Fran and I are having a great time on vacation with the kids . . .

The kids sent us new pictures this week – so I had them printed along with a couple of photos we took not long ago of us.

Happy Birthday to our special little girl!!!

Fran and I were getting a little weary of being indoors because of the weather (Typhoon Sinlaku) so last Saturday we went for a drive out of Taipei, over to the East Coast. It is really refreshing to get out of the smog and traffic, breathe some ocean breezes, and soak up the scenery. Here are a few of the pictures.

The Flickr album is here

Yesterday we celebrated the fact that Fran has grown wiser by another year. We started off with lunch at the only Romano’s Macaroni Grill in Taiwan. She had a create your own pasta dish and I had a calzone. After we stuffed ourselves, the Chinese speaking Taiwanese wait staff sang an Italian song to these two English speaking Americans . . . .

and treated us to a chocolate birthday cake – FUN!

Then we were off to a theater in a different mall to see "Journey To The Center of the Earth" in 3-D. We both enjoyed the very realistic effects. After the movie we went exploring at a riverside park and took a few pics. We then capped off the night with a snack of Double Stacked Quesidias TGIFriday’s (after cooling off with a Starbuck’s Mocha Frappuccino). It was a very fun day of celebrating Fran’s increasing wisdom!

Thursday, after working a half day, Fran and I went up on Yang Ming Shan. It is a big mountain that is in the outskirts of Taipei county. As promised yesterday here are a few pictures from the drive.

We hope that you and your family can get together and have some fun this weekend. I’ve taken a little time off work and we are doing some exploring. Yesterday it was Yang Ming Shan – today it was Neidong National Forest. I’ve put a few of the pictures from today up on Flicker. Tomorrow I  will try to put up some of the Yang Ming Shan pictures. Here is one from today to wet your appetite

You need to click this link and watch a two minute movie. Very powerful stuff done by woman who runs The Happiness Project. It’s for everyone but it is especially pertinent if you who have small children.

On or Off the Radar?
October 28, 2007

After living overseas for 7 years, we have gotten very slack in keeping our prayer partners updated.  Please accept this attempt to move us closer to one another.  Although you have been on the radar of our hearts, we hope this update will place us on the radar of your thoughts so you can know how to pray for us.

When we returned to Taiwan mid August, responsibilities with both IMB and BSF put us on the fast track, running the race set before us.  We both love and enjoy the work God has called us to do, but we find that as we age, we require all the more routine rest, especially as travels tend to mess with our body clocks. 

In late August, we both traveled to BSF Area workshop to equip us for teaching the Matthew study in the Taiwan classes.  The Evening Men’s class is growing, and the class has moved to a larger facility, hopefully allowing for more growth.  Jackie taught “Homiletics” seminar to the men, equipping them to outline bible passages so they can become leaders in the local churches.  In a few weeks, he will teach them how to “Share the Gospel”, in a clear way that will hopefully give the men confidence as they witness.  The Women’s class has expanded into a secondary facility adjacent to the host church, as they are now larger than they have ever been in their class history.  As they continue to grow, they will need a larger facility.  Please pray that these Taipei BSF classes will be a strong influence to lead seekers to the gospel truth, and also be used to equip fellow believers so they can in turn become bolder witnesses and strong leaders for Christ.  Remember, many of these bible students are from pagan, idol worshipping backgrounds, and they face much persecution from family and friends for their devotion to Christ.

In early October, we had the privilege of traveling to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the BSF Area Leaders Retreat.  This event occurs once every three years.  The attraction to the study of God’s word through BSF has grown significantly on this side of the world. This year’s Retreat had 1,400 leaders attend, whereas the 2004 Retreat had 1,000 leaders, and the 2001 Retreat had 700 leaders.  It is very exciting to meet leaders representing 55 classes from 13 area countries:  China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.  The customary dress representing these cultures was very colorful!  Our flight back to Taipei was very bumpy, as we returned to Taiwan on the exit winds of a typhoon.  God’s peace was evident among the 50 plus leaders on our flight representing the 3 Taipei classes. While being jostled in the air, Isaiah 58:8 came to mind …. “the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard”. He certainly guarded us safely through the storm!

Jackie travels alone for the mission sometimes.  In early September he traveled to Thailand for an annual event which unites our Area leaders and those that serve as strategy coordinators.  Jackie handles updates and enters a lot of data, helping to assemble the annual budget request that the East Asia region will present to the IMB.  This coming week, he will travel to a different city in Thailand to meet with the annual AGM planning team, as they begin executing plans for our upcoming annual event with all personnel in the EA region.  Please pray for travel safety for Jackie, and stamina to be focused on the task at hand for both of us while we spend a few days apart.  We find the older we get, the more we are attached to one another, leaving a void during our days of separation. J

We update our “blog” more often then we send out newsletters, but we tend to think very few visit our website since we rarely receive comments.  Fran has added a “mission moment” to the “blog”, and Jackie continues to give book reviews, adds culture photos and makes a variety of interesting entries. The “blog” is easier for making short entries, and we tend to rely on it more instead of using newsletters to stay in touch.  Although both mediums only provide one-way communication, we have found that more of you email us after we send a newsletter.  We say all this, in hopes that we may appear back on your radar!  

We really would love to hear from you so we can get caught up with your life also.

You are on the radar of our hearts,

In His overseas service,

Jackie & Fran
Taipei

Phil 1:3-5

From the beginning of July to the end of October we will have had six significant events; and we wonder why we have lived in a mostly constant state of tiredness. Let’s quickly review:

It all began in July with our daughter’s wedding – simply & truly awesome! (pictures soon – right Paige?)

In August we spent a few days in Cozumel (See pictures here), returned to Taiwan after 5 months in the US, and attended a workshop in Hong Kong.

September was when I went to Thailand for budget work. Fran was busy cranking up the BSF class that her STL had so graciously lead in her absence, March – May (while we were on stateside assignment in the US).

October saw us in Malaysia for BSF teaching and retreat and before the month is over I will go to a different venue in Thailand where the planning team will begin to lay the groundwork for our annual meeting.

I share all that just to say this, if it seemed that we were ignoring you or if you haven’t heard from us and thought you would, we’ve been really snowed under. Hopefully after the trip for planning in Thailand things will calm down a bit and we can return to a somewhat normal life.

That reminds me. We receive a LOT of spam in our email. We have had to start using a more aggressive spam filter. If you write and do not hear back from us please try again and leave a comment on the blog or the contact form. We can make adjustments that will allow your mail to get through.

Please write to us. We love hearing from you. It is a great encouragement!