The Taiwan Times
By Mark Wolfram
Reporting on God’s mission in Taiwan
October 2011

²⁰ to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, ²¹ and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.^[a] It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

1 Peter 3:20-22

 Reaching out through baptism

God is a patient God. He continues to love us and reach out to us with his grace and mercy, even when we don’t love him or our neighbors. He calls us and snatches us from the claws of sin, into a true joy in Christ. This month I’d like to share about an example of God’s continued pursuit and welcoming of a new member into his family through water and word.

We were blessed on Sunday October 2, to have a baptism and confirmation at Salvation Lutheran Church. First, a student in our youth group named Lin, was brought into God’s family through the waters of holy baptism. Lin is a great testimony of God’s working in his own time and way.

I remember about 4 years ago, the youth group was taking an outing in the Chia-Yi area. Pastor Paul (who was a “fill-in” pastor for one year), was leading it and I was one of the chaperones for the students as we went to see a few monuments and go for a hike. Throughout the trip, we would talk and joke around with the kids, and try to answer questions that they had.

At that time, my Chinese was starting to improve and I could understand a lot more of what I was being spoken around me. I distinctly remember a conversation that Pastor Paul had with Lin concerning baptism. He asked her if she had ever thought about getting baptized, and explained how it was an assurance and out-pouring of God’s Holy Spirit, in which God promises eternal life. Pastor Paul asked her if she was interested in baptism, and she just kind of shrugged and didn’t respond.

I remember feeling discouraged at the time and thinking that she must not be that receptive to the message of the Gospel. However, praise God that the story does not end there and that he does not give-up. Lynn continued coming to youth group, and continued to hear God’s word, and now is a baptized Christian.

In addition to Lin’s baptism and confirmation, a high school classmate of hers named Wei, confirmed her Christian faith during the worship service.

Here are some videos if you would like to watch the baptism, confirmation, or just practice your Chinese!

Lin’s Baptism

Wei’s Confirmation

I wanted to share this story with you, to help you understand how God continues to work through you, me, and all the Christians here in Taiwan and in America. God hears our prayers and answers them in his way and his time. I hope you remember this, and that God will present to you opportunities to share his love with the people around you.

More teachers needed

Here at the elementary portion of our school, we are in desperate need for more teachers. We currently only have 2 elementary teachers on staff, and the school has asked teachers from the high school to teacher overtime hours to pick-up missing classes. If you know anyone who is interested in serving overseas as an English teacher, please let them know about the need in Taiwan. I can give them more specific information if they contact me. We could have teachers start as early as February, which would be the start of our second semester.

It’s prayer time:

1. Pray for my fellow teacher Noel Schaff, who is back in the US getting treatment for some growths that are in her body. Pray for God to heal her body, comfort her spirits and help her to put full trust in Jesus. Pray also for Noel’s husband Andrew, who is here in Taiwan continuing to teach.
2. Pray for Lin and Wei, that God would continue to grow their faith in him.
3. Pray for God to raise up new teachers to come and serve at CELA.
4. Praise God for the service of short term mission team Ken and Mildred Young, as well as a wonderful experience at the ALEA conference in Hong Kong. Both of these took place in the last part of October and I’ll report more on these in next month’s newsletter.

 

God’s peace be with you!

Mark

I recently had my annual dinner with Mark and I realize that I have not posted his last two newsletters.

Here is my annual picture with Mark:

As usual we had a good meal and heard his sob story about how he HAS to go visit Australia for a 2nd time this year! I know, tragic!

Here is his May Newsletter:

The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121:8

This is the Bible verse that greets everyone as you enter campus via the main steps. It is a reminder that God is always with us, no matter where we go. It especially applies to this month’s newsletter featuring CMS’ graduation, and I pray that it will be a reminder for you in your everyday life as well.

Outdoor Worship

On Sunday May 29, Salvation Lutheran Church joined up with Glorious Grace Lutheran Church (a church from a nearby county), to have an outdoor worship service in Ji-Ji, Taiwan. The day featured a service outdoors with Pastor John Wan of Glorious Grace giving the message. In addition to the worship service, we traveled to a playground area with old military equipment, a historic train station and shopping district, and a few sites with information on Taiwan’s environment and endemic creatures.

