A Season of Thanksgiving

During the week of the American Thanksgiving, our family had the privilege of participating in three separate but wonderful celebrations. Pictures of these events can be seen on our DropShots page. The link is on the right side of this page.

Our first was with our church BCC (Bilingual Christian Church). It had its an annual Sunday turkey lunch. Eating cooked turkeys from a local hotel and other prepared side dishes, the congregation enjoyed a semi-western traditional Thanksgiving meal. We even had pumpkin pies. As a side, Matt and Monette (a kidney transplant doctor from the Philippines) carved several turkeys while Susan helped organize the meal. It was also wonderful to see the youth group serve the food. As a group, BCC seems to be coming together, reaching people of all ages, slowly growing and developing Christian Taiwanese leadership.

Our second Thanksgiving meal was in our apartment. Susan cooked and prepared her first turkey for a group of sixteen (church family and several from the Morrison community). The event was truly a time to thank God for all His wonderful blessings.

Finally, on Saturday, we helped host a Thanksgiving pitch-in for the Free Methodist missionaries in Taiwan. This was a great time to catch up with everyone and fellowship with missionaries we often hear about but rarely see. David Yardy, F.M.C. Asian director, and his wife shared about the many exciting ways the Free Methodist Church is working, assisting, and encouraging brothers and sisters around Asia. It was awesome. God is good all the time! Another bonus of this gathering was Josh and Jake getting to make friends with some of the kids they will go to school with in Taichung. They are now a little less leery of our impending move next summer to Morrison's central campus in Taiwan.

Extra

Matt is now helping with an English club at I-Shou University just up the mountain from our campus. The club is offered as a way for students to learn and practice English in a topical way. The leaders teach Christian songs and lead a short Bible study at the end of the meeting. Our goal is focused: helping these students understand God's love for them.

Susan is involved in an Alpha class after church on Sundays. This class is designed to give an overview of Christianity and give people a chance to question and learn in a none threatening environment. These opportunities are really getting us excited about how we can serve God in Taiwan through our current church situation.

Prayer Requests

1. The I-Shou University English club started last Monday nights. There were between 15 to 18 students. Pray that the leaders are able to develop meaningful relationships with these students. Pray that Jesus is seen and felt during the four meeting. In a side note, I met a Jewish man last Monday walking to the car. In a short conversation, he said he was new to Taiwan and was lonely. The other leader I was with chatted with the man (Rick) and exchanged phone numbers. Like the I-Shou students, pray that Rick sees Jesus and asks Him into his heart.

2. Susan is going to help lead a women's Bible study in English at a local hospital on Wednesday afternoons. Pray for clear communication despite the significant language barrier.