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April 29, 2019 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong.”  

I Corinthians 16:13

Paul writes the above charge as he is ending his first letter to their congregation.  “Stay alert,” because satan in always prowling around looking for prey.  “Stand firm in the faith,” because your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior makes all things possible.  “Show courage,” that satan might flee and you might advance the Kingdom of God.  “Be strong,” for to be weak would mean giving into temptation and falling into sin.  There are other reasons that can be given for each of these phrases.  Paul probably had other things in mind as well, but it is certain that he intended to push us forward in our walk with Jesus.  Pray with us as we seek to, “Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong.”

We continue to ask you to pray for the ministry at The Home of God’s Love.  There have been a few people interview for positions, but no new person has been hired yet.  At least one person intends to start later in the summer.  Another is helping part-time as she waits to test for her license.  Please continue to pray for the situation with our road.  There are continuing issues between the land owners and the government.

Thank you for praying for the McGill family.  Bonnie passed away in early April and a memorial service was held at the Morrison Academy Taichung campus yesterday, April 28.  It was a beautiful service of praise to God and an expression of the family’s joy in Christ.  We ask that you continue to pray for all of the family.

We rejoice over the baptism of Mr. Zhou on the 20th of April.  He is being discipled by Chris Sanford.  This man is connected to many people.  He plans to use his joy in Christ to spread the gospel with his friends.

Please consider joining us in a special prayer time for Taiwan.  The Taichung team as set up a website to encourage people to pray for Taiwan as the Month of May begins.  You can find the information and the places to sign up at the following website.  www.pray4taiwan.com

We praise God that Moriah’s shoulder has healed well.  She has been cleared to play goal keeper in soccer as well as other contact sports.  Thank you for praying.

We are thankful for your continued prayers for Taiwan.

God Bless,

John C. Dunn

1.  Please pray with us to “Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong.”

2.  Please pray for new workers to be hired at THoGL and for the road situation to be resolved.

3.  Please continue to pray for the McGill family as they grieve the loss of Bonnie.

4.  Praise God for Mr. Zhou’s baptism.

5.  Please sign-up to pray for Taiwan.

6.  Praise God that Moriah’s shoulder has healed well.

Posted on April 29th, 2019 by dunns
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March 24, 2019 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“If any man curses his God he will bear responsibility for his sin, and one who misuses the name of the Lord must surely be put to death.”  “If a man beats any person to death, he must be put to death.”   Leviticus 24:15c-16a, 17

Our society views very little as sacred or above abuse.  Society looks for ways to laugh at God and those who serve Him.  There are television shows that mock the character of God and those that serve Him.  People curse out loud using God’s name in vain.  It happens so much in movies that people in Taiwan assume it makes them looks cool to say, “Oh my god!”  But God’s name is not the only sacred thing that is treated cheaply.  Human life is looked upon as having little value.  Many people are treated poorly because of their standing in society.  Others are not viewed as worthy of health care because of their age or special circumstances.  Babies are aborted upon demand. People are murdered for the few bucks in their pocket or because they hold a different belief or opinion.  These events we all see happening regularly, but what about ignoring the spiritual state of someone’s soul as they go through life moving toward a Christ-less eternity?  Do we truly view as sacred what God views as sacred?  What have we done today to honor God’s name and the lives for whom His son died to bring eternal life?

We thank you for praying for Bonnie McGill.  This past week her children and grandchildren arrived, and Bonnie was also moved into the  hospice unit at the hospital.  We were able to visit with Bonnie and her family this past weekend.  She was able to respond to our singing and our prayers, but not able to hold a conversation. She is being kept as comfortable as possible as she awaits to enter into the rest of her Savior and King.  Please continue to pray for the whole McGill family.  

Please continue to pray for the ministry of The Home of God’s Love.  The government continues to make changes to the laws which govern the functioning of such organizations.  It is difficult to keep up with the changes.  THoGL is in need of two people to serve as a baby nannie; a childcare worker for those 2 – 12 years of age; a social worker; and a social work supervisor. Please pray that we can find these people quickly.  It would best if they would be Christians as well.

We continue to ask that you lift up all of our discipleship groups each week.  Another non-Christian came to John’s Thursday evening group this past week.  Cheryl’s groups continue to have consistent attendance.  The parenting group seems to be providing a lot of good information for growth as parents.  The Wednesday evening ladies are asking good questions as they study the Word.  Please pray that all those attending will allow the Holy Spirit to change their hearts and minds.

