East Asian Missions Blog

Letter to our supporters

2006-09-12T22:22:00.000+08:00

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Philippians 1:3-5

Dear partners in the gospel,

Thank you so much for all of the prayers, gifts, and love that you have shared on our behalf during our times in Taiwan, and even now as we start a new chapter of our lives and ministry. Your generosity and love is a wonderful testament to the unity and joy we have as Christians.

We are now officially off of our missionary support and we wanted to write you a quick note letting you know of what is happening in our lives and ministry right now.

Probably the biggest news that we have received in these past 3 months of being back in the States is that Amy is pregnant with our 3rd child. It was a surprise to us, but a welcomed one. She is now about 3 months into her pregnancy and the doctors expect that the baby will be delivered around the 15th of March. Please be in prayer for her and the baby’s physical health. We are overjoyed that God has blessed us in this way.

We have also been able to get an official diagnosis of Joshua’s condition from a specialist in Kansas City. They believe that Joshua has a mild, atypical form of Aspergers. This was also a relief for us to know what the issue is, and to help us know how to help Joshua learn to handle the situations that are stressful and challenging for him. He is doing very well in school and both he and Sean seem to be adjusting to life in back in the States really well. Our block has several boys that are Joshua’s age and our house has become the neighborhood hangout place for them all to come and play. We feel blessed that the boys can not only have friends but that we can use our home as a place to reach and befriend our neighbors.

Jon’s work at the campus house is going really well but very busy. The attendance at their weekly worship service is growing at such a rate that there is no longer seating available. It is not uncommon to see people in the hallway at the Student Union where they hold their worship service and so they are looking at different options that will enable them to continue to grow and make an impact on campus. The ministry also has about 15 different small groups going, English classes for international students, and much more. There never seems to be an end of things to do, but we feel blessed that Jon can be working with a wonderful team of staff and interns. If you want to hear any of his sermons or to know more about the campus house at CMSU, you can go to their website at www.digdeeper.org

Thank you to all of you who have been so generous in your financial support during this time of transition. Your gifts have truly been from God and we are so thankful to be able to have partnered with you. We will be sending out an official end of the year summary of giving to all financial partners for you to be able to have before tax time. If you have any questions to don’t hesitate to call or write.

Thank you again for your love and grace that you have given to us. If you want to keep up on our family you can check out our blog at www.wangjrpew.blogspot.com. If there is ever anything we can do to help serve you please let us know, and if you are ever in the Warrensburg Missouri area please stop by.

With much love and thankfulness,

Jon and Amy Ralls

A Very Special Note From Jon and Amy

2006-04-24T20:06:00.000+08:00

As I (Jon) sit here typing this email, I am at a coffee shop that I
frequently go to. The owner's English name is Quincy and we have had
some great conversations recently about God, what happens when we die,
family, and much more. This is just one relationship that makes typing
this email so hard.

I want you to know what is happening in our lives. Let me start by
saying that I need to repent and ask for your forgiveness for not
being open enough to share with you all the struggles that our family
is having. Each month I send out newsletters and never really mention
any of our battles though I have shared a little in our newsletters
and internet blog. I have probably tried to put a positive spin on
everything so as to convince others and possibly ourselves that things
will just get better. They have not...in fact our main challenge has
continued to get worse.

That challenge for both Amy and I is Joshua's mental and physical
health. For nearly 15 months we have been taking him to doctors,
specialists, etc. to try and find out the cause of some behavior that
continues to digress. We have pulled him out of the Bethany school to
try and help him with his school work, and we have been taking him to
different therapy and testing but the end result is the same… he is not
getting any better. In fact he is continuing to get worse. We have
prayed and prayed and yet nothing has changed. We continue to feel
like we are slipping further and further and we see Joshua doing the
same.

It seems like everything is now a battle with him. From putting on his
clothes, to schoolwork, going to church...everything is a battle, and
a battle that we are tired of fighting. It is wearing us out, hurting
our marriage, and even having effects upon Sean.

A lot of the battles no one else sees. So much of it happens in the
home, or seems small by itself, but the total effect of it all is very
serious. The doctors seem to be at an end on how to help him, and it
looks like that Joshua has a milder form of a disorder called
Aspergers. Aspergers is not "curable" but is something that can be
helped when started at a young age.

I could type 2 or 3 pages of symptoms and
situations that we and the therapists have seen, but my desire is to
protect Joshua. It is our prayer that our fellow missionaries,
supporters, and family could all help us in this area by respecting
and praying for us, and by treating Joshua as normal. I could
tell you of many situations that I am sure would convince everyone of
what we have decided but I would rather talk with you in person if you
feel you need more explanation than what I have typed in this email.

We have talked with our teammates, doctors, family, and have even
heard from other Team Expansion missionaries who had to return to the
States because of health reasons for their children, and all have said
the same thing to us…we need to come back to the States.

To be honest, this has been very hard to accept because we love the
people of Taiwan, we love the 16+ people that we have or are now
teaching, and we love sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, but in
the end we love our children more than anything.

To some it may seem that this result has happened quickly, but let me
assure you that for these 15 months we have pursued every option, and
prayed more than any other time in our life. The process has been
long, but the end has come quicker than we thought. I (Jon), kept
holding out hope for some other way but God has made it very clear
what His will is in this area. We don't understand it, but we will
obey.

At first we thought that maybe an extended furlough would help, but
the doctors, and books on Aspergers have made it very clear
that this is not something that will "go away" in 6 months or even a year.
In fact one missionary family that has gone through this same situation
wanted to make sure that we knew that this extended furlough option would not be wise
or a help at all.

The Aspergers is something that we have to accept
will be there in some form and intensity for Joshua's life.
We also have to accept that it will require
a life change from our whole family. Our
desire is the same as any parents for Joshua to grow up, get married,
have kids, and live a normal life in God's blessing. This is still
possible, but we must act upon the treatment course now while he is
still young.

The treatment is multi-faceted and will change as he matures. It is
also something that will be fairly expensive. From what we have heard
from other families, some of the medicines can be as much as $100 a
month, and visits to the specialists can be several hundred dollars.
As of right now, we don't have any insurance besides catastrophic
(high deductible) insurance in the States and so we need you to
continue to pray for us as we seek employment that will allow us to
continue to minister for the Lord as well as provide the finances and
time to get the help that Joshua needs.

Since we already had our furlough planned, we are using the same
timetable for returning to the States. We should arrive in Kansas City
on May 8th. It is our desire to still visit as many of our supporting
churches, Team Expansion home office, and friends as possible. We
would love to share with you more in person about our situation, the
work here, and how you can continue to help see more come to know
Jesus here in Taiwan.

Hopefully by the end of the summer we will have
visited all who desire us to come and share with them as well as
arrange treatment, housing and employment in the States. Thus we are
hoping that you, our supporters, will continue your support through
the summer.

The work will continue here and our teammates have already begun to
step up to this next challenge. Though we can't help them in person
our hearts will be still be here in Taiwan with them.

We could also use your prayers. Please forgive us for not previously
being as open enough with you all, and know that we have done this to
try and protect our kids. Thank you for standing with us, supporting
us, praying for us, and being such a wonderful part of our life.

As our regional coordinator said "God is not up in heaven wringing His
hands not knowing what to do…God is in control." That is an
encouragement to us to know that God still is in control and that He
loves our children even more than we do.

Thank you again for all of your love and support. Please continue to
pray for us. Pray for all of the details to be arranged. From moving,
finding medical help, finding employment, and through it all being
able to be faithful to God and bring glory to Him.

We love you all. Please let us know if you have any questions that
this email didn't explain.

God bless,

Jon and Amy Ralls

A Very Special Note From Jon and Amy

2006-04-24T20:02:00.000+08:00

When The Angel Came...

2006-04-16T18:18:00.000+08:00

This morning (Easter Sunday) around 6:40 am we had an earthquake. Amy's first thought was to say "Earthquake" and my (Jon) first thought was this verse from Matthew 28...

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

How ironic that early on Easter morning we would have an earthquake. I wonder what stones were rolled away today?

We went to the church and had a great time of worship and fellowship. There were many many people and some of our friends (Carrie & Dung Hwang) came with their children. We were very excited to see them and invited them over this afternoon.

Dung Hwang is a very good chess (chinese style) player and so we played for about 2 hours as the kids played and Amy and Carrie chatted. It was a great time. For those of you keeping score at home...Dung Hwang won 3 and we tied on 1. I am very excited just to tie with him!

We talked about creation, science, B.C./A.D. meanings, scuba diving, and much more. They (especially Carrie right now) have become good friends and it is such a natural way to share "The Way" with those who we care about.

May God continue to shake our lives and roll away the stones!

Took A Spill...

2006-04-13T21:23:00.000+08:00

Well I (Jon) went for a longer run this afternoon down by the river and had quite the time. About 2.4 miles into the run I somehow slipped and fell into a concrete pole. I'm not sure why I fell, because I wasn't that tired but the ground was uneven and that is the best guess that I can come up with.

I banged and scrapped up my knee and shoulder but I'm actually ok. I turned around at this point and thought "well it can't get any worse than this.." and then it started to rain...and then my ribs started to hurt...yuck.

At about the 4 mile mark I must have had an adrenaline rush because I ended up running 6 miles and besides a few scrapes and some for sure bruises I am fine. I don't think I will make the olympics in 2008.

Oh well there is always 2012.

Joshua's New Habit

2006-04-02T00:19:00.000+08:00

Joshua lately has had a hard time getting to sleep. He says that he is having bad dreams and so the other night he asked for his bible. We went in to check on him later that night and he had a flashlight by him, and his bible open on his chest as he slept.

The next morning he was really excited to tell us of the verse that he had found in the bible. He quoted to us:

"I lay down and slept. I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me" Psalm 4:5

This has now become his each night habit to go to sleep with his bible. Not a bad way to go to sleep if you ask me!

Celebrating the Passover Chinese Style

2006-03-29T09:35:00.000+08:00

This last Saturday night we were able to be a part of a passover celebration at the church. 2 Messianic Jews who Chad Edwards (our teammate) knows, came and did a whole passover meal with the church family.

It was a great time, and I think everyone learned a lot about the different aspects of the meal and how much of it points towards Jesus. Linda (one of the ladies from our Wednesday night study) came and took a lot of notes as well as asking many questions.

The best part of the night (ok, actually the funniest part) was when a child is to go to the door and open it to allow Elijah to come and join the celebration. When one of the kids did it on this night there was a chinese lady on the other side of the door waiting to come in. Not exactly Elijah, but it was a great laugh!

