Hospitality: Some of the guests who stayed with us this year went for a walk around the college campus.
Even in north Alabama there are some Taiwanese families. We have been visiting a Taiwanese family who are pharmacists in a small town in Alabama.
It has been nice to begin to outreach to international students at the local university.
One of the classes I took this fall in my doctorate of ministry program, "Transformational Leadership in a Post Modern World," explores the leadership models of shepherding God's people in the Bible comparing them and contrasting them with secular leadership teaching. It was very interesting to see the both Alexander the Great and Queen Elizabeth I of England used many leadership elements that are found in the Bible, and modeled by Jesus, Nehemiah, Moses, and others.
Another class applies God's revealed Word regarding Biblical counseling. The Bible has a huge amount to say about depression and anxiety and other problems of the soul; and it offers real and lasting solutions. One key point for everyone to remember -- counseling is not solely for the "professionals -- whether you want to or not, everyone is a counselor; it is a question of whether the counsel you give is good and productive or bad and destructive.While we are away in the U.S. New Hope has been well shepherded by our coworker, Rev. Daniel Cohee, along with the two ruling elders.
Daniel came back briefly to the U.S. to visit this summer.
We had asked your prayers for more Taiwanese men to join the church. God has raised them up.
New Hope members practicing Christmas carols.
Our apartment in Taipei is still being used for home fellowship groups.