Taiwan’s Peace Memorial Day

February 28 is a national holiday in Taiwan.  The day is referred to as Peace Memorial Day.  It is an annual reminder of one of Taiwan’s worst tragedies.

Two years after the end of World War II which ended Japanese rule of the island, there was a protest movement against societal injustices.  The movement was viewed as an uprising and harshly suppressed.  The result was the death of thousands of people.  For many years there was no official recognition that this occurred.

In 1997, the 28th of February was set aside to mark the 228 Incident.  A Peace Park was created in Taipei City and the pictured monument was placed in the park to commemorate the 1947 tragedy.

Each year on Peace Memorial Day the President of Taiwan rings a commemorative bell.  This is followed by the President bowing to family members (descendants) of those who were killed on February 28, 1947. Families also receive certificates exonerating those who until 1995 continued to be black-listed as enemies of the state because of their involvement in the protest.

We all know the importance of acknowledging offences of the past and receiving forgiveness.  This resolution brings a sense of peace and brings healing to the pain and loss that is experienced.

Please pray for continued healing in the hearts of Taiwanese people for pain caused by this and other historical offences.

“O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed;
    if you save me, I will be truly saved.
    My praises are for you alone!”
Jeremiah 17:14 (NLT)

Praise and Prayer

• Thank-you for continued prayers for Rev. Silas Yang, President of the C&MA in Taiwan.  The doctors plan to operate on Wednesday as a final step in his treatment.
• Thank-you for praying for us last week as we took vacation time and visited extended family.  It was very beneficial.
• Please pray for three families being cared for by the Baozhong Alliance Church.  Pray for their loved ones who are struggling for freedom from addictions.  Pray for the family support group that is being established.
• Praise the Lord that a teacher has been found for the Elementary Student Ukulele Class.  The church plans to start new lessons in mid-March. Class.  The church plans to start new lessons in mid-March.

Placeholders

In a local store recently, and saw this aisle.  The bins have been set on the shelves as placeholders.  At some future time, maybe today or another day, the bins will be removed and replaced with items available for purchase.

It is not just stores that use placeholders.  We use them in our lives too.  We don’t like the feeling of emptiness, so we fill in the emptiness with a substitute.

2 Chronicles 12 tells the story of brass shields being substituted for gold ones.  The king did not want the reminder of what was lacking–the close relationship with God and a prosperity that could be his.

In other places in Scripture people substituted rules, or treaties and relationships to fill a sense of lack in their lives.  It may even be a human trend to do so. We substitute other things for what God wants to give us.

Please pray for the Christians in Canada, Taiwan, and worldwide, that we will allow God by the work of the Holy Spirit give us His genuine blessings that are ours in Christ.  May we not be willing to settle for placeholders.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray that “Gene” will follow through on his decision to receive counselling and help for dealing with his addictions. He has said he is willing to go to the treatment center on Tuesday.
• Pray for Gene’s family to have open hearts to hear and understand the gospel as it is shared with them.
• Please pray Rev. Silas Yang, President of the Taiwan C&MA, as he is in hospital  recovering from emergency medical treatment.  Pray for God’s healing touch.  Pray for his family and his church family to be filled with faith and trust in God during this time.

Happy Lunar New Year

Many countries in East Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year.  Many in North America refer to it as Chinese New Year.  This is probably because it is the most populous country in East Asia, and the Chinese helped those in the West learn about the custom.

There are many resources to help us learn more about the origin and customs of the holiday.  You might want to look at this one.

New Year’s Eve is January 31.
New Year’s Day is February 1.
Lantern Festival is February 15.

We wish each one a Happy Lunar New Year.

We encourage you take the opportunity to wish friends with family origins in East Asia a Happy Lunar New Year.

Praise and Prayer

• Lunar New Year’s Day is February 1 this year.  Most Taiwanese families will hold reunions and have a few days off for recreation and relaxation.  Please pray that believers will have opportunities to share with others about the hope they have in Christ Jesus.
• Please pray for those who have heard about Jesus and His salvation to remember what they have heard.  Pray that God will prompt them to consider making the choice to be a Christ-follower.

Discerning our Assignment

The conversation with leadership will begin this week.