The High Costs Of Starting A New Church

2006-03-29T09:25:00.000+08:00

When we return from our furlough we are hoping to get started with the next phase of our ministry here in Taiwan. One of the components of our plan will require us to have some form of outreach center, office space, etc. type of place. This picture shows a place that is right at the park that we are targeting for the next church but unfortunately this area is not cheap. This apartment (1st and 2nd floor which is about 800-900 square feet total) is around $1600 US each month to rent and that is about the norm for a 1st and/or 2nd floor place.

One of the reasons for the high cost is that the location has tons of people who walk by it and who use the park each day. This makes for great outreach opportunities but also drives the cost up. The park entrance is across the street (which is great for youth and family outreach activities) and there is lots of parking in this area also.

Anyway, this is one area where we are going to have to raise a lot more support if we are going to be able to plant churches in this area. Do you know anyone who has around $1500 extra laying around each month?

One Down...Many More To Come?

2006-03-19T19:47:00.000+08:00

Well my first "official" sermon has now been preached and though it was hard work with a nice dash of nerves to make it fun, I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to do it again. The language help that preparing for this sermon has provided is immense. Tones, vocabulary, etc. can't help but improve when you are spending large chunks of time studying and practicing.

The response from the church family was what I expected...very encouraging. The people in the church are very loving, gracious, and supportive and this was evident in their responses today. I try to somewhat "hide" when I am done preaching a sermon if possible, because I can't stand to stand by the door and have people feel like they have to say something nice like "nice talk preacher" etc. I packed the video camera away but did have several people come and talk with me and share with me their thoughts and suggestions.

My only personal critique is that it was fine for the first time. I think I had most of the tones correct, but my pronounciation of a sound of a word that sounds like "shoe" (but with really puckered lips) was incorrect, and I am sure that there were times where I didn't catch tonal mistakes. I also am not sure how people responded to the pace of the sermon. I tended to speak somewhat slower, but this is also a habit that I have gotten in to over here when I preach in english. Anyways, the speed might have lost some of the energy of the sermon. I also doubt that the sermon had the depth of vocabulary etc. that others might use when they are preaching. I definetly have some major things to be working on in my language (not counting listening comprehension, and reading characters).

People laughed when they were supposed to, seemed engaged and listening, and overall (I hope) understood what I was trying to share. Who knows? I don't even know if people really understand when I preach in english. :)

I did get video of the sermon but for some reason our video camera is about to die a slow and painful (for me) death. I think it recorded but it doesn't want to play back the tape. Actually it will play back about 2 or 3 seconds at a time.

Anyway, thanks for your prayers and support. It was evident and much appreciated.

Thanks again for all that you do for our ministry here. Amy and I both will try and work hard to be prepared and able to do the task that God has sent us to do.

God bless!

A Prayer Request From My Heart To Yours

2006-03-17T20:59:00.000+08:00

We have now lived in Taiwan for about 665 days (that makes it sound like a lot) or about 1 year and 10 months (which doesn't sound like a lot), and this coming Sunday morning at around 10:30 AM our time (8:30 PM on Saturday night Central time in the U.S.), I will attempt to do something that I never thought I would ever do in my life....try to express what the Gospel is in the Mandarin language.

This coming Sunday I will be preaching my first full sermon in Chinese. To say that I am not somewhat nervous would be a lie, but one of my biggest fears that I have recently overcome is one that I have carried since before even coming to Taiwan.

When we were thinking about whether to come to Taiwan or not, I was told by one person that I would never be able to preach with the same style and energy as I always tried to do when I taught at Central Christian College of the Bible. In fact this person told me it was a mistake for us to come to Taiwan. That comment stuck with me and has been a nagging question for a long time now.

This Sunday I will find out whether that statement is true or not. The truth is though...it doesn't matter. I know God has called us for this time and for this purpose. As we have lived in Taiwan now and experienced the difficult challenges of life, of transition, of culture shock, of disappointments, and of truimphs, I have come to find out that it doesn't really matter at all what we bring to the table...the real issue is whether we are willing to come, to submit, to dream, to try, and to grow in our understanding of God's grace, His power, and His plans.

You see this coming Sunday God already know what He will do with our frail human efforts. He knows our motives, He knows our hearts, and He knows in what ways He will use His Spirit to work.

So my prayer request is not for me. I mean that, please don't pray for me...pray for those who God will guide and lead to be a part of the worship on this coming Sunday. Pray that God's Spirit will work in mighty ways, and that His purposes will be done.

Thank you for being a part of our ministry here. It truly is exciting to see God at work and to see how He can and will use your prayers in great ways!

In His Service,

Jon

Elevator Scare

2006-03-16T18:42:00.000+08:00

I had a real scare just the other day in the elevator in our building. We live on the 16th floor and I was returning home when the elevator jerked really bad.

It seemed to jump and then the floor indicator changed from going up to going down. At this point I was a long ways up (the 13th floor) and the door to the elevator began to open. The elevator was not level with the outside floor but I was scared enough that I jumped out of the elevator and ran up the last 3 flights of stairs. Quite fast I might add.

The jolt felt like the kind when you are in an airplane with really bad turbulence, but my first thought was earthquake. As far as I know though, there was no earthquake on that day.

I don't know...maybe I need to lose more weight.

Website Updated

2006-03-08T17:18:00.000+08:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I have updated our website (eastasianmissions.org) with a new layout and new pictures. Make sure you bookmark or set up the RSS feed so that you can know when Amy or I add to the blog also.

The blog will be our primary method of communication (besides our monthly newsletters) while we are on furlough, and plus we tend to put more random and recent things on the blog.

So....check back often. God bless!

Therapy

2006-03-06T18:33:00.000+08:00

We have started a new therapy at one of the hospitals here in Taipei for Joshua. His reading is improving, but there is still something there that we are not sure of how to help, and/or even what it is. The doctor said that there is something but she wasn't sure yet either.

On this day (the first time going), Joshua had about 3 hours of tests, observed played, etc. They shot video of the whole thing and seemed to take a great interest in him (notice all of the white shirts gathered around him).

Only the doctor can speak some english but overall it was ok I think. Amy and I sat in another room that had a one way mirror but we could tell that Joshua was talking up a storm with them in english.

Come to find out, he was sharing with the doctor why she needed to become a christian and how she could go to heaven someday. That's my little evangelist.

Our prayer is that the doctor can give us some therapy suggestions. Nothing is really major, but all together there is something that is creating some challenges for him. Thanks for praying for him.

Chinese Tea and Jesus

2006-03-06T18:28:00.000+08:00

A big part of what we do as missionaries is try to build relationships with people so that in time we can build the trust and the right to share with them the hope of Jesus. What does that look like? See the picture above.

The other night I was able to enjoy some fantastic green tea with a lady who comes to our Tuesday Bible study named Melinda, her husband, as well as Chad and Alicia Edwards (our teammates). It was a great time and also a great opportunity to meet Melinda's husband.

Melinda is a very serious bible student. She photocopies the bible text for the week and enlarges it (you would do this too with small chinese characters), and she colors different passages so that she can organize her questions that she wants to ask during the study. It is a real blessing to have Melinda in our study. She still has a way to go towards faith, but she has already come a long way. Please pray for her and the study.

What Do I See On My Offtime?

2006-02-20T21:55:00.000+08:00

You can only study chinese so much and then your head will explode (Really...it could happen), and the timing of our Bible studies provided for a 1 night, 2 day trip down to the southern part of Taiwan. A dive instructor named Scott, Allen Messimer, Casey Bell, Chad Edwards, and myself went down to an island just off of the coast of Taiwan called Green Island. It really lives up to its name.

I am qualified up to a Rescue Diver and hope to get my Dive Master rating someday and so this trip was a great experience for me as I got to help in the training of 2 of my friends get their scuba cards. To get your license it requires some pool diving, a written test, and 4 ocean dives. This trip was Casey and Chad's ocean dives.

On the last dive we saw the above animals as well as a Sea Turtle and more coral than I can find names for. God's creation is wonderful, and living on an island where you can experience such beauty for such a low cost is truly a blessing.

It is my hope that I can help find a way for all of the missionaries in this area, and those further down the island that I know, to be able to get their scuba licenses so that they too might be able to enjoy the beauty of Taiwan in a new way. Scuba diving is also quickly becoming a very popular sport with many new dive shops opening up in Taipei. In fact there is one just 2 blocks from our house. The owner (named Mingo) is a really great guy and his shop is just what I would hope a church could be like...relaxed, people coming and chatting for long periods, coffee and tea, and a lot of honest fellowship.

It seems that God has provided a friendship and opportunity there to help build new relationships and friendships with the hope of sharing and leading them to the foot of the cross someday. I don't know if God will lead Mingo and his wife Jenny to accept God's gift of forgiveness someday, but I can almost see a small house church meeting in their business. Wow, that would be awesome.

As a missionary I have to always be finding ways to meet people and start the slow process of building trusting, and true relationships. It seems that God has provided a way to accomplish that while enjoy His might creation power. Thanks God!

Coffee, Butterflys, Mac Computers, and Diving

2006-02-12T20:40:00.000+08:00

I just returned tonight from spending a couple of hours with a new friend who owns a coffee shop close to where we live. His english name is "Quincy" and he is very artistic. The men on our team meet there every Thursday night for prayer, and through this time I have come to find out that Quincy and I share a lot of things in common.

He loves Apple Macintosh computers, Coffee, Nature, Riding Bicyles, and would like to learn Scuba Diving someday. Wow, what a guy! Ha.

I go there often by myself to study, and tonight was the same. After studying for about 30 minutes, Quincy saw that I was studying the etemology of some chinese characters that I am trying to learn and he came by to comment on the software (Mac of course) that I was using. This conversation lead to him showing me some new nature pictures that he had taken, to us talking about my plans for starting a new church in that area, to serving the community by helping with english, etc., to him looking at diving pictures on my computer and just a very enjoyable 90 minutes.

I don't always understand what he is saying (In fact most sentences I miss a word or two, but context helps me basically understand it), but tonight I learned 2 very important things from him.

1. The older version of the Bible that churches in Taiwan use (Hu Hu Bun), he felt was very strange and that it didn't use the kind of words that he would use for the same situations. This whole conversation reminded me of the King James VS NIV arguments. Bottom Line...I want to use a version of the Bible that non-Christians will understand and that won't require them to "learn" a new language as we talk about the Lord.

