Just another Teamexpansion.org Blogs weblog

November 27, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Now God who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your supply of seed and will cause the harvest of your righteousness to grow.  You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous on every occasion, which is producing through us thanksgiving to God, …”  II Cor. 9:10-11

Having just celebrated Thanksgiving, we have had an opportunity to think about how God has blessed us in so many ways.  He uses our gratefulness for His faithfulness to encourage and challenge us to pass the blessings on to others.  What is extremely challenging to me in this passage is that Paul writes that God will always provide sufficiently for us that we can in all situations be generous to others.  Not just sometimes, but on every occasion!  Why do we sometimes get concerned about giving to others if God has already given to us what He wants us to give?  Join us in giving thanksgiving to God through being generous in every opportunity.

We praise God for the wonderful fellowship and food that we enjoyed this past week as we met with our mission family at the Home of God’s Love.  We give thanks for our family that support us and love us sacrificially.  We also give thanks for each of you that God uses to provide for needs and our ministry.  It is your generosity that makes it possible for us to be a blessing to people here in Taiwan.

Tonight John will meet with the Jang family for discipleship.  John has been praying that during the past two weeks Mr. Jang will have missed our meeting together, therefore producing a greater desire to know God.  Tonight we will be discussing the death and burial of Jesus.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to be working on everyone’s heart.

During the next few weeks our team will have different opportunities to share about the birth of Jesus and the gospel.  Some of these opportunities will be with people we know and meet with regularly.  We often will have opportunities to share about Christmas at schools with students and teachers as well.  Join us in praying for the Holy Spirit to guide us as we use these opportunities to witness about Jesus.

Thank you for praying with us.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Praise God for blessings of life and that He gives for us to share generously with others.

2.  We praise God for all of you who provide us with blessings that we are able to share with others.

3.  Please pray for the discipleship meeting with the Jang family tonight to provide a break through with Mr. Jang.

4.  Please pray for all of the opportunities our team will have to share about Christ during the Christmas season.

November 20, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.”  Romans 1:1

Paul starts out his letter to the Romans establishing the fact that he is a bondservant of Jesus Christ.  He like many of those living in Rome are not free, but instead slaves.  Those who were at the Saturday evening session of the International Conference on Missions were reminded by Kyle Idleman that as a slave we committed to serving the will of our Master.  We are not to just take it as a consideration as we make plans, instead His will is our plan.  His plan is that we serve Him through sharing the life changing message of the gospel to the world.  How are you doing at being a bondservant to Jesus Christ?  Join us in praying to follow the will of our Savior and Lord completely everyday.

Josie went to live with her birth family on Friday.  We believe this is good.  We ask that you pray for the family as they adjust to having this new little life in their family.  We also ask that you pray for opportunities for us to share the gospel with Josie’s family.

John was blessed by both the team leader training and ICoM this past week.  The training he received will be put to good use.  Visiting with good friends and past teammates was encouraging as well. John and many others will be traveling to many different places in the US and around the world over the next few days.  Pray for safety as people travel as well as opportunities to witness along the way.

Our mission family will be traveling to the Home of God’s Love for our annual Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration this week.  We ask that you pray for the ministry of the Home of God’s Love.  We are praising God that the HoGL’s domestic adoption license has been reinstated.  There are still challenges with the government as ministry continues to children that live at the home for a period of time and those that are adoptable.

Thank you for lifting us up to the Father in prayer.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we all will live as bondservants of Jesus Christ completely following His will.

2.  Please pray for Josie and her family to adjust to each other quickly and for opportunities to witness to her family.

3.  Please for John and others as they will be traveling to their fields of service and homes.

4.  Please continue to pray for the ministry of the Home of God’s Love as they seek to serve children and work with the Taiwanese government.

November 6, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned … Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression,  so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people.”  Romans 5:12 & 18

Many times in life we try to find a way to even the field of play or adjust it to our advantage.  Sometimes we play 3 on 2 in basketball or give the other team an extra strike in baseball.  We try to make things even, because we know that we don’t have the same skills, or are of different ages, or have different backgrounds or coaching.  There is one area of life where people are viewed the same and are treated the same, salvation.  God’s sees all people as the same before coming to faith in Christ.  He sees us as sinners condemned to death and in need of a savior.  We are all in need of His mercy and grace.  When we recognize that there is nothing we can do to win our salvation or even adjust the play field to our advantage, then salvation becomes possible.  It is at that time we are able to see the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ that can make each person, no matter who they are, righteous in the eyes of God.  Join us in praying for the Taiwanese to realize that God has made it possible only through Jesus for them to be saved.

