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July 17, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  Proverbs 17:17

We are grateful for all of the prayers as we have been traveling and visiting with family the last two weeks.  John’s family was able to accomplish quite a bit of work on the trees at his mom’s house.  There is more to be done at a later date.  Everything went fine with no injuries.  We also had a great week with Cheryl’s family celebrating her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.

Please pray this week for Niners week at Oil Belt Christian Service Camp.  We will be serving on faculty this week.  Please pray that these campers will be impacted to have deeper relationship with Christ and to consider how God wants to use them in His kingdom.

Cheryl will be attending Kairos training next week, July 25th-30th, in Louisville, KY.  She will be at Emerald Hills, Team Expansions home office.  Please pray that she and the others that attend are blessed and challenged by the course.

Please continue to pray for the Sports and English camp in Taiwan that is the week of July 24th.  There will be 150 campers plus faculty.  Please pray that the lives of these Taiwanese teenagers are changed for eternity.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Thank you Lord for the safety and enjoyment of the past two weeks.

2.  Pray for Niners week at Oil Belt this week.

3.  Please pray for Cheryl as she attends Kairos training the week of the 24th of July.

4.  Please pray for Sports and English Camp in Taiwan that runs July 24th-30th.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on July 31st, 2011 by dunns
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July 2, 2011 Prayer Note

July 2, 2011 Prayer Note

 

Dear Family & Friends,

 

“Pay attention to this, Job! Stand still and consider the wonders God works.”  Job 37:14

 

The above verse was the theme verse for Andrew’s week of camp.  We all could put our name in place of Job’s.  Many times in life we either question God’s wisdom or just ignore it.  Please pray that we and our brothers and sisters in Taiwan will learn to submit ourselves to God’s will.

 

We are glad to be back with Andrew and Moriah after traveling for a week.  They both had a very good week.  Andrew memorized 126 different verses of scripture this past week at camp.  Moriah enjoyed taking care of Malachi, working in flower beds, helping cook meals, and just playing.  We, John & Cheryl, were able to reconnect with several friends at North River Ave. Christian Church in Toronto, Ohio.  Sunday also marked 25 years of ministry for Bob Hanze as the senior minister.  We also had an enjoyable time catching up with people and things at Team Expansion’s International Services in Louisville, Kentucky.  We spent two nights with our field co-ordinators Dana & Chris McCain.  They were great hosts.  Join us in praising God for safety and a great week.

 

Please be praying for the Sports & English camp that our fellow missionaries and Taiwanese co-workers are preparing for at this time.  There will also be people traveling from Malvern, OH and Hong Kong to help with the camp.  There are almost 150 campers registered.  The camp will run from July 24-30.

 

Please continue to pray for Eugene & Paul as they continue to lead the churches in Taiwan.  Please pray that they will remember that God is with them at all times.

 

We are going to be at John’s mom’s house this coming week.  We will be working with John’s brother Ron and his family to take down some trees in  mom’s yard.  Please pray for our safety.

 

Thank you for your constant prayers.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

1.  Join us in praying to learn to wholly submit to God’s will.

2.  We praise God for safety and a great week.

3.  Please pray for Sports & English Camp July 24-30.

4.  Pray for Paul & Eugene.

5.  Pray for our safety as we fell trees next week.

 

 

 

Posted on July 2nd, 2011 by dunns
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June 25, 2011

Dear Family & Friends,

 

And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.  I Peter 5:6-7

 

The scripture above is one of the memory verses from VBS this week at the Latona Church of Christ where we have been this past week.  We have been casting our concerns upon God about many things hoping that all will bring glory to His name.  One of those concerns is that our churches in Taiwan will continue to work to glorify His name while we absent in body but present in spirit.  So far things in Taiwan continue to go smoothly.  Recently a new family began attending at the Good News church as well.  Please continue to lift up our Taiwanese co-workers and the churches as a whole while we are here in the States.

 

We are very grateful for the week spent at Latona reconnecting with old friends and meeting some new friends as well.  The VBS went very well.  Everyone worked hard and the turn out of children was very good.  Praise God for a great week.

 

We will be presenting at the North River Christian Church in Toronto, Ohio this Sunday and will also be traveling to Team Expansion main office in Louisville, KY for two days of debriefing and learning what is new at International Services.  While we, John & Cheryl, are traveling Andrew will be in camp at Oil Belt Christian Service Camp in Flora, IL.  Moriah will be staying with Michael family that adopted Malachi.  Please pray for our family as we are traveling, reporting, and separated.

