Exciting News!

Greetings to everyone. I would like to open this newsletter by informing everybody that I have decided to extend my service in Taiwan for another year. After much prayerful consideration, I feel that God is calling me back to serve here at Concordia Middle School. There are many exciting ministries and activities that I am part of, and my teaching is always a joy.

Another piece of exciting news is that Pastor Alex is now officially serving at Salvation Lutheran Church. This past Friday I was given the keys to open up the church for Friday Night Bible Study, and I arrived expecting the church to be locked and dark. When I pulled up on my scooter, I was surprised to find the church wide open with the lights on. To my delight, I was greeted by Pastor Alex. I had completely forgotten that he would be there, but rejoiced to see him smiling and welcoming me.

That evening, he and his wife, Ruth, helped at our study. I taught the Junior High Class. We were teaching the Easter lesson. We looked at the idea of surprises and what kind of surprises the students get. Of course we talked about how Easter is God’s big surprise, and how that is so important for our lives now and for eternity.

At the end one of the 9th grade students who frequently attends FNBS asked a very good question. He asked why God needed to punish Jesus and why people had to believe in Jesus. I discussed a little about how sin needs to be punished and that we can choose to take the punishment ourselves or give it to Jesus.

The student was not totally satisfied with the answer, so he pursued his line of questioning. He surmised that if God was so powerful, He ought to just forgive everyone, regardless of what they do. At this point, Ruth jumped into help answer. She talked about how God is righteous also. It would be against his nature to not do what is right and punish sin. But because of Easter, we have great news. We don’t have to take the punishment. We can let Jesus take it.

The student did not pursue the answer further. I am not sure if the student believed or not, but he heard the message and will be able to think about. I pray that God will continue to work on his heart. I am thankful for the chance to share this news and to have the help of Ruth in witnessing the love of Jesus.

Want to support the ministry?

Because I am extending for another year of service, I will once again need to raise funds to be able to stay here in Taiwan. This year, the total sum has increased significantly. I need to raise $8,820.00 to continue my service. Now this higher goal is due to some changes in LCMS World Mission policy for my position. I am now classified as full-time employee of LCMS World Mission, as opposed to a volunteer. The practical result of this is that I now have extensive American health insurance and retirement. These are two things that I did not have in the past, as I had emergency insurance while in the US and relied on the Taiwanese health care system.

This new policy is exciting as long term missionary, but it does mean an increase in fundraising. As always, I ask that you prayerfully consider if you would like to help financially support this mission. Even if you cannot, prayer support is always important as well. I am just so blessed to have so many supporters back home, making this mission possible.

If you would like to support me, you can send a check to the following address:

Missionary Support
LCMS World Mission
1333 S. Kirkwood Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63122

On the memo line for the check please write “Mark Wolfram account #50152”.

It’s Prayer Time!

1. Please pray for Pastor Alex and Ruth as they begin service at Salvation Lutheran Church. Ask that God would bless them and help all of us members to support them in the ministry. Praise God for the answered prayer that Salvation now has a pastor.
2. Please pray for my friend Doug Larson and his sons, Jacob and Caleb, who will be coming this week to minister to students here in Taiwan for 2 weeks. Pray that God will bless their travels, adjustment and ministry.
3. Pray for my students that they would be open to hearing the Gospel and that God would use me to share the love of Christ with them in word and deed.

God’s peace to you all, and have a blessed Easter!

Mark

Here at Concordia Middle School, I teach Bible class for 7th and 8th graders, and like any classroom it has both rewarding and challenging aspects. On one hand, it is a joy to have the opportunity to share the Gospel with the students. Many of these students are not Christians so the primary part of my ministry is to help them to hear and understand the Bible. As an American teacher, I use English. This opportunity is important, but can also be frustrating when the students are skeptical or not open to the message, or are unable to understand because of their low English ability.

The in-class environment can also be intimidating for students to show interest or ask questions. There are several reasons for this. First, of all they are in high school, so peer pressure and perception are ever-present. This can influence a students’ willingness to participate and show interest at the risk of being un-cool or standing out in the class.
Second, because many students are non-Christians it can be difficult to be open about sharing beliefs or ideas. They are probably insecure about sharing their beliefs, and as much as I reassure them as their teacher, peer influence is extremely powerful. Third, the students are communicating in a second or third language, making some of them afraid to use English.
This is the context for many Bible classes here in CMS. As a teacher I often get caught up in reaching out to the students who do not yet believe, that I forgot about the pressure and challenges that those with faith have as students in Bible class. In an 8th grade class this month, I was reminded that it is important to continue to support and uplift the Christian students in my classes.