2. The other thing I learned is that Mormons in this area can speak both Chinese and Taiwanese. Taiwanese is in many ways the "heart" language of many of the people of Taiwan. It is also very difficult to learn. My point in bringing this up, is that Quincy really respected the Mormon guys because of their language ability. If we are to represent the true God of the Bible, then we also are going to have to continue to be diligent in our study of the language. The countless hours and dollars spent trying to get some grasp on the language is valuable time and money spent in my opinion.

Please be in prayer for Quincy and for many opportunities to continue to build upon this relationship.

Home Communion

2006-02-05T18:26:00.000+08:00

We just finished a time of home communion tonight. We do it every Sunday night together, but tonight was very special because Joshua led the whole process. He read the story of the last supper, prayed before the bread and the juice, expounded some on what he had read (and some other random thoughts), and then dismissed us.

It is good to see your children growing and following in your footsteps as your pursue a life of service with Jesus. God is good.

Living Statues

2006-02-03T15:48:00.000+08:00

Last night Amy and I went to a very popular area close to Taipei 101 with 2 of our friends named Chad and Alicia Edwards. This area had a competition going among a bunch of different "living" statues. Pretty cool, huh?

Chinese New Year Excitement

2006-01-31T20:26:00.000+08:00

If China would ever attack Taiwan, I think I know what it would kind of sound like.

Jan. 28th (my birthday) was Chinese New Year's Eve. Ever since that day, there has been a somewhat non-stop demonstration of pyrotechnics...or in other words, we have had already about 4 4th of July days. The best part about it is that we can see several parks from our balcony, so we have been able to witness several cool fireworks shows.

One of the worst parts about it is that anyone can shoot off fireworks (they believe it scares away ghosts and attracts the blessings of the gods), and so our neighbor above us has been dropping firecrackers throughout the last 4 days. Their fireworks and late-night karaoke has really provided lots of entertainment.

Today we were going to travel up north to the ocean, but somehow we failed to realize that everyone (and I mean everyone) also had the same idea. This week is like Christmas week in the U.S. so very few people are working. Today's traffic is what happens when 5 of the 6 million people in an area not much larger than Columbia Missouri, all decide to take to the roads.

The strangest experience was soon into our trip though. I (Jon) really had to go to the restroom, so as I drove north, we found a rest stop. Unfortunately so did another 30 cars. They were double parked and 2 or 3 busses also were jammed into it.

I jumped out and ran to the bathroom while Allen kept the van moving forward at a crawl. When I walked into the men's restroom I was in for a shock....this had become a ladies restroom also. Though there were still a few brave guys in there (nowhere else to go), the stalls and even stand up urinals were being used by a throng of people (mainly elderly ladies and their grandchildren.) I guess the young grandkids didn't mind using the bathroom in a rather unique way.

I didn't know what to do, but since there were no trees close I did what any brave missionary would do...said hello to the ladies and did my business.

Wow, what a day! We never made it to the place we wanted to go but we did discover an old fort on the ocean and 2 Burger Kings! What a discovery!

Happy New Year...etc.

2006-01-25T22:52:00.000+08:00

I just finished using Skype (www.skype.com) to talk with my brother who is an officer in Iraq. What a great way to end my day. We had a good bible study tonight, and then I talked with Bryan. Please pray for him and his family back home. He has a great wife and 2 adorable kids the same age as mine.

This weekend is Chinese New Year...so Happy New Year! We will be traveling for a couple of days to celebrate the new year with some other missionaries.

Thanks for your prayers for us. We sure do appreciate them.

God bless.

Jon

Getting Spoiled

2006-01-12T16:02:00.000+08:00

I was telling Chad Edwards today that I feel like I am getting spoiled by our bible studies. I just feel so blessed to basically have a group of serious seekers coming each week to the different studies. It makes the process of trying to read, understand, and speak Chinese more intense and purposeful. It also makes for fantastic practice! We have 7 or 8 individuals who are really interested in studying the bible and one of them seems very close to making a decision for Jesus.

Please be praying for a guy named Shiang Bye Yang (I don't know how to type his name exactly in english but the meaning of his name is Summer 100 Suns). He said Tuesday night that he feels that he is close to making a decision to accept Jesus and is very excited about it. Please pray that our enemy the Devil will not be able to divert Bye Yang's growing faith.

I wish I could type more "witty" blogs, but it seems like right now I am doing good to keep up with the different work, family, and personal demands of each day. The main thing on my mind and work plate right now is our bible studies and language school, so that is what you are going to hear about the most I guess. Hope you don't mind.

God bless!

Newsletter Uploaded to the Website

2006-01-09T22:18:00.000+08:00

January's newsletter has been posted to the website (www.eastasianmissions.org). If for some reason you are not on our newsletter mailing list, feel free to download each month's issue.

This month...talking about culture lessons, and that furlough will soon be arriving.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

2006-01-01T16:23:00.000+08:00

May God use 2006 to bring Him glory in all ways, in all of our lives!

Great Christmas

2005-12-26T13:07:00.000+08:00

We had a great Christmas time with family and friends this year. We feel so blessed to be able to share the meaning of Christmas with our Taiwan friends, and to share our love with our family members who work with us. God is so good.

On christmas eve, we had a family come over to share a meal with us. It was Carrie (Amy's friend), her two kids, and husband (Dung Hwang). We see them a lot and have gone out to eat with them before. Amy prepared an Italian meal (hoping that the ingredients wouldn't be a weird taste to our friends) of Lasagne, bread, and salad. It was a great meal and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Afterwords Dung Hwang put together a toy that they had brought for our kids, while the rest of us drank some tea and talked. I (Jon) have been praying for an open door to building a relationship with Dung Hwang. He is a doctor who works hard, doesn't have any real friends, and whose only hobby is researching for his medical areas. I really had no idea how to start the relationship since we seemed to have nothing much in common.

After Dung Hwang put the kids toy together he noticed my chinese chess set. He was excited to see it and we decided to play. We played for at least 2 hours and had a blast! He is an unbelievable player. Carried said that he loves to play but doesn't have anyone to play with. Praise the Lord!!! An open door.

We talked, laughed, and had a great time together. They left after 10 pm and it was a great closing to our Christmas eve.

On Christmas day we had a progressive brunch with the Messimers and Bells. We went to Messimers first, then the Bells, and then finally up to our apartment. We opened some gifts at each place, and had a wonderful time. It was a lot of fun, and was blessed by great weather.

The kids took naps, we chatted and played games, and had a great time. We ended the day with a worship service and Casey read several verses about Jesus' birth. As I reflected about the day, I thought of how many would love to be able to worship with family and to spend time relaxing and having fun together. I am so thankful that God has allowed us to have family here and that we can work together with such complementary gifts. God is so good.

Well, I hope that your Christmas was a blessed time. May God continue to guide and lead us all. Thanks for reading and praying!

God Continues To Bless

2005-12-20T21:30:00.000+08:00

I just returned from our Tuesday night study. It was a wonderful time as we looked at Mark Chapter 4. There is so much in that chapter that can really challenged and inspire us to use our gifts for God's kingdom.

The great part of the night though was two different things. 1. During prayer request time, one of the members shared about her battle with infertility and asked us to pray. She was very emotional, as was I because this was a tender request, but it also indicated that our study is changing. When people trust each other enough to share real burdens and concerns, then the study is growing in their love and mature. Praise the Lord!

2. After the study another lady and I discussed in depth whether there is only one God or many gods. It was a great discussion in which we both tried to understand each other, ask real questions, and listen intently to each other's answers. I asked her several questions, in which I have yet to receive an answer to from my Taiwanese friends who are not christians. I believe this method of asking questions shows respect, but it also gets people thinking. As the person said tonight to my question..."I have never thought of that before...I don't know what to believe...". This thinking is another step in the maturing of the group and one in which I thank God for.

Please continue to pray for both of the studies as well as my ability in the language. I teach both of these studies in Chinese but it still requires a lot of time and work to make sure that I am somewhat ready.

Merry Christmas! Jon

I Miss the Sun

2005-12-11T06:13:00.000+08:00

I miss the sun. Since I returned from teaching in the States, it has been cloudy and raining for all but about 2 days. It has seriously been over 2 or 3 weeks since we have had several days with sunshine.

Rain, rain, go away

Wow, God Has Been Good!

2005-12-06T20:52:00.000+08:00

I just finished with our new Tuesday night Bible study a few minutes ago. We had 12 people there as we studied and discussed Mark chapter 4. This is a new study that we started and it is exciting to see how God is blessing it and bringing people to it.

It brings so much enjoyment and fulfillment to be teachin non-christians and to see their progression from not even knowing the most basic things of Christianity to wanting to accept Jesus as Lord of their lives.

Thanks to all of you who help support our work here and for your prayers.

Advertisement for the Bible Studies

2005-11-27T21:15:00.000+08:00

I was able to put up the above sign in our elevators this evening, and I have alreay received a phone call from a lady wanting to come to the Tuesday study! I was so excited I forgot to get her name. Oh well, God knows her and so I ask that you would pray for the one new lady (with the unknown name) and that God would draw others who would want to come.

Going to the Orphanage for a few days

2005-11-22T09:16:00.000+08:00

Our family will be going to the Orphanage in LoTung for a few days this week, so we won't be able to check our email until Friday evening our time.

Feel free to email us but it may take a few days for us to respond.

Also, please keep Ted and Bev Skiles in your prayers. They are the family that runs the orphanage and they continue to have 16+ babies to take care of at any given time. A lot of work!

God bless.

Jon

Pray for Anne

2005-11-16T17:44:00.000+08:00

On Tuesday I have started to study the book of Mark with a young lady named Anne. She is a co-worker with Carrie and is only in Taipei a few days a week. Carrie invited her to study with us and she came last night for the first time.

I am asking you to be praying for Anne in several areas:

1. That she continues to come. The first few weeks are the hardest ones. There are so many thoughts that could be going through her head (i.e. do I like this study, these people, etc.?) so pray that she will make the committment to come every Tuesday evening.

2. That she would find other Christians who can encourage and challenge her during the rest of the week. She is not involved with a church anywhere and doesn't have a Christian support network.

3. That as she studies the Bible, that she would diligent in reading, and honest in asking questions on anything that she doesn't understand.

Thanks for praying for Anne. I will try to keep you posted as to her progress. God bless.

(p.s. Our Wed. study is beginning in a couple of hours of this post. Please continue to pray for the Wednesday group.)

I'm still alive

2005-11-01T00:25:00.000+08:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I am still alive and that the lack of posts recently are a result of being very busy.

I am in Missouri right now for a week of teaching at Central and then have a week of meetings at the home office of Team Expansion in Louisville Kentucky. By teaching at Central for a week it pays for my flight back to the Team Leaders Summitt at Team Expansion. God is good.