First, this was a really neat opportunity to travel and interact with fellow church members in a setting outside of the regular worship service. It also was an outreach event to get some of the parents and families who don’t attend Sunday worship, to join us for the day. This worked as there were a couple families that send children to the Saturday Kids Camp, but do not attend worship.

Secondly, it was also good to connect with another Lutheran Church. Glorious Grace had participated in two other activities with our church this semester. One was the LCMS/CELC Winter Youth Camp in the end of February (see my last newsletter for more information). A second was the CELC’s Central-Southern District gathering, held in March at Concordia Middle School. Seeing some of the youth and adults for a third time, helped me became more comfortable in my interactions with them. But even more importantly, it helped the youth of the two churches interact and continue to build on relationships that have been steadily growing over the last couple of months.

Praise God for this opportunity for the two churches to get, I hope that it will especially help the youth stay connected with each other. They are can encourage each other and relate to each other in an island where less then 10% of the people are Christian.
Check out our Team Taiwan website for this video from outdoor worship. In the video, Cherry (from Glorious Grace) leads us in singing a song to help learn the books of the New Testament (in Chinese of course J ).

http://sites.cmsh.cyc.edu.tw/foreignenglish/video/outdoor-worship-2011

CMS Graduation
This last weekend was graduation day at Concordia Middle School. I am always proud of my students and the hard work and dedication they put into finishing high school, especially with the high pressure testing that takes place here in Taiwan. I love congratulating them, signing their yearbooks, and talking with them about what universities they will attend and what they want to study in college. I’m always excited to see former students graduate and move onto the challenges and opportunities that will come in college. This is especially true in Taiwan, where the freedoms and new environment of college can often help students who were interested in Christianity explore it more. Many of them are removed from the family pressure of ancestor worship or local folk religion. I have heard several stories of students who were non-Christians in high school, but went to college and came to faith. A great example is a former student of mine named Bill, who graduated three years ago and now comes back to CMS to lead Bible small groups for 8th grade students (see Sept. 2009 newsletter).

Psalm 121:8 is on a sign near the front of our school, and is a reminder to all who enter that the Lord is with them as they come and go. As the students leave high school, I always pray that my students will remember the love of Jesus that they learned about here at CMS. Please help me in praying for them as well.

Another Alumni Story
A good story about an aluni growing in faith happened this last month. I met a former CMS student named Jackie, who I had often saw at activities sponsored by the Religion Department, during his time at CMS. A few weeks ago, Jackie was back on campus helping to give information to the graduating Seniors about practical tips for transitioning to college. Before his presentation, I had the chance to catch-up with him and he told me that he is thinking about becoming a pastor. I was really excited for this because, while Jackie was a Christian in high school, it is encouraging to see God put this on his heart as he looks toward his vocation. I asked Jackie for a little more of his faith story, and he shared with me that his father is a second generation Christian and that his immediate family is all Christian. They attend the Quaker church here in Chia-Yi. Jackie is not sure if God is calling him to the ministry, but he is praying about it, and I told him that I would pray as well and ask people in America to pray with us.

Teachers Needed
We are still looking for teachers for the elementary portion of our school. If you know anyone who is even a little interested, please email me. I’d love to give them some more information.

It’s Prayer Time
1. Pray for God to raise up more teachers to teach at CELA in the fall.
2. Pray for all of the students who will be leaving CMS this year. Pray they will continue to learn about God.
3. Pray for Jackie as he considers being a pastor.
4. Pray for the youth of the China Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC), that they would continue to be strengthened in faith and relationships formed at the church activities would be maintained.
God bless,

Mark

View the original PDF.

Here is Mark’s June Newsletter:

Back in the US
It’s good to be back in the United States of America, and to celebrate our country’s independence and freedoms. I made it back stateside on Saturday June 25, after a long but uneventful trip. When I come back, I am often asked how long the trip takes. Well, I timed it out from the moment I stepped out of my door in Taiwan to the time I arrived at my parents house in Des Moines, totally travel time was just under 28 hours. I know have already seen some of you, and will be seeing more of you during my time in the US. I look forward to that.

