Authority

This semester, at Baozhong Primary School, we are telling the story of Jesus healing the centurion’s servant.  The story talks about authority.  The centurion has authority to command soldiers and servants.  Jesus demonstrates his authority by speaking and the servant who is in another location is healed.

In the story we catch a glimpse of Jesus’ power, of his greatness.  And yet, this week we also remember that Jesus set aside that authority and power.  He died on the cross.  He left the perfection of heaven to come rescue created human beings.  He humbled himself and was obedient, even to the point of death.

What Jesus did to rescue us from our sins is beyond imagination.  Take some time to reflect on Jesus and what he did.  We will be doing that on this side of the ocean too.

Praise and Prayer

• We will tell the story of Easter and have related activities in Thursday’s classes (April 1) at Fuhsing Elementary School.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit will use this class to touch students’ and teachers’ lives in a special way.
• Praise the Lord that our three Yunlin Alliance Churches will have Joint Good Friday and Easter services.
• On April 4, Taiwan observes the Clear and Bright Festival (also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day).  The traditional religions promote worship of ancestors.  People are taught to ask the spirits of the deceased for blessing and protection.  Pray that Christians will remain strong in their faith in Christ, trusting in God alone.  Pray for their testimony to family members this weekend.

Happy or Not?

A recent study by the United Nations claimed that Taiwan is the 24th happiest nation on earth, and the happiest nation in East Asia.

Canada in comparison, ranked 15th this year.  Do you feel happy?  Did you ever think about  the fact that you may be happier than some others on planet earth?

But back to reporting on Taiwan and its reaction to the news.  Being the happiest nation in East Asia sounds like something to be proud of.

However, the subtitle of the linked newspaper article indicates that Taiwan is NOT so happy about being labelled as a province of Mainland China.  The “mislabelling” has resulted in a sense that the effort and work of the Taiwanese people was not recognized.  The happiness that the report generated appears to have somewhat evaporated.

We all like recognition for what we do.  God does too!  He says He does not want to share his “glory” with others.  He desires to be worshipped for what He does, giving credit where credit is due.

This is one reason that we must be careful to not take credit for something that we have only contributed towards.  We are making the effort to share about Christ with people around us, but ONLY God can save them from their sins. (Isa. 43:11; Ps. 62:1; Acts 4:12)

We are doing many things to help establish a church in Baozhong Township, but ONLY God causes His church to grow. (1 Cor.3:6-7; Col. 2:19; Eph. 4:16)

Will you please join us in praying for Taiwanese working class people to hear the gospel, believe in Christ, and be added to God’s church?

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for God to comfort Chen Mama on the passing of her husband.  She is a senior who regularly attends services at our church.
• Please pray for Pastor Joshua to be refreshed as he takes some vacation days with his family this week.
• Please pray for Easter celebration preparations.  We will tell the story of Easter at the April 1 classes in the elementary school.  The three Yunlin Alliance churches will hold Joint Good Friday (April 2) and Easter Worship (April 4) services this year.

Position Filled

We are happy to announce that the volunteer field bookkeeper position has been filled.  It is not the individual in the photo, but we can report that there is a clear sense that God has directed us in the selection of the individual.

Please pray for us as Lorne works via technology to help her learn the bookkeeping system that is used.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord that Lorne’s computer is back and working well.
• Praise the Lord for some new faces in church on Sunday.  Please pray that God will add new people to the Baozhong Alliance Church.
• Students must take comprehensive exams after High School. The grade obtained determines which colleges the student is eligible to apply to attend.  Please pray for a student from our church who is currently selecting a university for next year.
• Please pray for God’s leading as the church board makes some important decisions at the meeting next Sunday.

Backups

Taking Lorne’s computer in for repairs this last week, we became dependent on backups.  His old computer was still present (yes, it is time to declutter), so it has been pressed into temporary service. After hours of updates (including some frustrating moments when one failed), the computer is being used temporarily.  The external hard drive with more current files is needed.  And, when more up-to-date software was needed, Kathy-Lu’s computer was pressed into service.  Definitely looking forward to the phone call saying the computer is ready for pick up.

We all need backups in our lives.  Sometimes it is technology.  At other times it might be a person.  Occasionally we need a whole team of people. And sometimes it is just a backup plan.  But the most reliable support happens when the technology and the relationships are up-to-date.

