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February 21, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a desert road.)  So he got up and went. There he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury.  Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’  So Philip ran up to it and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. He asked him,  ‘Do you understand what you’re reading?’”   Acts 8:26-27e, 29-30

Philip had just witnessed God provide and amazing revival in the land of Samaria, that was initiated by his own obedience to proclaim the Gospel.  Now we see Philip being obedient to the direction of the Holy Spirit again, by leaving Samaria to travel on a certain road and then again by initiating conversation with this official from Ethiopia.  Because of Philip’s obedience not only was this one man saved, but the Gospel was taken to another area of the world.  How easy is it for you to hear and obey the direction of the Holy Spirit?  What are the possibilities if we would obey the commands of scriptures to spread the Gospel wherever we are?  Just being obedient to what we know from scripture begins to open our heart and mind to understanding the Spirit’s direction.  Join us in praying to be obedient to God’s Word and to the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Our team’s work in the Taiwanese schools is just getting started again after the Chinese New Year.  Our schedule for this semester is just getting worked out.  Pray that we will make the most out of each opportunity to be with these students.

This past week on Tuesday, Alaina and Nikki went to live with their dad.  We hope that everything will work out well with this arrangement.  We are concerned that he will find caring for them and working full-time will be very difficult.  We are also concerned that he is not walking with God.  Their daily routine and living situation will be very different too.  Pray for the girls as they adjust to their new situation.

One of the boys from camp this past summer, Kevin, has been meeting with Derik, our co-worker, since the end of last summer for discipleship.  His parents would not let him attend worship at Derik’s house on Sunday mornings, but allowed a Saturday meeting at their apartment building.  This past week the allowed him to go to worship for the first time!  Pray that he will continue to be a witness at home so that one day the whole family will be worshipping our God.

Thank you for praying for Cheryl and Andrew as they travelled this past week.  Cheryl arrived safely in Canada and is enjoying visiting with Philip and Bethany’s family.  Andrew’s team came in second in the tournament with a one point loss in the final game.  He will be flying home this afternoon.  We ask you continue to pray while Cheryl is gone.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we are always seeking to be obedient to God’s Word and the direction of the Holy Spirit.

2.  Please pray for this semester’s opportunities in the Taiwanese Schools.

3.  Please pray for Alaina & Nikki as they adjust to living with their dad again.

4.  Please pray that Kevin will continue to be a witness to his family as he grows in faith.

5.  Thank you for praying for Cheryl & Andrew as they travel.

Posted on February 20th, 2016 by dunns
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February 16, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“As for foreigners who become followers of the Lord and serve him, who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants – all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, and who are faithful to my covenant – I will bring them to my holy mountain; I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me.  Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.”  Isa. 56:6-7

The promise of the Lord recorded here by Isaiah is true today as well in that God still welcomes all that will come to worship and serve Him.  We no longer offer burnt offerings for our sins, because Jesus is our sin offering.  We each do offer sacrifices of praise to God as we worship Him with our life.  It matters not who we are, where we are from, or what we have done if we come to God believing in the sacrifice of Jesus as our savior and king.  His grace is marvelous!  As we think about God’s grace may we consider this question, “Who from the nations is God calling me to bring to His holy temple?”

We praise the Lord for a great evening with the Lin family.  We and the Pagel family were able to meet Samantha’s older brother for the first time.  The whole Lin family were great hosts.  We were able to have a blessing for the meal and later to share some of the blessings God had given us in the past year.  Mr. & Mrs. Lin both asked all to come back and visit with them.  Mr. Lin kept asking that we come to where they sell bread to visit.  Pray with us that this will become an opportunity for sharing God’s word.

This past week Chad & Alicia Edwards of our team hosted a college retreat for some of our past Sports & English Camp youth.  They spent time sharing what God was doing in their lives and being trained how to lead discipleship groups.  Pray that these young Christians will have the faith to change their generation.

The death toll from the earthquake that caused damage in southern Taiwan has grown to 116.  There were several hundred injured as well.  We have received reports that churches in the area are trying to provide for the needs of those affected especially through counseling and basic needs.  Pray for God’s people to reach out to those hurting in their communities.

