2000-10-05
Dear Family & Friends, October 5, 2000
Many have asked about the churches we have visited. The first week here, we visited a service at Grace Baptist Church where only Chinese was spoken. Although we didn’t understand a word spoken, some of the hymns sounded familiar. Hal & Cynthia sat between us interpreting the service. The second week, we visited the English speaking service (Also at Grace). The next week, we visited the bi-lingual service where we witnessed 20 new Chinese believers (mostly adults) be baptized. We enjoyed the service very much and felt the presence of the Lord with us. This past Sunday, we traveled to Tanmu (a northern suburb) to visit the Taipei International Church. Visiting Portuguese believers from the islands of Samoa & Tango praised and worshiped the Lord in their full native dress through song and dance. This was followed by a mission message from the book of Jonah.
For the past three Saturday nights, I visited Mustard Seed – one of several college student ministries in the city. There are so many universities and so many students here; it is truly a white field ready for harvest. I am continuing to pray about a possible discipleship/leadership training involvement with this group. The couple (David & Pamela) who started Mustard Seed one year ago left this week for an eight month stateside assignment with their precious firstborn 2 month old Daniel. Please pray for me as I seek to find the ministry that God has planned for me. Jackie will wait until his job is well underway before deciding which ministry to be involved with.
One of the most refreshing and honest things I have observed while visiting with people in the churches, BSF and the student ministries is that folks come to where professing Christians gather and openly admit “I am not a Christian yet, but I am reading the Bible to find out the truth and learn how to become a Christian???. That just blows me away. In the U.S., so many people claim to be a Christian because they were born an American or because they went to church as children. These people want to find out the true meaning of a Christian, and they will not claim to be one until they know they are ready to become a professing believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Whew…. Is that a humble attitude or what?
Language study is going well, however we lack confidence in the pronunciation and sentence structures. Our teacher, Gwey Lau Sheur is truly a loving and fun lady. One day, she took me on a field trip to the butterfly museum (PB & SS – wish you had been in my pocket that day). Just as the jungle is the kingdom of the lion, supposedly Taiwan is the kingdom of the butterfly. However, we will have to get out of the city to fully experience the butterflies of Taiwan. Please pray that we would begin speaking what we have learned with confidence, practicing it on the streets.
Jackie will start his job next week although he has spent some time at the office getting his space ready. Please pray the office computer equipment will arrive without further delay in customs and that he will be a quick learner of all his responsibilities. We are so thankful for all the time the mission has allotted us together to acclimate to our surroundings. Also, we have arranged for my computer and medications to be packed in a suitcase for Hal to bring back from the USA next week. Please pray for a smooth entrance with out damage or custom inquiry.
We would like to close in praising God for the constant peace we have experienced since our arrival on Sept. 9th. We thank all of you for your prayers, your notes of encouragement, and your love for our children and us. Paige and Travis are doing well and all any of us can accredit this peace to is our faithful Lord and the faithful prayers of the saints.
Lord bless you all,
Jackie & Fran
Luke 1:38
….. “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants. May everything you said come true.” TLB
P.S. The web site is ready for viewing. Visit it at http://bellcentral.dhs.org .
