Mission Taiwan

Psalms 24:4-5

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.  Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

I ask that you please pray specifically for me in these ways!

Praises

• I am developing an ear for the language.
• Great new Bible study with some NCUE students.
• Awesome personal time in the Word!
• Great joy working with some college students!
• Many great new friends!
• God’s answer to prayers and teaching me of his plans for the next couple of years.

Prayer

• Sharing God’s Biblical truths clearly.
• Continual development and mastering of the Chinese language.
• Divine opportunities to share Jesus’ story (my recognition of these opportunity).
• Discernment living in a different culture.
• Fruitful relationship with my Taiwanese housemates.
• Teaching skills.
• Discipleship skills.
• Safety and health in travel and commuting.
• Decisions about what God is planning for me in Taiwan or the future.
• Refreshing joy and excitement in my daily worship!

One step at a time:

My parents shared with me the story of Jesus at a young age. They taught me about His miracles and life as God and man. They also shared with me about His death and His resurrection. At a young age, I held an elementary understanding of the truth of believing in Jesus as my personal savior, but I was also able to observe how they lived their lives according to their belief in God and Bible to gain a better understanding. It took me until I was in college to experience what it meant to follow Jesus fully in my life. When I was younger, I had my parents to help me along with my beliefs, but as I have developed a life away from my parents, I better realized the meaning and need of having a relationship with Jesus. I needed to make choices about what I believed and lived for because it was going to affect my entire life. It has been a growing process ever since that will continue for the rest of my life.

I am very thankful to my parents’ commitment to Jesus Christ. As I follow Jesus now, it is not always easy and I have not always lived a perfect life as if a magic spell was placed on me. On the contrary, life is often more challenging in some ways (living against the grain of the world). A life with Christ is not what I can do on my own, just like my salvation was not what I did for myself but what Jesus did for me on the cross, but a life where I am meeting Him in a relationship. I still live a life that is filled with ups and downs, but with a heart that is focusing and depending on Jesus using the Bible as my road map to living life.

As I live, I hope that I will love those around me in what ever I do, in such a way that encourages them to also live a life with Christ that glorifies God in His amazing holiness!  Now as I live in Taiwan, I pray God will continue to reveal himself to the Taiwanese in an awesome way so many more people will come to personally know Him and also worship Him as the true God through a relationship with Jesus His son.  I also desire to see God use my life to raise up new young men to be leaders for the faith in Taiwan.  Men who will eventually become husbands and fathers; neighbors; co-workers, employees, and managers; teachers, businessman and politicians; writers and artists; and pastors and missionaries. Men who have an active daily growing relationship with God and are willing to live each day taking up the cross to follow him!

(Updated October 1, 2009)