We ask that you pray for our co-worker Chris Sanford and his family.  Chris’ grandfather passed away this past week.  Due to the stress from this and other health factors Chris’s father, Steve, had a small stroke as well.  We ask that you pray for the family as they grieve and support each other.

Our family seems to be traveling a lot this past year.  This week Cheryl will travel to Canada on the 17th.  She is going to meet Amelia, our newest Granddaughter.  She of course will have the opportunity to spoil Juliet, Savannah, and Cheyenne while she is there too.  Andrew will be leaving on the 16th for a basketball tournament in Hong Kong.  Pray for Cheryl and Andrew as they travel.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  We praise God for His grace.  Please pray that we will be obedient to share the knowledge of His grace with others.

2.  Please pray that God will provide opportunities for us to share God’s word with the Lin family.

3.  Please pray for these college youth to grow in their faith as they reach out to classmates.

4.  Please pray for churches in the Tainan area to be a blessing to those that have be affected by the earthquake.

5.  Please pray for the Sanford family after the death of Chris’ grandfather and his father having a stroke.

6.  Please pray for Cheryl and Andrew as they travel this week.

Posted on February 13th, 2016 by dunns
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February 7, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.  Pray  for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak – that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.” Eph. 6:18-20

Prayer is so important for everyone.  Paul charged the Ephesians to pray for all Christians and for him too.  Paul knew it was difficult to persevere through all  the attacks of satan and the stuff of life.  He knew as well the need of the supernatural support of prayer in order to be a bold witness.  We all need that prayer support if we are going to be bold witnesses whenever God gives us the opportunity.  Pray for us to be bold witnesses of the Gospel as we pray for you.

Tonight we, the Pagels, and the Sanfords will have supper with the Lin family.  Remember, this is Samantha Sanford’s family.  We all want to be bold with our witness as we are respectful in their home. We all feel there was a breakthrough at Christmas when they participated in worship.  Pray that God will give us the words to both encourage and challenge them.

We were awakened at about 4:00 am Saturday morning by an earthquake.  It was centered in the south of the island not far from where we used to live.  As far as we know all of our friends and church family are safe.  Most of the damage was in the Tainan City area.  Reports say that there are at least 100 people still missing, 13 dead, and over 400 injured so far.  Please pray for those affected by the earthquake and for Christians in the area to have a bold witness.

We are rejoicing with Jon Ralls and his family as they celebrate that he does not have cancer.  Please continue to pray for Jon as he serves Team Expansion missionaries through his many roles at the home office.

Thank you for praying with us for all of these requests.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we will be bold witnesses for Christ in all opportunities.

2.  Please pray that God will provide us with the boldness to speak the Words of Life to the Lin family and that their hearts are ready to accept God’s Words.

3.  Please pray for all those in Taiwan who were affected by the earthquake.

4.  Please continue to pray for August as he learns to be a witness in Taiwan.

5.  Praise the Lord that Jon Ralls does not have cancer.

Posted on February 8th, 2016 by dunns
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January 31, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Pay attention to do everything I have told you, and do not even mention the names of other gods – do not let them be heard on your lips. Three times in the year you must make a pilgrim feast to me. You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that time you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before me empty-handed.”  Ex. 23:13-15 NET

God gave specific instructions to the Israelites on how to worship at different times of the year to celebrate what He had done for them in the past and what He would continue to do for them in the future.  All of these feasts had a very important element that was common, “God!”  He was the focus.  He told them not to even to mention the names of other gods.  He and He alone provided for them.  It is the same for us today.  We need to make sure that God is given the credit that is rightly, and fully, His.  Many Taiwanese are making a pilgrimage home to celebrate Chinese New Year.  Who & what will they celebrate?  Those that do not know Jesus will certainly thank other gods and their ancestors.  God will be robbed of the glory and worship that is His.

Next week is Chinese New Year.  Our family and the Pagel family have been invited to Samantha Sanford’s parents’ home for dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve, which next Sunday evening.  The Lins came to our Christmas worship and meal.  We are hoping that they will allow us to include some worship of our God in the evening.  Pray with us that their interest in the Gospel in continuing to grow.

