Mon, Nov 2nd - 11:05PM

Lately I've seen many motor scooter and car accidents.  I've had to direct traffic a couple of times.  I think the emergency people are getting to know me.  God Has been protecting me.  Many times I've come close to getting into an accident.  But God has intervened and protected me.

I had the opportunity to share my testimony at the PingDong Commercial University.  I've been there twice.  I'll be going back in December.  I'll be going to a couple of schools during the day and to this university in the evening.  At the University one of my disciplees is leading the youth meeting.  God is good!!!!  She is also learning how to interpret for me.  What a blessing.

I went to the PingDong Christian Hospital.  It seems like the chaplains would like to have an English discipleship class.  They also want to disciple others.  What a blessing.  I'm not sure when that will occur, maybe in January.  December 21st I'll be there speaking twice to the staff.  Please pray that the hearts of these men and women will be touched and that they too will have a deep relationship with Jesus.

Please look at my photos with picassa and you will find some albums from this last month.  There will be youth leading in worship, a prophetess speaking, two times baptisms, and disciples & MTS students (No names).

In Chinese there are two terms that sound quite alike when you speak it quickly.  One of my girls called me and I thought she said that her sister wanted to come to my home to have xiu xi.  But she actually said shou xi.  The tones are very similar but the meanings are quite different.  I thought she said that her sister wanted to come to my home to rest a while during discipleship.  So I said sure.  She asked me if I understood and I said yes!  However, what she actually said was could her sister come to my house to be baptized?  Needless to say that was interesting.  They got it approved from my pastor . I asked her several questions then I baptized her in the bathroom in the bath tub using the shower head to immerse her in water.  She was totally soaked. This was the first person that I was privileged to baptize. On Sunday she had her first communion.  What a day of rejoicing that has been.  She was rejoicing and weeping at the same time.  Again what a blessing.

In my Chinese classes my teachers have been helping me to translate various things.  I'm working on a book with one teacher on Christian Vocabulary.  We are doing all of the characters in Chinese with all of the Chinese way of pronunciation called bo po mo fo and the romanized way as well.  This will include the grammar points with the English translation.  I'm learning a lot.  My Chinese is getting better.  But at times I have no idea what others are saying.  Most of the time I can communicate.  My grammar needs quite a bit of work.

Lately I've noticed that we are having more and more elderly come to know Jesus and come to our fellowship.  Verious elderly men are coming.  They are helping each other.  There is a radiance about them that is tremendous.  Praise the Lord!

I've been teaching three discipleship classes and one gospel class at the MTS school.  With the four levels of English Bible Studies and these classes I am training around 45 people.  With the addition of the Ping Dong pastors tentatively that will put the total to about 55 people.  Please pray for me that I would have the stamina and that they will train others to train others.

Sunday I was also blessed with another sight.  One of my girls led a worker of hers to the Lord last year.  She is discipling her and another girl.  Then on Sunday this younger woman brought two of her coworkers to church.  They were all sitting in the same row together.  Praise the Lord!!  People are catching on to the need and joy of discipleship training.

Later today I leave for Israel for intensive training.  Please find enclosed in this e-mail my flight schedule, hotels and itinerary plus phone contacts in case of emergency.  I really would appreciate your prayers for me.  This is a dream come true.  This is my first time there. 

I will be visiting with a girl in Jerusalem who discipled me 40 years ago . She and her mother are going on a Benny Hinn Tour.  What an exciting time that will be.

The last day of school will be in Jerusalem.  We will have a certificate ceremony.  There will be around 90 pastors, missionaries and leaders from all over the world there.  The significance of 17 November is that this will be my 60th birthday.  I can't think of any better way to spend it than to be in the Holy Land. 

I'm going on a personal retreat in the Galilee right off the Sea of Galilee.  Needless to say I am totally excited. I'll be back on the 25th.

Thank you for your continued prayers for me.

God bless! 
Pastor Xiao Yang

Wed, Sep 30th - 8:07AM

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.

Fri, Aug 21st - 7:19PM

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This has been an interesting month. I must first give you some background information. August is the 8th month.  The term in Chinese for 8 is "ba".  So August 8th is "ba ba".  This is father's day.  Many people from the island try to go to their home village or city to celebrate Father's Day.  It turns out that on the 7th of August we had our first typhoon of the season.  The winds and most importantly rains lasted for around three days.  We had around 80 inches of rain.  The winds were quite high as well.  Trees were blowing down on the roads.  Mudslides were the norm.  One whole village under mud with homes going into the river out into the Pacific Ocean.  One hotel even crashed into the sea.  Roads became impassable.  Even one bridge just south of me had a section that was destroyed with 7 cars plunging into the raging water.  People were without food, water, electricity, homes and most importantly family members.  Then this morning I awoke at around 5:00 a.m. to an earthquake.  What does all this mean?  I realy believe that God is shaking this nation and trying to get our attention.  This nation is filled with idols.  God wants us to love and serve Him and Him alone.  His heart cries out with a desire to have a relationship with everyone.  Please pray for Taiwan and the rest of the world that they would hear the heart of God and repent.  We have many volunteers working day and night to help these victims.  Praise the Lord!  Goods from around the world are coming in.  China has sent 1000 prefab homes.  The U.S. has sent in planes with goods and helicopters to help in the search and rescue. The government is helping quite a bit as well with food, water, and shelter as best as they can.  Please continue to lift up the people of this nation and may they turn to the Lord and master of their lives.  These natural disasters show me that life is short.  We need to make the most of it.  The time is now.