For my June newsletter, I would like to share with you the following article I wrote a few weeks ago for the Asia Ablaze Newsletter. It focuses on how Concordia Middle School shared God’s love in support of the LCMS school in Joplin, Missouri. A team of teachers over in Taiwan worked together with students and faculty at the school to lend a helping hand for their fellow Christians here in America. I specifically helped by having my 10th grade students write letters, and by coordinating the financial gifts with CMS’ principal, dean of the Religion Department, and fellow missionary Beka House.

CMS Helps Christians in Joplin, MO
On May 22nd , a powerful tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri and devastated the community, including Martin Luther School. On hearing about the disaster, the administrators and students of Concordia Middle School (CMS) and Concordia English Language Academy (CELA) in Chia-Yi Taiwan, worked to give back and help their fellow Lutheran educators and students.

School. Several classes, decided to write letters of encouragement to families who lost houses, property, and friends. At CELA, over a 160 students in grades 3-6 took time in their classes make cards and letters to help encourage the people.
At CMS, 30 tenth grade students practiced their English and became educated on the situation through reading a news article on the disaster. They then proceeded to write letters of encouragement for the people at Martin Luther School. When asked about the situation in Joplin, tenth grader Rita Chen reflected, “I think it’s miserable, and I feel sorry for them. I hope they can get the help they need.” When asked about writing the letters, she went on to say, “I think it’s a great honor that I can actually help them, to give them comfort.”
Finally, Concordia Middle School also offered financial support to help get the people of Joplin back on their feet. On June 8, Rick Hong, Dean of the CMS Religion Department presented $1,000 (US) on behalf of CMS to be used to help the people of Martin Luther School. Taiwan GEO missionary Rebekah House will work with Martin Luther Principal Jeremy Schamber to use that money to buy gift cards and to get those gift cards and letters of encouragement to families in need.

Praise God for the willingness of the CMS and CELA students and administrators to support the people of Joplin. Please continue to pray for the people of Joplin as they recover from this horrible incident. May God comfort them, heal them, and work through this terrible event to bring more people closer to Jesus.

Teachers Needed
We are still looking for teachers for the elementary portion of our school. If you know anyone who is even a little interested, please email me. I’d love to give them some more information.

It’s Prayer Time
1. Praise God for the time to relax, recharge, and meet with family, friends, and supporters.
2. Pray for all of the students who will be leaving CMS this year. Pray they will continue to learn about God.
3. Pray for Salvation Lutheran Church summer activities. The church will be continuing a Friday evening summer program in the month of July. This will be led by Ben and Amy Riley, and Pastor Alex. Pray also for the continued youth activities and the summer youth camp that will be led by the China Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC).
4. Pray for God to raise up more American elementary teachers to come to our school.
I have seen some of you already and look forward to seeing more of you in the coming weeks.

God’s peace,

Mark

View the Original PDF.

1. Please pray for all of the children, parents, and people who were in church for Easter Sunday.  May God the Holy Spirit work to create faith in them.
2. Pray for the CELC churches and youth.  May God bless the relationships between churches and help the youth to stay connected to the word of God.
3. Pray for the people at the village I went to in China.  May God provided them with supplies and education to improve their lives.  Praise God for their faith and may he present opportunities for them to share it with others.
4. Pray for God to provide more teachers to come and serve in Taiwan.

Mark

I didn’t go to a movie on Tuesday because I was celebrating Carla’s birthday, so instead I will post Mark’s latest newsletter.

The Taiwan Times

By Mark Wolfram

Reporting on God’s Mission in Taiwan

February 2011

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen

Ephesians 3:20-21

Greetings everyone!  God is great, and he works in many ways, often ways that we don’t even see or understand.  The comforting news is that what he does is greater than we can even imagine.  Serving here in Taiwan has been a great opportunity for me to witness God at work, and truthfully I have a lot of different stories I could write about for this newsletter.  However, I have already eclipsed the “February” timetable, so I am going to fill you in a couple of pieces of news, and then give you break down of the mission trip I took to Australia.

