Standing Alone: Handling Covid-induced Aloneness

On a recent walk, we noticed that site preparation has started at this construction site.  We don’t know what they are building, but noticed this tree.  Everything around it has been stripped away.  It is now standing on its own.

Many of us will think of parallels to our own lives.  Contact with others has been reduced or eliminated.  Things and people we relied upon in the past are no longer available to us.

That holds true for us in global ministries too.

• We cannot host short-term teams at this time.
• We are privileged in Taiwan to be permitted to continue to gather, but there are still restrictions and precautions in place.
• We think twice about meeting with people, and then consider whether it is necessary to meet outdoors, wear masks, disinfect hands, etc.

We feel the need for community, and are looking to different people to be “in our bubble” than we previously did.

• Rather than requesting help from overseas short-term teams, we are asking churches in Taiwan to consider coming to help.
• We are getting good at recognizing people behind the masks, realizing they are not the “Lone Ranger” that is unrecognizable behind his mask
• We need to be intentional, maybe more than previously, to create time to be in contact with others.  We may do it in slightly different ways, but relationship is still possible.

Thanks for praying for us, as we pray for you.

Praise and Prayer

• Kathy-Lu will be joining women C&MA pastors and pastors’ wives on a retreat this week.  Please pray that the playing, sharing, and praying together will bring encouragement to these frontline workers.
• One of our Canadian MKs (missionary kids) had an accident playing basketball injuring his arms.  Pray for wisdom as the medical workers help to control his pain and provide treatment.
• Please pray for planned Christmas Outreach activities.  Taipei Alliance Church will send members  to teach ukulele classes, concluding with a special program for the community.  Follow-up ukulele classes will be offered for those who participate.

God’s Work

We gathered for worship as usual, but with a special reason to praise and give thanks to God.  We were celebrating 5 years of Sunday services. (The first service was on October 4, 2015.)

Individuals were given the opportunity to share.  We heard unique stories of how God works in people’s lives, providing love, grace, mercy, peace, and hope.  It was an encouraging time.

There were only a few pieces of the cake left over.  In Taiwanese culture, having leftovers is a reminder that there is provision for the future.  We believe that!  God is still at work, building his church in Baozhong.

Praise and Prayer

• This will be a busy week: month-end finance reporting, prayer meeting, teaching in schools, preparing for next Sunday’s ministry, connecting with friends, etc.  Please pray for God’s strength to accomplish it all.
• Praise the Lord for moments of laughter and learning together in the English classroom.  God is helping us find teaching resources to use and keep the classes interesting for the students.
• Please pray for the planning of  the Christmas Outreach activities.  Taipei Alliance Church will send members on three consecutive weekends to teach ukulele classes, concluding with a special program for the community.  Follow-up ukulele classes will be held at the church to continue the relationship with those that participate in the pre-Christmas activities.

Celebrating a 5th Birthday

Our church is celebrating five years of holding Sunday Services.  Our Sunday service (Oct. 25) will be a Thanksgiving Service as the church reaches this milestone.

For those who are counting, yes, we have been working in Baozhong much longer than that.  But when we chose to start counting when the church held its first worship service.

One big THANK-YOU that we are expressing this week is for you, our faithful partners.  You have spent time in prayer.  You have sacrificially given.  Some of of you have visited and helped onsite in various ways.

Thank-you for joining us in taking the message of God’s love to those who have not heard.  Thank-you for helping to invite more people to be Christ-followers.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray that the church members will be encouraged as we celebrate 5 years of God establishing the church in Baozhong.
• Pray for us as we reconnect with students in the classroom after several weeks away.  (Last week got cancelled by the school at the last minute.)  Pray that God will speak through the Bible story and bring people to belief in Christ.
• Please pray for people who recently attended our church services.  Some are facing intense pressure from family members to stay away from church and not believe in Christ.