The topic is our work assignment when we return to Taiwan.

When Joshua was receiving his work assignment from Moses, the words of Deuteronomy 31:8 were given to Him.  We believe they are also true for us as we think about where we will locate and what our ministry focus will be.

Thank-you for praying for us as we prayerfully listen to field leadership and together discern God’s direction in this matter.

Praise and Prayer

• Taiwan C&MA pastors and missionaries along with their families will gather January 24-26 for the Lunar New Year Banquet and a retreat.  This is a much anticipated event. Last year’s was cancelled.  Please pray for encouraging fellowship for those able to attend.
• Tensions between Taiwan and Mainland China have resulted in ongoing “grey warfare.”  In addition to the conflict of words, there are frequent military incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.  Please pray for God to intervene and bring peace to the region.

Taiwan Population

The Taiwan government statistics tell us that at the end of last month there were 23,375,314 people on an island the size of Vancouver Island.  There are more women than men, with 50.5% of the population being female.  On average there are 646 people per square kilometer in Taiwan.

Taiwan is a constitutional democracy that guarantees freedom of religion.  As a result, there are 26 recognized religious groups, Buddhism being the largest (35.1%).  Taoism, is the second largest at 33%.  This is followed by Christianity (both Roman Catholic and Protestant) at 3.9% and YiGuanDao (The Way Of Unity) at 3.5%.  Similar to North America, the number of people declaring to be non-religious is increasing and is reported to be 18.7%.

There are many people with whom we want to share the good news about Christ.  They cannot decide to accept or reject peace with God if they have not heard.

Thank-you for supporting the efforts to share Christ with Taiwanese people who have not yet heard.

Praise and Prayer

People in Taiwan are preparing for the Lunar New Year celebrations.  Chinese New Years Day is on February 1 this year.  Please pray for brothers and sisters in Christ as they prepare to spend extended time with relatives, many who do not have a similar relationship with God.  May God give courage to believers to testify about their hope in Christ. May God prepare the hearts of family members to be willing to hear about Jesus.

Taiwan COVID Update

We recognize that most of you, like us, do not want to read more information about COVID-19 and the resulting regulations.  However, we are frequently asked about the situation in Taiwan, so we will briefly mention it this week.

Level 2 epidemic prevention measures have been extended for another two weeks.  This means wearing masks and limiting of numbers of people for indoor and outdoor activities.  More details are below.

We’d like to suggest that as you experience restrictions and inconvenience in your life due to the most recent regulations, why not use it as a prayer reminder.  Some suggestions of how to pray are that:

• God will protect people living in situations where hygiene is not a priority and where infection transmissions are occurring.
• God will provide wisdom and creativity so that the good news about Jesus can continue to be communicated during the time of epidemic protocols.
• God will help believers to be compassionate and to have hope when those around them may be struggling.

Details (Summarized for those who are interested)

The Level 2 Restrictions have been extended until January 24.  That means:

• Facemasks must be worn when outside one’s own home.  Exceptions will be made for exercising, singing, taking photos, livestreaming, filming, moderating an event, reporting news, delivering remarks, giving a speech, lecturing, or during activities or events involving conversations with others.
• Commercial business venues and public venue (including transportation) must collect contact information of attendees, temperature measurement, enhanced disinfection of environments, health management among staff members, and timely responses to the occurrence of confirmed cases.
• Stores, supermarkets, and markets must limit numbers so that a distance of at least 1.5 meters per person (2.25 square meters per person) is maintained indoors and a distance of at least 1 meter per person (1 square meter per person) is required outdoors; food sampling is not allowed.
• Dining venues should collect contact information of staff and customers, take temperatures, provide hand washing and disinfection equipment; toasting each table is not allowed at banquets.
• People are not be required to wear a mask, but should carry a mask when
  • working outdoors in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and animal husbandry sectors.
  • hiking or on a beach and social distancing can be maintained.
  • doing activities at hot/cold springs, water recreation, spas, steam rooms, etc. where masks can easily get wet.
  • consuming food and beverages
• Masks can be temporarily removed while performing in a show, participating in athletic events, news broadcasters being filmed, etc. if all other relevant epidemic prevention measures are being followed.

