Raising up people for mission
17/12/2009 9:00 am <>
Sam was a Taiwanese pig farmer. He graduated from an agricultural university in Taichung where he was discipled by an OMF missionary. He found work on a farm but had a burden for ministry. After helping the Chiayi church planting team for a few months he decided to leave his job, enrol in seminary, and continues serving as a church planter on weekends.
Steve was an Australian engineer. Although he had a burden for mission when he was young, and remained active serving in church, it was some 16 years before he found himself at Bible college and then another 6 years before arriving in Taiwan where he is now studying Mandarin.
Monica is Taiwanese and owns a cram school in Taipei. She first heard the gospel in Australia, was led to the Lord by an OMF intern in Taiwan and was recently baptised at the shopworkers church. In her free time she serves in outreach to at-risk kids in Wanhua along with the OMF team.
One of our greatest encouragements over the last year has been seeing God raise up people like Sam, Steve, Monica and many others. In 2009 we saw 13 new missionaries join OMF in Taiwan, a number of Taiwanese seminary students have started serving with us as interns, other Taiwanese are working as volunteers in various outreach ministries. This is not to mention many short-term workers, and an increased interest locally and abroad in the needs of Taiwan's working class. We are expecting even more workers in 2010.
Serving in Taiwan we often feel overwhelmed by the gospel needs around us. Dozens of villages have no church and no Christian witness. Crowded cities are filled with hurting people, broken families, abused women and neglected children. Many are trapped by bad choices, addictions, debt, fear of evil spirits. Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers and brides from South East Asia are looking for hope in a foreign land but are often misused, lonely and afraid.
As we see these needs we have been praying to "the Lord of the harvest". And God has started answering our prayers. He is increasingly laying the needs of Taiwan's unreached on the hearts of many people around the world.
There are many factors in effective mission - some are just important, others are essential. One of the essentials is people willing to serve. People willing to sacrifice their time, money and comfort for the sake of the gospel. Praise God that he continues to raise up such people and pray he will continue to do so.
Our prayer is that God will increase the numbers of OMF missionaries in Taiwan from the current 50+ to about 80 long term workers. Our prayer is that the Taiwanese church would have an increased burden to reach out to the neglected working class peoples, and send and support local workers in this work. Our prayer is that God would raise up working class men and women to not only believe in Him, but to serve, reaching out to their own families and communities.
Please join with us in these prayers for more people in mission in Taiwan.
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