Giving Thanks

On our Canadian Thanksgiving Monday, we want to give thanks for:

• God:  He is our Rock.  He is Sovereign.  He has brought us into relationship with Him. He speaks to us.
• YOU!  We are thankful for people who encourage, pray, give financially, and engage in person in other ways.
• Kids:  We are proud of how our children are trusting God and for how they are navigating these turbulent times.
• Coworkers:  Thankful for both Taiwanese and international workers who share a common burden and are willing to work together.
• Taiwan:  It’s success in the battle against COVID has permitted us  to continue ministering in person to many people.
• Thanksgiving decorations:  We get to see Fall colors inside, even when the leaves on trees around us do not change colour.
• Glimpses of God at work.
  • Charlie was transferred from ICU to a regular ward, and may be released from hospital this week.
  • CaiFu is studying the new believer’s class in preparation for baptism
  • Opportunity to tell Bible stories in the local elementary schools.
• So much more!

What things are on your list?  We welcome you to write and let us know.

Praise and Prayer

• Please praise the Lord for Charlie’s improvement in health. Let’s continue to pray for his spiritual and emotional healing.
• Praise the Lord for the opportunity to attend the October 6-8 Prayer Retreat.  We met, shared, listened to Bible teaching, and prayed together.  We focussed on praying for God to create breakthroughs in Taiwan ministries and in people’s lives.
• Please pray for God to be honoured, Christ to be exalted, and the Holy Spirit to lead at the Taiwan C&MA Business Meeting on Saturday, October 17.

Church is Family 

We are a part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.  It is an international family of churches.  We believe that Jesus Christ is providing all that we need for life and godliness.

• Christ is our Saviour (He saves us from sin and gives us peace.)
• Christ is our Sanctifier (He lives in us and makes us holy.)
• Christ is our Healer (He heals and restores us.)
• Christ is our Coming King (He is returning soon to be King of the universe.)

Our common beliefs give us connection throughout the world.  Each country in our family of churches has its own leadership.

The C&MA in Taiwan will have its annual business meeting on Saturday, October 17.  Elections will occur for executive leadership positions in the Taiwan denomination. Please pray for Christ to be exalted, the unity of the church to be expressed, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be followed in all that is done.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for Charlie who is in ICU with life-threatening health challenges.
• Thank-you for praying for the regional online meeting last week.  We were encouraged as stories were shared about God healing some coworkers with serious illness.  It was good to hear other important news.
• We will be joining the Taiwan Team of C&MA international workers  for a Prayer Retreat October 6-8.  We are looking forward to being together for prayer and fellowship.

Mid Autumn Festival

Wow!  We excitedly watched as people we had invited came to the Mid Autumn Festival Indoor Korean-style BBQ.  God answered our prayers.

There were 30 adults and 6 children who attended the noontime event.  People laughed.  Many took turns cooking the food.  We ate foods from different cultures, because some people brought special things to share.  After eating, people sat around and talked.  Lorne even set up some stools at the side of the road and talked with some of the men, because they were more comfortable talking there.

Thank-you for praying.  Please don’t stop!  We want to continue to build relationships.  Whether at their homes or at the church building, we want opportunities to talk with people.  We want to invite people to know and follow Jesus.

Praise and Prayer

• Most families will gather and eat together on Wednesday evening.  (Thursday and Friday are national holidays.)  Pray that our Christian friends will carry Christ’s peace into their family reunions.
• Pray that we will have the right words of blessing and hope as we interact with friends during this festive season.
• Please pray for a regional online meeting on Wednesday morning.  Pray that all will be encouraged as they join in from different places.

Helping the Church get Started

Thank-you for partnering with us as we are starting the Baozhong Alliance Church.  Many of you connected with us when the project was only a dream.  Now we have some people and an ongoing witness to Christ happening in our town.  Our prayer is that over the next two years, the church will have enough members to become a self-supporting church that is a member church of the Taiwan Alliance Church Union.

Our efforts over the years have included prayer, short-term team ministry, and financial support for the ministry.