I recently had a lesson with my 8th graders (Junior 2), about Jesus calling the first disciples. In the lesson we read about how Simon, Andrew, James, and John left everything to follow Jesus. The main point was that it can be difficult to follow Jesus at times. Christians are sometimes laughed at or put-down because of their beliefs, but Jesus is always with us and loves us. He is the most important thing.

At the beginning of the lesson, there was an activity where the students wrote down 10 things that are important to them. After they wrote these things, I then told the class that I would be taking some of them away and that those items would be gone forever. So I first told them to cross 3 things off of their list…and then two more…and then two more…and then one…and then one…until they only had one thing left on their list. What was the most important thing to them?
The kids moaned and agonized over their choices, as they eliminated genuinely important items from their list. In the end, some of the final answers included a parent, friends, love, and freedom. I teach two classes of 8th graders, about 40 kids in total. In my two classes there was only one student who had Jesus as his answer.

When I thought about this I had two immediate thoughts. First, there are still many students who need to continue to hear about God’s love in Jesus. But second, that student had a lot of faith and courage to write Jesus’ name as the most important thing in his life. Amongst the pressure of being a high school student and being judged by his peers, he wrote the one name that brings salvation.

I was really touched by his courage, and made a point to talk to him as he was leaving class. I told him that I was really happy to see he wrote Jesus as his most important thing. He smiled and acknowledged my comment, but quickly made his way out the door. I am sure he did not want to make a big scene out of it.

I was reminded of the importance of supporting and uplifting the fellow Christians here in Taiwan. It can be hard to go against the grain and stand up for Jesus, and they need encouragement from those of us who are also part of the family of God. I hope my 8th grader felt encouraged about his answer after class.

News for next year!

After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to return to Taiwan for another year of service. I am still passionate about the ministry to the students here at CMS and to the people who live in Chia Yi and the surrounding area. I would like to thank you for your support and prayers.

As a result, I will have to continue fundraising, and I will write more about that in a future newsletter. Please hold off on sending funds to support me. I want to make sure I have the proper information and be able to give you a clear idea of how the process will go this time around. I hope to be able to give you more information in my next newsletter in March.

It’s Prayer Time!

1. Praise God for leading me in a decision about next year. Please ask that He would continue to guide and bless my relationships with students, co-workers and all other people I meet here in Taiwan.
2. Pray for Pastor Alex as he prepares to come and be our pastor in one month. Also pray for Doug Larson, and his sons Jacob and Caleb, as they prepare to come in April on a short term mission trip to do music ministry here in Chia-Yi.

God’s blessings to you all!
Mark

Here is Mark’s September newsletter.

Hi everybody!

I know this is not my formal newsletter, but I did want to take a little time to give you a quick update about how things are going. I’ll write something a little more formal in October.

I hope and pray all is well with all of you. God has really blessed me this past month, as we have started off another school year here at Concordia Middle School. My classes have been great so far and I am especially excited about my Senior 1 Advanced English class. These kids are such hard workers and are willing to share ideas and learn from each other.

I would like to also share a praise from an out of school fellowship. Two weeks ago we kicked off another year of OSF (On-campus Student Fellowship). This is for the students who live at school and it is a chance for them to sing songs, learn about Jesus, and have some social time with other students. 90 students attended our first event. There we learned about how God has made us all special, with different talents.

Last Thursday we had our second meeting, and over 70 were in attendance. I led the evening, and we sang several songs and watched a movie clip, from School of Rock. During the clip, the new teacher declared there would be no grades, and then he tore up the report card. We talked about how students would feel if this happened to them, especially if the scores were low test scores. Students here in Taiwan are extremely worried about test scores and grades in school.

I related the movie to God’s love in Jesus. We all have low points and wrongs that we have committed, but for God grades don’t matter. Jesus will tear up all of those mistakes and the only important thing will be his love for us. Yes grades might help us here in the world, but in heaven our test grades or sins will not be important. We will be forgiven and living with God. Please pray that the message of Christ’s love will grow in the hearts of the students who attend OSF.

Prayer time

Please pray for the following, according to the will of God:

1. Pray for the OSF students that God would create faith in their hearts.
2. Pray for my time management as I balance teaching with leading Bible studies and taking on online classes. It can be busy, but God is ever present.
3. Please pray for all of the missionaries here in Taiwan, that we may be encouraged in the work God has given us. Also that we may boldly share Christ with those we meet.
4. Pray for Salvation Lutheran Church as we still do not have a pastor.
God’s peace to all of you,
Mark

Mark’s online Journal: www.livelikeachampion.blogspot.com

If you are like me and just can’t get enough of Mark, check out the video below. Of course, you will have to go to the website to watch the video if you subscribe to this blog via RSS or email.

Here is Mark’s latest newsletter about his mission work in Taiwan. I guess when I think about it, Mark might be the volunteeringest person I know. After all, every moment of his waking day he is doing mission work.