New Semester

On February 14, we started our second semester.  I don’t have any changes in my schedule, but I was excited to get back into the classroom.  The 7^th grade Bible classes have been working through a unit on Old Testament stories including Noah, the Tower of Babel, David, and Daniel.  My English classes are also going well, with short stories, small group discussions, and various projects.  My 10^th graders have started reading some simplified summaries of Shakespeare plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, and Hamlet.  They read the stories in small groups and then take turns preparing items to help facilitate a group discussion.

Youth Camp

We were also blessed to have the China Evangelical Lutheran Church Winter Youth Camp on February 27-28.  There were a lot of people who put in a ton of work to plan this retreat, and praise God for the blessing it was.  Over 70 youth attended from churches throughout Taiwan, and we had 117 people participate in some capacity.  I will write in detail about this in my next newsletter.  Please pray for all who attended, that God would use the event to grow faith in the lives of those who do not yet know him.

Short term service trip

The teachers here in Taiwan began preparations for a short term service trip to China.  On this trip we will be going to small villages to gather information about health and educational needs that they have.  We will report this information to a Christian organization in China, who will use it to create projects to meet the needs of the people.  There will be two groups of American teachers from Taiwan who will be going to China at two different times.  Please pray for the logistical preparations, as well as our hearts as we set out to serve.  More information on this will be written in a future newsletter.

Next Year

Finally, I want to inform everyone that I am going to be extending my service in Taiwan for another year.  This past year has been full of new challenges and joys, and I feel God calling me to continue my new position as CMS Liaison for another year.

As with any time I have extended, there is always the need to fundraise.  However, I have some very exciting news on that front.  I was informed this weekend that I am already fully funded for next year’s service.  Truthfully, I was surprised to hear this news, but as we know, God works in ways that are more powerful than we can imagine.  Praise God, and thank you all for the role you play in making this ministry possible.

While I have met my fundraising goals, I still want to come and share with you more about what God is doing in Taiwan.  Please contact me if you are interested in having me come and share about the mission work.  My final schedule is not yet set for the summer, but we can begin communication about what dates could possibly work.
Also, we are still looking for teachers for next year.  If you know of anyone who might be interested, please contact me.

Prayer Time

1. Pray for the people at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kadina, Australia.  May God help them to share the good news with the people around them.
2. Pray for all youth who attended the CELC Youth Camp, that they would grow in faith in their savior Jesus.
3. Praise God for the good news about my fundraising goals.  Pray for others members of the team who still need to meet fundraising goals.
4. Pray for my students, that I may be able to share the Gospel with them clearly and that God would work faith in their hearts.

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and love in Christ!

Mr. Mark Wolfram

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Christmas Celebrations!

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope and pray you had a wonderful time celebrating the birth of Jesus, this child who has forever changed the world and our hearts. Here in Taiwan, my Christmas season is always filled with a plethora of activities, and this year was no exception. While it is impossible to capture all of the joy, excitement, and emotion on a piece of paper, I hope this update can give you a glimpse into the opportunities God presented to share his love this Christmas season.

Christmas at Concordia Middle School!
One huge blessing of teaching at CMS is all of the opportunities to share the Gospel to the students. Below are some of Christmas activities used to help reach them.

OSF Christmas
On Thursday December 17th, the students who live at school celebrated Christmas and learned about Jesus’ birth through singing Christmas songs, watching a drama performed by the American teachers, reading the Christmas story, and taking a Christmas quiz. The quiz presented questions about the first Christmas, fun Christmas facts, and cultural questions about Christmas in America. The students with the highest scores were given candy canes. If you want to take the quiz, it is linked in the official Team Taiwan blog, located at:  http://lcmsteamtaiwan.blogspot.com/
The quiz is linked within the text of blog post titled “ OSF Christmas party.”

