Category Archives: Christianity

Iowa Gothic

Jesse and I went on a road trip a ways back. Here are some images from that trip, provided with the occasional commentary.



I love the fact that “Loafing” was prohibited.


I had to have this picture taken as 1 of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies (Taxi Driver) is when Robert DeNiro takes his date to the porn theater because he doesn’t know any better.


The chick that ran this place was awesome & I think we were her favorite guests of the day.


There aren’t enough buildings in Iowa that are marked where a ship ran into them.


Tebow!


Anybody who knows the exact reason why we stopped to take this picture is one of my favorite people in the world.

I am already looking forward to our next road trip. Maybe a couple more people will join us. If interested, forward your Road Tripping Resume to me. We will be looking for people with a sense of adventure and a large bladder. The bladder size is negotiable.

The Taiwan Times – October 2011

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

Catching Up with 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.

Taiwan Times – April 2011

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

5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee
Luke 24:5-6

Easter at Salvation Lutheran Church

Happy Easter everyone!  What a wonderful day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, showing his triumph over death, sin, and the devil.  As Christians all over the world recall this event, we can all reflect on the forgiveness, new life, and hope given to us through the sacrifice and victory of our Lord Jesus.
At Salvation Lutheran Church, I was especially excited to see many children in worship.  Most of these came from the Saturday Kids’ Camp that is held every Saturday afternoon.  Some of their parents came as well, and many of these parents and children are not Christian.  However, praise God that they came for our Easter activities.  Salvation Church asked the kids to come and sing a song during the service and then participate in an Easter egg hunt after the service.  During the sermon, Pastor showed a cartoon that reviewed Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, allowing the children to get a full message about who Jesus was and why he came.  Praise God for these visitors, and pray that they would continue to seek to learn more about the living Lord.
Youth Camp

In the end of February the China Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) partnered with LCMS World Mission and the American missionaries to hold weekend youth retreat.  The theme of the Youth Camp was “Saved By Grace”, examining how our salvation is a gift from God, not because of our works.  During the Youth Camp, the campers played games, had worship, Bible study, and got to meet some new friends from other parts of Taiwan.
The retreat started on Sunday afternoon February 27, and lasted until lunch the next day.  117 people participated, from 8 Lutheran Churches here in Taiwan.  69 of the attendees were youth from 5th grade through college.
It was a wonderful experience to bring the youth and churches together.  I praise God for how he worked through all of the preparations and activities.  I was especially thankful for the chance to work with and get to know other pastors here in Taiwan.  I pray for God to continue to bless the CELC and the Lutheran Churches throughout the island.
China Service Trip

During the second weekend of April, the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to travel to a village near Kun Ming, China.  For the service trip, I worked with 4 other Taiwan American teachers and a welfare and education agency in China to gather information from the village.  This information will be used to create reports that can help give updates to financial supporters and to guide future projects that may be done in the village.
The focus of my group’s questions was to get feedback on how the villagers were using a previously installed water system, and to get information on their overall health and hygiene.  My primary role was to be an observer of the interviews and to write down notes concerning the people, their homes, and general conditions of the villages.
Most of these people lacked education past an elementary level, and did not understand basic health habits, such as brushing their teeth.  I remember in one of the interviews the lady was asked when she brushed her teeth, and she replied that she did it only when they hurt.
Earlier today, our group met to share final analysis and help each other finish creating the reports.  We will send it back to the organization later this week.
Due to the nature of the trip, we were not able use the trip to evangelize.  However, praise God that the village we went to was Christian.  You could see the love of the Lord in the people’s smiles and the joy they had as they willingly interacted with us and welcomed us into their homes.  Pray for God to help the agency meet the needs of the people, and for these people to share their faith with those who don’t know Christ’s love.
Fundraising and New Teachers

Again, I want to offer praise to God that I am fully funded for another year of service in Taiwan.  I’ll be in Iowa from the last week of June until the last week of July, and if you would be interested in having me come and share about mission work in Taiwan, please contact me.
Second, we are in huge need of new elementary teachers in Taiwan next year.  Currently we only have 2 to teach next year.  We need 2 more teachers to meet our bare minimum staffing needs, and we need up to 6 more to be fully staffed.  Please pray for God to lead more people to Taiwan and if you know of anyone please contact me, and I would be happy to be in communication with anyone who might be interested in serving here next year.
Prayer Time!
  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

More Random New York City – Near Ground Zero

Here are some random New York City images from the Second Day of the trip. These were taken at and around Ground Zero and at St. Paul’s Chapel, which is across the street from Ground Zero.

Regrettably, some of these pictures were taken through a window, leading to a regrettable reflection.


Ground Zero

Ground Zero

Ground Zero

Ground Zero

Ground Zero

St. Paul's Chapel

St. Paul's Chapel

St. Paul's Chapel

St. Paul's Chapel

St. Paul's Chapel

More random New York City images will be coming your way next Wednesday.