Please pray for safety in travel, energy while teaching, and especially for the family back home in Taiwan while I am gone.

Thanks!

Prayer Items

2005-10-22T08:59:00.000+08:00

I would like you to be praying over a couple of different people and situations.

1. I try to exercise almost everyday, and a couple of days ago Casey and I meet a guy who I had talked to a few times before. His name is Daniel Lwo and he is a 55 year old retired military officer from China. He lives close to us and is very friendly. I invited him to come to any of our bible studies, and I hope to get some time to follow up on our conversation. It is hard to have a great conversation when you are running. (ha)

2. One of the guys who regularly comes to our Wednesday bible study, shared that his son is now thinking about becoming a christian. The son's name is Wayne. He has lots of questions and is still torn on what to do. Please pray for clarity of thought and peace for Wayne.

3. Renee is a great christian lady who is our language tutor and who also comes to our Wednesday study. She has a younger brother who she is very close to, who is very sick right now. Please be in prayer for Renee and her brother.

4. Please be in prayer that I (Jon) can continue to have more and more opportunities to share and to hopefully start new studies. The bible studies are crucial to our plan. While we are in language school, we are not suppossed to have a lot of other ministry work going on ( to insure that we learn the language well...some have cut short their long term effectiveness because they never learned the language to the level that is needed) but I am wanting to slowly add more studies as I begin the last stage of formal, everyday language work. We will never stop learning the language, but I am anxious to begin the next step of our mission here. It is our hope that each bible study will become a church.

Thanks for your prayers!

Learning Chinese Quote

2005-10-10T10:22:00.000+08:00

To learn Chinese, said Dr William Milne, Robert Morrison's colleague, is "a work for men with bodies of brass, lungs of steel, heads of oak, hands of springsteel, hearts of apostles, memories of angels, and lives of Methuselah."
Edwin W. Smith, The Shrine of a People's Soul, 1929 , p 89.

Amen!

Praises to the King!

2005-10-02T12:02:00.000+08:00

We have several things to be thankful for today.

1. The typhoon seems to be nearly gone now and we have had no problems. The bank next to us lost a window, but besides that...no major problems.

2. Casey and Molly Bell arrived safe and sound. Our full team is finally here and it is exciting to be looking to the future finally together. Pray for their adjustments and jet lag.

3. Amy talked with Carrie (her Chinese friend) this morning and Carrie related how she had tried praying the other night for a problem that she had. She described to Amy a peace that she experienced during the time. She also agreed to meet with Amy on Thursday afternoons so that Amy can share more about the Christian faith with her. Wow...praise the Lord!

It is so exciting to see non-Christians coming and hearing about Jesus!

Last night I (Jon) preached about family at the large Baptist church here in town. One lady from our study (Linda) came and even brought her daughter. I watched them as they tried singing some of the christian songs, and as they listened. It is one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced watching people who have never heard ANYTHING from the Bible, begining to come and ask questions, and slowly develop a faith.

Please be in prayer for all of the non-christians we are working with right now. Specifically, Johnson, Ruby, Linda, and Carrie. It is a very long process (usually 1 1/2 years from the beginning of the relationship until faith in Christ) but God is at work.

Family and Typhoon Coming

2005-09-30T09:26:00.000+08:00

Last night Ed and Maggie and their two daughters arrived at the airport safe and sound. They are already enjoying life in Taiwan by accompaning Amy to the Vegatble market, as well as Ed riding the scooter with me as I dropped Joshua off at school. If that doesn't scare him nothing else will!

Tonight Casey and Molly Bell (and their daughter Emilee) will also arrive at 9 pm. For a few days they will all be living with us until they can get into their new apartment. It will be tight but a lot of fun too.

What will make it even more fun is that we have another large typhoon coming. It is already a category 4 typhoon and is expected to hit around Sunday our time. Please be in prayer for that. Those in the countryside seem to get hit the worst by the typhoons and there are many times deaths.

New Bible Study

2005-09-22T10:35:00.000+08:00

Last night we began to study the book of Mark with 3 of our nonchristian friends (English names are: Ruby, Johnson, and Linda). The study went really well and it is so exciting to see their genuine interest and to see them reading the Bible. This is all new information for them and they are asking great questions.

We are using a study book written by a former missionary here, Mike Worstell. It is very simple and straightforward and is a great tool for us to use. I need to go buy a box of these books and I continue to need more Bibles. Linda brought a King James Bible with her last night....Ahhgh! I can't even understand the KJV and english is my native language.

My 1st hour language teacher (Mrs. Tang) agreed to study the Mark series with me also. We will meet for one hour a week to go through the study together. So...this makes 2 different studies that we are able to do now. Amy is praying for her friend (Carrie) that she would like to study the Gospel of Mark with her. Please pray for that opportunity.

Thanks for all of your prayers. God bless!

Main East Asian Missions Site Is Down For Awhile

2005-09-19T14:20:00.000+08:00

Just a quick note to let you know that our main East Asian Missions Website will be down for awhile. Until it is back up, the eastasianmissions.org address will direct you to our team's internal document website. Check it out and see some of the documents that we are using.

God bless!

Jon

New Newsletter Created

2005-09-12T11:27:00.000+08:00

Hi there!

I just sent out our September newsletter. If you didn't get a copy of it and want to, please just send me an email (theralls@eastasianmissions.org) and I will get you added to our mailing list.

Take care and God bless.

A Week In One Blog

2005-09-01T21:39:00.000+08:00

Well so much has happened this week, and I really don't seem to have the time to write what I should about each event. I am now to the point of reading a chapter a day in chinese from the Bible but it requires a lot of hard work. Did you know that the Bible uses a lot of special words? Imagine those words in Chinse...yikes!

So here is my week. Some was terrible but some was amazing...

1. Sean had a really bad asthsma attack. It kept us up most of the night and was kind of scary. This happened last year also and is a result of the pollution and the extra smoke in the air during the "ghost" month.

2. Saw a guy get killed on a scooter while taking Joshua and another boy home from school. Thankfully neither of the boys saw the body even though we drove right by it. It was one of those experiences that stay with you, and makes me question our modes of transportation at times.

3. Had a fun "Star Wars" birthday party for Sean. He is now 5. Wow, how time flies.

4. Joshua and Sean started their t-ball and baseball season. Sean did really well and seemed to have fun. Joshua is playing with the 2nd and 3rd graders but did great. He had 3 hits and got 2 of the other team out. I am coaching both teams.

5. We had a large typhoon hit that closed the schools for a day. The winds were strong enough to make our building sway back and forth. This is not as bad as an earthquake though. Thankfully our buildings are concrete and strong, plus we are not close to the coast so no major worries. We did lose power for a little while but it came back on.

There you go. Close to 5 days in just a few sentences. If you have questions, feel free to email me. Please let me know your email though if you want me to email you back. When you post on this blog it doesn't give me an email to respond back to you.

Thanks for your prayers and support. God bless!

New Visitors To The Bible Study

2005-08-26T11:18:00.000+08:00

We had a great bible study this last wednesday night. We had a backed room with Allen & Cherry, Dennis and Linda Messimer, Johnson, Ruby, Linda (from the World Religion Musuem), Diana, her husband Ching Hong, and another new person named Webber.

With the exception of the missionaries and Diana and her husband, all of the rest are not yet christians. We will be starting a new study in about 2 weeks going through the book of Mark. Please be in prayer for that.

God is good and is allowing for many opportunities to share!

Evangelism Stretching

2005-08-24T13:49:00.000+08:00

This last monday afternoon I received a phone call at about 1 pm from a lady named Linda. When we first moved here Linda helped us with the Customs department and other red-tape that we had to mess with. She is a very nice lady who has come over a few times to bake cookies, etc. with Amy.

Linda called to say that her mother was in the emergency room and was talking about her funeral. Linda was very upset and wanted me to go down to LwoDung to share Jesus with her mother.

I quickly called up Chad Edwards to see if he was free and he also called a Chinese lady named Jen Jen who works at the church. I was going to go no matter if anyone went with me but I was relieved that both Chad and Jen Jen could go.

We went to the train station and got on the 2:30 pm train. There were no open seats so we had to stand the whole way but time passes and we made the train ride down to LwoDung.

Once we arrived there, Linda's sister arrived to pick us up. Jen Jen knew this family but said it had been 16 years since she had seen them.

While on the way to LwoDung Amy called me on my cell phone to tell me that Linda thought that her mother might have been baptized a long time ago but didn't think she had gone to church much. She was worried though that her mother was actively involved in a Japanese religion. The other bit of information that I had was that the Mother's son was on his way to LwoDung also because he didn't want his mother to have a Christian funeral (he is not a christian) but instead wanted her to have a "traditional" funeral.

When we arrived the mother was on the couch and we all said our "hellos" to her. She looked very tired but she she talked and listened a lot especially with Jen Jen. Most of their conversation was in Taiwanese (another language used here in which Chad and I can't speak at all.) I have no idea what I would have done if Jen Jen had not had come. She was awesome.

The other sister talked with Chad and I, and listened as Chad did a great job explaining about how Christianity is about a relationship with God. The sister was not a christian so it was a great opportunity to share with her.

My language was good enough to catch most of the conversations and interject some in the conversation but overall I was trying to listen and pray.

Through the whole time the mother began to improve. She sat up and looked a lot better. She had been baptized a long time ago but said she didn't feel worthy to go to church, and especially didn't feel worthy to go to heaven because of her infrequent attendance at a church. She was asked lots of questions by Jen Jen to determine where her faith was and to try and determine her spiritual condition. I tried to encourage her that as christians we are not worthy because of what we have done or have not done, but because we are children of God. We are God's kids.

I didn't notice any gods or idols in the home and there seemed to be no presence of Japanese worship in the home. We spent awhile praying with her and then the son arrived. He was a nice enough guy but it was obvious that he wanted to show how he was just as good even though he wasn't a christian. He talked somewhat bad about his mother (with her in the room) saying "oh, old people just act sick so that their children will visit them." He was speaking SO fast. I could only understand maybe at best 50% of what he was saying. Once again I was glad to have others with me. As he talked I noticed the mother's hands beginning to shake. I think her problem was more spiritual and emotional than anything else.

The son decide to take the mother home with him and we said our goodbye's. I'm not sure what we accomplished besides encouraging the elderly mother and hopefully showing that christians have hope and peace with all who were at the house.

It was a stretching time for Chad and I, and I am sure that this also was a part of God's plan.