I was particularly pleased to see that Mark has started an American football club in Taiwan. I am hoping that this is the first blow that brings down the worldwide domination of that other football game known as soccer.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Matthew 6:25-30

This Bible verse was the text for the sermon today. I also sang a song with the Salvation Youth Group, which had this verse as the theme. What a comfort it is to know that God will take care of our needs and that we do not need to worry. As a missionary, much of this also comes from support back home. I want to thank you all for your continued support and concern for the mission work I am doing here in Taiwan. God continues to richly bless my time here, and it is not possible without the support of so many people in America. I would like to pass on some great news! I found out a couple of weeks ago that I am fully funded for next year’s service. Praise God for the quickness with which this happened. He always provides what we need.

In this newsletter I would like to share a story about the chance I had to witness to a student here at Concordia Middle School. This past year I helped start an American Football Club with Kevin, another American missionary here in Taiwan. At CMS, students come to school approximately 2 Saturdays every month. Most of these Saturdays they have 2 periods of club time from 8:30-10:10. In this time students can sign up for different clubs that interest them. There are a great variety of clubs, a few of which include the movie club, ping-pong club, the science club and the service club.

For our football club we have 15 boys who come and play 2 hand touch football. We started the club in the fall by practicing different drills, and also slowly teaching the students new plays. Now, we scrimmage for most of the time and the kids have taken ownership of creating plays. While it does mean waking up early on a Saturday morning, it is a blast when I am out there playing with the kids.

Once last month during football club, we took a 15 minute break to rest up and re–hydrate. I spent most of the break talking with an 11th grade student named Henry. Out of all of the kids in the club, Henry probably has the most natural talent. Kevin and I both peg him as a perfect tight end or linebacker on an American football team. He’s a really nice kid who is always willing to help out by taking attendance or translating instructions for the other guys.

During the break, I had a chance to talk to Henry about his plans. I asked him about where he wanted to go to college and what he wanted to be. In the course of the discussion Henry asked me why I came to Taiwan. I had the chance to share with him how I knew that God had called me to Taiwan, and that God brought me here to share the news about Jesus. Henry did not respond with much, other than he thought that it was good for me to be here at CMS. I know it was just a small conversation, but I pray that God will continue to use me as a witness to Henry and the other students I have in football club. I really appreciated the chance to witness and share with students outside of the classroom environment.

It’s Prayer Time!

Here are the prayer requests for this month. As always we lift these up according to the will of God, praying for Him to be glorified through everything.

+Pray that God would give me the strength needed to finish the school year. This semester has been extremely busy with classes, Bible Studies, and additional online college courses.
+Pray for Salvation Lutheran Church, as we still do not have a pastor. Pray that God would prepare the people and future pastor for work together.
+Praise God for all of the support both from my family and friends back in the United States.
+Pray for God to raise up people to come and serve here in Taiwan. We are currently short one person for the high school.

In Christ,

Mark

My friend Mark’s March Newsletter.

Easter Activities

Greetings everybody. I know this is a little late, but March was an important month, so I do want to write a little bit about some things that happened. Of course, March brought Easter, the most important day for us! The day God proved His victory over sin, death, and the devil. The day Christ came alive again, giving us peace, hope, and new life.

At Salvation Lutheran Church Easter also brought 2 baptisms. A college aged girl, Jacquelyn was brought into God’s family through water and word. Also, little baby Olivia Wasmund (the new adopted daughter of Matt and Dee Dee Wasmund) was baptized. Easter is always a time to rejoice, but how much more when baptism are also part of the day.

The second major event happened in the afternoon on Easter. A group of teachers and college students went down to Tainan to help celebrate Easter with other churches in southern Taiwan. 3 other Lutheran Churches also participated and we got together for an afternoon of songs, games, and creating short Easter dramas.

The group from Salvation Lutheran was specifically in charge of leading a group game and a couple of songs. We lead the group of about 80 people in an acting game called the animal game. Our songs we sang include Jesus You Are My Best Friend, and My Redeemer Lives. All in all it was a great day to celebrate Easter with fellow brothers and sisters in Taiwan.

Extending for Another Year

This is the time of year in which decisions have been made or need to be made about the coming year in Taiwan. I would like to place a couple of requests on you.

First, I have decided to extend and stay for a fourth year in Taiwan. God has greatly blessed my ministry here, and do feel called to serve here for another year. LCMS World Mission has informed me that I need to raise $2910 to support my mission for the next year. God has blessed me beyond my imagination with financial and prayer support, and I have full trust that He will continue to provide what is needed.

I would like to ask you all to prayerfully consider support of the mission work being done here in Taiwan. If you would like to support me, you can send a check to the following address:

Missionary Support
LCMS World Mission
1333 S. Kirkwood Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63122

On the memo line for the check please write “Mark Wolfram account #50152”.

