Site tools

• home
• contact
• site map

October 2009

CHURCH PLANTING

Wanhua

A hospital staff friend, Liok-keng meets with Randy & Janet Adams weekly for Bible study and also joins them to sing and pray at Fumin Community on Sunday. She wants to be baptized. Wisdom is needed as to how to proceed.

Hengchun House Church

The Adams are challenging the house church to pray for 3000 new believers. We pray that they will begin to start new little groups and are asking God to move mightily in this area.

Donggang

Christine Dillon asks prayer that God will work in the hearts of those who have heard Bible stories from Genesis to Luke, and for more storying opportunities. She is adapting her story telling so it may be easier to train others to share the stories. Pray for people excited to share God's story.

Every three years this fishing town doubles in population for a week of idol worship for Wang Ye (a god of the sea). Pray for the Christians to not just ignore the festival but to be light to their neighbors.

Taiping City

Robb & Holly Branch want prayer that the relationship with their partnering church reaching foreign brides will stay strong, and that they will have the same vision for church planting.

Pray for Mr. Cho, and his Vietnamese wife A-Chun, that they will desire to draw close to God. May God raise leaders from the working class men whom they have been following up.

David & Lucy Eastwood have contact with 6 churches in Taiping; 3 have pastors who have been there less than half a year and two have pastors who are leaving. All but one are small and have limited resources. Pray they can encourage the churches in addition to other ministries. David will preach at two local churches this month.

Shopworkers Church

Two seminary students, a man and a woman, will start an internship in the ministry this month. May they adjust well, be of service and find guidance about their future work.

A new outreach has started in Tianmu. Pray there will be a small group soon, where the two coworkers can meet with seekers after work.

Meiling, a mum with two girls has to move out from the dorm. Pray they will find accommodation and that the girls still will come to the youth group.

URBAN MARGINALIZED MINISTRY

The Spring

De-Li & Shou-Hwa sometimes spend a lot of time with one individual. Carnation is a lady in her fifties, who has lived on the streets for 20 years. She has kidney failure and needs dialysis and an operation to remove a kidneys. They have been in contact with her family for approval, but they keep themselves at a distance. May Carnation’s faith in Jesus be strengthened through these trials, knowing that He cares and never forsakes her.



Pearl Family Garden

This month Tera van Twillert will be away because of the OMF conference and three weeks holiday in Holland. Pray for those who will continue the ministry: Sophia leading the team in The Pearl, and Ina van der Schyff who will stay in Tera’s home with Autumn. These past months life and ministry have been very challenging. Praise God for the break. 


Taoyuan Reformatory

David, mentioned in the April and May Tinder, will finally be released at the end of October. Pray for good adjustment to the outside world and to be able to find a good church.


Margret Zingg has started monthly one to one talks with Chwei, the boy who felt he was ‘picked up from a trash bin’ and was sentenced again only 6 months after his release. Pray for a humble heart to face his problems and a willingness to recommit his life to Jesus. Pray for wisdom for Margret as she talks to him and different other boys. Thank God for the many helpers and pray for their spiritual growth, especially for those who talk ‘one to one’ with the boys. Margret needs wisdom and ideas in how to train and encourage them.

YOUTH & STUDENT MINISTRIES

Melanie Bister has had a good start to the academic year meeting with the students from the Taipei Business School and helping man a stall at fresher’s week. Contacts have been made with several new students. Pray that these students will come to the regular Wednesday group and bring their friends. Melanie will lead a monthly English conversation slot using topics designed to get to know the students better. The next one is October 21.
 
On of the students, Kerry, accepted Christ over the summer and has started attending church and baptism classes. Pray that she would be rooted and grow in her relationship with Christ. Another student, Maggie, has also started going to the same church. May she too come to know Christ.


Birgit Glaw asks prayer for students from Chiayi now in university all around the island. Pray they will keep reading their Bible and join a Christian club at school or find a good church. At the Gospel Center, now only David comes. Pray that Birgit will be able to invite new students from the clubs where she teaches. Pray David will bring friends to the Tuesday Bible group. Pray that God will heal David’s parents’ relationship.

Beate Harr reports that one school has closed to teachers from the outside (probably because of H1N1). But she is grateful for the start of new Social Clubs in 2 high schools. About 100 new young people are entrusted to them to learn about life. May God's presence and joy may fill the class-rooms each time when they go to teach, build relationships, care, counsel, love and pray for them.


One of the students who attended the Hot-Music Club last year signed up for the club again. It was a big surprise as he was remembered as trouble-maker. In the questionnaire he filled out, he wrote: When I am in difficulties I pray to God! Praise God for the opportunity to share the gospel with him again. It seems that his heart is now more open. Another student wrote about what he believes: I am still a Buddhist, but soon I will believe in Jesus. Pray for more of these gospel opportunities through the year.

David & Judy Newquist report that the student fellowship had very energetic and well-attended freshmen welcome activities. Many who came were Christians, but many were not. Students are now getting settled into the new semester. Pray that new students, both Christian and non-Christian, will establish good priorities, including regular attendance at Bible study groups. Pray for ability and strength for the leaders. Dave too is beginning a new semester of teaching, while still clearing up some health concerns. The Newquists hope to do regular individual mentoring with a few students, and need the Lord's to bring the ones of His choice.