We went to the orphange for about 1 hour and then made our way back to the train station. Arriving home at 11 pm I was tired physically and mentally but thankful for the opportunities that God gives us to seize split second opportunities to be witnesses for Him.

Happy Birthday!

2005-08-24T13:46:00.000+08:00

The month of Aug. is more expensive than Christmas but just as exciting. Our immediate family has 3 birthdays in August and my brother Bryan (who is currently in Iraq) also has a birthday in Aug.

Here are the dates:

Joshua-Aug. 10
Bryan Ralls-Aug. 24
Amy-Aug. 27
Sean-Aug. 30

Happy Birthday!

I love you all.

Video of Jon speaking in Chinese at Church

2005-08-21T15:15:00.000+08:00

Here is a link to a video showing me sharing about our team's goals, methods, and where we are going to start the next church.

This was my first time preaching/speaking at the church in Chinese so it was a thrill. The response was very good, and I think that the members at the church understand where and how we are going to start the next church plant.

Unique Opportunity

2005-08-20T19:43:00.000+08:00

Close to where I live is a museum called the "Museum of World Religions." Whenever groups come I take them there to see the exhibits and give them an idea of what the different religious beliefs on the island are. This place seems to be very popular and I constantly see people going into it.

Last sunday night at our english service a lady came in and listened to the whole thing. Afterwards, I introduced myself and found out that her name was Linda. She works at this museum of world religions. She told us that people often come there and have questions about Christianity but that no one seems to have the answers. She decided that she wanted to study the Bible, and so I invited her to our Wednesday night Bible study.

This last Wednesday night she came to our house to tell us that she couldn't make it this week but that she was planning on coming next week. She has bought a bible, and has some study material.

The really cool thing about this is that I gave her my name card and told her that if the museum ever has questions about Christianity or any of their patrons ask questions, to please call me. I gave her my home number and my cell phone number and explained that it will only take me 3 minutes to walk over there if I am at home.

This seems like a great opportunity that God has given to influence not only one soul who is searching, but to also provide Biblical answers to the people of Taipei who visit this museum.

Praise the Lord and please pray for Linda. Pray that her interest will move beyond just work and will be a genuine search for God and His truth in Jesus.

Speaking In Chinese Tomorrow At Church

2005-08-20T19:41:00.000+08:00

Please pray for me as I am going to be presenting our church planting plans and ideas at the church this Sunday. I am going to do the whole thing in Chinese so please pray that I will remember what I want to say, remember my vocabulary, and have a great time while I'm doing it.

If I get some video of it, I will post it on the web sometime. God bless!

Why do 4 year olds have to be so smart?

2005-08-13T23:32:00.000+08:00

Tonight we were eating supper when we noticed that one of our larger fish in our aquarium was being attacked by a smaller fish. Upon further inspection we noticed a red blood spot on the larger fish from where it was being attacked.

Well Joshua being the soft heart that he is, asked what we could do to help. I knew that the fish was about dead so I thought of the Nemo movie and told Joshua "All toilets lead to the ocean. How about we flush him so that he will be ok and the smaller fish won't bite him?"

This was great to Joshua and so we quickly deposited the soon to be dead bleeding fish. Joshua seemed ok until Sean began to go into this long speech about how fresh water fish can't live in the ocean. At first Joshua didn't hear him, so Sean kept saying it "Fresh water fish will die in the ocean...that fish won't live in the ocean Joshua."

Ahhh!!! Why do they need to be so smart at 4?

Planning Retreat Success

2005-08-12T16:19:00.000+08:00

The planning retreat that the Messimers and ourselves took to the southern part of the island was a great success. We stayed at a retreat center ran by missionaries called Oasis. The boys had a great time jumping on the trampoline, watching movies, and swimming.

We had a great time talking and dreaming about many of our team details. We worked on our Field Ministry Plan and Personal Ministry Plans.

We also talked about what model of churches we want to plant and what work (besides language school) we will need to do this next year to get prepared.

We plan on putting much of this information out in next months newsletter. Stay tuned for more details.

Wednesday Night Bible Study

2005-07-28T19:12:00.000+08:00

Here is a picture of two of the people who have recently been coming to the Wednesday night Bible Study. The lady's english name is Ruby and the guy's english name is Johnson. Please pray for both of them. Thanks!

Living On An Island

2005-07-26T20:34:00.000+08:00

One advantage to living on an island is the amazing views that you can see. This is a view from one of the mountains as it looks over the ocean.

The typhoon has passed and the air is really clean for a few days. I am thankful for these times when it is possible to escape the smog and see the majesty of God's creation.

Joshua's Baptism Video

2005-07-18T13:02:00.000+08:00

Well the typhoon seems to be passing and we haven't lost any power so I was able to get Joshua's baptism video on the website.

Go to our website and follow the link to Joshua's website. On his site is the link to the video.

The video is about 15 MB in size so it will take awhile to completely download. Also, you must have Quicktime player installed on your computer to watch it. If you have problems make sure that you download the newest version. Click Here For Windows or Click Here For The Macintosh Version.

Interesting Day

2005-07-13T21:55:00.000+08:00

Today was a busy but good day. First let me say thank you to all who wrote us about Joshua's baptism. We are so thankful for God blessing us with good friends and family who rejoice with us.

This morning I was able to use Skype to have a voice chat with several at the bible study of the Fincher's in Moberly MO. There were 4 different families there and I was able to share some prayer requests and be a part of their study as they prayed right then for the different requests. What a joy! Technology is amazing in what it allows us to be a part of today.

The afternoon was spent with Chad Edwards mapping out where every church is in our surrounding area. This is important so that we can see if there are any areas that are close where there are not many churches. One interesting finding is that there are around 30 churches in the suburb where we live. That may sound like a lot but there are over a quarter of a million people within 1 to 2 kilometers of here. A lot of people for 30 churches. Plus many of these churches are very small. I have heard that an average church in Taiwan only has 30 or so people in it.

One thing we did find is that the area where we live around a park has only 5 or 6 total churches. In fact our park area has only a small house church from what we can see. Very interesting to say the least.

This evening we had our bible study at our house. 3 Taiwanese people came and Allen Messimer and Joshua were also here. We studied the 3rd commandment aobut using God's name. We also looked at how we wear Jesus' name as Christians. A good time of studying and sharing. I enjoy also getting the Taiwanese input into where they think we should start the next church. If we stay in the nearby area, we have already some who have promised to help work with us.

So many options...there are over 6 million people in Taipei alone. So much work to do, I think God would be pleased in any location that we might start a church. Thanks for your prayers in this area.

Well time to study and then off to bed. Thanks again for all of your emails. Someday maybe I can reply to them. Ha!

God's blessing to you.

Our First Convert...And The Angels Rejoice!

2005-07-10T19:10:00.000+08:00

Since Amy and I began to have kids there are two things that I have prayed almost nightly about. 1. Is that my sons would marry good Christian ladies, and the 2. is that they would both become Christians someday. That day for Joshua is today.

Tonight after the english worship gathering was over Joshua gave his life to Jesus to use in whatever way He wants. For a very long time Joshua has been asking us when he could become a Christian. We would talk with him, and it was obvious that his heart was right, that he believed in God, and that he wanted to become a Christian.

We decided to wait to see if he would continue to want this or if it would pass. It hasn't passed, and tonight there were no more reasons that I could say "no" to him. All of the kids sang a song called "Use Me" and I thought...here is my son asking God to use him. I have to honor his desire to give his life to the Lord.

Hopefully tomorrow I can get a couple of pictures posted (and maybe a video) of Joshua's baptism. Please join us and the angels in rejoicing!

Back From The Conference

2005-07-09T22:59:00.000+08:00

Well we made it back from the conference and it was an enjoyable time. The speakers all did an excellent job and challenged us all in many ways. It is always good to talk with other missionaries, hear their views, successes and challenges. It is also the highlight of the year for our boys.

This year Joshua learned how to go off of the diving board (jumping, not diving) and that was a big achievement for him. Last year at the conference he didn't even want to get his face wet!

Sean is not yet a swimmer...

But he did enjoy singing

I (Jon) helped with the music by singing and playing drums during the worship. I also was able to read a book during the week that was not related to chinese language (though it was ministry related) so that was really nice.

Amy was able to go out with the other Team Expansion ladies on one afternoon to a place that sold Taco Salads! What a treat.

Allen, Cherry, Amy, and I spent everynight after everything was done and some during the daytime talking, praying, and dreaming about where God wants us to go and what methods we might use to help start the church. It is an exciting yet scary time all together.

Thanks again for reading our blog and for your interest and concern in our lives. There are more pictures located here:More TMF Pictures

Gone For A Missionary Conference

2005-07-03T22:45:00.000+08:00

Just a quick note to let you know that we will be gone for a week down to the middle part of the island for an island wide missionary retreat. I will post more about the week once I get back. God bless!

Decisions

2005-06-26T20:39:00.000+08:00

This last week our field coordiinator came to Taipei to talk with our team about each of our families future. It was good to see them (Chuck and Kathy Foreman) and to hear their wisdom. Chuck's main advice for us was that we should look to keep our original team (Messimers, Bells, and us) and begin to decide where we want to start the next church plant. While we will sorely miss our missionary friends, it is special thing that we have as a group of 3 families who are also related and get to work together. God has been good.

Because of this change we know have to decide several things in the next couple of months. I will list just a few of them so that you might pray for God's wisdom and leading.

1. Where? As of right now we are thinking two different areas. One is Wen Shan district and is located in Taipei City. It has around 200,000 people and 23 churches counting all the different denominations. There is a university located there where a friend of mine from graduate school at M.U. is teaching now. The plus for this area is that our boys could continue at the Bethany school. While the schooling is somewhat expensive it is in english and has very good teachers.

The other area we are thinking is Ilan. For a list of the positivies of that area you can see the post on this blog about the survey trip to Ilan (a few weeks back). Ilan has 100,000 people, 6 churches, and a university that has no christian outreach. If we go to this area we will have to home-school the kids. That may be a positive or negative right now...we are not sure.

2. Schooling. If we decide that we think home-schooling is a good option for the boys and that we can either arrange some help from the States (i.e. an 8 month internship helping teach the boys, outrreach for the church plant, etc.) then Ilan seems to have a lot more positives. Because our boys don't speak any Chinese it will be a challenge for awhile for them to make friends and we would have to make a strong effort to get them out and meeting other kids. After time with a Chinese tutor, this might become far less of an issue.

3. Other related questions and issues that will have to be answered.
When do we do the move? Finding affordable housing in either place. Finding a language teacher for the team (if we move to Ilan). And much more.