August (Augi) Cox made it to Taiwan safely on Tuesday night.  He has done very well getting over jet lag.  He has also been very willing to try foods and experience the culture.  He will be moving in with his host family today.  The mother and teenage son, Lucy & Jack, are both Christians, but the father is not yet.  Augi will have a great opportunity to encourage Lucy & Jack in their faith as well as to witness to Mr. Jeng.

We have been blessed this week by a visit from Eric and Chris B. of our home office.  They are traveling to a few fields to encourage and teach over the next few weeks.  They certainly were a blessing to our team.  They left for Thailand this morning on an early flight.  They will also visit some sensitive fields after Thailand.  Pray for God to bless them with safety and health as they travel.

We are so blessed to have our new granddaughter Amelia in our family.  She is eating well and mom is feeing pretty good too.  We are thankful that our son-in-law is such a big help with all four of the girls.  Please continue to pray for all six members of their family as they get used to having the newest member around.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for the opportunity to witness to the Lin family at Chinese New Year.

2.  Please pray for August as he adjusts to Taiwan and begins to get to know his host family.

3.  Please pray for Eric & Chris B. as they travel to other places to encourage and teach.

4.  Please continue to pray for Philip, Bethany, and their girls as they all adjust to being a family of six.

Posted on January 31st, 2016 by dunns
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January 24, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Then an expert in the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’”  Matt. 8:19-20

Jesus could always see a person’s true intention.  He was able to get to the heart of the matter.  When the expert of the law made his declaration, Jesus knew the uncertainty of following from place to place would be difficult for this man.  Jesus wanted him to know what the cost would be for him to actually do what he claimed.  There are things in life that are difficult for each person that desires to be a disciple of Jesus.  What is it that you have trouble placing at the feet of Jesus in order to whole heartedly follow Him as an obedient disciple?  Pray for us as each day we desire to once again commit ourselves fully to following Jesus.

We are praising God that the Home of God’s Love was able to hire a head social worker.  We are still waiting from to hear for certain from the government that her credentials and experience do satisfy the requirements.  Hopefully, this will mean that the Home of God’s Love will be able to keep their adoption license.

Jon Ralls was not able to have a PET scan this past week.  He was able to have a CT scan on Jan. 22nd.  He is still waiting to hear the results.  Hopefully, there are no other places that show signs of cancer or some other problem and that the lymph nodes in his neck are decreasing in size.

This Sunday we will have guests at our house church.  May Wu and two others from her discipleship group will be visiting from Kaohsiung.  May’s sister and husband that live nearby us will be joining us for lunch.  May’s sister & brother-in-law are not Christians yet.  Pray that today will be just the beginning of our relationship with them.  We hope to point them to Jesus.

We also are rejoicing with Philip and Bethany as they now have their fourth daughter.  She was born on the 17th of January.  Her name is Amelia Jasmine White.  Thank you for praying for them as they adjust to life with four little ones.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

 

1.  Please pray that we will be faithful disciples.

2.  Praise God that a head social

3.  Please continue to pray for Jon Ralls’ health.

4.  Please pray for the opportunity to begin a relationship with May Wu’s sister and family.

5.  Praise God for Amelia Jasmine White our fourth granddaughter.

Posted on January 24th, 2016 by dunns
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January 17, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.  Ps. 127:3 NLT

Our children whether sons or daughters are certainly God’s gifts and blessings to us.  They are also a trust.  God is giving to us the most precious gift, a life that is meant to bring honor and glory to God.  When our little children frustrate us or step on our toes, or newly polished shoes, it might help to remember how precious they are to God.  The same thing goes for the head strong teenager or pre-teen that is trying to figure out life and how to be respectful while making their own decisions.  Each and everyone is precious in the eyes of God.  Pray that we keep this in mind with our own children and the one God brings to us for periods of time to invest in as well.  Join us in praying that Alaina & Nikki’s parents will see that their children are gifts from God for them to care for and enjoy as they grow up.

Pray for Jon Ralls, our field coordinator.  He has swelling in his neck that appears to be in the lymph nodes.  He was supposed to have a PET scan this past week, but the insurance company was unwilling to pay for the scan.  The doctor is trying to persuade the insurance company to pay for the test.  Pray that the insurance company will allow payment for the test.  Pray as well that Jon be healed by the Lord and he not have cancer or something else.