We are thinking of backups in another way.  We are planning to return to Canada in July for a one-year home assignment.  While we are away from Taiwan, what roles and what responsibilities need to be covered by someone else?  Please pray for us as we step-by-step plan for those we are working with to have adequate support, enabling them to continue their service to God and to the church.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for the comfort that God is providing to those grieving the passing of loved ones. Another local friend is grieving the recent death of her mother.
• Our church members have been asked to write short testimonies of how they are experiencing God in their lives.  These will be shared in a denomination quarterly newsletter.  The desire is to strengthen relationships and prayer support within the Taiwan C&MA.  The next issue will, Lord willing, have stories and prayer requests shared by our church.
• We were made aware yesterday of a couple struggling with employment and relationship issues.  Please pray for wisdom to know how to minister to them.

Passing the Baton

Sitting in the preservice prayer meeting at church yesterday (Feb. 28)  it was exciting to observe how God is raising up capable leaders to serve the church. It is a confirmation that the work is not dependent on us, but rather on the leading of the Spirit.

We have also been sensing that God is encouraging us to adjust our workload and pass some of our leadership responsibilities to younger God-gifted leaders.  After discussion with regional leadership we are beginning the process of transferring the Taiwan Team Leader role to Albert and Elaine Lu.  Please pray as they meet with us many times over the next few months. to talk about the different responsibilities.  We will be encouraging Albert and Elaine to use their God-given gifts to lead the Canadian International Worker Team.

As a part of that transition, Lorne will also be assisting Albert and Elaine to recruit and train a Volunteer Field Bookkeeper.  Please pray for the interview of a potential candidate that will happen on Wednesday.  Please pray that God will help us to have the right team of people to manage field financial resources well.

And, in case your mind jumped to the wrong conclusion, we want to clarify that we are not resigning or retiring at this time.  We plan to continue to serve God in Taiwan, in Baozhong or such a place as God leads.  We are looking forward to focussing on the church work and being supportive followers of Albert and Elaine.

(Photo Credit:  “160916-F-RU983-704” y Official Travis AFB, Calif. is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for helping us to celebrate Charlie Lin’s life and comfort his family.  Church members from Taichung who know Charlie’s sister also came and helped to share about Christ at Charlie’s funeral.  Please pray for God to comfort in the time after the funeral as they adjust to life in Charlie’s absence.
• Praise the Lord for a good start to this semester’s English classes.  The students were very engaged as they listened to the story of Jesus calling 12 disciples.
• Please pray for God to comfort our coworker whose mother went to be with the Lord on Saturday.  Because of Covid-related international travel restrictions, she is not able to travel to be with the family for the celebration of life service.

Lanterns

Traditionally the Lunar New Year celebrations are from New Year’s Day (Feb. 12) until Lantern Festival (Feb. 26).  People continue to extend new year wishes to each other during this time, especially the first time that they meet.

The main street of our town is adorned with lanterns that shine each evening during this celebration period.

The eye, and people’s attention is drawn towards the light. Our prayer is that they will also be drawn to the Light of the World, Jesus.

Praise and Prayer

• Charlie was called to his heavenly home last Tuesday morning.  Please pray for comfort for his elderly parents and family.  The church will participate in the funeral service on Feb. 27.  (The family service following traditional religious practices starts at 6:30 AM.  The church-led celebration of life will be 7:30~8:00 AM.)  
• Month-end is always a busy time for us.  In addition to church ministries, there is also the administrative work related to finances.  Please pray we stay healthy.  There is a very contagious flu going through the community.

Blank

There is more than one way to look at the picture.  It can be blank due to a lack of ideas, or it can be blank with potential for adding content.

I have been thinking about the Lamb’s Book of Life.  I believe there are still empty pages for writing the names of those who choose to believe in Christ as their Saviour.  The people could reside in Baozhong, or in the place where you live.  The only criteria is the choice to say with their mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Then the Bible tells us that person will be saved and have their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

We are praying and hoping for many more names to be written there before Jesus returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord that as we celebrated the Lunar New Year Holiday, the pace of life has been slower and we were able to rest and relax.  This week–it is back to work!
• The Bible stories for this semester’s English classes have been chosen.  The next step is preparing the PowerPoint slides and the English learning activities.
• Please pray for Charlie to draw near to God during this time of immense health challenges.

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.