Christmas Worship

On Thursday December 23rd, 7th grade students gathered in Luther Chapel, and 8th-11th grade students gathered in the auditorium for Christmas worship. From 8:00-9:30, students had worship which included two skits, songs, a choir piece, and a message. Rick Hong, the Dean of Concordia’s Religion Department, reflected this past week that there were several students who specifically told him how they enjoyed the worship service and felt touched by it.

The American teachers at the Junior High and High School participated in the worship service by performing a skit called the Bad News Bandits. In the skit, a group of rough and mean cowboys found a baby who ended up changes their lives. This is just like Jesus, who came and changed us from sinners to forgiven children of God. If you would like to watch it, the skit is linked on our Team Taiwan Website. It is uploaded in two parts. Click the following:
https://sites.google.com/a/cmsh.cyc.edu.tw/foreignenglish/life-in-taiwan/teaching/foreign-teachers-christmas-skit

As for me, my biggest role in the drama is the voice of the baby, so all of that annoying wailing is me, ha! However I do make a few other short appearances on stage, see if you can find them.
Song Competition

Each year, 7th grade (also known as Junior 1) through 11th grade (also known as Senior 2) students, have a couple of intra-grade competitions. One of these is the Christmas song contest. For this competition each class needs to select a conductor, a pianist, and two songs to sing for the judges. One of the songs needs to be a Christmas song, and other needs to be a religious song. Everyone in the class participates, and they spend over a month preparing to sing.

I know I have written this in the past, but I love this activity. Listening to the Senior High Competition has become a Christmas tradition of mine and an absolutely wonderful way to spend the afternoon. It brings such joy to my heart, hearing the students sing praises to God. In addition, it is something they will always remember, and I pray God will use the words of those songs to impact their lives and help them know more about who he is.

Last year I provided some links to songs, and I’ll do the same this year. Please click on the following to hear the winning class of the Senior High Competition: Senior 2 Class E. The first song is in Chinese, the second one is in Taiwanese. Enjoy! I definitely did.

http://www.youtube.com/concordiaTW?gl=TW&hl=zh-TW#p/u/37/qKSkbMkun5Y

Tree Competition

The second intra-grade level Christmas competition that the students have at CMS is the Christmas tree contest. This time, 7th-11th graders are each given a tree or shrub on the main part of campus. They then need to decorate their tree to show a Bible story or Biblical theme. Below are some pictures of the Christmas trees:

Christmas Caroling
On Thursday evening, December 23rd, the students and teachers who live at CMS went around the neighborhood Christmas caroling. Taking guitars and song sheets, we stopped at homes and business in the area, proclaiming Jesus’ birth through song.
Christmas at Church.
In addition to school, Salvation Lutheran Church had several activities in which Christians here in Taiwan were able to spread the Good News.

Orphanage

The children and helpers of Salvation Lutheran’s weekly kids camp, spent Saturday December 18th at an orphanage in Chia-Yi city. Here the kids played games with the orphans, sang songs, gave gifts, and even performed a skit for them.

I helped to lead the children in songs, playing guitar for two Chinese songs, and a Christmas version of “This is the Day”. Praise God for this chance to witness in the community, and giving our children at church to learn about sharing Christmas with kids who are less fortunate.

Sunday Morning Worship and Love Feast

On Sunday morning, December 19th Salvation Lutheran had their annual Christmas worship service and Love Feast. The children from the Saturday school came and performed their skit for the members of the church and their parents. Most of these parents normally drop their children off on Saturdays for the kids camp, but neither the children nor the parents attend services. However, on Christmas the sanctuary was full of children and their parents, and all of them heard the message of Jesus Christ being born as a baby to be our savior from sin.

After the worship service, everyone stuck around for the Love Feast. This celebratory meal featured an enormous serving line of dishes including salads, chicken, fish, fruit, and soups. It was nice time for people to chat and have fellowship.

Caroling

On Christmas Eve, over 50 teachers and students attend this activity, which took place instead of the normal Friday Night Bible Study. The carolers went to 4 neighboring apartment buildings. There, we sang songs in English and Chinese, both with guitar and acapella. In addition, Mikey (one of our Taiwanese brothers), led the people in a short game. I played guitar for the songs along with Ben Riley, Stanley (an 11th grade student at CMS), and Stephanie (a 9th grade students at CMS).

