Unshakable Truth

Isaiah 54:10 is a verse that Kathy-Lu memorized many years ago. It seems appropriate to share it with you in light of the April 3 Taiwan earthquake and the almost constant aftershocks that are being felt since.

We are still in Canada, so we have not personally felt the tremors. But we feel constant concern for the residents of the island that we call home. Canadian Alliance international workers have repeatedly posting to our private chat group, indicating that they are feeling the tremors and that all are safe.

Thank-you for continuing to pray for the Taiwanese. Please include prayers for Christ-followers to be able to testify to the peace that God provides.

Praise and Prayer

Praise the Lord!

Pastor Joshua Lee was officially ordained at a service on Saturday afternoon, March 16. (Online Video Link) Rev. Silas Yang, President of the Taiwan Alliance Church Union officiated at the service. After the laying on of hands and prayer, Rev. Yang affixed the clerical collar that Pastor Joshua is now entitled to wear.

The service was well attended with over 60 adults in attendance. Pastor Joshua’s family attended to witness the event. We are still praying that his parents and other family members will choose to follow Christ as their Saviour and Lord.

Praise the Lord with us!

• A flower-arranging instructor has been found and has agreed to teach a class at the church. Final details of when the class will begin will be worked out with Rev. Joshua Lee.
• A visitor at church yesterday is a believer who will be returning to Baozhong on some weekends to care for her parents. There seemed to be a good relational connection with the women at our church. Please pray that God will use our church to encourage her in her faith.

Praise and Prayer

Ordination

Pastor Joshua Lee will be officially ordained at a service on Saturday afternoon, March 16.

This is a moment of recognition by the denomination that God has both called him to  pastoral ministry and that God is enabling him to do the ministry. It is an expression of affirmation by the church that they accept him as a leader appointed by God to serve in the pastoral role.

Please pray for God’s blessing on him, his family, and the church.

About 60 people are expected to attend the service, including many Alliance pastors from around Taiwan. Even his family are coming to witness this event. Pastor Joshua will host the guests for a special feast after the service.

Because our facility has limitations, some people will participate by watching the service on a television monitor on the second floor.

The service will be at 3 PM Taiwan time (12 midnight on Mar 15, Pacific Daylight Time). The service will be broadcast on the church’s YouTube channel and will remain posted there for delayed viewing. (It is broadcast only in Chinese.) Lord willing, there will not be technical difficulties that day.

Praise and Prayer

Model Student

The elementary school, where we teach and tell stories, chose their model student this past Thursday. The candidates were two sixth-grade boys.

All the students and all the teachers voted. In typical Taiwanese fashion, the votes were publicly counted and the tally was kept for all to see.

The chosen student’s name is forwarded to the county government. The list of model students is published, bringing honour and prestige to the student, his family, and the school. It was a difficult choice as both students display exemplary behaviour.

In Hebrews chapters 11 and 12, we read God’s honour roll. There is a list of biblical characters who are held up as examples of how to live life.

Please pray that we and those who are a part of God’s church in Taiwan would follow the example of those godly people. May we in this way bring glory to God’s name.

Praise and Prayer

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