this morning

This morning I was taking my dog, but before we headed home, I stopped to buy some breakfast. As I was talking with the storeowner, two women who had been buying fruit just down the street started running and yelling obviously very upset. They were chasing a moped that was weaving in and out of the crowded street traffic. Since they were shouting in Taiwanese (I speak Mandarin), I could only guess what they were shouting about.

I was close. I guessed someone had hopped onto their moped and driven away with it. Instead, as the breakfast storeowner told me, the two boys on the moped had driven past the ladies buying fruit and grabbed their bags; thus, stealing their purses and purchases.

Normally Taiwan is a very, very safe place. As a single woman, I actually feel much safer here than I do in the States. However, this is actually a problem for me. Since the Hokkien people are so nice, friendly, and inviting, it is very easy to get lulled into “they are a good people” mentality. This line of thinking of course is very wrong, and it leads to a lack of zeal for sharing the gospel because it causes me to fail to see the lostness of the people I live among.

The Bible says that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.”

I am not thankful that these two women lost some of their belongings today, but I am thankful for the reminder that the Hokkien people are hopelessly lost without Christ.

Please join me in praying for the Hokkien—worldwide less than 1% are Christian.

who is the god?

Several years ago, I was sitting with a group of college students at a coffee shop. The conversation was casual, nothing too serious. Then one of the students asked me first in Chinese and then in English, “who is your god?” Wow! The question caught me of guard. Never before in my whole life had someone actually asked me who my god was—as if there was more than one! I responded humbly in Chinese, “I am a Christian; Jesus is my God.”

About a year ago, another college student asked me, “Manda, who is the God? What is his name?” Again, I told this dear friend that I followed Christ Jesus.

Then, tonight, after telling another Taiwanese college student about how God had changed my life, the student said to me, “I would like to trust a god, but I don’t know which god I should trust. Which god do you worship?”
When was the last time someone wanted to know which god you were talking about? Although I live on “the island of a thousand gods” (title of a brochure I picked up at the airport), it’s not exactly a question I ever get used to being asked.

Please pray for:

–my former student and friend, KL, who is asking great questions about God, that he finds salvation in the one True God.
–my other students, that they too will desire to know Jesus.
–me, that I will have the wisdom to explain in my limited Chinese and/or simple English the inconceivable mysteries of our incredible God.

Thanks,
Amanda

They are Coming!!

There are three teams planning to come to Taiwan in the next seven months.

October 28-November 6- Southview Baptist Church, Lincoln, Nebraska

January 20-29- Pioneer/Western Baptist Association, Southern Minnesota

April 10-23- Seneca Baptist Church, Seneca, South Carolina

Pray for the teams mentioned above as they recruit, pray and prepare for their ministry here. Pray that their leaders would have wisdom and that God would already begin preparing the hearts of those they will touch when they come. Pray for the teams mentioned above as they recruit, pray and prepare for their ministry here.

Mike

Park Ministry this Sunday

This coming Sunday several HH team members will be joining Grace Family church as they worship in a local public park.

Please pray for good weather, for lots of people to come and be attentive, and for hearts and lives to be changed forever by the Good News we will be sharing with them.

in joy,
amanda

Training Believers

We are excited to hear of new training taking place in Lam-a-khe and Toa-Sia led by HH team members. The goal in this training is that it will result in these believers becoming witnesses and trainers themselves.

Pray that we will be able to train several who will share our vision and ministry this month. 

Pray that the training taking place this month through our team members will result in a multiplication of evangelism and training.  We are all asking God to move our churches to start second generation churches.

Mike

A New Believer!!

Last Sunday, we were in a new area called Hong-bi-thau. 

Eric, one of our new team members, shared the gospel with a middle-aged woman named Mrs. Lo.  She welcomed us to her home and trusted Christ that afternoon.   We will be doing follow-up with her this week. 

She is the first person led to Christ in this little community with no church and we pray she will be just the first of many new believers.

Please join us in praying for Mrs. Lo and the new ministry in Hong-bi-thau.
Mike