Youth Group Christmas Worship and Party
On Sunday evening, January 26th, we had a youth worship and Christmas party for students of Salvation Lutheran Youth Group. We began the evening with a gift exchange game, where each kid could take a gift from under the tree, or exchange it for a gift that had already been taken. All of the gifts were small little items purchased at Diaso, which is the Japanese version of the “Everything’s $1.00 Store.”
I planned and lead the youth worship. We had 4 hymns, confession, the creed, and a short message on the names of Jesus as found in Isaiah 9:6. After worship we all enjoyed Domino’s pizza and decorated Christmas cookies.
All in all, it was a very fun evening, focused on Christ’s love and Christian fellowship.

It’s Prayer Time!

1. Praise God for all of these Christmas activities, and pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of all who heard the message.
2. Pray for the teachers at CMS, both American and Taiwanese, as we rest up from Christmas, and start to transition to end of the semester grading. May God give us strength, energy, and focus.
3. Praise God that Noel Schaff was able to return safely to Taiwan. She is now taking the remainder of the semester off, to heal and rest up. However, she will be teaching with us full time again next semester. Please pray for her continued recovery.
4. Pray for James Rush, as he continues to teach Noel’s classes this semester. We are working with the school to finalize a schedule for him to stay on as a teacher next semester. Please pray for him and that process.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Mark

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Advent:  A Good Busy

Hello everyone! November has come and gone and we are just about to get into the thick of things with December’s Christmas preparations.  Right now it is the season of Advent, which means we are preparing for the arrival of Christmas.  I absolutely love Advent, even though it is one of the more busy times of the year.  In fact, I was just having a conversation on Friday about how the Christmas season is a “good busy”.  I say that because under all of the skit practices, music practices, parties and outreach events, the central message is one of great joy and hope.  We have these celebrations and activities to share in the jubilation that God sent his son to our world.  As we prepare for Christmas, we complete all of those items on our list to help celebrate this fact and to share the life changing message of Christ with other people.  May God continue to remind us that he is with us.

Advent at Friday Night Bible Study

In the four weeks leading up to our celebrations at Salvation Lutheran Church, we have been observing Advent at Friday Night Bible Study.  FNBS has 5 different levels of classes:  Little Lambs Class for Elementary students, a Bi-lingual class for beginner English learners,  Junior High class, a Senior High class, and an Advanced English Adult Class.  Each class has been taking their angle on themes of preparing for Christmas, and I would like to spend a little time introducing the lessons for the Adult Advanced English Class.

The first lesson was taught by Petrea, and this lesson studied the role of angels and the proclamation to Mary that she would give birth to God’s son.  Ben taught the second lesson and focused on the shepherds.  The lesson examined who the shepherds were and what they did at Christmas, but it also related the idea of sheep to the fact that Christ is the Passover Lamb, blameless without defect.

Last Friday I taught a lesson looking at the Wise Men, and the gifts that they brought.  Several people knew that they brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  We went further though and discussed how each of these gifts can remind us about who Jesus is.  Gold shows that Jesus is our king, frankincense shows that Jesus is our priest, and myrrh reminds us that Jesus came to die for us.  We then looked up Bible verses to show how Jesus fits each of those descriptions.

Please pray for this Adult Advanced English Class.  May God continue to strengthen the faith of the believers in that class, and may he bring to faith those who do not know yet know him.

Prayer Update

Thank you very much for your continued prayers for Noel, Andrew, and James.  I would like to share an update on the situation.  A few weeks ago, Noel went back to the doctor and discovered that her tumors were gone.  Praise God!  Doctors continued to have tests and examinations, and then this past week they gave her a clean bill of health, so she will be able to join us in Taiwan this Christmas.

In addition, James Rush was able to make it out to Taiwan and fill in for Noel’s classes.  He has been a great addition to the team, not only in easing the teaching load, but also with the new energy and excitement that he brings.  Praise God for him and his willingness to come and serve.

