Mon, Aug 11th - 9:58PM

Blog Update

Dear Family & Friends,

  The past few weeks have been very hectic. Our church was preparing for our 20th anniversary; I was taking Chinese classes and teaching discipleship and Bible classes; I have a team that has been preparing for our Philippine trip starting this Saturday, August 16, 2008. Needless to say it has been a zoo.

20th anniversary:

• Three youth groups presented.
• YenZuMin tribal people presented a traditional tribal worship dance to the Lord.
• I played the guitar for our choir that sang in Taiwanese and Chinese.
• The Choir sang two other times.
• The youth performed intermittent skits about the pastor and his wife over time.
• Many area pastors came with some of their congregations and presented gifts, prayers, messages, and worship songs.
• Families from the past arrived in droves: more than 500 people came.
• History of the church in book form was distributed.
• Gifts from the pastor's family were distributed to the pastors, missionaries, and current church members.
• There was sooooooooooo much food that it was difficult to decide what to eat.
• There was a real sense that the Holy Spirit was in the development of the church.
• One person came to know Jesus during the morning worship service. Praise the Lord!!!!
  

• One of my teachers and I went and visited several places in Kaohsiung for part of our Chinese class: it was a cultural experience. We visited the art museum, the history museum, and a traditional Chinese clothing shop. At the history museum I was the Mayor of the city of Kaohsiung for one day. That was quite interesting.
• This summer we concentrated on reading in Chinese from a beginning reader. I'm almost finished with the second book. (around 900 pages). I wish I could say that I understood it all.
• I've been writing more Chinese characters.
• Chinese conversation has improved.

• Monday evening: One faithful woman who God is really growing is called Sonjia. We are studying the Parables of Jesus from the Studio Bible Classroom (Advanced level English).
• Tuesday Evening: Discipleship. These are elderly men and women who are quite sincere about their relationship with Jesus. They are memorizing Scripture, sharing with others about Jesus, standing up for Christ in the workplace, trying to get God's way of thinking in their minds. The eldest student is 72 years of age. The youngest is in her 40s. Most of them are CEOs.
  
• Wednesday morning: Teacher Yu and I study the Parables of Jesus. She really takes to heart what we are studying and applies it daily in her life. So much so that she is starting a youth Bible contest in the Catholic church near me. She is a Catholic Christian. PTL!!!
  
• Wednesday morning: Also, our school prayer meetings are going quite well. We are seeing answers to prayer. PTL!!!
• Thursday evening: Beginning level English Bible Study - Adults and children participate (about 10 to 15) This has been a fun class. Intermediate level English Bible Study using the children's Chinesee & English Bible: we are going through all of the stories of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation. We've had some good discussions.
• Saturday afternoon: 3:00 p.m. prayer meeting - four to five prayer warriors. God is developing these women into very sensitive and godly women. They are true intercessors. One of my girls asked another to pray for the junior high youth that more youth would come and come to know Jesus. The following Saturday evening the youth group doubled in size. Some of them have come to know Jesus.
  
• Saturday afternoon: 4:00 p.m. or so we have discipleship for a couple of hours. Currently we are learning various Bible Study methods using the book of Esther. We are doing some biographical studies and character studies as well as Scripture memory. They are memorizing the life issues verses. They already completed the Navigator's first Scripture Memory packet.

• On Sunday pastor prayed over our team.
  
• There is a team of 8 going to the Philippines. This is my first time leading a mission group. There is a lot of preparation for this trip: prayer, testimonies, songs, messages, money, gifts, hotel & transportation, tickets, visas, etc.
• Arrive in Philippines evening 8/16 prepare for the following day - songs.
• 8/17 a.m. Devotion time together, breakfast, go to first Filipino church - 25 families p.m. 2nd Filipino church - 25 families: all places on this trip except for the prisons we will be giving people food packages to feed their families. We will be ministering among the poorest in Manilla.
• 8/18 a.m. Devotion time together, breakfast, go to pastor's conference - sing, testify, teach storytelling method of evangelism using 7 stories from the Bible with embedded questions. The basic theme is who is God and who is Satan. What are they trying to do in our lives. We have prepared manuals for them, calendar notebook, and food packages. (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) 4:00p.m. to 6:00 p.m. mini concert and story telling Gospel message to 100 adults (give food packages)
• 8/19 a.m. Devotion time together, breakfast, go to very poor area to student dormitories (200 students) share gospel, give school supplies and some food packages. p.m. mini concert and share the gospel message with 100 adults in the dumps. (give food packages)
• 8/20 a.m. Devotion time together, breakfast, go to first prison. Mini Concert, Share the gospel and mingle with 800 prisoners and give them gifts of soap, toothpaste, shampoo and small packet of coffee. p.m. 1000 prisoners cannot come out - mini concert and share the gospel.
• 8/21 a.m. Devotion time together, breakfast, go to the most poor resettlement area of Manilla - mini concert, gospel message, teach them the skill of baloon making so that they can sell them to earn money to eat. (give food packages) p.m. Travel to a beach area for R&R.
• 8/22 a.m. Devotion time together, breakfast, go to a new hotel near the airport; take a short tour of the largest mall in Asia and some scenic areas around Manilla.
• 8/23 a.m. Devotion time together, breakfast, many team members return to Taiwan. Pastor Chris & I will go to Mindoro Island of the Philippines.
• 8/24 a.m. Devotion time, breakfast, preach at a jungle church - give the pastor 200 Bible Story coloring books with crayons. Invite children and parents to come and listen to Bible stories.
  
• For the rest of the week be available to the pastor and the , children and families and tell Bible Stories. Rest.
• 9/2 a.m. Devotion time, breakfast, return to Taiwan.

• I learned how to make banana, nut bread and banana, carrot, nut muffins. The first try was very bad. I forgot one of the pieces to the puzzle and it turned out as hard as a rock. After trying again it was soooooo good and moist.
• I got hit by another motor scooter yesterday. Nobody was hurt.
  
• My blood sugars are close to normal. Sometimes it still gets too high but God is the healer.
• Recently, I've been a little sick. I really need God's strength.
• 9/6 One Taiwanese policeman (ZiWei) and an Indonesian servant girl (Leeah) are getting married. They are really cute. Both are vey humble and godly. They really love Jesus.
  
• 9/7 YuWen and I are going to TaiDong where I will preach to the PaiWan tribe. I need God's message and strength.
• Please pray for those missionaries who want to come to Taiwan. The Taiwan government is making it so that people must have some schooling and be ordained before they come. As far as I know those who are here as missionaries and don't let their visas lapse don't have any problem right now. I have a friend that says she may have a problem coming back in as a missionary. She is with OMF. Her name is Christine Dillon. Please pray that she will be able to come back and that other missionaries who are approved by mission organizations could enter and re-enter the country as missionaries.
  

• 8/17 2 Chronicles 7:14
• 8/18 Philippians 4:6-8
• 8/19 1 Timothy 4:12,16
• 8/20 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
• 8/21 Isaiah 41:10
• 8/22 1 Peter 5:8-9
• 8/23 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22