waited, it took an effort to be quiet. If I wasn’t thinking about the content of the sermon that I would preach, I was checking my phone to make sure it was switched to silent mode. My thoughts jumped from this to that. I was aware that the 90 year-old grandma who had come for the first time with her elementary school grandson was talking. And the distractions continued to reel through my mind.

What does it take to truly be quiet so I can anticipate communicating with God?  I remember reading someone say “God can be known in the tumult, but He is more easily known in the quiet moments of life.” (My paraphrase.) So far this year, the early morning is the only time for me to experience quietness–and even then there are intrusions.

Practicing Psalm 46:10 is not easy.

What about you? Do you find it hard or easy to be quiet so that God can connect with you?
Pray for me that I can. If you write and ask, I will pray for you. Together we will walk towards “Quietly Waiting for God.”

Praise and Prayer

• Taiwan’s Presidential Election was held on Saturday, January 13. Taiwanese elect their president directly and the current Vice-President, Mr. Ching-Te Lai is now the President-Elect.  His inauguration ceremony will be on May 20. Please pray that he can lead in ways to unite differing opinions in the populace and promote peace in the region.
• Taiwan’s Legislative Election also occurred last Saturday. None of the three political parties won a majority.  This is the first time this has happened in Taiwan’s democracy that was established in 2004. President Lai will need to work with the opposition parties to advance his policies. Please pray that these newly elected leaders will lead well, do what is right, and create good laws that will benefit the Taiwanese people.
• Lorne was encouraged by his meeting with Pastor Joshua. We praise God for the ways that we are able to work together for the building of God’s kingdom.
• It will not be possible to properly fix Lorne’s computer. He will be shopping for a replacement in the near future. Ministry Partnership Funds will be used for the purchase. Thank-you to those who contributed.
• Many of the elementary students with whom we work have less than ideal home environments. Students frequently behave in ways that do not demonstrate respect for themselves, for fellow students, and for their teachers. Please pray for God to give us wisdom to know how to lead them to a healthier way of doing relationships.
• Pray for the short-term team that is travelling from Canada to Baozhong this week. Pray that God will give energy to overcome the time change and that God will use them to influence lives in our community.
• Please pray for the “I Am the Bright Morning Star Camp” January 22-26. Please pray that leaders from Canada will work well with those from our church.
• The camp will end on Friday, January 26 at noon. That evening there will be a dinner for the campers and their families at our church. Pray this can be used to have significant conversations with people of influence in each family.
• Some high school students will attend a Christian camp during their lunar new year vacation. Please pray that this will be a meaningful time, helping them to deepen their relationship with God.

Completing Some Things

Thank-you for praying for us as we have worked in the elementary school throughout this semester. The lesson last week reviewed the Christmas story. The students looked at the completed floor puzzle. or looked at a large picture book, and told us what happened in the story. They only need a little bit  of prompting to remember the details.

Our prayer is that God will help the students remember the Bible stories.  Those stories reveal the nature of the God of the Bible and explain how to have relationship with Him.

The school has not yet talked with us about teaching next semester. It begins on February 19.

Focussing on Others

As we enter this year, we are preparing for the following:

• Kathy-Lu teaches children’s Sunday School on January 14 and February 4. It takes lots of preparing to teach a large group of students with an age range of preschool to sixth grade.
• Lorne is preparing sermons. In addition to speaking once per month at Baozhong Alliance Church, he will also be preaching at nearby Alliance churches once in January and once in February. (Sermons can sometimes be repeated with some revision, but it still takes extra preparation.)
• The short-term team from Victoria arrives January 20. We will participate in the responsibility of hosting them.
• We will be helping to teach and to facilitate the  “I am the Bright and Morning Star” elementary camp January 22-26.

We are grateful for those who will be serving alongside of us.  Thanks for praying as we serve God and a variety of people.

Praise and Prayer

Happy New Year!

Wishing all of our friends and partners a Blessed New Year!

A Treasured Moment

I was standing outside, waiting for the garbage truck to arrive so I could dispose of our accumulated trash.  I looked up and saw the cross on the rooftop of the Roman Catholic Church.

It was a visual reminder that we need to be looking for glimpses of Christ in our everyday life. We cannot use our physical senses of sight, hearing and touch to verify His presence, but He is still visible if we look.

• Maybe it will be evidenced as we observe love being expressed or received.
• Maybe we will take note of it as we see creativity in the cloud formations.
• Maybe we will see changes in someone’s life because of a relationship with Christ.
• Maybe it will be in His healing touch or His hand of provision that we will sense that He is near.
• Maybe we will see that by drawing close to Him we are being changed into His likeness.

As we enter a new year, may we all be aware that He is with us in the everyday moments (like when I was throwing the garbage) and at the special times too!

Feel free to write us and tell us about a time recently when you sensed the presence of Christ.

Praise and Prayer

Merry Christmas! 

Wishing all of our friends and partners a very Blessed Christmas.

May your moments of reflection be filled with hope and peace as you remember the gift that Christ brought mankind.

This will be our last update until the new year. BUT, it is not too late for you to:

1. Pray – there are a few prayer items listed in the section below.
2. Give – thanks to those who support us in financially. Donate
3. Share – take the opportunity to tell someone else about your reflections that relate to the origin of this holiday.

Thank-you for partnering with us this past year so that this statement made by the prophet Malachi is being fulfilled:

“My name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Malachi 1:11)

Praise and Prayer