Site tools

• home
• contact
• site map

November 2009

CHURCH PLANTING

Wanhua

Randy & Janet Adams visit a nursing home with Liok-Keng to sing Taiwanese Christian songs and pray with her mother. Each time they go more people join in. On one visit Janet shared the gospel through Bible storying. One lady had never heard the gospel. At the end of the story she asked, "Are God and Jesus one and the same?" The Adams were amazed how quickly she grasped this major doctrine just through listening to the Bible stories.

Hengchun House Church

Two years ago, the mother of one house church member slapped her daughter in the face in an attempt to force her to worship the spirit of her dead father-in-law. The daughter stood firm, refusing to take the incense which is used in ancestor worship. "How could I face God if I pretended to worship the dead?" she told the church. Now her mother is considering baptism!

After many years one of the non-Christian husbands recently read the 30 stories in the Taiwan Prayer Guide. He asked about “Bible stories” and has shown interest in hearing them. May he have a chance to hear the stories and come to Jesus.

Donggang

Christine Dillon wants prayer to find people with prepared hearts to tell Bible stories. Pray she can start training locals (even non-Christians) in telling the Bible stories to others. She would like to have a simple, reproducible way of doing this and needs opportunities to experiment.

Taiping City

At the end of this month, the pastor at the Taiping Taifu church leaves for America. David & Lucy Eastwood have agreed to support the couple who are taking over the church and also studying at seminary. The church is very grassroots with a large number who are either mentally or physically handicapped. Please pray that they would be able to help them to know how best to build a Christian community among these people. They are also reaching out to other contacts in Taiping and need wisdom to best to use their time.

The Taiping Gospel Center serving families with foreign brides needs to move to a different location. Robb & Holly Branch ask prayer for finding a good place by the end of November to continue the ministry.

Pray for Mr. Cho and A-Chun (believers), Mr. Zang and Ching-Zong (seekers), that they will all have a desire to draw close to God.

Pray for Holly's cousin, Huey-Lin, who is in coma after delivering her baby (Anaphylactoid Syndrome of Pregnancy), that God will heal her, and that Holly will have chance to visit.

URBAN MARGINALIZED MINISTRY

Taoyuan Reformatory

Because of renovation work at the Reformatory, the monthly church services have been cancelled until the end of the year. Other outreaches are not affected. Most of the helpers are students or people with demanding jobs. So pray on for stamina, wisdom, good ideas, the power of the Holy Spirit, with all the fruit of the Spirit as they reach out to these needy boys.

This semester Margret Zingg has 4 boys in her Bible Club. DG will be released soon. He became a Christian while ‘inside’. He has many concerns as how to relate to his Buddhist family. Pray for wisdom, a good testimony and that he finds a supporting Church.

YOUTH & STUDENT MINISTRIES

For quite a while Veronika Rieben has been thinking and praying about how they can care more for the students in the Wanhua outreach after they graduate from Elementary school. In November they want to start a monthly meeting for 6th-9th graders. Pray that the students will come, that they'll enjoy the program and be encouraged through it.

November 23 to 27 is the Tunghai University midterm exam week. The week of exams is an extra pressure on the Christian fellowship small group leaders. (And on David Newquist who has over 400 exams to write and grade!) Pray that the leaders will use their time carefully in the days before then so that they can handle exams on top of their ministry responsibilities. The groups stop that week, and in past years the attendance never does quite recover from this interruption. Pray that those who have been coming will want to continue this input to their relationship with the Lord and the group. The student leaders also are busy this month beginning to plan their Christmas activities.

Melanie Bister praises the Lord that around 30-40 students have come along to the Taipei Business School Fellowship Group each week since the start of term. To get to know the new students they divide into 4 smaller groups towards the end of the meeting to share and pray for each other. Pray that they will have opportunities to share about Jesus. 
 
At the business school, there recently have been a few cases of H1N1 flu and several classes have had to stay home. This has had an impact on the school rules. Previously the fellowship has been able to hold Christmas and Easter events and around 400 students attended. This year the school has put an upper limit on numbers, allowing only 100 to attend. Pray for the application to hold a Christmas event. May they be granted favor in the eyes of the school authorities.

CHURCH & LEADERSHIP TRAINING

As Anne Alexander strives to make Bible story telling easy and memorable using multiple senses and learning styles, people are catching the vision about using similar techniques for teaching evangelism and assisting learning-challenged friends and family. The registration process continues for the StorySeed organization which will promote storying. They are seeking support, open doors, and volunteers to fill key roles. God has supplied a rent-free office and furniture. Pray for Esther, the StorySeed administrator, in her responsibilities for this and other ministries. Pray for Anne as she works on 2 doctoral courses, as well as other ministries and relationships. Daphne, her god-daughter, asks prayer for wisdom, stamina and success in graduate studies.

