Three New Outreaches!
You prayed, God answered!
First, we've prayed that God would open doors on the campuses of specific universities. Two weeks ago, I received a phone call from one of our old friends. (John only speaks Chinese, and phone calls are actually one of the most difficult things to get right because you can't see the other person's face) So at first, I didn't know who was calling and all I got was, wait five minutes and call this number. So I waited five minutes and then called the number he gave me. It turned out to be a professor at China Medical University who also pastors a small church right next to the campus. And when I say right next to the campus, I mean, next door to the dormitory and main classroom building!
Daniel asked if we could meet and talk about an opportunity to reach international and Taiwanese students together. So, after meeting, praying and considering, we believe this is one place where we can make a difference because of our previous connections and friends. We'll be starting a new work here in the next few weeks once we get the word out on campus and figure out the best time that fits with students schedules.
Second, at Taichung Baptist Church, Crista and I are going to begin teaching an English Outreach Bible Study on Sunday mornings for eight weeks beginning on October 18th. We'll be inviting all our friends in Taichung who don't know Christ to come and join us. In addition, our church is going to use this as a way to reach out to their family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, etc. and invite people to come to church. We'll have church members join us in the class and teach through a series of Jesus' encounters with people in the Gospels answering the big questions of life. We are praying that the people who come will not only hear and respond to the Gospel, but then find themselves unexpectedly connected to the body of Christ!
Third, Crista continues to have doors opened for her through her teaching. She finds herself in demand not just with children but adults. She's got more opportunities to speak to the Fulbright scholars, college students at another university in town and perhaps best of all, one of her friends here has invited her to come to her local school and begin sharing the Christmas story to the children there in November.
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