Please continue to pray for me as well for my health especially my right leg.  I believe that God is healing me.  Sometimes, I still feel my leg muscles getting tight and then become quite painful.

Also, pray for my mom.  She is in the hospital for observation.  Her blood pressure was low.

As you read the following verse replace Egypt with Taiwan. As I was meditating this verse came to my mind.  I believe that God wants the people of Taiwan to be shaken awake so that they will be truly saved.

Isaiah 19:1  An oracle concerning Egypt (Taiwan): See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt (Taiwan). The idols of Egypt (Taiwan) tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians (Taiwanese) melt within them.

2 Peter 3:9  The Lord isn't slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.

Pastor Xiao Yang

Sat, Aug 8th - 12:55AM

Sat, Jun 27th - 12:23AM

Hello blessed of the Lord!

Many things have happened since I've returned from the Philippines.

1.  We had the Global Day of Prayer.  As you read in my last blog it was quite a success.  Now we need to pray that people will follow the exhortation from 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear  from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land." As you all well know we can have these nice large prayer meetings but if we do not repent there will be no power in our prayers.  God is a jealous God and He wants us, all of us not part of us.  We are His children.  I believe the prayer of the righteous will accomplish much even if it is only a few people.  But imagine if many believers had God's heart for the lost and for their country God will hear us, forgive our sins, and heal our land.  Right now some countries seem hopeless.  But with God nothing is hopeless.

2.   We had four deaths in our church.  Three were elderly and had long term medical problems.  The fourth went to the hospital because he didn't feel well and never came to his earthly home.  As far as I know these men and women knew Jesus.  So now they are rejoicing with our Savior in heaven.

3.   I had the opportunity to preach at Nantze Higher Gound Philippine Church In Nantze.  We had a wonderful time.  Please pray that I can keep to a schedule when I preach.  Sometimes I speak too long.  My Chinese teacher helped me with writing some Chinese captions for the power point since some people don't speak English. You can see some of the photos that I used in the sermon.  They really enjoyed them.  In my picasa photos from google look under friends.

4.   I'm back at school and I'm enjoying my classes.  However, I feel that I am quite slow. My teachers say that I'm doing quite well but sometimes I get frustrated because I cannot speak in detail what I want about some things.

5.   Last Monday at the Monday evening Advanced English Bible Study, one woman came to know the Lord and another young man made a Lordship commitment to follow Jesus 100%.

6.  Please continue to pray for my diabetes and blood pressure.  They've been high since I've come back.

7.  Later today I'll be going to the Dream Mall to represent my language school (TLI Taipei Language Institute) for the U.S. Independence Day Celebration.  Please pray that we will be able to encourage more people to come to the school. We are realy at a low point.  With God all things are possible.

8.  The first discipleship group is ready to graduate.  We will meet once a month for prayer and Bible Study.  I'm hoping to start a new discipleship class in the fall. I will need two English translators.

9.  I've finalized my plans to go to Israel in November.  I'll be going to the (SOM) School of Ministry at Mt. Carmel Assembly of God on Mt. Carmel, Israel.  It is a two week course with touring the Galilee and Jerusalem including Masada.  Please pray that God will go before me when I go. I'm really excited.  It is posible that I will see the woman who discipled me in Israel with her mom from the States.  Pray that she and her mom would be able to go.  I will celebrate my 60th birthday in Israel (Jerusalem).  I've alread paid the tuition and purchased my airline ticket.  Praise the Lord!!!  I've wanted to go there for years and I've saved for around 3 years.  Praise the Lord!!!

8.  The Sunday evening discipleship class is doing well.  There are around 12 in that group from four churches.

9.  This Tuesday will be my last Tuesday this semester with the (MTS) Missionary Training School teaching  a Good News class to prospective missionaries.  Please pray for them as they go out and share the Word with others and catch the vision for disciplemaking.

10.  I've seen many accidents since I've been back.  Pray for safety.

11.  One of my missionary friends son has just graduated and he performed a magnificent recital with the coelo and piano.  It was awesome. Please look on my picasa for photos.

"Without a vision the people perish."  Pray for the people in Taiwan that they would have a vision that God will be the God of Taiwan.

Thanks for all of your prayers. May the Lord bless all of you.

Pastor Xiao Yang