Moriah had a great track meet this past weekend.  She won the 100 meter sprint with a personal best of 13.5 seconds.

Thank you for putting the time in to pray.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Pray that we all regard God’s name, His Word, and human life as sacred.                 May we be willing to reach out to those lost in sin as well.

2.  Continue to pray for Bonnie McGill and her family.

3.  Pray for the future ministry of THoGL as new workers are sought.

4.  Pray for God to continue to give us influence in the lives of those who

attend our discipleship groups. 

 

Posted on March 28th, 2019 by dunns
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March 17, 2019 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“When a garment has a diseased infection in it, … if the infection in the garment or leather or warp or woof or any article of leather is yellowish green or reddish, it is a diseased infection and it must be shown to the priest. … then quarantine the article with the infection for seven days. He must then examine the infection on the seventh day. … Because it is a malignant disease it must be burned up in the fire.”  Lev. 13:47, 49, 50b, 52c

When reading passages in Leviticus and other parts of the Law it is at times difficult to understand the importance and relevance for our lives today, but when we are willing to learn and be guided there is always a lesson for us.  The passage above concerning diseased garments, whether it be from mold or mildew, an infestation of bugs or mice, or even from an illness such as leprosy reminds me how much God cared for the people of Israel and us as well.  He wanted to protect them from getting sick, therefore, he gave them instructions to deal with the items that could have caused illness.  Often these garments had to have pieces removed or be completely destroyed, even though the garments were precious items for them.  There were no stores in the wilderness either to buy clothing or material.  The physical health of the individual and the nation were more important than the loss of the garment.  It is the same with our spiritual lives.  God is willing to allow us to have pain and discomfort in order to remove a sin in our lives or to keep us from being infected by someone else’s sin.  Join us in praising God for loving us so much as to instruct us so clearly how to live.

We ask that you pray for the family of Morrison Academy’s superintendent, Tim McGill.  Tim’s wife, Bonnie, has received a diagnosis of inoperable pancreatic cancer.  The cancer has progressed to the point that they are not able to return home.  They are presently praying for a private room in the hospital’s hospice unit to become available.  Their two children will be arriving in Taiwan this week.  Tim is the older brother of Terry McGill, Moriah’s past dorm dad, who lost his wife to cancer less than a year and half ago.

We are praising God for spiritual and numerical growth in the Thursday evening English Bible study and discipleship group.  Hannah, one the non-Christians, asks great questions most weeks.  She really is trying to understand what is being taught by the scripture we study and Christianity as a whole.  This desire has caused many of the Christians in the group to think more deeply and to begin to apply the scripture to their own lives.  PTL!  This past week two more people attended the group.  We hope they will return.

God recently brought another family into our team’s ministry.  Duane & Sherry Bunt.  Duane is from South Africa.  Sherry is Taiwanese.  They have quite a bit in common with the Sanfords, our teammates.  They have recently moved to our area from Kaohsiung.  Sherry recently became a Christian and needs a lot of teaching and encouragement.  They have a small son, Levi.  Please pray that we will have wisdom how to help the Bunt family continue to grow in Christ.

We ask that you pray for Nathanael as he recently moved to Joplin, MO to begin a new job with Good News Productions, International.  He has been there about three weeks.  He is excited to be serving God through media.  

Thank you for joining us in prayer.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Praise God for caring for every aspect of our lives.  May we learn to be obedient in all areas.

2.  Please pray for Bonnie McGill and her family as she deals with inoperable cancer.

3.  Praise God for the spiritual & physical growth in the Thursday evening English Bible study.

4.  Pray for us to have wisdom as we encourage and disciple the Bunt family.

5.  Praise God for providing Nathanael with a job.

Posted on March 17th, 2019 by dunns
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January 20, 2019 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.”   Colossians 4:5-6

Knowing what to say and how to say it is often difficult, especially when we are in a difficult situation.  It is easy to be kind and polite when someone is trying hard to help you.  Your smile genuinely says things that express gratitude and are encouraging.  There are times though when we are less than gracious.  We need to consider how our attitude is affecting our witness to those around us.  This is especially important to those we are with often such as family, co-workers, and classmates.  When you feel tension rising in a situation take a minute to pray asking for wisdom and a good attitude.