Taiwan Times – February – 2011

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 7th 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 10th 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

Hearts Beat High with Joy

If you have always wanted to own your very own copy of Hearts Beat High with Joy, here is your chance!


Hearts Beat High with Joy
Hearts Beat High with Joy

I have donated an 11×14 copy of this picture to the Sacred Heart School Carnival. This picture is matted and framed.

You can purchase it by winning its silent auction.

The Sacred Heart School Carnival is this Friday. From 6-8. It is at the Sacred Heart School in the Ryan Gym.

All the money goes to a good cause, so show up and bid, silently!

Embarrassing Anti-Intellectualism


Embarrassing Anti-Intellectualism

Unfortunately a Doomsday Cult has put up this billboard in Boone.

They have made these calculations on their belief (yes, there are people who actually believe such things) that the world is only 14,000 years old.

Despite the fact that The Bible clearly states that “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36), these people think they have cracked some Bible Code and figured out that Judgment Day will occur on May 21, 2011.

The world will end on October 21, 2011.

I wish that I could put up a billboard next to this billboard that reads:

“Most Christians Aren’t this Dumb!”

But alas, there isn’t another billboard right next to this one to rent.

I applaud their freedom of speech and their ability to practice their freedom of religion, but I wish it didn’t reflect so poorly on the rest of Christianity.

I hope they aren’t too disappointed when they wake up on May 22 and they are still here.

Taiwan Times – December 2010

The Taiwan Times
By Mark Wolfram
Reporting on God’s mission in Taiwan
December 2010

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

Personal Photo Project of the Week #48

I’ve finally distributed almost every last 2011 Photography 139 Calendar. Allow me to explain what images were used and I will include the briefest of notes on the pictures.

This year, the calendar was a little bit more of an adventure than usual. The printer from the last two years baled on me. I couldn’t find the kind of paper that I have used the last couple of years. The paper I used was too thick to duplex. In the end though, it all came together and a perfectly acceptable calendar has been produced.

Here are the pictures:


2011 Calendar - Front Cover
Front Cover

This picture was taken at the Iowa State Fair. I like to photograph one of the flower gardens at the Iowa State Fair every year. I have to confess to being a little disappointed with the garden this year, but I have no doubt it will be back to its full glory in 2011.


2011 Calendar - January
January

This picture was taken in my backyard. It is actually connected to the August picture. I purchased a bouquet of flowers for the August photo. Then I waited for the flowers to die and photographed them for the January picture.


2011 Calendar - February
February

I found this frog in my favorite frog finding spot – Lost Lake in Ledges. He was surprisingly brave for coming from a race of creatures that are notorious cowards.


2011 Calendar - March
March

Sara was with me when I took this picture down in the Papajohn Sculpture Garden. This is the only picture in the calendar that was taken with the aid of a photo assistant.


2011 Calendar - April
April

This lonely farm scene can be found between Boone and Ames on US30. There is a secret to how this picture was produced, but Photoshop isn’t that secret.


2011 Calendar - May
May

Even though I drove to Pella in a rainstorm to photograph their tulips, I found my best tulip picture in my Grandma’s front yard.


2011 Calendar - June
June

On a road trip with Mom and Teresa to State Center, I must have taken at least 300 pictures of roses, but it was this picture of a rose leaf that stood out as the most memorable image of the day.


2011 Calendar - July
July

I visited a couple different wild daisy patches, but the daisy image that made the calendar was found in my Mom’s yard. It was my belief that after “The Solace of Ordinary Humanity”, I couldn’t possibly take a better daisy picture, but I took camera in hand to photograph daisies to figure out a birthday present for Jill.


2011 Calendar - August
August

This is the only image from the Random Weekly Photo Experiment to make the calendar. This picture was taken in the middle of the Winter with a daisy bouquet. This image is hanging in Kelly’s salon – Salon 908.


2011 Calendar - September
September

This picture is meant to be parody. Nobody else in the world will understand that, but believe me, it is meant to be parody. This is also the only picture in the calendar that is manipulated by Photoshop in a meaningful way. This hibiscus grows in my Mom’s yard.


2011 Calendar - October
October

In retrospect, I’m not sure this picture belongs in October, but it is too late now. This picture was taken near the sewage treatment center in Boone. I hope that doesn’t take some of the romance away from it.


2011 Calendar - November
November

I photographed this lily in my Grandma’s flower garden. She planted so many lilies that she wasn’t sure what colors were even going to come up.


2011 Calendar - December
December

This is a picture of my Grandma Bennett’s Bible.

I have only 1 stated goal for the 2012 calendar. There will be a picture of an iris in it. Jen’s favorite flower is the iris and it is the one flower that I can’t figure out how to photograph. I will meet my adversary head on this year and 1 of us will fall.