Clara Cheng is in the US for a month to renew her Re-Entry Permit so she can return to the country after an extended period of absence. Pray this will be granted. She will also go to a Chinese seminary in California to research on what Chinese textbooks to use when she teaches an intensive course, soon in Hong Kong, on Missionary Life and Spirituality.

Clara will prepare a new course on cross-cultural missions. Pray the design of the course will suit the situation of the students and motivate them in cross-cultural missions. She asks prayer for stamina as she is still adjusting to teaching in Chinese. It is time and energy consuming to search for Chinese books and to read them in her preparation of lessons. Pray for the personal growth of the students in Clara's two Spiritual Formation classes. This course aims at enhancing the students' self-awareness. May they be open to counseling when necessary.

David & Ruth Ullstrom’s church is having an all-church retreat Nov. 14-15. They hope that everyone in the church will come and that it will draw them closer together as a church family. David Eastwood will be the speaker. A lot of students have been coming to a weekly English Bible study. Pray for their salvation and that they will come on the retreat.

LANGUAGE STUDY

The Lihou family has settled into language study and school. Praise God for his strength and answers to prayer in the transition to Taiwan. Johanna is facing the beginning of intensive language and she has commenced Australian Year 12 this week. Pray for her as she balances these demands. They have been reminded that their greatest weapon against discouragement and weariness is a strong relationship with God. Continue to pray for faithfulness in their time with Jesus and that he will continue to strengthen them.

Audrey Lin thanks God for the refreshment, teaching, and the example of experienced OMFers that at Field Conference. Pray for guidance and grace in practicing the things she learned. One session that gave her food for thought was a talk about ancestor worship by a local pastor. Pray for the Lord’s guidance for ways to bring honor to Jesus through the way she honors her ancestors and living relatives. Most of her extended family is in Taiwan and practice the local religion. Continue to pray for depth and fluency in Taiwanese.

Charissa Mak finishes full time language learning in Taichung this month, and will move to Taipei to begin ministry in Wanhua. She is very thankful for language learning and friendships in Taichung over the past year. Pray for wisdom to organize her time this coming month. Pray for gospel opportunities as she says goodbye to friends in Taichung. Pray that God will bring other Christians into their lives and continue His work in them. Pray also for the preparation for her move, the provision of an apartment close to Wanhua, and adjustment to life and ministry in Taipei. Charissa will continue to learn Taiwanese part-time, so pray for continuing progress with fluency and depth.

Recently, as Jennifer McIntyre met with her language partner Claudia, she shared a testimony with her that brought tears to Claudia's eyes. Claudia is open to knowing the Lord but is hesitant to take the next major step because she feels obligated to worship her new husband's ancestors. Pray for a spiritual breakthrough as their friendship grows.



Thomas McIntyre’s non-Christian language partner abruptly announced over the phone that he had moved to another city due to a job re-location. Apparently he is addicted to gambling and is having various personal problems. Thomas is now meeting with another local non-Christian in the neighborhood, who is quite open to Christ.


Thomas and Jennifer were the main speakers at the October OMF Partner's retreat. Jennifer will be in Kenya during the first week of November for LittWorld, an international writers conference. She will be leading a workshop about missional writing, and will be serving as a resource leader.

They are happy to see their church small group is catching a vision for working-class ministry. Pray that this will lead to practical action! Of course, continue to pray for their language as well.


Stephen Noble’s language study is progressing slowly but surely and he is enjoying the challenge. Megan also likes the two hours of language school and is grateful for a Taiwanese assistant in the library, Yvonne, with whom she can practice! The Noble children are now having extra Chinese language tutoring on Monday evenings with a Chinese teacher so they can progress further.

Pray for the OMF kids to keep coming to the OMF KOFFEE KLUB to the Noble’s that started in October. The KOFFEE KLUB is for OMF missionary kids to eat dessert together and play games. They hope to start a Bible study with some of the older children, as they see the need. Praise for the van that Morrison Academy was selling and the Noble’s bought to transport the family around Taichung in particular and Taiwan as time permits.

Angie Piau gives thanks for the Field Conference where she was encouraged to hear what God is doing through her fellow missionaries and strengthened by messages from 2 Corinthians. She asks for prayer for progress in her Mandarin studies as she only has 4 months to complete the foundation books and then make good headway with the Christian language books before moving to Chiayi. Pray for God to provide Angie with friendships with local people, Christian and non-Christian, to whom she can witness and through whom she can grow in her evangelism and discipleship abilities. Pray for Angie’s trip to Hong Kong for her visa application. She plans to do that the first week of November.

Teo Sin-ee is moving to Taipei in mid-Nov to work with Tera and Ina. She will share a flat with Charissa. Pray for a suitable place to live in Wanhua. Pray they will be humble and faithful as they learn from experienced missionaries and local co-workers.

OTHER MATTERS

Please pray for the adjustment for a Serve Asia Worker from Switzerland, in Taiwan to help in kid’s ministry and helping a partner organization that serves special needs kids. Pray for adjustment to culture, a servant heart and opportunity to learn about the needs of Taiwan.