Chinese New Year is coming soon.  It is an opportunity for our Christians to witness to their family members.  Please pray for them as they have several days to spend with family.

Moriah has done very well after her surgery.  She has regained most if not all  range of motion.  She needs to be patient as she slowly rebuilds strength.  She needs to let her shoulder heal well before using it to do too much.  Please pray for her to have wisdom & patience.

Last Sunday afternoon one of the boys, Jing Wei, from THoGL was baptized.  We ask that you pray for him as he learns to grow in Christ.  He is the only Christian in his immediate family.  He and his sister, Jia En, returned to live with their father this weekend.  Their dad is really appreciative for the help he received after his wife passed away.  He is now ready to provide a home for his children again, but he does not know Jesus.  Please pray for the kids to be a witness to him.

This past Friday Wei Hao returned to live with his mom as well.  We pray that God will send people to witness to Wei Hao and his mom.  Pray with us that his mom is able to provide a good and safe environment for him as well.

Our co-workers, Ted & Bev Skiles, recently celebrated 50 years of service in Taiwan.  Join us in rejoicing with them for God’s faithfulness through the years as they have sought to honor God through serving many children and families.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we will have wisdom as we interact with people in our community.

2.  Please pray for Chinese Christians as they have opportunities to witness to their families at Chinese New Years.

3.  Please pray for Moriah to have wisdom and patience as she continues to recover from shoulder surgery.

4.  Praise the Lord for Jing Wei’s baptism!  Please pray for Jing Wei, Jia En, and their father as the children begin living with him again.

5.  Pray for Wei Hao as he has returned to live with his mom.

6.  Praise God for Ted & Bev’s Skiles’ 50 years of service in Taiwan.

Posted on January 20th, 2019 by dunns
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December 2, 2018 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”  Eph. 4:4-6

With all of the unity that is described as being in the Church, why do so many churches & fellowships have so much difficulty with remaining unified?  God has provided all that is necessary except for a heart of submission.  We as individuals must first choose to be submissive to God’s will.  We must submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Only then can we submissive within a corporate body of believers.  Join us in desiring daily to be submissive to the leading of God’s Spirit.

The Home of God’s Love recently received word that their appeal to receive a higher score on their big inspection in September was denied.  This means THoGL will not be able to apply for an international adoption license for few more years.   The ministry will concentrate on serving children and families in Taiwan until God opens the door again to facilitate international adoptions.  There will be another smaller inspection carried out by the county on December 11th.

We are happy to say that Moriah’s shoulder surgery went well.  She was back at school the second day after surgery.  She has had very little pain.  We ask that you pray that she will be wise concerning her activity while she heals.

Our groups will begin again this week after missing two weeks for most groups due to Thanksgiving and Moriah’s surgery.  We hope that everyone will be looking forward to studying God’s word together again.  Please pray that everyone will attend and bring others too.

Thank you for the blessing of praying for our ministry.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray we will learn to be submissive to the leading of the Holy Spirit daily.

2.  Please pray for the upcoming inspection at THoGL and the continuing ministry.

3.  Please continue to pray for Moriah as she heals from her shoulder surgery.  Thank you for praying as she had surgery.

4.  Please pray for everyone that is a part of our groups to be able to attend and bring others.

Posted on December 2nd, 2018 by dunns
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November 27, 2018 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial. For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!’”  John 12:7-8

This is after Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with the costly ointment.  None of us have been with Jesus as His disciples were, but we have the opportunity to spend time with Him daily.  We can choose to enter His presence daily.  We can choose to walk, talk, with Jesus and listen to Him too.  How many of us let other things keep us from worshipping Him daily?  Choose today to spend time worshipping Jesus with the way you live.

Please be in prayer for Jing-Wei and Wei-Hao, two boys at The Home of God’s Love.  John is discipling them along with another young man.  These two boys are asking to be baptized.  Please pray for wisdom for Ted Skiles and John as they lead these boys.

Please pray for Moriah as she will have should surgery tomorrow.  Her surgery will be around 2:00 pm Taiwan time.  The surgery is needed because Moriah’s shoulder comes out of place too easily.  This is do to an injury from a few years ago.

Thank you for your prayers. 

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Pray with us to commit to spending more time with Jesus.