Pray for August Cox, a young man coming to Taiwan to intern with our team.  He is ready to come except for his visa.  He has applied, but now is waiting to receive it.  Pray that his visa application will be processed quickly so that he can arrive soon.

Continue to pray for the Home of God’s Love to be able to keep their adoption license.  A head social worker still needs to be hired to fulfill the requirements of the government.  It is difficult to find someone that meets the criteria.  Pray the Lord will provide the right person.

Pray for Bethany and the little one she is carrying.  Her due date has past.  They will be inducing this weekend.  Pray that everything will go well whether she comes naturally or through being induced.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for us all to see the blessing for our children.  Pray especially for Alaina & Nikki’s parents to desire to raise their children themselves.

2.  Please pray for Jon Ralls to be able to have the needed to scan of his lymph nodes.

3.  Please pray for August Cox to receive his visa soon.

4.  Please pray for the Home of God’s Love to be able to hire a head social worker very soon.

5.  Please pray for Bethany & her baby as she prepares to be induced this weekend.

Posted on January 16th, 2016 by dunns
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January 10, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“He said to them, ‘Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord.  Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’”  Nehemiah 8:10

Ezra, Nehemiah, and other Levites had been explaining the Law of Moses as it was being read to the people.  The response of the people had been one of sadness and remorse as they realized how they and their ancestors had broken God’s law.  These same leaders encouraged the people not to be sad, but instead take strength from the joy of knowing God’s law.  God actually loved them enough to give them a law that would protect them and provide for them both spiritually and physically.  We need to remember the joy that comes with knowing Christ as our Savior and Lord everyday, so that we attract people to God with that unending joy.  Pray with us to find strength in the Lord to face everyday with joy as our expression.

We have just finished up teaching in the public schools for the first semester.  The students are now studying for their finals before Chinese New Year.  We are praying for God to use the lessons we teach to draw these students and teachers to Himself.  Chad and Derik were able to connect with several students from the Dong Shan High School outside of school time during Christmas & New Years.  Please pray that we will be able to have more opportunities to meet with these students outside of school and that these meetings will lead to discipleship groups.

Our team will be hosting an intern, August Cox, for about six months, and he hopes to arrive in Taiwan around the end of January.  He is presently acquiring his visa and finishing all his preparations to come.  August believes that God is calling him to mission work somewhere.  He also enjoys working with video production.  He should be a lot of help with the English video series we are producing to teach biblical character traits in the schools.  Pray for August as he prepares to come to Taiwan.

We asked you to pray for a little one that was burned a few weeks back.  Her name is Nora.  She is doing well.  We thank you for praying for her, but ask that you continue to pray as she heals.

Thank you for praying for our family as we foster Alaina & Nikki.  They both are doing better with their colds.  We keep talking about how to foster them and meet all of our other commitments.  Sometimes it is a real challenge to find the energy needed and the time to do everything well.  We ask that you pray with us that the parents will desire to care for the girls themselves and will be able to do so before we need to go to the US for the summer.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for us to live our lives in the strength & joy of the Lord.

2.  Please pray that our work in the schools will lead to establishing discipleship groups.

3.  Please pray for August Cox as he prepares to come to Taiwan for an internship.

4.  Please continue to pray for Nora as she heals from her burns.

5.  Thank you for praying for Alaina, Nikki, and our family.

Posted on January 12th, 2016 by dunns
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January 3, 2016 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!  And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”

As we all think about the new year and new beginnings, we should be reminded that all who are in Christ have been remade in Him.  We have a life to live that has been freed from sin and its power.  We have a life to live that is not weighed down in shame from sin.  We instead, can live life with joy and peace as we share the blessings of this new life with others.  Challenge yourself everyday to live as this new creation that is not held back by your old life of sin.  Don’t believe the lies satan tells you about how your past still controls you.  Believe in the one who has reconciled you to Himself through Christ!

Saturday morning our team had a planning meeting.  We were writing our Field Ministry Plan (FMP).  It went very well.  We have all felt like our team was kind of treading water in the ocean with lots of waves since the school year began.  We were just trying to keep doing what was being done before all the changes had taken place on the team.  Now we all feel a greater sense of purpose as a group.  We have more work to do on our Field Ministry Plan, but we are all excited to get it finished and to work toward meeting our goals.  Pray with us as we try to make plans that will stretch us and honor God.

