Thank you for keeping up with our family! Please read on for the latest news about our ministry and family. Let us know how we can pray for you.
Grace and peace,
Allan, Jane, Toby, and Isaiah
No Church for Mrs. Pan
Mrs. Pan's husband divorced her, took the children, and left her with the his gambling debts. She's frustrated. After many years of devoting herself to Buddhism, visiting temples, and consulting fortune tellers, her life ended up this way. Sometimes her heart aches over life's meaninglessness. She now works at a department store often doesn't stop work until 10 PM at night. When she leaves, hardly any restaurants are still open, let alone any churches! But recently she heard about Jesus and about a late night Christian meeting held at 10 PM for shop workers like her. Perhaps she will go and see.
It has been decided that we will join the shop workers (服務業福音教會) in Taipei to serve people like Mrs. Pan. Initially, we thought late night ministry like this would not suit a family, but as God has blessed this ministry to grow, family ministry has become an increasing need. We don't know our exact role yet, but what initally drew us to the shop workers church is ministering to broken families, men, single mothers, and youth.
Thank God for the shop worker church and for leading us to serve them.
Ask God to give us good relationships with our OMF and church coworkers.
Our team leader visiting a department store worker
Jane and Allan with two of their language teachers
A Place to Live
"Where will our family live if the new OMF family comes and needs to move into our apartment before we've found another one in Taipei?" After designation to the shop workers church we had less than two months to find an apartment in Taipei and it's not easy to find suitable housing there. We had to trust God to provide for His work.
And provide He did! Coworkers and the shop worker church found a suitable place so close to the ministry that the pastor said, "If OMF doesn't take it, we will!" It's within budget and managed by a reliable landlord. We don't know the exact move date and we haven't seen the place yet, but neither had we seen our Taichung apartment before we came! It's another time to trust God with thanksgiving.
Thank God for providing a place to live in Taipei.
Ask God to prepare the Taipei apartment and to help us pack up in Taichung.
All Chinese All the Time
We haven't moved yet, but we're already getting involved in the shop workers church! We will join the church's retreat July 1 - 7. Since any transition is emotional as well as physical, we see the retreat as an early opportunity to begin developing relationships. The retreat will really put our language to the test! Though we were learning Mandarin in Taichung, we still operated quite a bit in English. At the retreat it will be all Chinese all the time!
Thank God for the friends He gave us in Taichung.
Ask God to provide a good friend each for Isaiah, Toby, Jane, and Allan.
Toby with his "posse" of school friends
Isaiah with his special school friend
If God is moving you to partner with us in the gospel among Taiwan's working class through prayer or financial giving click the partner button below!
