OMF Taiwan Stories

Sex, suicide, study - the challenges of being young

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:50:35 GMT

“Say NO to Suicide” was the topic of our teaching this week in a Junior High School. As I prepared for the class I was quite nervous and worried. Will it create more curiosity, will it help the students to face their life issues? The class went extremely well. “Thank you, teacher. Now I know how precious my life is. I hope I will remember this next time when I face a hopeless situation….”. I was on my motorbike heading home with praise and prayer in my heart.

Suddenly a terrible accident happened right before my eyes. A young boy and an older man on scooters crashed into one another. The boy stood up from the ground, but the older man was lying on the ground, dead. I stood at the roadside as if paralyzed. My eyes were caught by this young boy. What had driven him that, like a mad man, he ran the red light? And why is he not at school at this time? Do his parents know where he is and with whom he hangs around? I felt a deep compassion for him and for the young people in this area of town.

Although young, but many of them face a hard life. School pressure, dysfunctional families, domestic violence, loneliness, temptations, burdens beyond the ability to bear in this age make these young people especially vulnerable. They look for help, they long for friendships, but sometimes they look at the wrong places. Because of their family involvement in folk religion many of them know the power of the Evil One disturbing them, torturing them and using them to harm themselves others too!

The internet is a big part of their lives. For e-generation people, to not be on the internet or playing games with friends means not having any common topics to talk about. Not being part of an internet group means not being able to have relationships with friends and therefore not being noticed by others. The hearts of these young people are searching every day, they have deep needs. They are surf around in the internet like boats on a rocky sea. But what they get out of it is an empty comfort!

Sex is in. Young people are having pre-marital sex and sexual experiences at rates that church and parents don’t want to acknowledge. And they are learning about it through the media, mobile phones and the internet. Soon they find out that this is not the love their hearts are longing for.

These are only a few descriptions of working class youth. There are great opportunities in Junior and Senior High Schools to teach, counsel and share the love of Christ. The Champions Project is taught in schools nation-wide with life education courses such as “Problem Solving”, “Managing Emotions” and “Gender Education”. Besides good practical teaching we share the Word of God. In Senior High Schools there are Social Clubs – warm fellowship, sharing, love, fun, games, the Word of God, prayer – those who join can find healing, encouragement, strength, comfort, healthy friendships and answers to the two most important questions in their lives: Where do I come from and where do I go to?

What can happen in the future when these young people find the answers and their lives are transformed by the power of the living God who loves them and has sent His Son to save them? Join us in prayer for them. They are worth it!

Beate Harr – Student Ministry, Taichung

Training Grassroots People

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:10:14 GMT

Whenever people met RL, a drug addict, they ran away from him. From the ages of 15 to 35, he was addicted, bringing much sorrow to his parents and family. The many tears, and even death, of his father did not change him. In 2007, RL was released from prison, but continued to take drugs. His wife and family members left him. Frustrated, he decided to commit suicide but was saved by his sister who persuaded him to go to Operation Dawn to kick his habit. At the Operation Dawn center where he came to know the Lord Jesus. His life was changed; he kicked his drug habit and was reconciled with his family members. Out of gratitude to God, he now wants to share the gospel to others, especially grassroots people. To equip himself, he enrolled as a fulltime student in our Alliance for Grassroots Training Ministry (AGTM) institute.

Out of the 23 million people in Taiwan, about 16 million of them are grassroots people. RL is one of them. Only about 0.5% are Christians. They are the biggest unreached people group on the island. Who are they? They are people characterized with 3 ‘lows’ – low in education, low in economic power and low in social status.

Seeing the grassroots’ need for Christ, a few para-church organizations (like Operation Dawn, Taiwan Grassroots Mission, Hakka Evangelism, Village Gospel Mission and Taiwan Industrial Evangelical Fellowship got together in 2002 and discussed the situation. The result was the birth of the Alliance for Grassroots Training Ministry. In September 2010 I was seconded by OMF to teach fulltime at AGTM.

The goals of AGTM are 3 fold:

1. To equip believers, through a 4 year evening class program, to reach out to grassroot people. There are 12 courses in the program held in churches around Taiwan. Each course is run one night per week for 12 weeks. The 12 churches partnering in this program are mostly in the north, Taipei and Keelung. There are also two classes in central Taiwan and one in the south.

2. To encourage theological seminaries to have courses on reaching grassroots people. So far two seminaries have conducted such courses.

3. To set up a training center to train people full time to reach out to grassroots. The Training Institute was started in 2008 using the premises of the Christ’s Disciples Training Institute in Keelung. In 2009 AGTM moved to Taoyuan and in 2010 moved to the present address in Chungli.

Please pray with us :

1. That churches will catch this vision of reaching and training grassroots people for Christ. Pray for the three staff who visit and preach in various churches on Sundays to spread this vision. Our itinerary includes the whole of Taiwan, north, south, east and west!

2. That the seven staff members will be faithful in the ministry which God entrusts us. We are training about 170 students in our evening classes and 11 fulltime students in our Training Institute. May our students be fishers of men!

3. That God will guide us in the purchase of a permanent place for our Training Institute, office and dormitory.

Chi Pin Hoon

A message of hope in Wanhua

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:32:21 GMT

“Come in!” smiled “Paul” as he opened the door to his small apartment. This was our fourth meeting to talk about Christianity. As I went to his couch, I passed the, now familiar, ramshackle collection of Catholic, Mormon, and Buddhist literature and almost knocked over a couple of empty liquor bottles on the floor. Paul is a working class man who used to own the restaurant next to the park where our Wanhua Hope Team does outreach. He is a spiritually minded person who is looking for something real to hold on to. Other team members have known him for a long time, giving me an opportunity to meet and follow up with him.

I was a bit nervous as my language ability is still limited, but I knew my team were gathered together praying for us. As usual, Paul and I shared from our lives before he asked me many questions about the Bible. We looked up answers in either an OMF mini-Bible or in an easy to read translation of the Scriptures. As we talked, he admitted he had been hurt by people who he thought were friends and he could not see how he could forgive them. But as he heard how Jesus forgave those who were killing him, he began to weep. He said that he now saw how Jesus could empathize with his hurts. This in turn led to a time of us weeping and praying to God while bowed down on the floor. He even went so far as to finally admit he had a drinking problem and needed help. I rejoiced, but know that this is only part of the healing process for him.

