Levi and Gretchen are arriving in the next few hours! We are traveling from the airport today and tomorrow flying to Penghu. In Penghu, we will be serving alongside with the English club students from the Chongli campuses and other Navigator students (Changhua, Chongli…). There are approximately 50 university students helping at the camps focusing on elementary and junior high aged students. The teams have integrated character building qualities and principles into the English camp curriculum, so many of the games and lessons will also help the students in their daily lives. The students have already worked several hours in preparing for the camp over the past few months. Please pray the camp will go well and the weather will be nice (no typhoons!) that may complicate the time on Penghu Island. As we partner with the university students, we will have many opportunities to learn from one another. Please pray God will provide opportunities to share his love with the English camp students and co-workers.
The Taiwan Navigators have invited students from the US Navigator Collegiate Ministries to join Taiwanese university students on a short term mission trip in Taiwan this summer. The trip is called the Taiwan Outback… There will be many stops throughout Taiwan in July and some of the time will include partnerships with the rural churches, hence the “Outback” in the trip title. Our stops will include Penghu, Chungli, Hualien, Taipei, and Changhua.
There are many things to pray for throughout the month of July! Please give special prayer attention to: Levi and Gretchen, who will be coming from the US, so they can have safe travel and remain healthy while experiencing all the new foods and hot climate around the island. Also, for the many relationships we will be able to make and help bridge for the local churches in the areas we will be serving. Most importantly, ask God to work through our lives for the glory of his name in Taiwan!
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.
This morning Psalms 131 was a refreshing breath as I consider God’s work verse my work. Sometimes it is difficult to remember God’s mission starts with me. He has been working in my life from the time I was born until today.God has pursued a relationship with me and provided his own Son as a substitute for my sin.The relationship between God and me is the most important relationship each day.As I tune into his words and ways during personal time with him, his mission in my life begins to continue outward to others.Then I become part of his mission in Taiwan.
Jeremy found this sheet of music on the piano at church and thought it was a perfect photo opportunity! How fitting to have a song in the music file to correlate with the fellowship and leader of our lives!!!
Jeremy and Carolee are home for the summer; but in one week, there will be another couple students visiting Taiwan from the US Navigators (June 26 to July 24). They will be serving the Taiwanese university students and churches. Most of the service will be conducted through English VBS camps for students in the local church communities in hopes the students can help the churches strengthen relationships as they reach out to the communities. The students will also have the opportunity to trade their experiences in university and life goals with some peers. Please pray God would help develop close friendships and that he would work through the opportunities in the English camps and friendships with the university peers to reveal his love for each person involved with the month long visit.
The TEAM organization recently published maps of Taiwan dipicting church members throughout the country and locally in different counties. (Click the map to link to the TEAM demographical maps.)
I grew up being taught about God by my parents. Although I appreciate their teaching very much, God seemed very distant to me and not personal. It seemed like God was someone I turned to when I had a major problem in my life, or someone I served so He would allow good things to happen to me.
As a result there was never peace. I never knew how many prayers or good deeds were enough to get God to accept me. I also felt very proud and boastful when I saw that I was more religious than other people.
It was during this time in high school that I had a very simple but important conversation. My aunt from Australia had just flown in for a visit. She asked me a simple question, “how is your relationship with God?” That question shocked me. My aunt then showed me how much God wanted to have a personal relationship with me– she told me about the story of Jesus. It was shown to me that I was accepted by this all-powerful, all-knowing God not because I was good enough, but only because of the unearned favor he has for me. He demonstrated His love for me through Jesus.
I then put my trust in who Jesus is and I began to grow in this relationship with Him.
Now I am older and still confused at times but also at peace. I know my identity is secure even if I fail a thousand tests. It’s secure because I am accepted by God himself.
Jesus completely changed who I am and He is still at work in my heart. I have experienced His hand in my life and I know that He is with me. My hope is that I can share His story with the people around me as I serve them and hold onto who Jesus is!
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; he will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
I am God’s workmanship and everything about me (including my ethnicity!) was planned out by Him in order that I might do His will that He has prepared in advance!
For a while now, I have had a burden for Asian people groups that may have never heard the Gospel before.I think this is because of the way God created me, as a Korean born in America.Therefore, I understand, to an extent, the culture and mindset of the people who live in Asian countries.I am also sensitive and can pick up on cultures relatively quickly because God had planned out that I would live in two cultures simultaneously (Korean and American).
It’s been great seeing God direct my heart to Taiwan.After talking with Eric about a possibility of going to Taiwan for a short-term trip, God really put a desire in my heart to go.Hearing that less than 3% of the Taiwanese people are in the Kingdom really gave me a motivation to serve overseas.God used Romans 10:14-15 to give me a sense of urgency.As I put my trust in His calling, it’s been such a blessing to see Him open doors, provide, and show His just how sovereign He is (even over the officials who validate passports!).