New Website

This semester, CMS requested that the American teachers work together to make a website introducing the work and lives of the missionaries here in Taiwan.  The school wants to link this website to the official CMS website, and hopes this new English website will be beneficial for people here in Taiwan, but also people in America.  The whole team has and will continue to work together on this website, but Graham Guenther has volunteered to work with the school on managing the site.  I would like to invite all of you to check it out.  It’s not finished yet, but feel free to browse and get a feel for it.  The website has videos, general information, and a blog (which will be updated by several members of the team).

The address for this website is:  https://sites.google.com/a/cmsh.cyc.edu.tw/foreignenglish/home

To see the blog, click on “What’s Happening”, or go to:  http://lcmsteamtaiwan.blogspot.com/

It’s Prayer Time!

1.     Praise God for Noel’s recovery, and ask for God to continue to be with her as she prepares to return to Taiwan.

2.    Praise God that James Rush has been able to come to join us.  Pray for him as he teaches Noel’s classes this semester.

3.    Pray for the students of the Adult Advanced English Class at FNBS.  May God continue to work on their hearts to create faith.

4.    Pray for all of the Christmas preparations here in Taiwan.  May God give all of us missionaries strength, energy, and wisdom in sharing the Gospel.

A joyous Advent to you all!

Mark

Taiwan Times:
October Newsletter

Hey everyone! I know it has been awhile since I got a newsletter out, and you have my apologies. I will work to do a better job in the coming months. In the meantime, I wanted to give you all a quick update for this month.

The school year has gotten off to a fast and furious start. Some of my new duties have been to help coordinate the application process for the missionaries’ green cards and work permits. I also was able to coordinate the visit of Dr. Christine Ross, who is a professor of Christian Education at Concordia Irvine, and leader of the DCE placement program.

Christine was able to give us a couple of quick refreshers on teaching Bible classes to students, in addition to being able to answer our concerns and questions. On top of that, she is also seeking opportunities for placement of DCE interns. I thought her trip went really well, and I ask you to pray for God to open opportunities to bring Irvine students out to Taiwan for service.

As for teaching, my classes have gone really well so far. I continue to teach 7th grade English and Bible, in addition to 10th and 11th grade Advanced English. I absolutely love teaching my kids and getting to know them and share Christ through word and action. Please pray for my interactions with students and for my preparation and grading of school work. May God be glorified through it all.

The out of class activities have also gotten up and running. On-Campus Student Fellowship, Friday Night Bible Study, and Salvation Youth Group continue to be used to spread the Gospel with teenagers here in Taiwan. At Friday Night Bible Study, we are currently teaching about the book of Acts and God the Holy Spirit’s work as seen through the early church. This week I will be teaching a lesson on the conversion of Saul. Please pray for God to be working through these fellowships and Bible Studies to create faith in the hearts of the people here in Taiwan.

Finally, I would like to share about a special prayer request. One of our missionaries, Noel Schaff, has returned to America for medical treatment. The doctors recently diagnosed her with cancer, so she will remain in the US for surgery and potential treatment. Andrew Schaff, her husband will also be going to the US to accompany his wife during this time.

Please pray for both Noel and Andrew. Pray for God to be with Noel and to heal her according to his will. Please also pray for Andrew as he comforts his wife and faces the trial with her. May God continue to be their source of strength.

In addition, pray for the teachers who are pitching in to help with classes. May God give us energy, focus, and may he be our strength.

Finally, pray also for a former Taiwan missionary, James Rush. He is considering the possibility of returning to Taiwan for a semester to help fill in with the teaching responsibilities. Details are still being worked out, but we hope and anticipate his arrival. Pray that God would work in that process, as James seeks to serve again here in Taiwan.

Thanks for all of your prayers and your financial support. As I shared in August, I am fully funded for this year of service, so praise God!. I know that I still have many “thanks yous” to write from this summer. I will not forget to write personal notes of thanks. But in the meantime, you are all greatly appreciated, and I thank God for you!

In Christ,
Mark