We parted with an embrace, and I hurried on down to Green Park. It was a cool and breezy afternoon. The core members of the Wanhua Hope Team plus my 2 boys and a few Taiwanese co-workers were there. These blessed people have come from different churches around Taipei, and their service is invaluable. Gathered around the toys on the play mats we set up were the usual crowd of children. The elderly in their wheelchairs sat around the perimeter chatting and watching us. Those on the team not playing with kids were scattered throughout the park, encouraging, witnessing, and befriending the Taiwanese adult onlookers. Then we gathered those we could for a simple program. Usually a Bible story is told with flannel graphs, puppets, picture books, drama - anything that works. This time, it was a simple mime depicting the creation story. Sigrun asked the children a couple of follow-up questions. Then I strapped on my guitar and led the crowd in singing “How Great Thou Art” as well as a children's song. The sun was setting as we prayed for people. We spent some more time talking before going home. Some will chat politely but superficially while others unload their deep burdens asking, “Can your God really help me?”

On Tuesdays and Fridays, we pray and plan. We seek guidance from the Lord, methods are refined for the park outreach and other ministries, and ideas are gradually developed. As a newly formed team, we are in deep need of the Lord's power and wisdom. The need for a center in the community that would act as a church, a safe haven, and a place for special activities is particularly on our hearts. Thank you for interceding for us and the people of Wanhua.

David Jansen - Wanhua Hope Team

New town, new beginnings, new stories

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:43:44 GMT

Every child is told that when they write a story it must have a beginning, a middle and an end. Right now I feel as though I have been placed at the beginning of many different stories. We have just moved to Chiayi, entering into a new neighborhood which has given us great opportunities for meeting new people. We pray and hope that each person we have met is at the beginning of their own wonderful story of salvation.

On a humid Saturday morning I made the trip to Chiayi to clean our new house ready for moving day. A middle-aged lady smiled and welcomed this strange foreigner, even braving to speak to me. She told me she lived around the corner, and that her daughter and son-in-law lived directly opposite us, pointing to a house with boxes and boxes of bottled water stacked under the awning outside. A few days after we moved this woman welcomed us further by helping us to work out the garbage system, as the singing trucks rolled past our front doors. I hope that as we wait together on the corner, I will have the chance to share some of our life-changing stories.

Moving day dawned with sweltering heat and humidity, adding to the chaos as we emptied one home and moved on to fill another. In the middle of the disarray we were visited by the son-in-law, welcoming us to the community with one of those boxes of bottled water. Since tap water is not suitable for drinking, this was a hugely thoughtful gesture. They are obviously very religious, their elaborate ancestor room visible from our bedroom window, an incinerator precariously strapped to the railing of the balcony, and a huge sacrifice table carefully placed outside their house on the last day of Ghost Month. But in the evenings, the street lit with light escaping from various windows, we have noticed them sharing a cup of tea outside, a tradition we someday hope to join, so we can share our stories of the creator God who loves us.

A new town means a new market for me to explore, so every few days I go and buy fresh food. One of the joys of summer is the delicious mangoes, and so I have already become a regular customer of the mango lady. The last time I went, I was rewarded with a smile of recognition. Though a small beginning, I pray that one day she will ask what draw Chiayi could have to a foreigner. “I’m a storyteller,” will be my answer. “Would you like to hear a story?”

The exciting job of choosing new shower curtains found me in Carrefour, pondering the colorful patterns on offer. A sales lady smiled at me, leading to a brief conversation about my surprising ability to speak Mandarin. “Are you a teacher?” she finally asked. “No, I’m a storyteller.” Our conversation finished and I moved on. A few minutes later she came looking for me. Curious, she wanted to know where I told stories, and to whom. I explained that the stories are for anyone, at any place; yes, even at McDonalds. To my excitement, she gave me her name and number so that I can contact her and arrange a time to come and tell stories.

Four beginnings. Four unfinished stories. What will be the middle? How will they end? I invite you to pray with me for happy endings filled with the joy of knowing our Saviour, endings which will last for an eternity, singing praises with us in heaven.

Bronwyn & Johanna Lihou - Chiayi

A Typical Market Family

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:45:24 GMT

The first time I met the three Lai girls was four years ago. They were about 3, 4 and 6 years old and came with their father, Mr.Lai, to a park carnival which we held in the market area. With his red-stained betel nut lips the father was obviously right in our target group, the simple working class people. In a talk with one of our coworkers he said, “I’ve been in this market area for 20 years, but this is the first time someone has run an event like this for our community.” He really liked the activities, the fun and the skit about creation. A few days later I met him again in the park and he told me, “If my three daughters want to become Christians, they can. For me, I can’t become a Christian, because I am a Buddhist, I need to continue the ancestor worship.” Well, at least the first half of that statement makes a missionary’s heart really happy!

In the following weeks and months we got to know them better. The father sold pineapple in the market. His wife came from Vietnam and could hardly speak Chinese. His old mother sells fruit right at the park. She speaks only Taiwanese and it always sounds as if she is yelling at me! The three girls came to our Saturday park ministry which we began after the carnival. I often noticed how dirty they were and it was quite obvious that they were not used to obeying any rules. Amazing, how sweet and yet how very naughty those little girls could be! After several months things got worse for them: the mother returned to Vietnam, taking the youngest one with her. Was it because she found her life in Taiwan too hard or because she didn’t bear any sons and was sent away? I don’t know. But my heart went out to the two remaining motherless girls. They were obviously very much in need of love and hugs. When I went on home assignment I kept the Lai girls in my heart. Whenever I spoke to groups of children I told them their story and asked them to pray for the Lai girls. And they did pray.

After I returned to Taiwan last year, the Lai girls were gone! I couldn’t find the father or grandmother and rumor had it they were in a different market in the county now. They were lost to me.