 

Thank you for the blessing of your prayers.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

 

1.  Please pray for our Taiwanese co-workers and the churches.

2.  Praise God with us for a great week of VBS at Latona.

3.  Pray for our family this week while we are separated and traveling.

 

 

 

Posted on June 26th, 2011 by dunns
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June 12, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

Then the Lord came and stood nearby, calling as he had previously done, “Samuel! Samuel!”    Samuel replied, “Speak, for your servant is listening!”  I Sam. 3:10

Paul & Eugene used the first three chapters of I Samuel for their text today in Taiwan.  It is interesting that Samuel did not recognize that it was the Lord who was calling him until Eli explained it to him.  We also are reliant upon our parents and leaders to help us understand how and when God speaks to us.  Oh how important of a role we have to introduce the Word of God to our children and others that they might know the Lord.  Pray with us that the parents and the leaders of our churches in Taiwan will understand their responsibility.

 

We attended the wedding of Emily Atkin this weekend.  Emily is the daughter of David & Brenda Atkin, our good friends and fellow Team Expansion missionaries in Taiwan.  Please pray a blessing upon the marriage of Emily and her husband David Harrison.

 

David Atkin will be heading back to Taiwan on Wednesday to continue preparations for this year’s Sports and English Camp (S&E Camp).  David is the dean this year.  Please pray for the preparation for the week as well as for the the faculty and students.  May God be glorified through this week of camp.

 

Thank you for praying for Shiloh Drake to get better.  She is home and doing well, but will need to be on antibiotics for some time in order to make sure all the infection in her kidneys is gone.

 

Thank you for praying for us as we traveled from the west coast to the mid-west.  We will be spending the majority of this coming week with family.  The week of the 19th we will be at the Latona Church of Christ for reporting and their VBS.  We are going to have busy summer.

 

We have a temporary cell phone number.  It is 618-240-3177.

 

Thank you again for your prayer support.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

1.  Please pray for the parents and leaders of our churches in Taiwan to understand their important role of introducing their children and other people to the Word of God.

2.  Please pray for the David & Emily Harrison as they begin their married life together serving God.

3.  Please pray for the preparation for S&E Camp as well as the hearts of the faculty and students.

4.  Thank you for praying for Shiloh Drake as she recovers from a bad kidney infection.

5.  Please pray for continued travels and the reporting we will begin doing soon.

 

 

 

 

Posted on June 26th, 2011 by dunns
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June 5, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Gal. 2:20

 

In this world, there are always plenty of things to keep us busy and to draw our attention away from what our main purpose should be: living for Christ.  As we are here with Bethany and Philip, we get to enjoy all of the excitement of the Stanley Cup finals.  Fans in Abbotsford have a tradition of lining up along a certain street or driving up and down the street yelling and blowing their horns in order to celebrate a win.  While watching all of this going on I, John, became convicted of how easy it is for people to get excited about a game, yet how little we celebrate when someone comes to the Lord.  Then a car came by that had written on the window, “This is what we live for!”  Wow!  Immediately, the above scripture came to mind.  We need to live a life that is all out for Jesus.  Pray with us that we will live a life that says, “Jesus, is what we live for.”

 

We are rejoicing that last Sunday two brothers were baptized at the Good News congregation.  We watched these boys grow up over the years it was great to see them take this step.  Please pray for them as they walk before their peers as a witness for Christ.

 

We have enjoyed our time with Bethany & Philip.  Monday, we will be driving down to Seattle to visit with some friends before heading on to Indianapolis on Tuesday.  Please remember us in your prayers as we continue to travel.

 

Please pray for Shiloh Drake.  She is seven years old.  She has had problems with a reoccurring fever since last November.  Finally, they found the source of the fever.  She has a kidney infection.  Please pray that the doctors will find the reason for the kidney infection and that she will be able to completely get rid of this infection.

 

Thank you for giving us your time as you pray for these matters.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

1.  Join us in praying that we will live a life that is sold out for Jesus.

2.  Please pray for the two young men that were baptized last week at Good News.

3.  Please pray for us as we travel on Monday & Tuesday.

4.  Please pray for Shiloh Drake to get over her kidney infection and for the reason for the infection to be found.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on June 5th, 2011 by dunns
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May 29, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

“But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does.  If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile.  Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  James 1:25-27

This passage in James reminds us of our need to apply the Word of God to our daily lives.  This includes being careful how we speak and how we care for those who have no or little means of changing their situation in life.  Today Cheryl will be sharing on behalf of His Hands, Taiwan to both the Good News and Eternal Light congregations in a combined service.  These ladies are certainly on the front lines of battling satan as he tries to kill and destroy lives.  Please pray for Cheryl as she speaks, and for the ministry of His Hands, Taiwan.

 

We, like you, have been astounded by the number of storms recently in the midwest.  We have been praying for the community of Joplin, MO particularly, since we know people that live, work, study, and minister there.  We have also prayed for all of you that live in and around the midwest that you be protected from these violent storms.  Let us all pray continually for those that have had such great losses.