We ask that you continue to pray for Josie’s situation.  Please pray for her birth mom to make the best decision for Josie quickly.

Please continue to pray for the discipleship group at the Jang’s.  Miss Chen has not returned and others have been asked, but at the last minute say they are unable.  Even so Lucy is being faithful to reach out to people and ask them to come.  The Jang family is studying God’s Word together and making small strides in spiritual growth.  Pray that the Jang’s will all truly to desire to become disciples of Christ.

John met again with the leaders of the North Taichung Church this past week.  There was nothing decided for certain.  Pray that the leaders will see the opportunities for growth within their present congregation and the opportunity to plant a new congregation with the DNA built in for growth and maturity.

Andrew and Moriah both are busy with school work and sports.  This coming week Andrew’s class is especially busy with the addition of the annual Jr. Carnival.  It is an event hosted by the Jr. Class each fall for the community and to raise money for a few special events.  Pray that the students will be able to handle the added stress this week.

John will be traveling this coming Saturday to the US for about 10 days.  He will be attending a special leadership training next week.  Following the training He will also take part in the International Conference on Missions.  We ask that you pray for John and the family as he travels.

Thank you for supporting us through prayer.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for the Taiwanese people to realize that Jesus is the only way to salvation.

2.  Please pray for Josie’s birth mom to make the best decision quickly.

3.  Please pray that each member of the Jang family will desire to be a disciple of Christ.

4.  Please pray for the North Taichung Church leadership to hear from God concerning how to proceed with discipleship in their congregation.

5.  Please pray for the Jr. Class as they have a lot to do this coming week.

6.  Please pray for our family as John travels from Nov. 12th to the 22nd.

October 30, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“There is no one righteous, not even one, … there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.” … But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed – namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ  for all who believe. For there is no distinction,  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  But they are justified  freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:10b, 12c, 21-24

Passages like Romans 3 are not very popular to talk about today, because these passages remind people of their sin.  Romans refers to a God that is righteous and holy and contrasts that with mankind, which in comparison to God is wicked and depraved.  What people miss in Romans often is that God is also loving, forgiving, merciful, and full of grace.  That is why God has provided a way for all mankind to have an opportunity to be redeemed and made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.  Paul realized without first recognizing our need to be redeemed we would never accept God’s grace and mercy.  Join us praying for the Taiwanese people to come to faith in our God.  Who is righteous, holy, loving, forgiving, merciful, and full of grace.

Thank you for praying for the board meetings that John had this past week.  This was John’s last board meeting for Taiwan Xi En.  His term will end this January.  We ask that you continue to pray that the ministry be led by the Holy Spirit as it continues to seek to serve babies, moms, and families in crisis.  The ministry is working toward gaining an adoption license in the future.

John has been given the opportunity to possibly work with a local Taiwanese congregation that wants to plant a new church.  They realize the need to develop a better way of discipling people.  John met with two church leaders this past week and will meet with them again on Wednesday of this week.  Pray that God will direct these leaders as well as John as to whether working together is God’s will.

The ministry at PSC is continuing to affect many lives.  Today was the ministry’s annual meeting to report to its members & supporters.  There have been several babies, women, and families helped over the past year.  Little Josie is still with us.  We are not certain how long she will be with us, but we will give her love and care until it is time for her to move to another place of love.

This weekend Andrew played in their final tournament of the season.  They won all of their games taking home the first place trophy!

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Pray for the Taiwanese to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

2.  Thank you for praying for John’s meetings and for the future of Taiwan Xi En.

3.  Pray for John as he prays about working with this congregation on discipleship.

4.  Pray for Josie and the others being served through PSC.

5.  Thank you for praying for our children.

October 23, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honored, all rejoice with it.”  I Cor. 12:26

This week we were able to enjoy watching Andrew’s team play in several games during their tournament.  We witnessed this idea of when one member suffers everyone suffers.  We also witnessed rejoicing for the accomplishments on the field.  When someone was scored a goal the team and crowd alike responded with cheers.  When a goal was called back for some reason everyone sighed.  When someone was knocked down and did not get back up quickly, everyone was concerned for the one injured.  This happens because everyone understands that it takes a team to score.  The players had to pass the ball and block to get everything set-up for the one player to score.  We also realize that when one person on the team is hurt it affects the team as a whole.  Even having or not having people cheering in the crowd can affect how a team plays.  If this is the way it is in sports how much more in the life of the Church.  Remember to encourage, challenge, exhort, praise, and assist your fellow believers so that we may rejoice with them in joys and triumphs.  Remember as well to show empathy with those that are struggling as well as to cry and suffer with those in pain.  This is what builds a strong body of believers.

