A Caring Family is the Church

June 17, 2012

Mark and I had the privilege of attending a memorial service in the home of one of Peitun Church's members.  She's been widowed a year already, after her husband saw no way out of financial burdens and took his own life.  The love of Christ in action was obvious from the room filled with Brothers and Sisters who came for the service. As I sat and observed and heard all that was shared to encourage the wounded family members, I was just very grateful to know that the Church members have been walking with the family through this year of grief.

The youngest daughter wept uncontrollably a few times, especially as different ones of us put our arms around her shoulders to comfort her.  Actually, I discovered she was overworked, and encouraged her with the Lord's words in Matthew 11:28-- "Come unto Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."  Then I heard others telling her to take care of herself.  Then the tears started flowing.  Do you know what?  God wants to bring healing to her wounded heart.  She experienced the love of Christ today.  Though her work keeps her busy, I believe she will welcome a phone call from time to time, and even find time for Bible study--time she didn't know she had before.

I got her phone number, and will give her a call tomorrow.  Jesus loves her, and she's VERY PRECIOUS in His eyes.

An Aroma of Life or Death?

June 14, 2012

Yesterday our Taiwanese coworker and office secretary, Barbara Hsu, fell forward down ten stairs.  We are so grateful she has survived with only a broken wrist!  But it's tough waiting in an emergency room cot for 24 hours for a regular bed in the hospital to open up!  She's in surgery now.  We've been praying for our Great Physician to use the surgeon's hand to give Barb the best care.  She expressed the hope that she could still play the piano, and teach guitar!  Let's pray so!

As I was leaving the emergency room yesterday, and on my way across the lobby to go home, the Lord tugged my heart again to go share the gospel with a cancer patient.  Her mouth was covered by the face mask, and her head covered with the kerchief; I could only see her eyes behind her glasses.  She was startled when I bent over to talk with her, and she immediately said, "It's not necessary."  But I told her I felt God wanted me to share His comfort with her.  When I brought out the Evangecube ( a colorful block which unfolds and refolds with pics to tell the gospel story) she looked at it with me.

It really is a wonderful message of hope we have to give the sick and dying.  Oh that everyone would have the grace to receive God's gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins through His Son, Jesus!  Yesterday, after sharing with and praying a blessing over Miss Lee (and her 40-year-old son), I could only pray that God would open her heart and give her grace to think more on what she had heard.  She did not want to interact with me when I asked her a question to see if she understood.  So I asked God to bless her, gave her son a tract with our church address, and said Good-bye.

The Bible speaks of the Gospel being the aroma of Christ to God, and to some the smell of death, to others the smell of life.  When I share the Gospel, and it is rejected, or not received, I pray for the Lord's mercy and grace for the individual.  Who wants to be a messenger of death?  Oh that ALL would choose LIFE in Christ!

The Day of Salvation!

June 12, 2012

Yesterday was the day of salvation for Rebekah Yang--our Chiayi national coworker's--brother, Yang Chi Ping!  In a rather desperate situation, our Precious Lord has showed Himself strong and loving and kind!  Rebekah found out two days ago that her brother was to undergo surgery to remove the fourth toe on his right foot!  She gave him a kidney a couple of years ago. Her mother is already gone, so Rebekah has really mothered her two brothers and her ninety-year-old father.  She became her brother's advocate at the hospital.  She had asked the surgeon to please explain clearly to her brother again what would likely happen, as she is a nurse and knew the likelihood of her brother losing more than his toe (because he has diabetes).

Mark and I were able to respond to her e-mail asking for prayer, and went to visit her and Chi Ping in the hospital.  When we saw his foot--all swollen and red half-way up his calf--and his toe in such bad condition, we really thought it didn't look promising.  But he was happy for us to pray for him.  Then he listened intently as we shared the Gospel with him.  In between was a lot of interruptions as the nurse came in to soak his foot for 20 minutes in betadine.  Then the doctor came in, and Rebekah immediately asked for more time. Originally her brother's surgery was scheduled for this morning.  The doctor asked, "What are you waiting for?"  Rebekah exclaimed, "A miracle!"  The doctor kind of scoffed, and our spunky coworker said, "When my brother's leg gets healed, you'll be the next to believe!"  (Pray for Dr. Chang:)  )

Praise the Lord!  The young Dr. Chang conceded that Mr. Yang did not have a fever, and that it would be fine to use aggressive soaking and antibiotics to treat Mr. Yang's toe!  If it shrivels up with gangrene, then they will do surgery.  But in the space of time we were visiting, just within the hour we had prayed for Mr. Yang and his foot had soaked in betadine, the redness on his calf had begun to recede, and his toe looked better!  Praise the Lord!  O Lord, finish the work YOU have begun in Yang Chi Ping's foot, for YOUR glory!