2.  Pray for the Jing-Wei & Wei-Hao as they desire to be baptized.

3.  Pray for Moriah as she has surgery on Wednesday afternoon in Taiwan.

Posted on November 27th, 2018 by dunns
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November 11, 2018 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“And the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you the desire of your eyes with a blow; but you shall not mourn and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not come.   Thus you will be a sign to them, and they will know the I am the Lord’”  Ezekiel 24:15-6, 27c

There are times in life when something is taken away from us.  Sometimes we lose something like a job, which causes us not to be able to pay our mortgage or car payment.  Sometimes we lose the physical ability to do things we like.  Sometimes we might lose our sight, hearing, or ability to walk.  Any of these are difficult, some more so than others.  Ezekiel had to lose his wife in order to serve as God’s prophet.  God used Ezekiel and his wife to communicate the future to the people of Israel.  Are we willing to be that kind of servant to God?  Are you willing to serve God and do whatever He says even when He takes what you love most away?  Pray with us that we will learn to serve God when it is easy and when it is difficult.

This is “Week Without Walls” at Morrison Academy this year.  That means that the high juniors and seniors are on mission trips, the sophomores are on a team building trip, and the freshmen are on a Biology trip.  Moriah is on a mission’s team that is in Malaysia.  They will be returning on Saturday evening to the school.  Moriah’s team, as well as the other teams going to various places, are working with churches and missionaries to serve people that have physical and spiritual needs.  Moriah’s team is working with kids through soccer and other activities.  They will also be going to a daycare for adults with dementia.  Please pray for all the teams as they seek to serve God through serving others in His name.

This past week one member of John’s discipleship group brought two new people, one being a non-Christian.  Her name is Tanya.  Please pray that all of those who come will draw closer to Christ, and that Tanya will come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Please lift up in prayer all of our groups that meet each week.

Chris Sanford continues to develop ads and videos to use on social media that will draw people to Christ.  Chris has a made couple of contacts that he is confident are close to be willing to study God’s Word with him.  Please continue to lift up our efforts with media in your prayers.

Thank you for taking the time to pray.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for all of the teams from Morrison Academy that are serving all around southeast Asia this week.

2.  Please pray for each of the groups that our team leads each week.  Pray specifically for Tanya to come to know Christ as her Lord and Savior.

3.  Please pray for our media ministry as we seek to find people who are willing to listen to the Gospel.

Posted on November 12th, 2018 by dunns
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November 4, 2018 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“So Pharaoh sent and summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘I have sinned this time! The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are guilty.  Pray to the Lord, for the mighty thunderings and hail are too much! I will release you and you will stay no longer.’  When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder ceased, he sinned again: both he and his servants hardened their hearts.  So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and he did not release the Israelites, as the Lord had predicted through Moses.”  Exodus 9:27-28, 34-35

How many times are the hearts of men just like Pharaoh’s?  People call out to God asking for forgiveness and for help in their circumstances.  When their circumstances change though they turn away from God again.  This happens time and time again, but not just with those outside of the church doors.  Many people who call themselves Christians confess their sin and call out to God only to return to the same sin over and over again.  Why?  Do we really want to change?  If we really want to change then we would seek help to truly repent and walk in a different direction.  Let’s all consider our need for true repentance and change of heart.

Each month our team has a new FB ad and blog post that we are using to connect with people.  Hopefully these ads will lead us to people who are interested in spiritual matters and possibly even Jesus.  We have had a lot of people view the ads, videos, and blog posts.  A few of these people have been willing to connect through messaging.  We hope these souls will eventually be willing to meet to study God’s Word.

Since September there have been several groups begin.  Sam and Cheryl have a discipleship meeting with Sharon.  Sharon desires to grow in her relationship with Christ.  Please pray for her as she learns how to be a disciple of Christ and  parent her young son.  Cheryl is also leading a discipleship group for some ladies who have all been Christians for awhile.  Please pray that they will begin to share their faith with others.  Cheryl and Sam are also leading a parenting class.  This class is a way to introduce non-Christians to God’s Word.  John has started leading a discipleship group at the Bible Bookstore again.  He is also leading a discipleship group with some of the younger boys at The Home of God’s Love.

The Home of God’s Love will be having another inspection by the county on Wednesday, November 28.  THoGL hopes to be able to show improvement in areas noted during the previous inspection as needing changes.  There is still ongoing discussion about the road.  The land owner is making another offer for us to use land, but not purchase it.  We ask that you pray for us to have wisdom concerning how to continue.