We reached the birth of the Messiah story this past week in the discipleship group at the Jang home.  Jack was very involved in the discussion as well as Lucy, but Mr. Jang was more quiet than usual.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is working on him greatly.  Miss Chen did not return.  Continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will convict her of her need for fellowship in the body of Christ.

Ministry at the Pregnancy Support Center continues to be blessed.  One of the mom’s staying at the home has been greatly affected by the devotions they have and the witness of the staff.  She wants to become a Christian!  We are now fostering an infant girl named Josie.  She is 12 days old.  The situation is very difficult for the birth mom.  Please pray that she will listen to good counsel as she makes decisions.

John has two board meetings this week.  One is today for Taiwan Xi En.  This should be John’s last meeting on this board.  The ministry is working toward receiving an adoption license.  Please pray that the new board as well as the director will listen to God’s direction as they move forward.  John also is on the board for the Taiwan Missionary Fellowship.  This meeting will be on Wednesday afternoon.  Please pray for this group as they work to benefit the missionary community in Taiwan.

Thank you for praying for Andrew & Moriah as they both had tournaments this past week.  They both played well and came through without major injury.  Andrew’s team did not place as high as they had hoped in the tournament, but having 20 shots on goal in a game that you lose shows that you are doing many things well.  Moriah’s JV volleyball team won their tournament of 12 teams.  We praise God for their opportunities to learn through sports.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Pray with us as we strive to suffer with those who suffer and rejoice with those that rejoice.

2.  Continue to pray that Mr. Jang with grow in faith and that God will work on Miss Chen’s heart to desire to be in fellowship.

3.  Please pray for God to continue to use PSC to draw people to Christ and for little Josie as we care for her.

4.  Please pray for the board meetings that John has today and Wednesday.

5.  Thank you for praying for Andrew & Moriah as they played in their tournaments.

October 16, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin.”  

Romans 14:23

While listening to the Bible the other day I, John, heard this verse and was grabbed by the last phrase.  I began to think of things in my life that I might have done that were not by faith.  Some were in a similar context to eating or drinking of something because others were doing so.  In other words I acted on the encouragement of others to do something I had not done before.  I also thought of times that I chose to act on my own regard without first considering whether this would bring glory to God.  I acted not out of faith, but out of desire to please myself or to satisfy myself in some regard.  All these actions resulted in sin.  I realized that when I actually considered the consequences of my action upon my witness for Christ I most often chose to walk the path that brought glory to Christ.  Let us try to stop considering what everyone else is doing and concentrate on what God wants us to do instead.

Last week one of the Jang family’s neighbors, Miss Chen, came to the discipleship group.  She is a Christian, but has not been attending any worship or small group meetings for quite awhile.  We encouraged her to begin meeting together with brothers and sisters in Christ on a regular basis and we welcomed her to return.  Lucy is still looking for non-Christians to join the group, but we will be glad to have anyone God calls.  Pray for Miss Chen to choose to become faithful to fellowship with other believers.

We had unexpected guests last night.  Shu-lan, one of the moms from Xi En about 7 years ago, called and asked if we were busy.  She and her two children came by for a visit.  She lives about 2 hours away.  She is still drawn to the unconditional love that was shown to her at the time her second child was born.  She is at a point where she does not really believe in Buddhism anymore, but does not have a church to attend near her.  We are going to ask some people that know the area she lives in about churches.  Join with us praying for God to provide the right Christians to lead her family to faith in Jesus.

This week Andrew has a soccer tournament here in Taichung that begins Wed. and runs through Saturday.  Moriah also has a volleyball tournament on Saturday.  Please pray that our children and their team members will be good witnesses for Christ during this time.  We ask that you pray for safety for all the teams participating as well.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we learn to be focused on what brings glory to God.

2.  Please pray for Miss Chen to return to consistent fellowship with the body of Christ and for others to attend the discipleship group.