During the day, Green Park in Wanhua is a meeting place for older folks and an after-school playground for kids. But at night it turns into a meeting place for troubled youth. Every Tuesday afternoon Veronika Rieben and Kat Woo prayer walk in the area and on Saturdays organize a program for the kids in the park. It is a spiritually dark and they face many challenges. Some of the kids say they are not allowed to believe in Jesus because they are Buddhists. Other kids are not allowed to come anymore because families don't want them to listen to Christian teachings. Pray for a breakthrough. Pray for the kids that come and that the planted seeds will bear fruit. Pray that God will show them where they can open a family center in the area.

Angela Symonds is running even faster than usual as they are welcome new students into the student fellowships. This year the aim is to absorb 25 new students into the Jung Sing group, and 10 into the teachers college group. The first looks possible, the second impossible as they have only contacted three known Christians. After making contact, the next step is for senior students to take all the first years through a Christianity Explained course one by one. This year, other colleges will also be using the same course.

CHURCH & LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Anne Alexander praises God for interest in Bible storytelling resulting from the summer workshop, and is praying for wisdom in how to encourage this interest. Beginning to use them in her English church, she is encouraged at response. Pray for her continuing course work as well as local ministry involving neighbors and 2 churches.

Clara Cheng finds the qualities of the students in the Kaohsiung extension class irregular, the condition of the first class was chaotic. They have different understandings of how to be a seminary student. Please pray for wisdom in dealing with students and the class time. Clara recently slipped in her bathroom and strained her neck and shoulders. She feels very uncomfortable and it drags down her energy level. Pray for healing. She will go to the US to obtain a Re-Entry Permit (as an immigrant) in late Oct. Pray that she’ll be able to finish the application process in this very busy month and for meetings with prayer and financial partners in the US.

David & Ruth Ullstrom are challenging the 10 or so youth in our church to read a chapter of the Bible daily and memorize a weekly Bible verse. This is a new and challenging idea for most of them. Pray. They are holding a retreat for Christian English teachers, October 23-25. Pray that they might be inspired and encouraged to serve God, both now and in the future. Pray that some would return to Taiwan as full time missionaries.

LANGUAGE STUDY

Stephen Gribble is finding language lessons more difficult this term, pray for endurance in study as he needs increasing time to prepare for each lesson. Susana has been feeling run down health-wise over the last few weeks, pray for energy for the rest of the school term. Continue to pray for good relationships with neighbors and local shop owners, for cultural sensitivity and love. Thank God for the local ladies Susana meets with each Wednesday for Bible study, most of whom are the only Christian in their family.

Audrey Lin arrived in Taiwan in August and is now well settled in Taichung. She is thankful for friendly neighbors, good teachers and for the opportunity to formally study Taiwanese (her parents spoke it at home while she was growing up). Praise God for meaningful conversations about life and faith with neighbors such as Rick, the bicycle repair man that the Gribbles wrote about last month. Pray for Rick to come to faith, and for God to draw him near through interactions with the Gribbles, Angie Piau, and Audrey, who all live in the building next to his shop.

Pray for Audrey to develop fluency and depth in language, for continued adjustment to Taiwan, and for strong friendships with locals and teammates.

Charissa Mak will be moving to Taipei in mid-November to start ministry with working class people in Wanhua. Please pray for decisions about the specific ministries that she will be involved in. Praise God for gospel opportunities with teachers as she studied Christian vocabulary. Pray for God's continuing work in these teachers, including Ms C, and for follow-up conversations with friends Shiao Ru, Mu Jie, Ms Chang.

Stephen Noble continues to enjoy language school but there are many interruptions to his morning study routine – please pray for discipline. Megan reports that they have just finished a ‘Spiritual Life Week’ at Morrison Academy and many lives were touched through the speaker, Greg Speck. Megan has the privilege of getting to know the girls in her small group and seeing one of them come to salvation. Pray for Christ’s love to be continually evident in the lives of both students and staff at Morrison. Praise God for the growth of the Noble children in reading God’s word and for their Chinese study. They have friends and are settling in well.

Angie Piau gives thanks for a wonderful transition to Taiwan from the States. She is thankful for the great sense of peace that God has surely led her to be in Taiwan for the next 2 years. She asks for prayer for her Mandarin studies - particularly increasing fluency and greater vocabulary knowledge. She gives praise for a recent ministry preview of the work in Chiayi and is excited to join the team there next year. Pray for God to prepare the hearts of those Angie will encounter in Chiayi, whether youth or children through the park ministry. Pray also for Angie’s sense of home and security to come from God alone as she has just come to Taichung but will be moving to Chiayi in less than a year.

Teo Sin Ee thanks God for the teachers in language school. Ms Chan has offered to take them on a weekend trip to Tainan. Pray that it will be a fruitful trip. Sin Ee gave her a copy of Philip Yancey's "The Jesus I Never Knew". Pray that she will start seriously thinking about who Jesus really is. Thank God for the Taiwan prayer group which meets monthly in Singapore. May the Lord continue to raise up brothers and sisters who will commit themselves to pray for the gospel work here.

OTHER MATTERS

Pray for short termers who have been here, particularly those who came in the last ocuple of years, that Taiwan will remain in the forefront of their minds and they will continue to pray for Taiwan, mobilize others, reach Taiwanese students and for some, to come themselves. Pray for some new ideas which Irene Nicholson wants to try next year to make Serve Asia more effective in mobilising for Taiwan.