 

The Eternal Light congregation is making plans for their VBS, which will be held in August.  The elementary school is providing their facilities free of charge.  They must have great faith in our people because they want us to accept 100 students.  We’ll see how many God provides.  So far each year we have had between 40 and 50 students, which is enough for the staff we have.  Please pray for the preparations that are now being made.

 

Our home assignment travels begin Monday morning at 5:00 a.m..  We will first fly to Korea, then to Seattle where we rent a van to drive up to Bethany & Philip’s home.  Their home phone number is (604) 625-3504.  You can reach us at this number until the 6th of June.  We appreciate your prayers as we travel and as we say good-bye here in Taiwan.

 

We are praising God for his favor on Cheryl’s brother, Tim whose home caught on fire  a few weeks ago.  No one was home at the time.  The fire was contained mainly in the basement, but there is a great amount of smoke damage.  Please pray thanking God that no one was hurt and for quick restoration of the living area of the house.

 

Thank you for praying.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

1.  Please pray for Cheryl as she speaks today on behalf of His Hands, Taiwan.

2.  Lets us pray together for those that have experienced loss and fear because of the storms in the US.

3.  Please pray for the preparations being made by Eternal Light for their upcoming VBS.

4.  Please pray for our family as we travel on Monday to Bethany & Philip’s home.

5.  Praise God that no one was hurt in fire at Tim’s house.

 

 

 

 

Posted on May 28th, 2011 by dunns
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May 22, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

“But Ruth replied, ‘Stop urging me to abandon you! For wherever you go, I will go.  Wherever you live, I will live.  Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God.  Wherever you die, I will die – and there I will be buried.  May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise!  Only death will be able to separate me from you!’  When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to dissuade her. So the two of them journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem.’”  Ruth 1:16-19a

The above passage is a very familiar passage of scripture that we often use at weddings.  We do so because of the love and commitment that we see expressed in these few words.  May we learn to be even more committed to our Lord, God, and King – Jesus, than Ruth was to Naomi.

 

Thank you for praying for the Kairos course last week.  The course went very well.  Scott Pagel also was there to help facilitate.  He did a great job with an activity and with sharing why and how we can be involved in the harvest through our offerings no matter how much we earn.  Please pray for the Come Christian Church as they have this Sunday and next left to finish the Kairos Course.

 

Today, John will meet with the leaders from the Kaohsiung Good News Christian Church after morning worship.  Please pray that John will both encourage and challenge them through the scriptures in preparation for all God has in store for them this coming year.

 

During this past week we have received word of several people that we know that are sick or have family that are ailing, much like our own situation.  We are grateful for the prayers on behalf of Cheryl’s family, and everyone is doing better at this time.  We ask that you lift up Mark and Julie Richison, the preacher at Parkview Christian Church & his wife, in prayer.  Mark had his gallbladder removed last week and Julie has been sick over the past few weeks after returning from a trip to Central America. Pray for our friends’ daughter, Shiloh Drake, who has had reoccurring bouts with high fever, that they find out the cause soon.   Please pray as well for the family of John Fuller, who died recently as well.  John was a minister of the Gospel and a great supporter of missions.  He will be greatly missed.

 

Thank you for praying for all the preparations for our home service time.  Parkview has provided us with a furnished house.  A van has been found and purchased as well.  People are volunteering to help us in different ways.  Thank you to everyone that has played a role in providing so much for us.  Thank you to Cheryl Bassett for heading up the cleaning and furnishing of the house.  Thank you to Jerry Nottingham for heading up the search for a van.  We can’t begin to list everyone, but we are grateful.  It is truly humbling to be blessed by so many.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

1.  Pray that our Taiwanese brothers and sisters will learn to be fully committed to Jesus Christ.

2.  Please pray for the Come Christian Church as they finish the Kairos course and work to implement what they have learned.

3.  Please pray for the Kaohsiung Good News Christian Church and the Eternal Light congregation as they prepare for the coming year.

4.  Please pray for the sick and bereaved.  Please pray for the health of Mark and Julie Richison.  Pray as well for the John Fuller family.

5.  Thank you to everyone that has blessed us in preparing for our home service.  Praise the Lord for His great family!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on May 21st, 2011 by dunns
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May 15, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword.  Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?”  He answered, “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. Now I have arrived!” Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?”  Joshua 5:13-14

Joshua, like us, was thinking about his situation.  Maybe he was hoping for assistance, so his question concerning whose side are you on makes sense to us.  When he hears that this is the commander of God’s army, Joshua’s response is inspiring.  He defaults his command to God’s chosen leader.  He takes on the role of a servant.  Join with us in praying to learn to let God take the lead in our situation through the guidance of whom He chooses.

 

John will be heading off early Sunday morning to Taichung to help facilitate the Kairos course at the Come Christian Church.  Scott Pagel will also be coming down from Taipei to be a part of the facilitation team.  John will be leading a small group discussion as well as giving a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation.  Please pray for everyone to gain a proper perspective about missions and evangelism from this training.