3.  Please pray for Shu-lan and her family as she seeks to have a relationship with God.

4.  Please pray for the witness of the Morrison teams this weekend and the safety of all.

October 9, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, ‘The righteous by faith will live.’”  Romans 1:16-17 NET

How do you show that you are not ashamed of someone or something?  If you are fan of a certain ball team you wear a T-shirt with their logo on it.  If you support a certain candidate you try to convince people to vote for that candidate.  How do we show that we are not ashamed of the gospel?  You tell people the gospel.  You tell them of God and Jesus and of the love they give.  All the time you are also showing them the love of God.  You are living out your own salvation in front of people.  If our actions confirm the words we have spoken as truth people will be likely to believe.  So, how are you doing living up to the challenge given by Paul here?  Pray with us as we try to live our lives daily not ashamed, but empowered by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tonight when John meets with the Jang family they will be discussing the rebellion of the children of Israel as they make the golden calf.  It is an important story as it is set against the giving and acceptance of the law and 10 commandments.  We are challenged to see ourselves as we are living in rebellion to God’s commands if we don’t keep the law.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the minds and hearts of the Jang family tonight to help them honestly see their hearts in light of the truth of God’s Word.

We ask that you continue to pray for the two moms at PSC as they get know each other as well as their babies.  It is a hard time for anyone, but especially hard without family around to help you.

Thank you for praying for Cheryl and the other board members as they met this past week extensively.  They were able to accomplish many things.  Teachers also met Thursday through Saturday for professional learning.  One of the main topics had to do with incorporating Biblical truth into their lessons.  It is a challenge at times knowing how much to say with a classroom that has Christians, Buddhists, Taoists, Atheists, and more.  Please pray for our school to be light to all the students that attend.

We are going to be gone a couple of days to the beach this week as the kids are on fall break.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we live daily unashamed of the Gospel.

2.  Please pray for the Word of God to reveal the attitude of their own hearts to the Jang family.

3.  Please pray for the moms that are living at the Pregnancy Support Center.

4.  Thank you for praying for Cheryl and the school board as well as all our teachers.

October 2, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they began to contradict what Paul was saying by reviling him.”  Acts 13:45  NET

Three times in the book of Acts the word jealousy or jealous appears.  Twice it is refers to the reaction of Jews to seeing larger groups of people believing in the message of Jesus preached by Paul.  This jealousy causes them to reject the gospel and to form a mob.  The third time it is given as the reason that Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery.  What a warning this should be to us concerning jealousy in our lives.  People who generally are good choose to do bad things because of jealousy rising up in their hearts.  If we are to live consistent lives for Christ, we must learn to not think too highly of ourselves.  Our motivation for doing good must not be to gain the praise of others, but instead that God might be praised.  Pray with us to learn to keep jealousy in check through humility.

Thank you for praying for Cheryl & Cherry’s meeting with Jella.  Cheryl & Cherry did meet again with Jella.  Pray that their conversations will lead Jella to desire to know Christ more personally.

There are now two young mom’s living at PSC with their babies.  This has brought the importance of the work that Cheryl is doing with the policies and procedures to the forefront as Cheryl and Gloria, the director, discussed needed changes in different documents.  They also discussed how certain policies would actually play out in real life.  We ask that you pray for the ministry of PSC and for the impact PSC will have on the lives of these two ladies.

The outreach at Dong Shan High School began this past week.  There were about 38 students in attendance for the English Club.  Two of these students were in wheel chairs.  Helping the group learn to include these to two students in their games and activities will be a challenge, but also an opportunity to show how God’s love affects our choices.  Please pray for the opportunity that our team has to be salt and light to several students in Taichung.

Thank you for praying for us and Taiwan as we faced a second very large typhoon.  We personally did not have any damage, but there was a lot of wind damage in our area.  We worked to clean-up at Andrew & Moriah’s school.  John also helped with clean-up and repairs at a local Christian camp.  Please continue to pray for those that have lost much through these storms.

Cheryl is very busy this coming week with meetings for the school board including a retreat that her committee is in charge of planning.  Her work with the school board is very challenging in many ways.  Pray that she and the other board members will make wise decisions.

Thank you for your persistent prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray with us to not to become jealous or proud, but to be humble as we serve.

2.  Please continue to pray for Jella to grow in her desire to know Jesus.

3.  Please pray for the ministry of PSC and the two moms presently living there.

4.  Please pray for our team to be salt and light as we minister in the schools.

5.  Thank you for praying for those affected greatly by the typhoons.

6.  Please pray for Cheryl and the school board as they meet this week.

September 25, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“But the scripture imprisoned everything and everyone under sin so that the promise could be given – because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ – to those who believe.”  Gal. 3:22

This scripture points out so plainly our need for Jesus.  The promise of freedom from sin, the blessing that comes through the seed of Abraham, is based on the fact that Jesus was faithful to follow through His Father’s plan to die on the cross for our sin.  All we must do is believe that He did die for our sins.  There are not acts or deeds that we can do to earn that freedom.  Rejoice with us today that you have chosen to believe, and commit with us to share this truth with someone.