Thank you all for your prayerful consideration.

Second, because this is the time when people are making decisions, LCMS is looking at filling positions here in Taiwan. We are currently short 2 people to teach at the High School next school year. These positions would be for English and Bible teachers here at CMS, teaching grades 7-10. If you know of anyone who would be interested in serving as an overseas missionary/teacher here in Taiwan, please pass on the word. Also, feel free to email me if you or the person has any questions. You can also contact LCMS World Mission for more information.

It’s Prayer Time!
Here are the prayer requests for this month. As always we lift these up according to the will of God, praying for Him to be glorified through everything.

1. Pray that God would continue to increase my trust in Him, in all things related to teaching, life, and ministry. Pray also that I would be able to continue to find time for personal devotion and study of God’s word.
2. Pray for Salvation Lutheran Church, as we still do not have a pastor. Pray that God would prepare the people and future pastor for work together.
3. Pray for my financial support here in Taiwan.
4. Pray for God to raise up people to come and serve here in Taiwan.

May God’s peace,

Mark

Family and friends,

Greetings everybody. It is still February, so my newsletter is just in time. I hope and pray all is well with you. This past month gave me the chance to travel, take some vacation, get sick, recover, and start a new semester of teaching. It was quite eventful, but I would like to focus this newsletter on my journey to Vietnam.

Last month I had the chance to travel to Vietnam for a service trip. I went with a team of six other teachers from Taiwan. We coordinated our efforts with James Rush, who is a volunteer teacher in Vietnam and my former roommate here in Taiwan. James works at a university in Phu Toa, Vietnam.

In total, the trip was planned to be five days, but I did stay a few extra days to hang out with James. We arrived in Hanoi on a Sunday, and Monday we traveled 3 and half hours to Phu Tao. On Tuesday the conference started bright and early at 7:30 am.

The conference was a one-day event designed to provide prospective English teachers with ideas and strategies for the classroom. All of the participants were Vietnamese, and most attended the college that James teaches at. Some of the attendees were already teachers in local schools. In total there were over 100 people who participated.

The conference focused on three sessions: ESL (English as a Second Language) activities, English writing, and teacher observations. We divided the people into 3 groups, and they rotated amongst the 3 sessions. I was in charge of helping with the teacher observation session. I worked with Heidi Greimann (from Taiwan) and Viet Hang (local professor at the university) to lead the teacher observations session.

For the session Heidi and I modeled a teacher observation. I taught a mini lesson to the class and then she observed and made notes about my teaching. After the lesson we had a conversation about what she observed. We did this to model how a teacher can observe others and to emphasize that observation should not be intimidating. We hammered home the point that these observations can help both the person being observed and the one who is doing the observing. Next Viet Hang provided some good information about how to conduct teacher observations. Finally, we then gave the students their own mini-lessons to teach, and they had time to practice by giving each other feedback. I really enjoyed it, and I think the students learned from the session.

The entire day went really well. The Vietnamese at the college were most hospitable, and the participants seemed eager to learn. On Wednesday, we spent the morning helping in English classrooms. In my class, I spent my time in a small group of about 12 students. They practiced basic conversation with me, and asked me to share about myself and America. This was one highlight of my time in Vietnam, because I got to have some good personal conversations with the local people. It also gave me a chance to share about customs and holidays. This led into me sharing about Christmas being Jesus’ birthday and Thanksgiving being a time to be thankful for the many good things that God has given us. Vietnam is a little strict on evangelizing, so I was only aloud to share my beliefs if asked. Praise God that He provided an opportunity.

After helping in English classes, we returned to Hanoi. The next day we had a day of traveling and sight seeing in which we had the chance to see the beautiful Ha Long Bay, and a Vietnamese water puppet show. On Friday, some of the teachers returned to Taiwan, but I stayed with others for a couple more days. We had the chance to spend some more time with James and just hang out.

All in all it was a wonderful trip. I thank God for the chance to serve the people in Vietnam and work with all of the volunteers currently serving in Vietnam. If you are interested in reading more about my travels and reflections from Vietnam, please check out my blog:

http://www.livelikeachampion.blogspot.com

Prayer requests:

1. For strength this semester. I have my teaching and Bible Studies, but I also have started taking an Internet course to work for my ESL teaching endorsement.
2. For God to continually bless my relationships with my friends and family back home and those here in Taiwan. That He would continue to strengthen and uplift all of them.
3. Praise God that I will return for a fourth year of service here at CMS. Pray that God would be with those on the team who are still making decisions about the future. May He guide them.

Thank you all for everything, especially your prayers. May the love of Christ fill you with peace, hope, and joy. May you live in victory as He ever guides you.

God’s peace,

Mark