Mark chapter Two is one of my favorite stories.  Four friends bring their paraplegic friend to see Jesus for a healing.  But when they get to the house, there is absolutely NO WAY to get to Jesus, there are so many people.  So they boldly climbed to the housetop, gingerly lifting their friend up on his bed, then down to the feet of Jesus (only after tearing a hole in the roof!).  Jesus saw the paraplegic, and said, "Your sins are forgiven." Everyone sitting around--the teachers and lawyers--reasoned in their hearts, "Only God can forgive sins.  Who does Jesus think He is?"  Jesus, being God, knew what they were thinking.  So He said, "Which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven," or to say, 'Take up your bed and walk?'  But so that you may know that the Son of Man has the power to forgive sins, Jesus turned to the cripple and said, "Take up your bed and walk!"  Which he did, to everybody's amazement!

We shared this story, and the gospel, with Mr. Yang yesterday.  Hallelujah!  He recognized that his greatest need wasn't the healing of his foot, but the forgiveness of his sins--getting right with God by putting his trust in Jesus.  It was truly a very, very special moment.  AND the answer to many prayers on Rebekah's part, as she's prayed for her familiy's salvation for a LONG time.  We have prayed with her, but have not before had the opportunity to meet any of her family.  What a joy to see how God orchestrated everything so that Rebekah's brother could put his trust in Jesus.

Please pray for his continued growth in grace and in the knowledge and love of God.

I told Rebekah that yesterday was another answer to prayer for me.   God had put this cry on my heart, "Lord, give me children lest I die!" That was originally Rachel's bitter cry to poor Jacob when she had not been able to conceive.  The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who will believe!  Some sow, some water, some reap, but God gets the glory for the salvation of a soul, and the angels in Heaven are rejoicing over Yang Chi Ping coming to faith in Jesus. And just having the chance to see someone actually come to Jesus in response to the Gospel is such a wonderfully joyous thing!

Did I hear that right? (continued)

June 9, 2012


I wonder if anyone is wondering how you can hear the Holy Spirit's voice or sense His prompting?  How can we cooperate with anyone we cannot see?  How do we know that we are not just following our own thoughts?  Jesus said, ". . . the sheep hear his voice: and he calls them all by name, and leads them out. . . . I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knows me, even so I know the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there is one fold, and one shepherd." This passage from the Gospel of John 10:3-4, 14-16 lets us know that if we are God's sheep we will hear His voice.

God wants us to KNOW Him, even as the Father knows the Son, and the Son knows the Father.  He wants us to become familiar with His voice.  Most people don't audibly hear His voice.  Though I had a friend tell me just today that one morning, just the day after she had spent an intense time in prayer with her dying mother-in-law, she heard an audible man's voice saying, "Is work really so important today?"  She did not realize that her loved one had passed away in the night.  She went to work as usual, and only late in the day did the family let her know that Mom had passed away.  She asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"  They said that they were afraid she would interfere with their having a traditional Buddhist or Taoist funeral, so did not want her over there early on. God had spoken, but like many of us--especially when we just have a recurring thought or idea, or a strong impression--she did not RECOGNIZE it as God's voice.  That takes practise, like a baby putting one step in front of another learning to walk.  Sometimes we really hear wrong and run with a thought ahead of God.  But often we shrug off the thoughts as if they were our own; only later after things have gone awry do we realize, "Oh, if I'd only listened to that thought!  That must have been God talking to me.  Next time I'll listen!"  Then one step at a time with Jesus, we learn to recognize God's way with us, how He talks to us or nudges us in the right direction.  It takes practise, like anything else. We may fall along the way, but the Lord desires so much that we learn to walk with Him. Of course hiding God's Word in our hearts is so important; it will help us discern God's voice. He won't ever ask you to do something counter to His Word.

I went to the park the other day to walk the dog.  When I was approaching a group of ladies sitting on benches I felt like God wanted me to go over and start talking with one of them.  But before I knew it, she had gotten up and walked away!  So I thought, "God must want me just to go over there and sit down," which I aimed to do.  But by the time I got there many of the seats were filling up with ladies who had just finished exercising.  Amongst them was a lady I knew.  She greeted me, but did not invite me to sit down with her.  She and her friends had been in the middle of a conversation, and I felt like I would be intruding.  So I wandered off, asking God if I'd heard Him wrong.  Just that second, I met a new group of friends, three women in their 80s--Yang Mama, Huang Mama, and Chen Su Huei.  One of them immediately invited me to sit down with them.  We visited for about an hour, and they were all really attentive when I got to share the Gospel.  None of them got fidgety and ready to leave.  I don't even remember now how the conversation turned to God, but it was a precious time.  AND they invited me back, saying that they gathered there in the park every day between 7 and 8!