Right now we are talking a lot and praying. We intend to travel to both places and hopefully will have peace about where God wants us to go next. We want to be faithful to him in all ways.

Thanks for your prayers for us. If you have questions or ideas please feel free to drop us a line. We would love to hear from you.

God bless.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction

2005-06-14T20:00:00.000+08:00

Well we finally have some good news about what has been bothering Joshua for quite awhile. We went to a Clinic today that had a specialist who looked at Joshua. This clinic works with children with autism and other learning issues and we felt blessed to be able to go to this place.

The only way we found out about this place was because of one of our teammates (the Edwards) were talking with a family from the church who has a child with autism. The Edwards describe our problem and Eric and Daphne said that their place specialized with these kind of issues.

At the beginning of Joshua's kindergarden year, his teacher told us that she was worried a little about Joshua's development. Since she had ADHD she thought it might be that, but since we had just moved here we wanted to wait awhile and see how things developed.

Here are some of the things that we have noticed about Joshua:
Some of his strengths are athletic ability (in baseball, kicking a ball, balance, climbing, swimming, etc. he is advanced for his age.) His heart is very soft and he truly cares about people. He seems to take to numbers very well. He loves music and has very good rythm. His audio/visual memory seems to be very good. He loves to sit for long periods if people will read to him, especially if it is about nature (tornadoes, volcanoes, or the ocean).

In the midst of his many strengths we began to notice several patterns. He often complains about his clothes (tags, socks), is bothered by noises, tends to overreact to things when they go wrong, unable to cope with frustration, handwriting and coloring well below his age level, unable to cope with chaos, hyperactivity at times, does not like to make choices, talks loud and excessively, walks on his toes, etc. (We actually have about 5 pages of notes on what we have noticed).

The first hospital we went to basically said that if we didn't live in Taiwan that he wouldn't have these problems. Besides upsetting us, it basically was just not true. These issues have been noticed long before we arrived in Taiwan. Thankfully the clinic today did not blame the fact that we are foreigners as the reason for his difficulties.

The specialist immediately knew what was wrong, and said she sees 1000 kids like Joshua each year. She also said that with treatment he will get better. In her opinion Joshua has a moderate case of Sensory Integration Dysfunction . While there are many different types of SID, his seems to be in the tactile defensiveness area. She gave us several things to do and was very encouraging.

Joshua needs to be very active each day (sports, etc.) and will need a type of treatment that desensitizes his nervous system. This can be done by using a brush and rubbing his skin for about 2 or 3 minutes each hour. Over time this will be done less and less. The specialist said that over the next 3 months we should be able to see a good amount of improvement.

For Amy she said she just wanted to cry because we now know what we can do to help our son. For me it was a tremendous relief. So many thoughts go through your mind (Will we have to leave Taiwan? Where will we go if this place doesn't help? Will we have to homeschool Joshua? etc.) This last year has been stressful enough that having a son struggling with something really takes a toll on you emotionally.

We thank God that he has provided a place (1 kilometer away) that knows Joshua's issues and how to help him. We thank God that He is faithful in all situations and is a strong rock for our fragile lives.

Thank you to all who have contacted us and let us know of your prayers for Joshua. Please continue to pray and we will let you know how things progress.

Took A Few Days Off For Vacation

2005-06-11T10:03:00.000+08:00

We took 3 days off to go down south to a small island called "Green Island". The diving is fantastic and the views are beyond what I can describe. I have put a bunch of pictures on the internet that you can look at. I can't believe how beautiful places are here and how affordable it is to go to them. Taiwan is truly a beautiful island.

Diving Pictures

Thanks for those of you who emailed saying you were praying. We really appreciate it!

Some Good...Some Bad

2005-06-02T21:22:00.000+08:00

Sorry it has been a few days since I posted. We have had quite a month. There really seems to be a lot of issues that are going on that can drain you at times. I will not go into the details but this last month has had it's share of down times as well as some real encouragment.

We are going to take a few days to go down south on the island with the Messimers to do some scuba diving and just relax with the family. I am really looking forward to it. It is one of the nice benefits to living on an island.

Last week the Finchers came from Moberly to visit us. You can read David's perceptions of Taiwan at the Finchers Blog. It was so good to see them. It has been hard somewhat on the boys since they left but they are starting to get used to life again here.

I was able to use a program called Skype that allows you to make phone calls and/or chat with people back in the States. I used this program to talk live with kids from the Clarence Christian Church during their VBS. My dad was our representative at the VBS and it was a great help. Many thanks to the Clarence church.

Well, time for bed on this end. I will try and get back in the blogging saddle after our return from down south.

God bless.

Please Pray For Hwang Lee Jun

2005-05-18T15:54:00.000+08:00

Please pray for a young girl named Hwang Lee Jun. She is a friend of one of the workers at the church named Joanna. I asked her if I could share this request with you to be praying about.

This afternoon at my Chinese study Joanna told me of a former classmate of hers who has severe cancer. She a few weeks ago was released from the hospital and was told that she was fine. She came to church and had questions about how to become a Christian.

Unfortunately, the hospital soon afterwords called back and told her that she had to return. The took her to surgery and just sewed her back up because the cancer was so bad.

She is in a lot pain now and her future on this earth seems short. Joanna has been sharing with her about accepting Jesus and hopefully she will soon. This is just one of three friends of Joanna who is battling cancer right now.

I would ask you to pray for a few specific things:
1. Hwang Lee Jun- that she becomes a Christian, and that she can find real peace throughout his pain.
2. Joanna- That she will have the right words to share and that she can find strength during this season of counseling close friends.

Thanks for your prayers.

World Day of Prayer

2005-05-15T20:44:00.000+08:00

I just returned from about 3 and 1/2 hours of singing, praying, and witnessing how God is at work in Taiwan. The event is called the "World Day of Prayer" and there were many who attended from around the island.

Since Taiwan is only 2 to 3 percent Christian is was exciting to see so many other believers gathered together. The weather was rainy for a good portion of it, but it didn't seem to damper people's attitudes.

If you want to see more and larger pictures, please feel free to check the pictures page on our website.

Update on Johnson and New Newsletter Uploaded

2005-05-10T19:11:00.000+08:00

Well Johnson is very close to making the decision to give his life to Jesus and be baptized. We talked Saturday night for nearly 2 hours and he is very close to making the decision. It seems that the Chinese don't rush into joining anything, and I am glad that he is considering what it really means to give his "whole" life to Christ.

It is really now just a matter of "when", not "if" for his decision.

Also, I uploaded the April newsletter for you to read if you do not already get a copy of it sent to your email box.

God bless!

Possible New Convert Coming

2005-05-03T22:05:00.000+08:00

Please be in prayer this week for the guy named Johnson who has been coming to our bible study since Easter. He told me tonight that he is about ready to get baptized and shared with the whole group how God is working in his life!

We are going to meet again this week and talk about his decision. It was an amazing night and reinforced why we came to Taiwan.

I hope to share more after this weekend. Hopefully he will be getting baptized this Sunday (Saturday night in the States).

Thanks for your prayers!

Survey Trip To Ilan (e-lan)

2005-04-30T19:11:00.000+08:00

Well I just got back from taking a quick trip down the island about 1 1/2 hours away. It is a town called Ilan and is the county seat for Ilan county. The population is about 100,000 with another 300,000 in the surrounding towns.

The things that have interested me about Ilan are:

1. The is a new 4 year university there that has no christian outreach taking place.
2. There is a new tunnel that will be opening in the near future that will connect Taipei with Ilan. Right now it takes a few hours to drive or at least 1 1/2 hours by train. Once the tunnel is done it will take 30 to 40 minutes driving. I anticipate this causing an increase in the town's population.
3. There are 5 or 6 churches in the town. The largest runs about 200 people with another one running about 60-70. This means that Ilan county is less than 1% christian.
4. The cost of living is less.
5. There seems to be less polution.

There are some things that are drawbacks:
1. There is no english school in Ilan so we would have to either home-school ourselves or get a college student or teacher to come over for 9 months and tutor our kids.
2. There are not as many convience type places (i.e. Costco, Western restuarants, etc.) though there are some American fast-food places.

There are other advantages and disadvantages but I just want to jot down a few of my thoughts.

If God gives any of you who read this blog an epiphany or word of direction for us let me know! :)

Guests To The Bible Study

2005-04-27T06:45:00.000+08:00

Last night at Bible study we had several guests. One was Carrie. She came with her two kids and seemed to enjoy herself. It is so much fun to teach about the Bible to people who have never heard before. She listened well and shared a prayer request so hopefully she will continue to come back.

We also had a group visiting from Grandview church near Kansas City. They support Mike and Dezi Worstell and are here to see the field and to see in what ways they can continue to pray.

I'm very proud of Joshua

2005-04-23T21:45:00.000+08:00

Today Amy and I went to an area of Taipei to scout it out to see what it looked like and to see whether or not it looked like a place where we might start a new church. While we were gone, Leslie watched the boys.

For lunch she took the boys next door to McDonalds. While she was ordering the food she noticed Joshua talking to a lady. From talking to Leslie and to Joshua this is what I found out.

Basically Joshua just asked her flat out whether or not she was a Christian. She said no but that she tries to be good. He told her that she could only go to heaven if she was a Christian not if she was good. I can't be more proud of him right now. He has no fear and really wants each person in Taiwan to be a Christian.

To make a long story short, she gave Joshua her email address and wanted to know where the church was located. Here is a grown lady having a serious, eternal conversation with a 6 year old boy.

I don't want to scare my kids away from full-time christian service and I couldn't be more proud that he has the same passion and burdern as I have.

Thank you Lord for my kids and a wonderful wife/mother who is teaching them each day to love the Lord.

What a great time!

2005-04-23T20:27:00.000+08:00

Well Carrie and her husband (His english name is Harris but he never uses it) just left our house. We went out to eat and had a great time and talked a bunch. All of my fears (i.e language barrier, Harris being extremely shy, etc.) ended up being fine.

Harris and I talked for nearly 3 hours! We talked about so many different things. At first he was VERY nervous, but afterawhile he began to relax and we had a great conversation. Neither one of them are christians yet, but we even talked with them about where we should start a new church.

I think the kicker for me was when I found out that Harris is a thyroid doctor. Recently I have been feeling very tired and he was able to help me and give me some great advice. God is so good, and provides in ways that we would never imagine.

Carrie and Amy are planning to meet every Monday, and she is hoping to come to our bible study on Tuesday nights. Harris said that he would like to get together with me and play chess so that will be a great way for our friendship to blossom.

Well I wont' write anymore. Words are not coming to me very well right now to describe the joy that I have in seeing this opportunity begin to flourish.

