Saturday, November 2, 2013

Fall update pictures

New Hope Reformed Presbyterian Church

I shared the Gospel with this bed-and-breakfast owner in Puli, central Taiwan.  He had questions about the nature of God and I was able to answer using the wording from a Taiwanese-language catechism published in 1960 by the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.

Welcoming Caleb and Miyoung to Taiwan.  They will study Mandarin for two years.  But Caleb is already networking and wants to start some Bible studies for businessmen and also doctors.  He still has to knuckle down to master the language.  


Church planting committee meeting.  Wesley (on the right) is starting a reformed/presbyterian church in downtown Taipei.  Right now he hosts an outreach Bible study Friday nights.  He hopes to develop enough of a core group to start a Sunday worship service sometime in the middle of next year.  Since there are very few healthy reformed churches in Taiwan, we are trying to work out a good funding support system for church planters like Wesley.  Right now he is simply stepping out by faith.  http://rftaipei.blogspot.com

The Friday night group of the Ren Ai Reformed Fellowship church plant in downtown Taipei.  

New Hope's goodbye fellowship meeting for Jason Chen, my summer missionary intern. Everyone enjoyed an impromptu concert with Jason playing violin and Judy playing piano.  They both studied music at Indiana University.  He has one more year of seminary left.  Please pray that God will direct his steps.  We hope he will come out to Taiwan as a church planting missionary.

My men's business lunch Bible study.  We are working through the Westminster Confession of Faith and following a modified version of Dr. Joseph Pipa's study guide.  (Of course mostly discussed in Mandarin and Taiwanese)

This fall I began mentoring Joshua Tân, meeting him weekly.  Joshua will graduate seminary by next spring and desires to start a church plant in southeast Taiwan in Taidong. 


Meeting with the director of a Christian drug rehab ministry, his wife and one of the men who came through the program and now volunteers there.  They came to the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Taiwan presbytery meeting.  They are all Hakka.  Please pray that I can also recruit some missionaries to focus on learning the Hakka language and church planting in Hakka areas of Taiwan including Miaoli where this drug rehab ministry is located. http://enfu.twcom.net

Having a Monday evening discussion on the Biblical roles for men and women.  

One of our church members, Carol Vhong, with a young couple with their first baby.  Very often after church on Sunday, Taiwanese couples will come during the lunch time to ask questions from Judy or Carol about infant care.  We hope to be able to share the gospel with many Taiwanese parents through this infant care outreach.

 
Amanda sharing her testimony in the Taiwanese Bible study.  At first there were more women, but recently more men have joined.  The Bible study group is studying a Taiwanese-language catechism as well as the Gospel of John.  Tâi-bûn Sèng-keng-pan

Speaking at a youth retreat of a church from Taoyuan County


Judy's grandfather's 100-year-old birthday celebration

Hope you will get a chance to enjoy this documentary on Taiwan


However, one thing to realize is that these videos were filmed on good sunny days with clear skies.  Much of the time Taiwan is humid and cloudy -- either very hot and humid or cold and clammy in the winter.