And then the most amazing thing happened! We again had a carnival in the market park, and who do I see? The grandmother with the second girl. The girl was so happy to see me, and I was, too. The grandmother is back to her former fruit stall!

The next day we took our short-term team to the park and had a house church service, right opposite the temple, next to grandmother’s fruit stall. Now all THREE girls were there, just 3 years older! It was a great reunion. As the short termers together with Wayne and Angela Chen were singing, reading the Bible and having communion, the girls sat next to me and asked many questions about what was happening. “What are they doing? What does this feel like? Where is God? How can we pray?” In a low voice I explained everything to them and I taught them how to pray to God. That truly was a holy moment.

How will this story continue? I don’t know, but I know that God is reaching out to these girls and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they all became Christians.

Kerstin Richter - Chiayi

Learning to Love our Neighbors

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:18:11 GMT

A few months ago we moved from Taichung City to the working class district of Taiping. We were told that our first and most important task was to get to know our neighbors. In doing so we have discovered some challenges in loving them as we ought.

Firstly, the lives of several of our neighbors here are complicated by various relational, social and spiritual issues. Lily is one whom God has led to the Taiping Prayer Center. She lives with mother, younger sister and son in our apartment complex. Her parents separated when she was very young after her father tried to shoot her mother. Lily became a rebellious teenager. At age 15, seeking for a sense of belonging, she ran away from home to join a gang. She then fell pregnant to her boyfriend’s best friend who wanted no responsibility for the child. Her peers told her that she was stupid for not wanting an abortion. Feeling scared and helpless, she decided to return home. She is now 17 with a 9 months old son. They both have been coming regularly to our mums and babies’ group on Wednesday mornings. She is keen to learn more about the loving God who is the Father of the fatherless. However, Lily will do anything it takes to cling onto anyone who befriends her. She habitually makes up stories to gain acceptance and love. Please pray that we will love her by pointing her to the God who will satisfy her desire for belonging and acceptance. Pray that she will learn to cling onto God as her Savior, Comforter and Friend.

The second challenge is we are limited in our physical and emotional energy. We get annoyed with and feel drained after multiple unexpected rings on the doorbell asking for time, help or things. As we shared our frustrations with more experienced missionaries we discovered that this is very common. One missionary family needed to move house so that their family had some privacy from local friends and neighbors who would frequently drop-in. Others at times have felt emotionally drained and hurt. Please pray that we will acknowledge our limitations and that we can communicate realistic expectations in our friendships with our neighbors, so that we might have the emotional endurance to love them for the long term.

Loving the people whose backgrounds are different from ours, and whom we find emotionally draining is not natural for us. We need supernatural love. We need the Holy Spirit to be producing fruit in us, especially the fruit of love and patience (Gal 5:22). We also need both to be reminded, and remind ourselves, of God’s love for us. God does not love us because we are nice people. Rather, it was while we still sinners that God sent his Son to die for us. Thank God for his love. Please pray that all missionaries working here in Taiwan will shine God’s love into the troubled lives of Taiwan’s working class people.

Steve & Susanna Gribble – Taiping

Three Shopworkers – Three Stories

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:27:40 GMT

Three Shopworkers – Three Stories

One of the major goals of the shopworker ministry is to reach out and communicate the gospel to shopworkers, mostly ladies, working in the large department stores and malls in the Taipei area. Not only do most of them come from non-Christian backgrounds, but many are from broken and abusive homes, suffer depression and self-image issues, and have financial difficulties like credit card debt. Their busy weekend working schedules make it hard for them to attend typical Sunday morning church services and weekend church activities. The shopworker ministry caters to their schedule by meeting in the late evenings, after they finish work. The vision of the shopworker ministry is to establish small groups for fellowship, Bible study, and prayer in every major shopping area in Taipei, meeting in places such as coffee shops and fast food restaurants.

Here are three typical shopworkers who are currently attending the small group meeting near Taipei Main Station. They are in various stages in developing a relationship with God.

Ramani is 31 and a lesbian. Her dad regularly had affairs, divorced and remarried with these women, and has 6 children from 3 marriages. Growing up, Ramani was beaten by her stepmom and her own mom when she lived with them. She despises her father and has little trust to men. As a teen, she ran away from homes for many years. When she was in her late teens, she developed an interest for girls. She called herself “a man” and once frustratedly told us, “I will never be able to be baptized because God is not pleased with my homosexual lifestyle.” We encouraged her that, “Once you know God, you will have power to change. In God’s eyes, you are a very beautiful girl. God will prepare a good man to love you.” As she heard these words we spotted surprise and a sense of hope in her eyes. Pray that Ramani will continue to come and experience God’s healing and love.

Yvonne is 25 and a recent college graduate. She is a seeker but lives together with her boyfriend, a playboy. You can clearly see turmoil in her as she described how she struggles to please her boyfriend to try to keep their relationship. Pray that Yvonne will know more about God and has wisdom to deal with this situation.

Gigi wanted to meet with Emily right after Easter weekend. Earlier she told us that she and her boyfriend Charlie will continue to live together and get baptized in the end of this year after they marry because she wanted to wait for Charlie to be baptized together. Gigi now recognizes that Charlie may not be ready at the end of year, even though he also came for our Good Friday service and seemed to be moved. Apparently the Spirit has convicted her of this sin and instead put a desire in her heart to live for Him. They have talked about living separately but there are still some issues that need to be resolved. Pray for Gigi’s obedience to follow God and for Charlie’s conversion.

Chris and Emily Pang - Taipei

Ministering to TCKs at Morrison Academy

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:52:40 GMT

A student in Morrison Academy Taichung lays sick in bed at home. He has just completed a course in chemotherapy and is weak, tired, impatient, lonely and bored. His mother rallies him to come to the window of their apartment and on the Morrison field his middle school classmates have used themselves to make his name. It is his birthday and the class sings happy birthday whilst waving banners and balloons. His smile is hidden behind his mask but his eyes are twinkling and he suddenly feels stronger and happier.