Prayer For Gospel Opportunity

2005-04-23T17:13:00.000+08:00

I would ask you to pray for our friends (Carrie & her husband...someday I will figure out his english name though he doesn't remember it himself). We are having supper with them tonight and I would ask that you would help our friendship grow, that the language barriers would be small, and that we might find ways to share God's love with them.

Thanks for praying!

Prayer For Direction

2005-04-20T22:00:00.000+08:00

Another thing that I would request prayer for is direction on our next steps. I am spending a lot of time in prayer asking God questions like "how large should a team be?", "where do you want us to plant the next church?", etc.

I am feeling a lot of peace about how I think we need to proceed in some ways but in other areas I still don't feel like I have a clear vision (i.e. where to plant). I really want God's vision for this area.

Will you please pray that God will guide, direct, and give peace to our efforts to plant new churches in Taiwan?

Thank you all who are prayer warriors for us and the people of Taiwans benefit.

My brother

2005-04-20T21:57:00.000+08:00

My brother (Bryan) just found out that he is going to be going to Iraq and will be away from his family (wife and 2 kids) for 15 months. He is an officer in the U.S. Army and will the Executive Officer for a unit that trains the Iraqi military.

I am very proud of him and am glad that he will have an effect on how quickly the U.S. military may be able to come home (the sooner the troops are trained the sooner we can leave).

Please pray for him and his wife (Jenny) and their 2 kids (Zach 6, Jordan 4). Thanks.

Doctor Results

2005-04-18T20:12:00.000+08:00

Well I did all of the blood work and it seems that I have somewhat high cholestrol (246). He advised me to change my diet (our family did that when we moved to Taiwan 10 months ago, so I'm not sure what to eat now), exercise everyday, and cut out as much stress as possible. How about setting the bar a little higher! :)

Actually his advice is really good and I thank God for Dr. Lien. He is a nice man whose english is very good. This really helps!

Swimming tends to be my main form of exercise but I need to schedule the time each day to get the results that I need.

Anyway, for those of you who asked about the results, this is what I know. God bless.

Doctor Check Up

2005-04-13T19:08:00.000+08:00

Just a quick note to ask you to pray for an extensive check-up I have tomorrow. For several weeks now my energy level has been really low, so I am going to get some blood work done and see what if anything is causing it.

I already take medicine for my thyroid so hopefully it is just that the amount of medicine needs to be adjusted. Thanks for praying. I will let you know when I know anything.

A New Visitor To The Tuesday Night Study

2005-04-06T20:15:00.000+08:00

We have had a new visitor coming to our Tuesday night bible-study. His english name is "Johnson" and he is a Colonel in the Taiwan Army.

At well over 6'3 he is a commanding person with a good sense of humor and a disarming smile. He is also a very hard worker. We were studying the creation story on Tuesday night and he had taken 5 pages of notes in preparation for the study. What makes this more amazing is that he said he has never studied the Bible. He bought a new bible and seems to be really hungry.

This just shows the power of God's Word. Please be in prayer for Johnson and for his continual presence at the study.

Recent Activities

2005-04-03T21:56:00.000+08:00

Well this past week has been a very busy one. The Central Christian college group has been traveling and experiencing all of Taiwan that time would allow. I think they have had a good trip and I was very impressed by there willingness to experience everything and there humble attitudes.

On Friday morning our family (including Allen and Cherry) traveled down to Hualien for an overnight stay at a hotel at the base of the mountains there. The hotel was actually a bunch of cabins and the place had hot springs, a zoo, and so much to see. It was a nice quick get away that allowed us to see green grass and breath clean air. I will soon post pictures that we took while there.

Tuesday is Tomb sweeping day here which creates a lot of tension for the Taiwan christians with unbelieving parents. While the remembering of the deceased ancestors is great, the worship of their ancestors is a great obstacle to many accepting the Gospel. Please pray for the people of Taiwan on this day.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and your interest in our work.

Easter Sunday Was A Success

2005-03-29T08:35:00.000+08:00

Easter Sunday here was a great success. Not only did it not rain, but it was sunny for the whole day. I told our security guard that it was because Christians had been praying for no rain on Jesus' resurrection day.

The service at the park went really well with a lot of people who were walking by stopping to see what was going on. There were nearly 80 kids who participated in some of the games and activities that were offered.

Carrie's family all came and had a good time I think. Her husband is very shy so it was hard to tell with him if he liked it or not but I think it was a good time for them to see other christians and have some fun. There was a little music and a skit later that helped tell the story of Jesus.

As a result of the park meeting, we will have a new non-christian man whose english name is "Johnson" who will be coming to our Tuesday night bible study. It will be really nice to have him come and will add a new dynamic to our group. Since we have been working on telling the stories of the bible chronologically, we may start over to allow Johnson to catch up and give the other people at the study a chance to practice telling the stories.

Sunday night at the english service we had a great group come. There was around 60 people who came counting the Central students, and the night was marked by a lot of singing and fellowship.

What a great weekend.

The Resurrection

2005-03-27T07:48:00.000+08:00

The name for Easter in Chinese is "Resurrection Day". The chuch has been preparing for this day for a few months now. At one of the larger parks there is going to be games and activities going on which are lead by some of the different cell groups in the church. Then at 11 am we are going to gather at one place in the park to sing, see some drama, share, etc.

The weather forcast has been for rain today so we have been praying very hard to be able to hold it in the park. There are so many more people who will come because they will see the happenings in the park if it doesn't rain.

As I sit at my computer right now, we have a wonderful blue sky with no rain clouds anywhere! Praise the Lord!

The greatest thing though for us is that our friends (Carrie, her husband, and kids) are going to come to church with us today! Carrie had said that they were going to be out of town for the weekend. Well Saturday morning early Carrie called us on the phone. She said that her husband told her that they were only going to be gone on Saturday. Her response was.."Well we can all go to the church tomorrow then right?" Her husband agreed and so we will go with them to the park and spend the morning with them. After the service we are holding a church dinner in the park so it will be a great time of fellowship.

It is so exciting to be a part of seeing non-christians hear the gospel. For Carrie's family it may be the first time that her husband has heard anything about it. Please pray for the Spirit to work mightly in their lives.

The Central Group Has Arrived Safely.

2005-03-26T06:54:00.000+08:00

The group from Central Christian College arrived here last night with no problems. They have a busy schedule that can be viewed at the following link:

Central Schedule

Please Pray For A Few Important Things

2005-03-22T21:33:00.000+08:00

If you would please pray about the following things:

1. This Resurrection Sunday we are hoping to invite our friend Carrie to the service which is going to be held in a park. We are also wanting to invite her to our Tuesday night bible-study that we do at our house. Please pray that God would move her to come.

2. A group of students from my old college (Central Christian College of the Bible) are going to be traveling here for a week of intense activities. Please pray that their travel will be smooth, and that God will use and shape them while they are here.

3. There is another ministry on the island that is having some important decisions that they are needing to make and accomplish. Please pray that this important work will continue to see God's hand of guidance, peace, and protection as they serve God in a wonderful way.

Thanks for praying. (BTW, I am over my sickness. Praise the Lord!)

Sick

2005-03-20T17:50:00.000+08:00

I went to Grace church last night and preached about getting ready for Christ's return. It was a great evening that left me very tired. When I got home I went to bed almost straight away. An hour later I was up vomiting.

I don't know if it is the flu or something that I ate, but I haven't been able to hold anything down, and am running a moderate temperature. I sure hope this passes soon.

A couple of quick prayer items

2005-03-18T06:45:00.000+08:00

If you would pray for the following:

Sean on Friday afternoon is going to be on a local T.V. station. His chinese school is taking his class to be a part of a kids program that is very popular in Taiwan. I watched the show and it looks like a lot of fun. I'm sure that they have not had very many foreigners on this show before. My prayer is that Sean will be able to understand the directions and have a good time. Plus there is the parent fear when your little kid is in a new situation that you can't help him with.

Also, Joshua has had a cough for nearly a week now as well as a slight fever. Please pray that he gets over this. He hasn't been to school because the Dr. said it was somewhat contagious, but he is anxioius to get back and to get out of the house.

Thanks for praying.

New Pictures Added

2005-03-15T22:05:00.000+08:00

I added new pictures taken from Joshua's school to the website. They have a track and field competition each year for K thru 8th grade. Joshua did really well and had a great time.

You know you should be baptized...

2005-03-14T21:55:00.000+08:00

Today with my language teacher we were studying Mark chapter 16. Towards the end of class I said to her, "You know that you need to obey this. I know that you love the Lord, and that you believe in Him. And I know that your husband will be angry but God will help you and His Spirit will work in your husband and Mother's heart."

We talked a little more in which she said that she actually brought the subject up with her Mother. This means that she is thinking. As I left class I told her that I really wanted to see her and her whole family in heaven someday, and that I will continue to pray for her each day.

I hope you will do the same. Her name is Mrs. Tang

Fear or Hope?

2005-03-14T21:52:00.000+08:00

Amy and I had Carrie over tonight and I was able to ask her several questions about why the people in Taiwan do certain things. One of the biggest obstacles to evangelism is Ancestor worship. I talked with her about this practice and some of the inconsistencies that I see. I tried to not be offensive but instead just asked questions.

One thing I did say though was that it seemed that people had a lot of fear instead of hope. She agreed. She said that they had spent over $150 U.S. dollars for a fortune teller to them what names to give to each of their 2 kids. Why? Because names mean a lot and they were afraid (as was their parents) of the kids having a bad name which could cause lots of problems in this life.

Please continue to pray for Carrie and her husband. They are a great couple that we really want to continue to build friendship and trust with.

Preached at Grace Tonight About the Resurrection

2005-03-12T21:51:00.000+08:00

This month I am preaching at a Baptist Church in Taipei. Their service is in both chinese and english and they invited me to come and speak for the month of March. It has been a real joy for serveral reasons:

1. The differences that tend to divide in the States are either absent or not emphasized over here. There is a lot better chance to actually practice the restoration ideals over here. They have put no restrictions on what I preach about, nor how I offer an invitation.

2. It is great Chinese practice. After the sermon, I answered questions for nearly 2 hours. I had to use a translator a couple of times but overall there is very few other ways for me to get that kind of intense chinese practice.

3. It reinforces what I enjoy more than anything else in this world....Teaching and preaching. The response from the members is very encouraging, and I am excited to have opportunities to make a difference while I still attend language school.

I'm really thankful that God provides me opportunities to serve Him.