So I'm definitely still learning to recognize God's voice and cooperate with Him.  But sometimes it's like God takes us from A to B to C, then finally we land at His intended destination--D! He's very patient and kind, and I wonder if He's watching us and applauding our baby steps like a loving father.  One thing's for sure--His sheep hear His voice, and He wants to use us to bring many more sheep into His fold!  For the Shepherd has given His life for the sheep!

Did I hear that right?

June 8, 2012

So much has happened the last few days.  My coworker, Eileen, and I got to go to Fenyuan to teach Bible Telling and then do some visiting with a Brother and Sister there.  We practically begged a dear 80 year old woman to come to Jesus!  She has had such a rough life--lost her father when she was 7, been widowed 50 years, and lost her son three years ago. She really was down on herself, saying that when her son died before her people laughed, and that she was of no account because she did not own her own home.  The devil really likes us to believe lies.  We spent a lot of time just loving her, but she would not let us even pray for her.  She has her ancestors to worry about.  As we turned to leave her (Tsai Mama) we realized we had been watched by a couple of 80 year olds across the street.  My friends just wanted to nod and go on because we had made plans to visit someone down the lane.  But I couldn't just pass them by, and I'm glad we didn't.  So enjoyed talking with Wu Mama and Yang Mama.  Both of them have Christian relatives.  We got to share the Good News with them, and they asked us about the church around the corner and seemed genuinely tempted to come!  Yang Mama, sadly, asked, "Why didn't my Christian relative tell  me any of this when I stayed with him for a week?"  Good question.  (But that's why my coworker and I are busy training people to share the Gospel; it's not that people don't want to share, they just don't know how to get started, or they don't have a clear Gospel presentation in their hearts and minds.  With a little training and practise, they gain confidence, and discover that the Gospel IS the power of God unto salvation to all who will believe!)

More tomorrow!  I've got so much to catch up on!  Praise the Lord!

Learning How to Cooperate With the Holy Spirit

June 4, 2012

I don't know where I heard the phrase to "cooperate with the Holy Spirit," but it really has become my prayer.  People who know me call me an evangelist.  They often catch me handing out tracts and freely talking with people about the Lord.  What they don't know is how much I struggle, and how many countless "fish" I've let get away because I was timid, tired, or just didn't know how to start a conversation! I am very much still taking baby steps when it comes to sharing the Gospel.  But my Heavenly Father is taking me by the hand and hasn't given up on me; lately He has given me greater liberty to boldly share Christ with others. Two prayers have freed me up--the one that I might cooperate with the Holy Spirit, the other that I might give myself permission to slow down and just enjoy people along the way AND share openly about our wonderful Savior.

Why this blog--Vision 119 Momentum?  I'm the Short Term Missions Coordinator for SEND Taiwan.  The fact that many eager short-term missionaries will soon be in Taiwan anticipating sharing Christ with many in hopes that they, too, will come to know God has kept me praying--"Dear God, Show me what YOU want to do in Taiwan this summer.  Give me enlightenment from above.  Open wide the doors for the Gospel.  Prepare special friends for each of our coworkers this summer, that they might show them the way to Christ.  What opportunities do YOU have in store for us this summer that many will come to know You, and so that our local partner churches will be strengthened and encouraged?" After today's opportunities to cooperate with the Holy Spirit it occurred to me that our short term missionaries need a glimpse of what they'll be doing this summer.

Today was a wonderful day of learning to respond to the Holy Spirit and share Christ with people when He nudged me in their direction.  First thing this morning, while I was walking our dog Nebby, I saw an old woman sitting on a bench.  Our eyes made brief contact.  My heart stirred as I realized that her lips were deformed, and I wondered if she had mouth cancer.  I prayed for her as I walked away, but I knew I had to go back and make sure she knew Jesus.  This was one of those circumstances when I really had to think about how I would open the conversation.  I made sure I had one of my favorite tracts in hand, and started back.  Wouldn't you know it, as I approached another little Maltese came running over and began barking at Nebby RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE WOMAN. (Maltese are macho-dogs and very territorial.) I asked her if the doggy was hers, and she said No and offered me a seat on the bench across from her.  Through our conversation I discovered that Fang Mama is 82 years old, and has been Catholic since she was in her twenties.  Now she and her whole family go to church.  She said that at first she did not understand.  But over time she has come to KNOW JESUS!  She has trusted Him--and not her good works--to forgive her sins and make a way for her to be with Him in Heaven someday.  She was a very sweet woman, and truly seemed to be at peace with God. We prayed together, and then we both went home.