Whilst walking the busy street to the Morrison campus in Taichung with a flower in hand for a friend’s birthday, a high school student passes a very elderly hunched over lady pushing a large and heavy recycle cart. Neither of them acknowledges one another as the lady’s head is down and the girl is set on her mission to bless her friend. The girl pauses in her quest as she hears the Spirit talking to her. ‘Give the old lady the flower’ she hears. She obeys. A few days later the girl sees the same lady and gives her some money. A week later she notices the poor condition of the old lady’s shoes – she runs back to the dorm, grabs her second pair of shoes and gives them to the lady. The lady then asks why she is doing this. In her limited Chinese, the lady is told the gospel and the lady believes right there and then on the street.

Another student is diagnosed with cancer. She is a Christian but her parents are not. The love and care that is given to the family is overwhelming and they are loved into the kingdom.

Morrison Christian Academy’s purpose statement is to meet the educational needs of the children of missionaries throughout Taiwan and Jesus Christ is central to Morrison’s values. Morrison has a dedicated Christian staff in three campuses (Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiang) who long to see their students know the Truth, pursue excellence in learning, fulfill the Great Commission and be a caring community.

Hearing the stories of how Morrison students are impacting their world for Jesus is challenging and inspiring. Please pray for the staff and students for grace and boldness.

Prayer Walking in the Market

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 03:43:58 GMT

The first month we commenced prayer walking in the wet-market, we went for a scheduled prayer walk in the evening. As we stepped into the market, to our surprise, it was full of people. It was smoky and was ten times noisier than the morning market. Soon we found out there was a 210m long parade to celebrate the birthday of one of the local gods.

There were hundreds of people including men and women, grey-haired old men and primary school aged kids marching along the streets. They all had different roles in the parade. Some were playing drums, gongs, cymbals; some were carrying the god in a sedan chair; some were dressed and acting like a general to guard the god; some were setting up firecrackers. They seemed to be representing the evil one by saying “This place belongs to me!”

Since the parade was blocking traffic, we had to stop and wait for it before crossing the road. Standing among the paraders, the worshippers, the onlookers and surrounded by the rumbling, traditional, ritualistic music and the dynamite smell produced by fireworks, we felt as lonely as Elijah as he reached Horeb and grumbled to God (1 Kings 9:10,14). As we continued to finish the prayer walk, we felt extremely heavy inside our hearts and prayed asking God to send more workers to come and share the gospel to the market people.

Usually there are one or two temples in a wet-market area. However, there are more than eight temples in the market where we prayer walk. Each time we go through the market, God gives us a growing burden to share the gospel with the people working there.

When we planned to reach out, we acknowledged we knew very little about the people. So we prayer walked at different times a couple of days during the week, in order to find out what their daily routine and lives are like. We sought to understand what occupied their down-time, and to discover their ways of communication with their family, their friends and their customers. Along with praying, we would chat with those we met to find out the best time to visit them, to share Bible stories and the things they are interested in. We also tried to remember their names and location. We saw that using their names meant that we were no longer just customers or acquaintances but were becoming friends. If they are not ready to hear a Bible story, we ask God to keep opening doors to develop our relationships further. We also map out the people and their stalls so we can use the map as a helpful visual aid to pray for our market friends. We believe the ongoing prayer walk will gradually strengthen our relationships, and to give us opportunity to share Chronological Bible Stories with them.

Through prayer walking, God has shown us the need to share His stories with the market people. He continues to guide us in reaching out to them as we walk and pray through the market. We are confident that in God’s time, He will move more people to come and join us. We long for the day when the market is noisy with people proclaiming that this place belongs to Jesus, the only true God. Next time when you go to the wet-market, remember to pray and ask God what you can do for Him in the market.

By Angela Chen & edited by Miriam Snelling

Jesus the treasure hunter

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:38:34 GMT

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message…
Colossians 4:3

At the Pearl Family Garden, we can see that the Lord is a skillful treasure hunter. To be sure, the women we have befriended in Taipei’s Longshan Temple area would be the last to see themselves as valuable. They are used to wearing an array of labels: tea shop women, gamblers, debtors, disabled, drug addicts, homeless, widows, prostitutes, plus a barrage of slurs that I won't write here. Yet in face of the contempt that the ladies have towards one another and themselves, Jesus is persistently seeking His pearls.

Clearing the Thorns

Fiona looked up thoughtfully from the bible pages. “This reminds me of a dream I had before I believed in Jesus,” she said. “In it, there was a tall man in shining clothes. He was very bright and I couldn’t see his face. He told me to come with him, but then I looked at my hand and shouted, ‘my rings!!’ because I saw that my jewelry was missing. Then I heard him say, ‘Yes, that’s the issue.’ I knew he meant my vanity. I now know it was the Lord.” Even as she was convicted about this character issue, I was struck by how the Lord’s kindness had reached her in that moment, so unlike the rebukes she might hear from a human voice. It was an open door for us to encourage her to keep persevering. Praise God for His Spirit that convicts a person from within and sticks with us for the long haul!

Becoming a Disciple

Julia wasn’t a regular, and I was surprised to see her show up, and that she was eager to linger afterwards. As we sat around the coffee table, she told us that one night that week she had lain awake with worry because she didn’t have the rent money that was due the next day. But she remembered that Tera and HuangJie had visited earlier and said that she could pray to God anytime. “So I tried praying, ‘God, if you don’t mind me saying, please help me so that I can pay my rent tomorrow.’ Well, the next morning, someone who owed me money returned a debt and it was just what I needed.” Since that day, Julia has rarely missed a meeting, and has been eagerly participating in a discipleship group each week.

An Invitation to Green Pastures

“Didn’t you say we could talk about this now?” I thought there was a note of softness in Jane’s characteristic holler. “Last night, as I was going to sleep, I saw a vision of a window. Looking through it, there was a beautiful green meadow. The light was so bright, it was hard to see clearly, and it looked like someone was there. I wanted to see it so badly! I have had this vision three times. What do you think it means?” Psalm 23 flew into my mind and I read it to her, wondering if her vision might be from the Lord. Sin Ee gave her a card with the Psalm on it the next week and she let us pray for her. Her heart seems to be softening.