800 missiles in 2006...pray for peace

2005-03-11T06:40:00.000+08:00

Daily Times - Site Edition: "China to have 800 missiles in 2006

TAIPEI: The number of Chinese ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan is expected to reach at least 800 next year, the island’s defense minister Lee Jye said Wednesday. The People’s Liberation Army currently has 700 ballistic missiles deployed opposite Taiwan, Lee said in his first report to the new session of parliament.
"

We are not really worried about this right now, but it is an issue that needs the continual prayers of many. Everyone I know wants peace between Taiwan and China but I just hope that cool heads and negotiations will prevail over the threat of independence and/or war.

Scooter Incident

2005-03-10T16:11:00.000+08:00

Well this afternoon Amy, Sean, and I got hit from behind while turning on our scooter. We were going slow and the other person was passing us on the right side.

She must not have been going to fast because she hit the upper part of my right leg with her scooter and I am doing fine. It put a hole in my right shoe somehow and scared us a little, but God is good and protected us.

Sean cried for about a half a minute and then said, "Dad...that was fun." I don't think it was fun but I very thankful that everyone is fine.

Pray For Carrie and Her Husband

2005-03-09T21:04:00.000+08:00

Please pray for Carrie and her husband. We are having more and more opportunities to meet and talk with them (especially Carrie) and we want God to lead us in developing this friendship so that we might be able to share Christ and invite them to a bible-study. Her husband is a doctor and is studying right now for his 2nd doctorate. With his work and study schedule there is not a lot of free time, but we are praying for an open evening soon so that we can go share a meal together with them.

Thanks for praying!

I want to be hungry and thirsty...

2005-03-06T22:46:00.000+08:00

Psalm 42: 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him? (NLT)

I was singing a song tonight that has these words in them..."All of you is more than enough for all of me, for every thirst and every need, you satisfy me with you love, and all have in you is more than enough."

Here is the truth...

Unless my first priority is to hunger and thirst for God then everything else in my life will be at best only average and probably lacking. If I don't have this intense desire my ministry, marriage,...everything, will not be what God has desired.

He placed the hunger within us, He desires this relationship. God doesn't want my work, He wants my heart..completely, undivided for Him. He doesn't need me, but I need Him. He doesn't have to have me, but I can't live without Him.

There is a tension that I am trying to figure out in my life right now. I want to work so much. In my country now, nearly every person is lost and will spend eternity in hell. How can I not be moved by this? God's work here in Taiwan doesn't depend upon me, but it does depend upon God and I want to know Him more and more so that I can do whatever He would have me do.

But this I do know...God wants the people of Taiwan to be saved. My daily activities should show the same desire.

If I go to language school, I should study with the intensity that God has for me and for all the people of the world. If I am teaching a bible study, I should be prepared and bold to share the Gospel. If I am spending time with my family, I should be loving and guiding them so that they also will send an enternity dancing before their God.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst...

Moderate Earthquake Last Night But No Damage

2005-03-06T08:57:00.000+08:00

Info for event usvgay: "Magnitude
5.4

Date-Time
Saturday, March 5, 2005 at 19:08:00 (UTC)
= Coordinated Universal Time
Sunday, March 6, 2005 at 3:08:00 AM
= local time at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location
24.651°N, 121.855°E

Depth
6 km (3.7 miles) (poorly constrained)

Region
TAIWAN

Distances

NEAR Su-ao, Taiwan
60 km (35 miles) SE of T'AI-PEI, Taiwan
80 km (50 miles) NNE of Hua-lien, Taiwan
90 km (55 miles) E of Hsin-chu, Taiwan

Well this woke us up last night at 3:09 am. There was actually 2 waves to this earthquake. We went into the boys room and waited it out. The boys never woke up which is nice. No damage that I know of anywhere, so that is good.

Added New Pictures To The Website

2005-03-05T11:47:00.000+08:00

Taipei 101 View At Night
Click the above link to see pictures of the view from Taipei 101 at night.

Want To Get A Massage?

2005-03-03T07:02:00.000+08:00

This is the result of going to get a massage to help my back which was hurting. Believe it or not, it is actually a lot better know.

Amazon.com: Books: The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community, and Small Groups

2005-03-01T22:50:00.000+08:00

Amazon.com: Books: The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community, and Small Groups

Amy's Travel

2005-02-28T08:23:00.000+08:00

This last Wednesday Amy, and three other missionary ladies from Taiwan flew to Thailand for a special conference called "Women of the Harvest". Thailand is a very popular tourist spot in this region because it is very cheap to go there. The conference is designed for women who work in Eastern Asia and is meant to be a time of spiritual and physical renewal. From what I have heard she has had a wonderful time.

This is the first time that Amy has been gone from the kids for any length of time, and she was quite nervous. We have survived though, and I only burnt one meal!

She returns today (Monday) evening. We have all missed her a bunch and will be really glad to see her again.

Taichung Fire

2005-02-28T08:06:00.000+08:00

taichungfire
Originally uploaded by theralls.

My dad heard about this in the news and was wondering just what happened. Though I don't much about it, the local paper (www.taipeitimes.com.tw) said that 4 people died in the fire.

Taichung is about 2 hours south of where we live. It is where the Atkins are working to do church-planting.

New Sunday Night Visitors

2005-02-28T07:50:00.000+08:00

Well last week I told you that we had 2 visitors that came as a result of me passing out my business card at a different church that I was guest preaching at.

This week one of the girls returned with 3 of her friends! They all work in Taipei as english teachers. One of the new commers said that she had friends that she wanted to invite also. It is interesting to see who and how God calls people to come and worship Him.

Rain, rain go away

2005-02-24T20:21:00.000+08:00

I don't want this to sound like I am complaining, but I don't think I have ever experienced so much rain for so many days in a row. It has rained for about 10 + days with just one partial day of sunshine mixed in to remind us what it looks like.

I remember the flood of 03 in Missouri and this reminds me of that somewhat. Luckily Taipei can handle the water fairly well. There is no flooding on my 16th floor apartment yet. If so...

Sunday Night Service Visitors

2005-02-20T20:00:00.000+08:00

Hey we started in late November an english worship service similar to what I started in Moberly. Tonight we started a new series and I was surprised to see 2 visitors who had come because I had given them my name card at a different church that I had been preaching at.

I'm not sure if that sentence makes sense but the bottom line is that you never know who might come (to church or even better the Lord) if you are aggressiving in looking for ways to share and invite.

First Time Teaching In Chinese

2005-02-17T23:59:00.000+08:00

Well I finally did it. I taught a bible study usually only chinese (well actually I used about 10 english words but who is counting). The study is a chronological study of the bible using 36 major events in the the Bible's history.

My Tuesday night bible study is using it, and Jen Jen at the church is starting a new study on Sundays using the same material/method. So, on Wednesday afternoons I am teaching two people who in turn will hopefully be teaching the same material to others.

My hope is that the Chinese will know the major events and people of the Bible, and be able to tell the stories to their non-christian friends.

I spend almost 5 hours studying chinese everyday, and it is a real joy to see that I can start to use it. Thought my chinese is not good enough, and my vocabulary is still limited, it is still a significant point in my ministry. Taiwan is lost, and I want to work as hard as I can to prepare and to give others an opportunity to know the Good News.

Give God the glory! Thank you Lord!

Please pray for the Wang family

2005-02-12T21:25:00.000+08:00

Today we had the Wang family over to play with Joshua for awhile and then we went to their home for dinner. They are a great family who does not know the Lord yet. Their oldest son goes to school with Joshua and that is where we met them. The dad is an eye doctor and an avid chess player (western chess).

As the kids played, Mr. Wang (whose last name is the same as our chinese last name) and I played Chinese chess. Chinese chess is somewhat different (and far better in my opinion) than western chess. I have fallen in love with the game and have tried to find some time to play it with people in the park, or friends etc.

We played two games and then we went to their house for a great, classic chinese meal. Their generosity and friendly spirit was evident. Throughout the night we talked a lot using both Chinese and English and then Joshua was invited to stay the night. I think he was a little afraid but it will be a great opportunity for him, and hopefully will help him make some new friends with the Taiwanese people.

As we were driving home, Mr. Wang said that if I can get my chinese language good enough, I could make a lot of money in Taiwan. I told him that I justed wanted to tell people the story of the Bible...the Good News. I briefly tried to share that with him, and will continue to look for opportunities to share the Gospel.

Please pray for the Wang family. They do not own a bible, and really don't know the Lord at all. It is my prayer that through our mutual love of chess, our kids, etc. that we can use these times and opportunities to build a relationship that will allow my to earn their trust so that I might be able to share the Gospel with them.

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I will try to be a little more frequent.

Earthquakes

2004-11-11T10:57:00.000+08:00

For those of you who happened to hear about any earthquakes in Taiwan recently, we just wanted to let you know that we are fine and there seems to be no damage anywhere we know of.

While the first earthquake was over 6 it mainly just shook our apartment back and forth. The only casualty was a pottery lid on one tea set. I can handle that.

What Can Change Taiwan?

2004-10-11T16:52:00.000+08:00

The other night I went up to a place that the missinaries call "Budda Mountain" with Chad, Scott, and a visiting friend of Chad's named Mitch. We all drove our scooters up this mountain that overlooks Taipei. The view is amazing and you get a real glimpse of how large Taipei is.

While overlooking the city the story of when Jesus cried over Jerusalem came to my mind. On the top of this mountain is a buddist temple that at midnight was still very full with people. This particular temple is home to the land god. People burnt their god-money, burned incense, rub the idol, and prayed. To pray to this god is to ask for more possessions, money, and land.

The question was asked while we were up there..."how can we win Taiwan?" While there are many great methods that we are using and ideas that each of us have, to me the ultimate answer is prayer. It seems so simple yet the more I study about it, and practice it, the more I get glimpses of just how powerful prayer is.

I know that we are God's tools and there is work that He has us to do, but what if the real answer was not in what we do, but instead what He has already done. God wants the people of Taiwan to be saved more than I do. He sent His son to die for them, I just moved to a different country that has many of the same comforts as America. God knows how to see Taiwan come to name Him as their God, I need to be in constant touch with Him so that I can see His ways and His plan.

Back in the States an answer like prayer gets looks like "Well yeah but what are YOU going to do...you can't just pray" This response seems shallow and void of an understanding of just how powerful prayer can be. South Korea is an Asian country and yet Christianity has flourished there. The pastor of the largest Christian church in Seoul Korea said that we don't have because we don't pray enough. Sounds kind of like James 4:2

If I can be a person of prayer, and I can teach my children to be people of prayer...well that is life that has been well spent I think.