• Prayer is the most important work.   This must go on!  Please continue to pray that:
  • More people will be added to the church.
  • Students and teachers hearing Bible stories will respond to the spiritual truths they are hearing.
  • Believers will experience the fullness of God’s grace and the fullness of the Spirit as described in Scripture.
• Short-term teams cannot be asked to come at this time due to travel restrictions.  But, if God provides the opportunity to you join us for a camp or other ministry, we’d love to see that happen.
• Financial subsidy for the Baozhong Alliance Church has mostly come from the donations to the Hidden in Plain Sight Approved Special.
  • We believe that there are sufficient funds on hand in this fund to provide the needed subsidy for the church for the next two years. Praise the Lord with us!
  • We want to thank each and every person who has prayed for these financial resources.
  • We want to thank each one who has contributed.  May God cause your investment in God’s work to reap an abundant harvest.
  • For those with a desire to continue contribute financially, please consider one of the other ways listed on the giving page to support us and the work in Taiwan.

Praise and Prayer

• Please pray for our friend Gavin who is being treated for a brain lesion.  The planned six weeks of intensive therapy will be difficult.  His family is still recovering from the shock of hearing the news about his health.
• Please pray that friends being invited to celebrate Moon Festival with us will join the church family for lunch next Sunday.  (Event publicity is pictured above.)  In addition to eating special foods people will hear a story about how God helps individuals to overcome life challenges.

Working Together

The international worker team in Taiwan is a diverse group of people.  Last Tuesday some of us gathered for fellowship and prayer (photo).  Others were unable to join us but are still valuable members of the team.

God is using our team to share about Jesus and fulfill the Great Commission among a variety of people groups:

• the Taiwanese Working Class
• the Vietnamese Diaspora
• the Indonesians working here
• the Thai foreign workers (an Alliance World Fellowship Initiative)
• the Younger Generation with different values and goals

People need to hear the good news about Jesus.  Thank-you for praying that our efforts will lead people to faith in Christ and an increased testimony for Christ in Taiwan.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for an encouraging start as we began English teaching and Bible storytelling last Thursday.  Please pray for creative ways to help the children learn lessons from the stories, while staying true to the emphasis in Scripture.
• Please pray for church members to be able to mutually encourage each other while living in a culture that can at times be hostile toward Christians.
• Helping new contacts sometimes means helping with English homework, visiting people with different accents, and adjusting our schedule so that we can study the Bible with them.  May God help us with the adjustments we are making.

Keep Praying

Thank-you for joining our church people in praying.  We pray:

• for people recovering from illness and surgeries
• for people recovering from addictions
• for people visiting and searching for a church home
• for people who are grieving the loss of loved ones
• for people facing emotional stress as the country fights Covid
• for people feeling insecure because of political situations

There is much to pray for.  Thank-you for praying with us and for us.

Praise and Prayer

• Praise the Lord for visitors from the community the last two Sundays.
• Please pray for us as we start teaching in the elementary schools on September 10.  Pray for wisdom as we prepare both stories and English lessons for the students.
• Please pray for church members grieving the death of a loved one.
• Please pray that seeds of truth being planted will produce a harvest of faith.

It is Gone!

Driving past a dragon fruit field, we were surprised to see that half of the plants have been uprooted.  A few days before we had seen fruit on the branches of the removed plants.  But now, it is gone.

We are unsure of the reason that made the farmer decide to remove the crops.  The sight did remind me of John 15.  God is the gardner, and plants that do not produce fruit are cut down and removed.

Recently, a missionary with OMF wrote an article reflecting on the definition of success for cross-cultural workers in Taiwan. The observation is made that “there has been no spiritual breakthrough among the working class in Taiwan. For years the missionaries have continued to befriend, witness, and care for them. Many of the missionaries were nearing retirement with little to “show” for their missionary careers.”

The harvest is a measure of success.  But God has additional standards of measurement.  He cares about faithfulness.  God wants “people of varied backgrounds who pray for their local friends without necessarily telling them so, people who display the unity of Christ when working in teams, and people who invite their local friends over to dinner without having an agenda.”

We believe that is true, but it does not satisfy the desire in our hearts to see a spiritual breakthrough among the Taiwanese people.

Please join us in praying for God’s Spirit to work, helping people to hear and respond to God’s invitation of salvation.