Lately, we have been able to regularly visit new areas where we have few contacts. It can seem impossible for the gospel to make any headway, but the Lord knows each woman by name and He is more than able. Please pray that God would open doors for the gospel as only He can, that we would have eyes to see every opportunity and step in.

Audrey Lin, Pearl Family Garden, Taipei

Learning to relate

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:31:25 GMT

“I came to this workshop thinking that I would pick up a few new ideas and skills in ministering to people, but it has done more than that. It has changed my whole life!” This comment, made by a Taiwanese university professor, who is a leading elder in his church, represents the experience reported by many who have taken the Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills workshop (SYIS) here in Taiwan.

Evangelism is happening in Taiwan. People are coming to the Lord. However, statistics have also shown that the church has a large back door. People are going out the back door at the same time that other people are entering the front door. The church would grow even more if we could close the back door. One of the reasons for the large back door is that the model of relating to people in the minds of many Christians is not informed by the truths of Christianity. With all the best of intentions church leaders sometimes treat people in an unhealthy and non-biblical way.

The SYIS workshop is a five-day intensive workshop in relationship skills from a biblical perspective for Christian missionaries and church workers. When I took the workshop while on home assignment in the USA in 1995, I said to myself, “This is really worthwhile. It would be a blessing in Taiwan.” After being trained to lead the workshop a couple of years later, a colleague and I held it in English. Western missionaries and Asian Christian workers with adequate English have participated in these workshops. Even one high-level church leader from Indonesia came for the training and was very enthusiastic about it. I have also responded to requests to hold it in Thailand and Outer Mongolia.

After a long time of hoping to introduce it to the Taiwan church, a translator was found, the written material was translated, Taiwanese facilitators were trained, and the first Chinese language workshops were held. This last couple of years SYIS workshops have been held in two seminaries and a number of churches, mostly in the Hsinchu area. At least two workshops that I am aware of have also been held for Christians on the other side of the Taiwan Straits. A loosely organized local committee is overseeing the promotion of SYIS in Taiwan church circles. The international SYIS organization, the local facilitators, and I have seen the Lord answer many prayers and open many doors for all this to be possible.

What is next for this ministry? The committee’s promotion of the training in local church circles is key if the SYIS workshop is to help very many Christian workers. Our time is limited. The local facilitators and I are all volunteers. We have other jobs and ministries. We need advocates in local churches, organizations, and seminaries, who see the value of this kind of training and are willing to sponsor it. May the Lord open doors of opportunity for this valuable training in Christian relationship and ministry skills!

Paul Buttrey - Taipei

Seedlings in Wanhua

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:36:10 GMT

I hadn’t had very much experience with children’s ministry until I came to Taiwan a year ago, and yet here I am, working full time amongst the children and young people in the Wanhua area of Taipei! God has been giving our team many opportunities to do outreach to children. We go to the local park every week, connecting with the kids through running games, board games, songs, and Bible stories. We are amazed to have the opportunity to go into schools, as well. We’ve been running an after school club in the Da Li Elementary School for many years now, and very recently have had the opportunity to start going into the Da Li High School. We praise God for these and many other opportunities!

The ministry, though, presents the challenge that in many of our encounters we only have a short amount of time to share Jesus with the children. In the park, for instance, a child may come to listen to us for five minutes before running off to play football, or going home because their parents called them for dinner! The pressure to do well at school is often the distraction for teenagers, and though they may promise to come along to youth club and hear more about Jesus, at the last minute they may send a text message saying: “Too much homework.” or “I have to go to an extra class.” A child may come to the summer camp at the elementary school and get really enthusiastic about Jesus, but then we may never see the child again or have the opportunity to follow up. Can God use these tiny glimpses of the gospel in these children’s lives?

In 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 Paul points out that when it comes to evangelism, often one person “plants the seed,” and another “waters it,” but it is always God who makes it grow. In other words, though we may be doing God’s work, it is nothing without the mighty power of God. We must trust God to develop the gospel in the hearts of these young people, and God often has his own timing…

When we hear the testimonies of adult believers here in Taiwan, many times it turns out that they had first heard the gospel as children! Many years later that small seed, planted twenty, thirty, or forty years beforehand, took on a new life, sprouted, and bore fruit. Those stories they remembered hearing as children finally became real to them as adult Christians.

It is so encouraging to hear these testimonies, and I have been learning an important lesson while I’ve been here in Taiwan: no matter where someone is in their spiritual journey, it is still God who makes the seed grow – not me or anyone else! In many ways this is freeing; we are free to sow seeds and water plants, and the rest is up to God. We can give it up to Him. Sometimes we may see fruit, and we can rejoice and praise God for that. Sometimes we will never know what happened, and we can rejoice that that person is in the hands of the loving Father. So in all things we can rejoice.

Jennifer Rawlings - Taipei

Patience in sowing and reaping

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:34:30 GMT

I met Mr. Tiu, a machinist living in Taiping city, about 3 years ago during a visit to Taichung. After we moved to the Taichung area and began ministering in the Taiping area, we saw a lot of Mr. Tiu. We had a weekly men’s tea night, where we would have tea and discuss a Bible story. He attended regularly and was very engaged in the discussions that we had. It was clear that he had a strong curiosity about who Christ is.

About a year and a half ago he noted he really enjoyed coming out on Thursdays, and it was not too hard to set the time aside as he was only working one or two days a week. The economic crisis had hit Taiwan rather hard, and his current employer could not find enough jobs for people to do. He had the attitude that he would take advantage of lack of work to see his family, and spend time with us studying the Bible. But this could not continue.

  Mr. Tiu soon found a new job. While his old employer could not find work, his new one could. But due to the uncertainty of the times it was more effective for him to have a few workers working many hours. My friend found himself going from no work, to working overtime most nights, even on Saturdays. This change in work meant that he could no longer make it to our tea nights, but still wanted hear more about Jesus. Yet the only time that was convenient was Saturday nights, as he did not have to work on Sunday.

