TheBellSite

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Greetings From Texas!

It is hard to believe that our time stateside has come and gone so quickly! Had you asked us a month ago if we were ready to return to the field, we probably would have said “no”, however we now feel like we have rested well, played hard, and eaten enough, and now our hearts are turning back towards the people and work in East Asia.

Highlights:

Fran & Paige – a day at the Arboretum
Fran, Paige, sister, in laws & friends – Mom’s Day surprise
Fran & sister Boo – 3 days at Galveston
Jackie & Fran – Bike rides & 3 mile walks at North Park Mall
Fran – stretch class at PCBC & morning walk’s with a friend.
Jackie & Fran – 3 days at BSF Headquarters in San Antonio
Jackie & Fran, Paige & Chris – 2 days in LaGrange
Jackie & Fran – fun w/lifetime friends on Memorial Day
Week night dinners with Travis
Jackie & Fran, w/Paige & Chris – 8 days in Canada!
Jackie & Fran – 6 Days in VA for stateside renewing & reunited with Taiwan co-workers
Jackie – numerous trips for dental work & Fran- numerous cholesterol tests
Family gatherings at graduations and funerals
Millions of trips to half price books (Jackie pouts if we pass by w/out stopping)
Discovered some great Food: Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill, Pizza by Marco, Cindy’s Delicatessen, Charlie’s Philly cheese steak, & THE FOOD CHANEL! [Jackie has nick named Fran “Frachel” because she loves Rachel Ray’s 30-minute meals!]
Lunches/or coffee with a few faithful friends!
Meeting the next generation of Taiwanese UTD students!
Scanning many generations of photos for both the Bell & Hogue families

We are so very thankful for:

Lottie Moon supporters
Southern Baptist Church partners with International Mission Board
Park Cities Baptist Church – provision of a mission home!
Bible Study Fellowship, International (BSF) – its worldwide ministry
Brenda Rhodes – provision of a mission car!
Many “No alarm” days – we came home very tired, and finally begin to feel rested. As we return to Taiwan Aug 15, we are so thankful for this season of rest. We are amazed how the sermon series at PCBC took us through Philippians, emphasizing our new life in Christ. Our week in Richmond focused on “Renewal”, encouraging us to rest physically as we reconnect with loved ones. Our week in Canada renewed our spirits as the Rockies revealed the majesty of God. We truly are thankful for our REST IN HIM!

Ways to pray:

As we return to field service, we hope you will continue to be our prayer partners! Jackie will begin a new work assignment, serving as Admin Specialist to the Strategy Training Team for East Asian Peoples Affinity Group. Please pray he will be quick to learn his new job assignment, and that his gifts and skills will compliment our co-workers. He will also continue to serve as substitute teaching leader of the Evening men’s BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) class. Fran will continue to serve as the teaching leader of the day women’s BSF class. Pray that the “Acts of the Apostles” study be used in these Taipei classes to bring new life to truth seekers, and a renewed passion for Christ among believers and a commitment to actively serve the local churches and the world. We will also resume our in home bible study with young Adults. Many of them are UTD Alumni and love our common love of Dallas. Pray the Lord will re-gather them to our home in September and that many will come to know and trust Christ.

For those of you that weren’t able to re-connect while we were in TX, know that you are always welcome to come see us in Taiwan. When you come, you will experience a land of beauty as you minister to a spiritually hungry people group.

Blessings,

Jackie & Fran

www.TheBellSite.com

Pray4Taiwan@TheBellSite.com

theFam

Ministry of Interior celebrates religious diversity in Taiwan

GLOBAL VILLAGE:The ministry said that the fact that 27 different officially registered religions could coexist peacefully was a sign of Taiwan’s tolerance

By Loa Iok-sin / Staff Reporter

There are more than 15,000 religious establishments in the country, including nearly 12,000 Buddhist or Taoist temples and about 3,000 Christian churches of various denominations, which shows that Taiwan is a religiously diverse country, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said yesterday.

“On average, there are 41 religious establishments — including temples and churches — in each township or municipal district,” Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah said in a statement.

“The density of religious establishments in Taiwan is very high compared to most countries. This shows that we are a religiously tolerant and diverse country,” Jiang said.

That all different religions in the country could coexist peacefully and respect each other is also proof that Taiwan is a tolerant society, the minister added.

According to the MOI, there are a total of 27 officially registered religions in the country, including the major religions of Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam, as well as smaller or locally developed religions such as Confucianism, I-kuan Tao, Maitreyaism, and the Unification Church.

As far as Taoism and Buddhism are concerned, Taoist temples account for 78.3 percent of all 11,875 officially registered temples in the country, while Buddhist temples account for 19.6 percent, MOI statistics show.

For Christianity, 76.5 percent of the country’s 3,336 churches are Protestant, while Catholic churches account for 22.2 percent, according to the MOI.

Regarding the geographic location of religious establishments, more than 30 percent of all temples are in Greater Tainan, Greater Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County, while more than 30 percent of Christian churches are located in Taipei City, Greater Kaohsiung and Hualien County, the MOI statement said.

“From the figures, we see that different religions enjoy popularity in different regions,” the press release said. “Taoism and Buddhism are popular in southern Taiwan, and Protestantism and Catholicism are popular in northern and eastern Taiwan.”

Published on 6-19-2011 in the Taipei Times
Because things often disappear from the online archives. I have copied the complete article here.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/06/19/2003506165