We ask that you continue to pray for our relationship with the Lin family, Samantha Sanford’s parents.  We really want to be able to start a discipleship group with them.  Pray that God will direct us as to how to move forward.

Please continue to pray for us as we foster Alaina & Nikki.  They are precious little girls, but they do take lots of energy.  Lately, colds and flus have been going around the community and our family has not escaped them.  Please pray that we can all get well soon.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Praise God that we all are made new in Christ.

2.  Please pray with us as our team continues to work on our Field Ministry Plan.

3.  Please pray for our relationship with the Lin family to grow.

4.  Please pray for our family as we foster Alaina & Nikki.

Posted on January 12th, 2016 by dunns
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December 29, 2015 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”  

Matt. 2:11

The wisemen had searched for the new born king for a period of time.  Having found the baby Jesus, they immediately worshipped Him and gave Him gifts.  Why did these learned men who also had means desire to worship this baby king even though He was not found in a palace?  The answer is simple.  They believed Him worthy of worship.  Does your belief cause you to desire to worship Jesus and give Him the best that you have?

The Sunday evening worship and meal we hosted with the Pagel family went very well.  Everyone enjoyed the meal and fellowship.  Everyone participated in the worship time as well.  We read scriptures as a group in English and in Chinese.  Samantha’s mom read every word loudly and clearly.  When Cheryl was passing out goodbye hugs Samantha’s aunt acted like she did not want to let go.  We are hearing good reports back about the other Christmas outreaches as well. Pray with us that the Samantha’s family as well as the others families present at the outreach activities will desire to learn more about Jesus.

Our team is having a planning meeting on Saturday morning.  Pray that we come together in one mind and purpose to accomplish our task.

We hope you have a great New Year and seek to be a blessing to as many people as possible.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we worship Jesus with all our hearts and give Him our whole being.

2.  Please pray that those attending the outreach activities will know more about Jesus our Lord.

3.  Please pray that our team accomplish much at the planning meeting.

 

Posted on December 30th, 2015 by dunns
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December 20, 2015 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“So the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?’ The angel replied, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.’”  

Luke 1:30-31,34-35

We who have be blessed to grow up in the the Church hear these passages read and just accept them as truth.  We believe that God has done what the Bible says.  This past Friday our family helped with an outreach to the Chung Gang High School in the Taichung area.  The lesson taught that Jesus is the son of the most high God, Mary is Jesus’ mother, & Joseph is Mary’s husband.  Some of the students caught the fact that Joseph was not Jesus’ father.  This was a difficult thing for many of them to accept.  John told them that this was a miracle by means of God’s spirit.  This truth coupled with Jesus coming to restore our relationship with God was difficult for many students to accept.  We hope that all of the 700-800 students that heard the presentation will continue to consider if Jesus truly is the son of the most high God.

Our team has several other Christmas outreaches today and throughout the week.  There are four simple church services that will happen today each with non-Christians attending.  The Pagel family and our family will be hosting one of the simple church services.  Two of the non-Christians attending are Samantha Sanford’s parents.  Our co-workers, the Sanfords, now live on the east side of the island.  Later in the week there will be opportunities in schools where we teach English to share the Christmas story as well.  Please pray for all of these opportunities to share the Gospel.

Ted & Bev Skiles are in the US until early January.  They went back for Ted’s stepmother’s funeral.  They are looking forward to meeting her again in heaven.  Please pray for the whole Skiles family at this time.

We ask for your prayers as we now have Alaina’s little sister living with us as well.  Her Chinese name is Ya Ni.  Her English name is Nikki.  She is 10 months old.  Continue to pray for their parents to develop a stable lifestyle so that they can care for them again.

Thank you for your prayers.  Merry Christmas!

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for the students from the  Chung Gang High School to consider how much God loves them.

2.  Please pray for all the outreaches that our team is involved with during this Christmas season.

3.  Please pray for the Skiles family as they both grieve and rejoice.

4.  Please pray for Alaina & Nikki as we try to give them security and love.

Posted on December 19th, 2015 by dunns
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