  We began meeting late on Saturday nights to go through the story of the Bible. Starting at the beginning with the Creator God, and slowly working our way forward to Christ. Week by week we met together, looking at the stories and discussing what they meant. It was clear that he still had an intense interest, as he was using his only free evening to study the Bible. It was also obvious he was really thinking about the implications of what the Bible was saying. Early on we read the promise in Genesis 3:15, that one of Eve’s descendants would defeat Satan. He looked at me and said, “It has been a long time since then, I wonder if that person has been born yet?”

  It is tempting at times like this to jump ahead and say, “It’s Jesus, it’s Jesus!” But instead we continued to look, week by week at who God is, and how He prepared the way for Christ. By doing this we were not only filling in the blanks of the story of the Bible, but more importantly introducing him to the Christian world view. He began to see a god like no other god he had encountered before. The true God who is both absolutely just and perfectly loving. He was seeing the God who interacted with the deeply flawed people of Bible in order to fulfill the promises that He had given.   

This past spring as we read through the gospel stories, about Christ’s ministry, teaching, death, and resurrection Mr. Tiu had a fuller understanding of them. He was able to tie together that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the promises he had read about. When I asked him if he wanted to have Jesus as his savior he was eager to do so. Since he became a believer in Christ we have continued to meet weekly and study about how to follow Jesus.

Tim McCracken - Taichung

Working Class Youth

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 01:30:11 GMT

At 5pm in Chiayi, the traffic and noise level in the city increase noticeably. The streets and shops start to crowd. But it’s not all the traffic of people getting off work - it’s also hundreds of high school students getting out of school, descending onto the streets, swarming tea stands, crowding food stalls, flooding bookstores, or making their way to cram schools and the train station. Major streets like Wenhua and Zhongshan fill with uniformed students from all different vocational and private high schools.

Last summer, some of this ‘student traffic’ took a rest stop at our Gospel Center, located near a major cram school and the train station. Davy, a senior at Jiashang Vocational High School, was one rest-stopper who joined our summer English camp. That fall, he stayed and brought a crew of friends to join the Friday night youth group. Dinner, singing, games, a place to chill between school and cram school - the center provided a safe, air-conditioned, friendly, and free place as a rest stop!

What is a vocational high school?

Before I moved to Chiayi last March, I had heard of vocational schools, but it wasn’t until after living here for some months and meeting students from these schools, that I finally got it. These are schools where students study hospitality, cooking, business, and trade skills. These are working class youth.

Coming from traditional working class backgrounds, these students have little opportunity to encounter the gospel. Students at the best high schools and excelling academically have a greater chance of encountering Jesus in better universities where Campus Evangelical Fellowship (CEF) groups exist. But for the non-academic-oriented and unchurched students, churches just don’t do the kind of ministry that appeal to them. The technical colleges and non-elite universities they attend seldom have CEF groups. Can we reach them while they are in high school here in Chiayi? Yes!

Jay is a lanky 19 year old studying an evening course at one of the worst vocational schools in Chiayi. Once when he left his school uniform at the center, he was relieved that no one knew it was his. “Why, Jay?” I asked. “Because my school isn’t a good school,” he said. Jay comes for the fellowship and finds a place where he is accepted and loved. But he doesn’t read well, so he is often embarrassed if we read during our Bible studies. We need to be sensitive to this and adapt our studies for him.

Making disciples?

Lavender comes from Chiayi County and grew up in an idol-worshipping family. Through Davy’s invitation to the English class, she started coming Friday nights and encountered Jesus for the first time. Lavender now prays regularly before bed and over the summer was a tremendous help with magazine passing and park ministry. Her nursing school in Tainan does not have a fellowship. Will she find a spiritual home and continue to grow? Has she caught the vision of sharing the gospel? Pray that all our students will make firm commitments to follow and witness for Jesus.

Needing new students

Our prayer request is for new students. After last year’s students graduated, our group is down to 1-3 students. On the positive side, we have the workers, the space, and the flexibility to adapt to the students’ needs and schedules. We pray for more ‘student traffic’ that will come in off the streets and find spiritual rest and life in Jesus.

Angie Piau, Chiayi

StorySeed Bible Telling Ministry

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 05:15:07 GMT

Two or three years after attending an OMF Bible storying workshop, Julie, mother of 2 from an abusive working class background, began to reach out to the hapless and hopeless people in the mountains surrounding her home. It soon became apparent that God has given her a gift for telling His stories unforgettably. Her church recognized the gift, which coupled with Julie's self-sacrificial service and powerful prayer, has since brought over 200 to know and obey Him. They asked Julie to teach over 100 of their mixed-age children once or twice a month, for 1½ hours on Sunday, and to teach straight through the Bible! So far she has taught up to Kings & Chronicles with extraordinary results in 5 different venues, even using Bible stories in her English classes and an after school program at an elementary school. However, Julie needs coworkers.

How can people be trained and motivated to use Bible stories in their own neighborhoods and families, instead of calling in professional clergy?

The answer may lie in an energetic and eclectic training program road-tested in 19 nations of the world by professional storyteller, author and storytelling coach John Walsh. As someone who battled numerous learning disabilities to become a teacher and college lecturer, John knows how to use different learning approaches and methods with people of widely differing educational, cultural and interest backgrounds.

In July 2009 John Walsh taught missionaries and local believers how to learn and use Bible stories easily and effectively, stimulating the memory by using hand-signs, drama, music, poetry, and art. The pressure of producing an artistic rendering of the story to others in under 30 minutes effectively moved the story from the head to the heart for long-term memory and application. It ensured the story was communicated in art forms both familiar and comfortable for learners. At the same time each participant was exposed to each story at least 12 times in the course of the workshop. In all, over 200 were trained, with many enthusiastically asking for further classes and materials, and continuing to use Bible stories in their regular ministries. A vision was born for StorySeed Association, a nonprofit organisation to facilitate training and produce Chinese materials. Local evangelist Esther Hsiao undertook to register this with the government, a process finished in the last few weeks.