Mark and I had to go to the hospital today.  While there, I saw a young woman named Miss Chang standing in the doorway, her head covered by the little cap worn by cancer patients.  Once again I got out a useful tract and walked over.  Putting my hand on her shoulder lightly to let her know I was there, I asked her if she knew that her Creator God loved her and really cared for her.  She said she did, and smiled from behind her mask . . . I could see the smile in her eyes.  She actually seemed to have a generic belief that God loves her and will take care of her; but I sensed she had not yet received Christ as her Savior.  So I said, "Someone could give you a beautiful gift, and you could dance all around and be so happy because of the gift, but if you don't receive it and open it for yourself, then is it yours?"  She said, "No," and seemed to follow me as I continued, "God has given us His Son to die for us, and rise again from the dead so that we can have eternal life and the forgiveness of sins.  Now He's in Heaven preparing a place for ALL who believe on Him.  He's even praying for us! God wants you to receive Him, not just know about Him."  Then it was time for her to go, but she was very appreciative and took the tract I had to offer (with my phone number on the back, which I encouraged her to use to call me anytime).  Praise the Lord for His goodness!

There was also a sweet couple, the Kangs,  waiting to see the doctor.  Mark gave them a Jeremy Lin tract, and we encouraged them to contact us if they are interested in summer activities with our church for their children.  We even ran into them later, and discovered we'll likely see each other next week for return check-ups!  Lord, what would you have us prepare for this dear couple?

We enjoyed some other pastoral visits in between appointments at the hospital today.  It was a long day, but a very fulfilling day.  There's nothing really more important than reaching out to others with the love of Christ.  I may have missed an opportunity today, as there was an American woman who I wanted to  talk with to see if she needed help, but I didn't see her later as I anticipated I'd have the chance to do.
"O Lord, Help me to be sensitive to Your leading, and careful to take advantage of the opportunities the moment you nudge me.  In Jesus' name, Amen!"

What is Vision 119?

June 4, 2012                                                                    

In 2010, after a year of studying Taiwan to understand where God would take us of SEND International for future church planting, God gave us Vision 119:

"Calling for 119 workers to plant 60 churches along Old Routes 1 and 19 in Taiwan."

1-1-9 just happens to be the number for "emergency" in Taiwan.  We feel the urgency to push back the darkness through prayer and aggressively sowing the Gospel and gathering believers in areas where as yet no churches (or very few) exist.

Jesus told us to "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest."  Yes, the fields are white and ready for harvest in Taiwan.  My husband, Mark, and I have been in Taiwan since 1983.  We sense that we are on the threshold of a mighty moving of the Holy Spirit.  People's hearts are more open.  The Gospel is more accessible through such ministries as Overseas Radio and Television, and Good News TV.

                                   

SEND International has been in Taiwan since the end of the 1960's.  Our missionaries have been involved in starting or assisting over 20 churches. Since 1994 we have chosen to partner with like-minded national churches to plant churches, rather than starting our own. Now it is our joy to trust God to raise up churches both in Taiwan and abroad to come alongside of each of the 60 towns we believe God is giving us for Jesus' sake.

This summer of 2012 we anticipate at least four (possibly five) teams of short term missionaries to come and enable our church partners in Taiwan to reach out into several Vision 119 towns with the love of Christ.   The following chart shows the teams which will be coming to partner with local churches in Taiwan to enable getting a foothold in the following Vision 119 towns--Chiayi, Tienwei, Tajia, and Yuanli.

Peitun Gospel Church 北屯福音宣揚會	Chinese Christian Family Church of Alhambra, CA  Team of 8 Elton Chu團隊—8人	Peitun 北屯 0702-0707 Ta Jia    0709-0713
Tanzi Church 潭子教會	Philippine Sending Counsel Team 菲律賓團隊	Yuanli 苑裡 0730-0803 Tanzi  潭子0806--0810
Living Water Church 活水浸信會	Cincinnati Chinese Church Team of 8 Jim Wei 團隊—8人	Tienwei 0709-0713 田尾
Chaiyi Team 嘉義團隊	HK Team 香港團隊	Youth Camp 0806-0810 青少年營會

LET'S PRAY FOR A MIGHTY HARVEST OF SOULS FOR THE SAVIOR IN TAIWAN THIS SUMMER!  PRAY FOR A MIGHTY OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, RAISING UP WORKERS TO ENABLE US OF SEND INTERNATIONAL TO MOBILIZE TEAMS TO REACH ALL 60 TOWNS ALONG ROUTES 1 AND 19 WITH THE GOSPEL.  MAY GOD GIVE US A CHURCH IN EVERY COMMUNITY LIKE 7-11s ON EVERY CORNER!