Wed, Sep 30th - 8:07AM

Blog update

Greetings in the name of the Lord:

This has been a very busy month.  We've been busy helping people in the flood areas of Taiwan.  Some have given clothing.  Some Christians have taken money from the government agencies and the Buddhist agencies and left church.  Pastors have needed much encouragement.  All of the areas hit are not like this.  However, it is sad that some people have left.  Please pray that they would truly know the true and living God and not rely on man but on the strength of the Lord.  He is the Jehovah Jireh.  God's people have rallied and tried to help.  We need to do more.  Various churches have gone in and help dig people out from under the mud and crud that was caused by the Typhoon.  One church, Shepherd Covenant Christian Church is starting another sister church in a hard hit area just south of me.  The Dongang Shepherd Covenant Christian Church is helping in the town next to them.  They are providing food, and helping in a variety of ways.  They have started a Sunday evening Bible Study and worship in this little village.
God has been providing in many ways.
We graduated 4 girls who have completed the discipleship training.  Praise the Lord.  We are now meeting once a month.  The second discipleship group is doing well.  We have around 14 people who come from about five churches.  Three weeks ago we started a third discipleship group.  We have around 14 to 16 people in attendance.  They are quite excited.  Hopefully I will have their photos on picassa within the next month or so with their names so that you can pray for them.  I'm teaching at Shepherd Covenant Christian Church their MTS (Missionary Training School) Gospel class.  There are 11 students there.  During the week on Mondays & Wednesdays I have several students in attendance for four English levels of Bible Study.  One study, I am in the process of making up materials for them. We are doing Old Testament stories. These young people are great.  It is a joy to meet with them.
One woman from my church just went through an engagement party. Her name is Shi Yu. It reminds me of how the Scriptures view engagement.  It is a very serious thing, almost like marriage.
Please pray for my friend Ya Jun (Jennifer).  Her mother has been in the hospital for around one month or more.  Please pray for her total healing.
Talking about healing, my sister went to visit my mom for about one week.  It turns out that my mom was allergic to some medicine that she was taking.  Also, she needed to stop taking some medicine as well.  She is doing much better now.  However, she has developed a terrible skin rash.  Please pray for total healing for my mom as well.
My youngest sister, Louise, just found out that she has diabetes.  Please pray for her.  She has no insurance and very little way of paying for the much needed medicine.  Please pray that she would experience God's total miraculous healing.
Our church just baptized five people.  It is an exciting time.  One of my girls from my first discipleship class (Shou Er) is now discipling one of the ladies and another woman.  That is so exciting to me.
My Chinese classes are coming along fine.  I'm in the process of helping the school with a Christian Vocabulary text book that desperately needs revision.  My teachers are awesome and are helping me translate some stories and helping me with this revision as well.  The romanization is an old form and quite confusing.  So I'm typing in Chinese, Chinese pronunciation (bo, po, mo, fo) using Chinese symbols and romanization called Han-Yu Pinyon.  It will take a long time but it will help me in remembering the Chinese Christian Vocabulary.
We just celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day.  We had a great time. I asked one of the pastor's to pray and he prayed in Chinese.  What a blessing that was to all of us.
I just finished a new edition of the Discipleship manual in English & Tagalog, English & Chinese as well as a discipleship seminar booklet in the aforementioned languages.  It's been a process of about three years of compilation.  Also, I've just started teaching at a Missionary Training School a Gospel course.  So I created a manual for that class as well.  It is in English & Chinese.
I have been reading some books in preparation to going to Israel to a school of ministry at Mt. Carmel Assembly of God Church School of Ministry on Mt. Carmel itself.  This will be my first trip.  The girl who discipeled me 40 years ago and her mother will also be in Israel.  So we will get together for one day.  The last day of the school ends on my 60th birthday (17 November).  I can't see a better way to spend that cornerstone of a birthday than in the city of Jerusalem. I will then stay in Israel for a few more days to rest and meditate and pray. Praise the Lord.
Please pray for my friends in the Philippines.  They just had one month's rain in one day.  Over 250 people are dead.  One pastor friend of mine took in 30 families and other churches are helping him as well.  My friend Hayley also asked for prayer.  She is in Pampanga.  She says that she is fine but others are not.  One area that our team visited last year is in a dump.  They are not doing well at all.  The waters have risen tremendously.  There is no place for the water to go except up.  Please pray for the brothers and sisters in the Philippines.  It seems like the Asian countries are being hit hard. 
I believe that the Lord will return soon.  We must be ready.  We must take back what belongs to us and to God.  We must rely on the Lord for His strength and guidance.
For the last couple of days we've had a pastor from India who has been ministering to us.  I can't even begin to extract what he has had to say for us except one point:   He has prophesied that the Chinese people from around the world will need to go to the Mainland and help the believers there.  God will use us with signs and wonders.  Please pray for our preparation for what God would have in mine for each of us.
In closing, please pray for me.  I've been sick again.  I'm not sure if it is a cold or allergies. 
Also, I've been struggling with my colon and with my blood sugars.  I'm looking for total healing by God.  I will also see a specialist for a colonoscopy 5 October in the afternoon.
God is good all the time.
Since the US Dollar is going down compared to the New Taiwanese Dollar I need God's wisdom in frugality.  Every time I think of this, a song comes to my mind:   "I just keep trusting my Lord as I walk a long.  I just keep trusting my Lord and He gives a song.
Though the storm clouds darken the sky o'er the heav'nly trail.  I just keep trusting my Lord, He will never fail.  He's a faithful friend, such a faithful friend.  I can count on Him to the very end.  Though the storm clouds darken the sky o'er the heav'nly trail.  I just keep trusting my Lord, He will never fail."                                                              

Pray for the Lord's return.                                                                                                    

Pray for many more to have true repentance and be saved.

God bless you all.

Pastor Xiao Yang

Please ponder Psalm 77 and Psalm 34.