John Walsh responded to a warm invitation to return in October 2010 by offering to come and bring several disciples to hold workshops simultaneously in different cities. During October, 3 teachers will hold 6 workshops in 4 cities (Taipei, Chiayi, Hualien & Tainan), ranging from 1½ hours to 4 days in length. In some cities the spiritual atmosphere is quite cold, so much prayer is needed for high attendance of gifted and called change agents who will put what they learn to use in evangelism, discipleship and equipping the saints. Pray with us that God will put His vision on the hearts of those who can make an impact among Chinese and others around the world in these last days, and that He will use the BibleTelling workshops and StorySeed Association to glorify His name in this place.

Anne Alexander - Hsinchu

The Pearls of Wanhua

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:09:33 GMT

(Note: All names have been changed.)

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (John 15:1)

What does a woman do if her husband passes away, leaving her with huge debts and two young children, or if she needs to earn almost US$200 a day to pay off loansharks? How about when she urgently needs a large sum of money for a critically ill parent? Faced with such trying circumstances, some Taiwanese women end up in the tea shops of Wanhua. “Tea shops” are places where men can drink tea or alcohol in the company of women.

As you walk through the streets, Wanhua seems like a typical working-class neighbourhood in Taipei. But venture deeper into the alleys, you will see the tea shops with women sitting outside, waiting for customers. The spiritual darkness is palpable. Longshan Temple, one of the oldest and most active temples in Taiwan, dominates the scene.

Through God’s gracious provision, the Pearl Family Garden women’s centre was set up 2 years ago in the heart of Wanhua. It is a warm, cozy apartment that the women can call home and a safe place where they can come for Bible study, English class, craft, lunch fellowship and prayer. Currently, 4 OMF missionaries (Tera van Twillert, Audrey Lin, Charissa Mak and I), one part-time Taiwanese co-worker and several volunteers serve in this ministry.

Sowing

The harvest doesn’t come overnight but God never forgets where the seed has been planted. (Henry Breidenthal)

With Tera and Huang Jie leading the way, I walked hesitantly down a flight of stairs to the dimly lit basement. We found Lily’s room, only slightly bigger than a cubicle. I tried to ignore the musty smell and poor circulation. We opened the door and found Lily sleeping. She woke as we entered. Her tired face bore the effects of a recent stroke.

Lily used to sit outside tea shops, waiting for customers before bringing them back to this room. She cannot work after the stroke but she still lives in Wanhua, sharing this tiny room with her 30 year-old son. We visit Lily each week, encouraging her with songs, Bible stories and prayer.

Pruning

… every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:2)

For 3 years, Fiona has faithfully met up with Tera and Huang Jie to read the Bible. She feels convicted by the Holy Spirit to stop working in the tea shop. A year ago, she even applied for social assistance and found a job as a care giver. But she had to quit due to some health issues. Recently, she made the decision to leave Wanhua. Pray that Fiona will keep trusting God as she looks for a new job.

Bearing fruit

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (John 15:3)

A-qiu used to work in Wanhua to support her drug habit. By the grace of God, A-qiu was baptised in a local church just before Easter this year. She boldly testified that God has delivered her from drugs and given her a new life in Christ. Praise the Lord!

Remaining in the Vine

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:4)

Pray for all our workers to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Pray that we may stand firm in the Lord and not falter in this battle against the spiritual forces of evil. We long to see many women “rescued from the dominion of darkness” and “brought into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14)!

Teo Sin-Ee, Taipei

Training Leaders

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:44:13 GMT

Most OMFers in Taiwan have a part in leadership training, either formally or informally. Many of us are helping to train lay leaders among the different groups we work with, and some of these will go on to pastor churches or Christian organizations. So we look out for people who have the potential to influence others, and we spend time with them, doing whatever it takes to help them to be prepared to share their faith with others.

Some churches still have a “top down” view of leadership, viewing the pastor as the boss of a company, albeit a non-profit making company. So the pastor is hired to do nearly everything in the church and fired if things go wrong. He (and occasionally a she) makes all the decisions and, if things go wrong, has to take the responsibility. Encouragingly in recent years, however, there has been a growing emphasis on team leadership, particularly in some larger churches, and there is recognition among many young people that this is the way to go.

OMFers’ main contribution is in modeling what servant leadership looks like in practice, serving without expecting a lot of financial reward, and without a great deal of recognition or visible success. In a culture where tangible and quick results are often emphasized, this is a counter-cultural example, and calls for patience and perseverance. When people see that we are not looking for money or status, there are many opportunities for witness and service. Many leaders here are lonely and are grateful for encouragement from a non-threatening source. They value a shoulder to lean on and someone to pray with. We also need to give an example of taking time away from work in order to relax – something that Christian leaders here find hard to do.

A few OMFers also work in more formal leadership training situations, including theological colleges, either part time or full time. Experimentation and creativity is needed to develop training that will fit Taiwan. Too many courses uncritically adopt assumptions, programs, and materials from overseas. Simply translating these into Chinese is not enough. Much more needs to be done in thinking through what is needed in Taiwan, after which the needed resources still have to be developed. This takes time and long term commitment if there are to be worthwhile outcomes.

Quite a few churches are suspicious of theological colleges, fearing that they are too intellectual and impractical. A number of churches have decided to implement their own training schemes to develop future leaders. In some cases this can work quite well, but there is the danger of unnecessary duplication of resources and only a shallow engagement with tough theological issues.

Investment in resources, in research and in long term development of people is greatly needed, and these things need to be given a high priority in order for a new generation of leaders to emerge.

Andrew Butler - Taipei

Steps to planting a church in Taiping

Mon, 17 May 2010 03:51:39 GMT

Three key steps in planting a church are 1) Getting the gospel out to the unreached, 2) Bringing unbelievers to God's word 3) Giving new believers the chance to serve and grow. The results are in God's hands. These may seem fairly obvious but it is amazing how often one or more of these steps is neglected.

1) Getting the gospel out to the unreached: So much of what is labeled as evangelism is just an attempt to bring non-Christians into some sort of church meeting. Since last October the OMF team in Taiping has been taking seriously the great commission call to "GO" and every Sunday have been preaching evangelistic messages in the open-air in a Taiping park while inviting passers by to sit and drink tea. Mr Shi sat down every week to drink tea and chat and listen to the bible messages. Team members witnessed to him and prayed with him and recently he prayed to receive Christ as his Lord.