Monday morning Cheryl & Cherry will be meeting with a young mom named Jella.  She is a Filipino and is a catholic.  She is married to a Taiwanese man who is not a Christian.  She is seeking friendship and support.  Pray with Cheryl and Cherry as they seek to provide her with some support, but also help her to hear from God.

John is continuing to meet with the Jang family for discipleship each Sunday.  Everyone has good input each evening.  They are all certainly gaining knowledge, but are they becoming obedient?  Jack, the son, is much more willing to commit to sharing something from the story or some truth with a friend or say how he will live differently than his parents.  Mr. Jang often realizes the impact of a truth, but usually does not express how he will use it the coming week in life.  Pray with us that the whole Jang family will be willing to start applying the truth of the Bible to their individual lives.

This past week our team’s outreach to Tan Dz Jr. High School got off to a good start.  This year’s group of 6th graders are said to be lively and willing to participate well.  The high school outreaches should begin this week.  Please pray that the students will all hear the truths that are shared with them and choose to allow these truths to change their lives.

Thank you for always praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

 

1.  As we rejoice in the freedom we have in Christ over sin let’s commit to sharing that truth with someone.

2.  Pray for Cheryl & Cherry as they talk to Jella on Monday about God’s truth.

3.  Pray for the Jang family to apply God’s truth to their lives.

4.  Pray for all of our team’s outreaches into the local schools.

September 18, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, ‘Come on! Let’s set up a time to meet together at Kephirim in the plain of Ono.’  Now they intended to do me harm.  So I sent messengers to them saying, ‘I am engaged in an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?’  They contacted me four times in this way, and I responded the same way each time.”  Nehemiah 6:2-4

Distraction is one of Satan’s most often used tactics against Christians and those seeking God.  He tries to get us away from the work God has given us to do with something that seems good or beneficial.  He does the same to those we are evangelizing or discipling.  He tries to get everyone to fill their time with other things such as charity work, family outings, and extra work.  When that does not work then he uses scare tactics and doubt.  All these and more are seen in the book of Nehemiah.  Nehemiah won’t allow himself to be distracted.  He continually keeps the work God had given him and the Jewish people as the first priority.  When times became difficult Nehemiah prayed.  We need to do the same.  This week ask join us in asking God to reveal to us what in our lives is an unneeded distraction or how should we reprioritize our lives.

The first teaching time at Taiping Elem. School went very well last week.  The first lesson was about creation.  The ladies mentioned that one of the three classroom teachers that they are working with did not seem to be real excited about the whole situation.  On a positive note, several of the children were very interested in the story and wanted to ask questions.  Continue to pray for the hearts of and minds of the students and teachers at the Taiping Elem. school.

The Jang family continues to show interest in learning more about God’s plan for mankind from the scriptures.  Last weeks discipleship group went very well, with lots of good discussion and discovery from God’s word about our being made in God’s image.  This week’s story is the fall of man, which will certainly bring up questions about good and evil in our world.   Pray for John to have wisdom in leading them how to discover the truth that is in God’s Word.

Cheryl continues to volunteer at PSC, a crisis pregnancy center that was begun by two friends, Gloria and Lana.  There are four Taiwanese ladies working in the office:  Lillian, Monica, Jane, and Sherry.  Pray for Cheryl to have wisdom as she tries to learn more about PSC and how to encourage the workers there in their faith.

Thank you for all your prayers on behalf of us and Taiwan because of the recent typhoon.  We had no bad weather in our area, but typhoons went both south of us and then north.  We only had a little rain.  We have had reports from friends in Kaohsiung about the extent of the damage.  Taiwan Xi En was still without water as of Saturday evening.  The Eternal Light Christian Ministry Center had a lot of water leak into the first floor.  Fortunately, loss of life both in Taiwan and China have been very low.  The amount of crop damage is very high.  We will certainly see higher vegetable and fruit prices for several weeks.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray with us to have wisdom not be distracted by satan, but to stay committed to the work of the Lord.

2.  Please pray for the hearts and minds of the students and teachers at the Taiping Elementary School.

3.  Please pray for John and the Jang family as they study about the fall of mankind.

4.  Please pray for Cheryl and the staff of PSC as they work together.

5.  Thank you for praying for Taiwan during and after the typhoon.