Many of you know that Moriah has had a problem  with a dislocated shoulder for a few years, and recently it has slipped out of place more often and more easily.  After consulting with a sports medicine doctor we have decided that now is the time for her to have surgery to repair the tear.  She will have an MRI on Friday, Nov. 9 and surgery on Wednesday, Nov. 28.  Basketball season started the same day she went to the doctor and found out this news, so it is also disappointing to Moriah to miss out on basketball this year.  Please pray for Moriah as she waits for her surgery and then for a successful surgery and quick healing afterwards.  Moriah is praying that she will be able to play soccer and run in track this spring.  

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Pray for a truly repentant heart that desires to change.

2.  Pray for our facebook ads and blog post to help us connect to people who are seeking God.

3.  Pray for our new groups that have started this fall to develop disciples for Christ.

4.  Please remember to pray for the upcoming inspection at the Home of God’s Love on Nov. 28 and for the best possible plan to happen regarding the road.

5.  Please pray for Moriah as she waits for her shoulder surgery on Nov. 28.

Posted on November 4th, 2018 by dunns
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September 30, 2018 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the temple of the God of Jacob, so he can teach us his requirements, and we can follow his standards.”  Isaiah 2:3b

This was stated about the future Jerusalem, but we live at a time when God has promised to write on our hearts His laws.  What keeps us then from living a life that is completely devoted to God?  We don’t live the attitude of approaching God to be taught by Him.  We instead approach God to be blessed by Him physically, but not necessarily spiritually.  Join us in striving to approach God in order to be instructed by His Word that we might learn to follow Him completely.

Thank you for praying for the inspection.  Things went very well.  The Home of God’s Love was given a list of items to improve upon, but the list was not nearly as long as before.  There will be another inspection by the county at the end of November.  Hopefully, improvement can be seen by then.

The meeting with the landowner concerning the road was postponed until Monday afternoon.  Please continue to pray that the owner will be willing to sell the land or in someway provide a permanent road for THoGL.

Please continue to pray for the contacts that we are making through the Facebook ads.  Our team is presently following up with 10 contacts from the FB ads.  Please ask God to grant us wisdom as we make contact with these people.

Cheryl will be traveling with the Morrison Academy school board to Hong Kong for a few days this week for meetings.  Please pray for her and the rest of the board as they leave on Tuesday and return on Thursday.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Pray with us that we will desire to learn to be taught by God, that we might serve Him wholeheartedly.

2.  Praise God for the good inspection!  Pray for and even better inspection at the end of November.

3.  Pray for the meeting with the landowner about the road that is on Monday.

4.  Pray with us for wisdom as we make contact with people who have responded to our Facebook ads.

5.  Please pray for Cheryl and the school board as they travel this week.

Posted on September 30th, 2018 by dunns
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September 27, 2018 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  Hebrews 13:7-8  NASB

God’s Word continually reminds us of how important it is to have good mentors and to imitate those that prove their faith through how they live.  We must learn to do the same for others.  We must learn to share the truth of God’s Word with those around us and live a life that is consistent with the truth that we share.  This consistency proves we belong with Christ, since he does not change.  He is the same forever.  The things that should change in our lives are those which are inconsistent with God’s Word.  Join us in learning to be more like Jesus that others will trust Him.

We ask you to pray for a county inspection at The Home of God’s Love on the morning of the 28th here in Taiwan, which is tomorrow.  They will be looking at paperwork and facilities.  Please pray that God causes the hearts of those inspecting to be understanding and have a heart for the children and families we serve.  Please pray on your Thursday for this inspection.

We ask that you pray as well for the Lord to provide for us a way to have a permanent road leading into the front of the property of THoGL.  We have been working for a few years now to purchase the property or for the government to build a road, but nothing yet.  There is a meeting with government officials this week, and hopefully with the landowner soon.

Please pray for the new contacts that our team is receiving through the facebook ads that have been run.  Pray that we will be wise and discerning as we contact people.  Please pray that they will hearts willing to hear God’s truth.

Thank you for your partnership.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray with us to be more like Jesus.

2.  Please pray for God to work in the hearts of those conducting the inspection.

3.  Please pray for the meetings concerning providing a road to the front of THoGL.

4.  Please pray for the contacts we are making through the Facebook adds.

Posted on September 27th, 2018 by dunns
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