2) Bringing unbelievers to God's word: Some people will never volunteer to attend a group Bible study or sit through a long church service. How can they ever come to read God's word in the Bible? For some months Tim McCracken, a member of the Taiping team, has spent Saturday evenings at the home of Mr Tiu, chatting, eating snacks and each week looking closely at a small portion of God’s word. Recently Mr Tiu responded to one of the Bible Studies by saying he wanted to become a Christian.

3) Giving new believers a chance to serve and grow: So often Churches wait until a person has been a Christian for many years before involving them in ministry. Mr Chen was baptised just a few weeks ago but even before that he was showing signs of wanting to be involved in ministry. The problem was he had many strange ideas that he had picked up from interacting with Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses. In planning one of our Sunday outreaches the Taiping team leader, Robb Branch, challenged Mr Chen to give his testimony in the Park. The next Sunday he stood up in public to give his first ever open air talk.

The common factor with each of these men is that they would be very unlikely to hear about Christ or seek to study His word or serve Him in a traditional church. The willingness of the missionaries to go where they were, spend time to build relationships and challenge them was key. Ultimately though the fruit was brought about by God at work in each of their lives. Will these three men grow in Christ to become mature believers and potential church leaders? That again is in God's hands but pray for the Taiping team as they seek to reach out to many more unreached men and women in the Taiping area.

David Eastwood - Taichung

The students who don't "make it" - vocational school ministry

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:30:04 GMT

I first met Kerry, a student at Taipei Business School, in Spring 2009. She came to the weekly lunchtime student fellowship with two of her Christian classmates as she had nothing in particular to do. She enjoyed the time there and the singing so continued to come for the rest of the semester.

The school summer holidays began and it was time for our annual summer camp. Around 150 students attended from various vocational schools across the north of Taiwan, including Kerry. Over a few days, through games, activities, music, and looking at the Bible, students grew in their understanding of God and how His love is unchanging and very different from what the world offers. During these few days Kerry responded to the invitation to trust in God.

The following month, I met her at a wedding and she excitedly told me how she had started going regularly to church and wanted to join baptism classes. Since then she continues to come to the fellowship and is growing in her new faith in Christ.

It is because of students like Kerry that the vocational school department of CEF (Campus Evangelical Fellowship) focuses on reaching out to students in these of schools. Many students in Taiwan don’t succeed in entering the top high schools or universities. They attend a technical high school or university or a 5 year vocational college. There are usually only a handful of Christian students in these schools. The students are often struggling in relationships, financially, with their school work and difficult family situations. Many work long hours in a part-time job to support themselves through school. Others spend extra hours in cram schools in the evenings or weekends to improve their academic results. They want to know is God real and does he answer prayers?

In October, Kerry was invited to give her testimony in the student fellowship. She shared her story but it wasn’t easy for her. That day her mum was in hospital having an operation. She then found out that her boyfriend had also been admitted with food poisoning. She had to go straight to her part-time job. A friend kindly offered to go to the hospital on her behalf and take a meal to her boyfriend. Later that evening, she was unable to get hold of her friend. Where was she? She discovered that she had been involved in a scooter accident on route and was in ICU suffering from head injuries. She was very upset and with Christian friends prayed for her friend. God acted and her friend came out quickly from ICU and recovered from her injuries. Despite wondering why God had allowed this to happen, she saw His intervention, faithfulness and care.

Many Taiwanese go from temple to temple seeking the god that is the most effective in answering their needs. When new Christians or seekers pray to God and don’t see their prayers answered, it can be easy to turn away or think our God is not worth following. Join us in praying for students in vocational schools, that they would know the true God and see that He is worth trusting with their whole life.

Melanie Bister – Taipei

Who will care for these children?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:29:23 GMT

She sits in the corner of the supermarket, doing her homework whilst Mum takes care of customers. They will be there until 11 this evening. Ever since Dad came out of prison, life has been much harder for Lucy and Mum. He can't find a job, but drinks, gambles, and then gets into debt. Lucy's Mum has to foot the bill. If she refuses, it means violence. But she's too scared to leave. “Borrowing from the Underworld is a dangerous business. If I leave, they will come after me, and I don't want to spend the rest of my and Lucy's life running!” But what sort of a life do they have?

I take Lucy home so that, tonight at least, she can get to bed a little bit earlier without fear of her father. “Fan mama, you always told me that God loved me and would take care of me even when I left Bethany. My head tells me this must be right, but… in my heart… is it true? At church the other kids have Mums and Dads, they play, they have fun, they go out together. Even my Sunday school teacher doesn't seem to understand why I am different!” Her eyes fill with tears. We sing and pray together and Lucy sleeps peacefully with her head in my lap, just like she did when she was a two year old here. My heart aches. How can I help?

Visiting the local church, I chat with the pastor's wife. She wants to be able to help but finds it difficult to know what to do. She has never come across a situation like this before. The church is mostly middle class. Lucy's Mum can't go to church. She has two jobs from 5a.m. - 11 p.m. - just to be able to survive. Two days off a month - sleep, sleep, sleep. Other than Sunday School, the church has no other activities for children. I try to encourage the pastor's wife not to expect people always to ‘come in’ – “Isn't it exciting to be able to take Christ OUT to people where they are, where they need us? That's what Jesus did.” She reflects quietly nodding her head. “I will try.”

Ten year old Lucy is just one of the kids who used to live in Bethany Children’s Home, knows the Lord and wants to follow Him but finds it hard. Their situations are difficult but typical of many very ordinary families in Taiwan. Children from this kind of background don't always fit into Sunday School programs, find it hard to be part of a group (without causing a little bit of disruption). They long to be loved, accepted and belong. I wonder, was the little boy who gave his lunch to Jesus that day many years ago from this kind of a family? There was an Andrew who found him and brought him to Jesus - and look at the outcome!

"Let the children come to me and don't hinder them, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"

Linda McFerran - Taipei