Praise and Prayer

• Baozhong Alliance Church is planning for Ukulele Classes for elementary students to begin after the Lunar New Year.  They are looking for an instructor for the class.  Please pray that God will provide.

The Great Cover-up

We had snow for Christmas!  God created beauty as some of the dirtiness of our environment was covered with snow.  There was a freshness in the air.  Activities not done for many years (snow shoveling, watching grandchildren sledding, driving in snow, etc.) created new memories.  It seemed as if we were living in a different world, a new place.

As so often happens, reality has struck.  We have experienced some warming temperatures and even some rain. Patches of grass and other sights hidden for a few days are becoming visible.  The piles of snow from driveway shoveling are decreasing in height.  The sense of living in a new place, a new time is disappearing.  The sense of freshness was only temporary.

Something similar is likely to happen with the new year.  We have many hopes and dreams.  Yet, just a few days in, many of the familiar things are reappearing.  Are we able to continue to do things differently?  How long will it last?  Will it be temporary like the snow that covered  things for a few days.

God has promised to make all things new.  We experience that now as we believe in Him, but there is also a future not-yet-experienced aspect to what has been promised.  Will this be the year that we will experience that?  Will this be the year that Christ returns as King?

There are some things from the way life is that we cannot change.  At the same time, we can choose to focus on that which is important.  Jesus said: “the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.”

Let’s pray for that to happen.  Let’s find ways to facilitate that happening in 2022.  Will this be the year when many Taiwanese hear the gospel and choose to believe?

Prayer Initiative

Thank-you to those who are participating in the prayer initiative that started January 1.  We encourage you to make a three-week commitment to pray that people who have not heard and and experienced life with Christ to discover a purposeful life in Christ.  If you would like to join in, click here and receive the daily email with the prayer guides.

Praise and Prayer

• The number of participants in the Baozhong Alliance Church Christmas events was less than we hoped.  The events did provide a connection with some people who had not attended church services recently.  Please pray that relationships with those people will deepen.  Pray that God will use what was heard at Christmas as a foundation for a closer walk with Him.
• The leadership of the Baozhong Alliance Church is encouraging members to share prayer needs and participate in praying this year.  Please pray that they will be filled with faith to ask God for good things and that they will see answers to prayer this year.  

From Our House to Yours

From Us to You

Grace and Peace from God our Father

And From Our Lord Jesus Christ

Merry Christmas!

Praise and Prayer

• Christmas Day will be the third of the Baozhong Alliance Church Christmas parent-child outreach events.  It will include a program and a meal.  Pray that both students and their parents will be attracted to learn more about the meaning of the Christmas story.  
• We pray that you will be filled with peace, regardless of environmental circumstances, as you celebrate Christmas this year.  (Our next newsletter will be in the new year.)

21 Days of Praying

We are inviting you to join with others who will be praying for initiatives by Alliance Canada workers to provide people access to Jesus.

“Welkin”

At church yesterday we sang the Christmas carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”

The original words were written in 1739 by Charles Wesley.  Those words do not include a reference to angels.  Rather, the first line of this famous song was: “Hark! How all the welkin rings!” The melody was a solemn tune that was sung slowly.

In case you are wondering, “welkin” is an Old English word that means clouds or heavens.  In a general sense it refers to the sky. It drives home the point that it was not just a small choir of angels making the announcement to the shepherds.  All of creation joined in declaring the Saviour was born.

It was George Whitefield who changed the lyrics to refer to mention the angels singing.  The familiar melody was adopted about 100 years after the hymn was originally written.

Which version do you prefer – “welkin” or “angels”?
Are there other Christmas traditions that have an interesting origin?  Feel free to share it with us.

Praise and Prayer

• The first of the Baozhong Alliance Church Christmas events will be held on Saturday, December 11. Please pray that the weather and other things will not prevent people from attending.  Pray that both students and their parents will be drawn to want to learn more about the meaning of the Christmas story.
• Praise the Lord that the flood waters in Abbotsford are receding.  Many people are discovering whether they have a salvageable house, farm, business, etc. Pray for these families as they grieve their losses and make plans for how to move forward with their lives.  Pray for favor to obtain insurance and relief funds to pay for the needed repairs.