Dear friends,
Almighty God, the one true God, is truly amazing. It’s amazing how much mercy and grace we need, and it’s amazing that God has provided all we need in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, it’s amazing God that uses sinners like us, and our partnership in the gospel, to further His church on earth.
The district of New Taipei City in which we have now lived for almost half a year was built not long ago. Though our neighborhood lacks the orange-roof temples that characterize other cities in Taiwan, around us are still indications that the people here do not know the true God and how truly amazing He is.
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One example of the many orange-roof temples in Taiwan, photographed on our recent trip to Taiwan's east coast.
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Over time, however, the sights of blackened metal pots for burning paper “ghost money” for the dead dotting the sidewalks and the ornate idol shrines found in workshops and stores have begun fading into the background of daily life. In contrast, the rarer sight of a Christian church occupying a storefront still surprises one, though in a hopeful way. It shows the true and living God is at work in Taiwan!
It was thought that attendance at the church plant where we have been serving, the Linkou International Church (LKIC), would decline during the summer months after the Spring semester came to an end and people began traveling. Remarkably, with people coming and going, attendance remained about the same.
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Attendance at the Linkou International Church (LKIC), the church plant we have been assisting, has remained steady despite increased summer traveling.
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Worship Service
Another couple at church led corporate singing the first two Sundays of June, giving us a welcome two-week break from song leading before they left for the US. It was our turn to lead corporate singing again on June 19. Gloria interpreted for David that Sunday as well, which was David’s first time to preach at LKIC or anywhere as an ordained Teaching Elder (TE) of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). David is eager to preach again at LKIC at the end of this month and hopes he might be useful to other churches in the Friendship Church Network International (FCNI), by serving as “pulpit supply.”
If you are so inclined, you can watch the whole LKIC June 19 service on YouTube using this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmA4EaSDf0Y
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We led corporate singing again the following Sunday when another PCA minister, TE Eric Pilson, came to preach at LKIC. Eric and his family have been planting a church in Wanhua, a district of Taipei, having taken over management of a coffee shop they call “Homeland Coffee” that now serves as a gathering place and base for evangelistic community outreach.
Unfortunately, during Rev. Pilson’s sermon, music from the Preschool Sunday school class, which they were using to memorize James 1:17, bled into the worship service from the classroom situated immediately behind Rev. Pilson. You can hear the recording of the setting of James 1:17 that David produced for the Preschool Sunday school class using this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr5OEYOzMww
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One Monday in June, local utility maintenance provided an excuse to go play at the beach, which we thoroughly enjoyed to the glory of God.
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Making Connections
Plans are being made at LKIC to start a number of English and Mandarin Chinese small groups at the end of the summer. We hope to host an English speaking small group in our home. We would also like to begin leading informal evangelistic hymn-sings at the local park near our home on Sunday evenings. To prepare for this, David will need to improve his ability to play guitar. We have found, however, that simply taking our children out to the park to play has been a good way to make local connections, both for us adults and for our kids.
David was called upon by a school in Sanchong District to serve on a panel of judges at a Saturday morning competition (having judged at a prior English-speaking competition). This time, David and the other judges were tasked with evaluating the presentations of a handful of kindergarten teachers. For now, it remains to be seen what fruit if any this experience will bear.
Along the same lines, attendees of LKIC and youth from a number of local churches will be putting on a week-long English outreach camp next week for children entering grades 2-5 in the fall. David is scheduled to help out all week in the afternoons and Gloria is scheduled to help interpret during story time on Thursday. David also recently met with a couple of the LKIC youth to assess their musical abilities and readiness to participate as part of a worship team. Gloria credits her ability to accompany congregational singing on the piano to opportunities she was given to try doing so as a youth.
Finally, David continued meeting weekly with our friend, Mr. Yang, one of our building’s front desk attendants, to provide English tutoring. Through these meetings David gained insight into the religious landscape of Taiwan (in answer to your prayers!) and opportunity for Chinese conversation practice.
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The BnB in the countryside, near Jiaoxi, Yilan County, where we stayed one night after visiting a museum and the beach. Fields of rice surrounding the house were ready for harvest. "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
(Luke 10:2)
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On The Homefront
The evening, as a time of day, has grown in significance to us. With the Plum Rains now past, the heat of summer has arrived. Daytime is hot! And yet many here are saying the weather has been temperate so far! The humidity makes the air feel hotter than it is, and we find ourselves waiting for the sun to begin setting before daring to venture out. Acclimating to the climate here looks to take some time and soon we will be entering the typhoon season as well.
By God’s mercy, the baby in Gloria’s womb continues to have a strong heartbeat as confirmed at a recent appointment. The baby is due in December, but until then we anticipate Gloria’s discomfort to continue for the duration based upon the experience of her previous four pregnancies.
One day in June we faced a 24-hour period when our building would be without water due to local utility maintenance. We used this as an opportunity to explore a new place in Taiwan and took a taxi to the east coast. After checking out a well air-conditioned museum containing many beautiful sea shells and an exhibit explaining the geography of Yilan County, the children thoroughly enjoyed playing on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We stayed the night at a BnB in the country side, but cut short our return trip due to the heat and humidity. Thank God for the opportunity to visit a different and beautiful part of Taiwan, which led us to begin considering whether God might have us seek to plant a church there in the future.
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Simply going to play at the park (when the sun is not too hot) has been a good way to make local connections.
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How You Can Pray
- Thank God for sustaining us these first five months in Taiwan, especially with the bombshell news and consequential discomfort now that Gloria is pregnant with our fifth child. Pray for our baby's development and strength as we adjust to yet another new normal in the midst of acclimating to Taiwan’s climate and culture.
- Pray for LKIC’s summer English outreach camp, the formation of small groups, the recruitment of volunteers to serve in various capacities, and for the continued faithful witness of the Word preached. Pray also for wisdom as leadership seeks a new, larger location in which to hold worship services.
- Pray for David’s language acquisition. Plans to join an online summer term program at one of the local universities failed to materialize, but we are looking into programs that begin in the fall even as David continues self-directed study in the meantime.
- Pray also for our communication with you, our ministry partners. We really appreciate your partnership with us and desire that everyone would be encouraged to depend upon our Lord Jesus Christ in everything. We also want to pray for your specific needs; please do not hesitate to share them with us so we can pray specifically for you!
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. May God, the true and living God, bless you in Christ.
Love in Christ,
David & Gloria
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