 

Please pray for the ongoing ministry of His Hands, Taiwan.  The new facility that His Hands is moving to is almost finished.  Once they have moved into the new facility there will be more bed space for babies, and birth moms.  There will also be a place for adoptive parents to stay when they come to pick-up their babies.

 

Please be in prayer for Cheryl’s grandparents and parents.  Her grandfather was in the hospital for a few days due to a bad case of bronchitis.  This meant that her parents needed to give extra care.  The extra stress and lack of sleep takes its toll.  Please pray that they will all regain their strength quickly.

 

Thank you for praying.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

 

1.  Pray that we learn to submit to God’s leading in our lives.

2.  Please pray for John, the other facilitators and the participants in the Kairos training.

3.  Please pray for His Hands as they prepare for moving to a new facility.

4.  Please pray for Cheryl’s grandparents and parents’ health.

 

 

 

 

Posted on May 14th, 2011 by dunns
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May 8, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

Happy Mother’s Day!  We want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to our own mothers as well as to all of you moms that are reading this prayer note.  May God bless you all greatly for your precious faith and love.

 

“‘Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?’  So they said to one another, ‘Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt…. If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us – a land that is flowing with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection has turned aside from them, but the Lord is with us. Do not fear them!’”  Numbers 14:3c-4, 8-9

Wow!  What a difference.  The first part of the quote was the response of the Israelites to the bad report given by the 10 spies.  The second part of the quote was Caleb’s view of the situation.  His response was based upon the faith that he had in God to continue to bless them as long as He was pleased with them.  The Israelites’ reacted as many young Christians do when the road gets a little tough.  When they are tempted or chastised by their old friends they just want to go back to their slavery in sin rather than continue on though the road may be uphill.  Please pray that our Taiwanese brothers and sisters that have recently been baptized will remain faithful as they face temptations and trials.

 

Today we are having a Mother’s Day celebration at the community center near the Eternal Light Christian Ministry Center.  We will be having a simple program presented by our children, the guitar class, and the adults.  So, everybody is getting involved.  John will be speaking today as well.  Please pray that our people will reach out to our visitors with God’s love.

 

The Come Christian Church in Taichung, where our fellow missionaries, the Atkins and the Hamptons, serve, is in the middle of taking the Kairos Course.  It is designed to help people capture a vision for world evangelism and bring honor and glory to God.  Next Sunday, John will be traveling up to Taichung to help facilitate the training session.  Please pray for John as prepares this week.

 

We continue to make preparations for our home assignment.  People in the States are helping prepare as well.  One item that is yet to be acquired is a van for us to use while in the States.  Jerry Nottingham has been leading the search.  If you know of a good used van please contact us or our forwarding agents, the Piersons, and we’ll get you in contact with Jerry.  We are very grateful for all that is being done in preparation for our home assignment.

 

We are praising God that Jeff & Michele’s trip back with Malachi went very smoothly.  They said Malachi slept a lot on the plane and always woke up smiling.  He is adjusting very quickly to his new surroundings as well.  He is just a great little boy.

 

Thank you for being a part of the ministry to the Taiwanese through your prayers.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

 

1.  Please pray for those baptized during the recent months to remain faithful during the trials of life.

2.  Please pray for those that visit for Mother’s Day to be touched by the love of God and the message of His Word.

3.  Please pray for the Kairos course that Come Christian Church is taking at this time and for John as he prepares to help during next weeks session.

4.  Please continue to pray for all our home assignment preparations.

5.  Join us in praising God for a good & safe trip to the States for Jeff, Michele, & Malachi Michael.

 

 

 

 

Posted on May 8th, 2011 by dunns
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May 1, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

“And the Lord said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”  Exodus 33:14

The words that God spoke to Moses were to be an encouragement to him.  The presence of the Lord would bring rest to Moses as he was obedient to what God commanded him.  This is true for us as well we are to find our rest in God.  True rest comes from knowing God, rest from striving to be good, rest from trying to accomplish things on our own, rest from trying to earn our salvation.  Let us pray that we truly learn to rest in the Lord God Almighty.

 

Praise the Lord!  The Michael family received Malachi’s visa without a hitch on Friday.  They will board a plane for the States Sunday evening.  Please pray for their travel as well as the transition for the whole family.

 

Please pray as well for the adoption process for Malachi’s older brother, Isaiah, to be able to begin soon.  The Michaels were able to see him twice on this trip to pick-up Malachi.

 

Please pray for the Mother’s Day outreach next week that Eternal Light will be hosting next Sunday.  We are concentrating on the families of the children that attend our after school program and the guitar class.  Please pray that all these families will attend and be challenged by the Word of God.

 

Our time before leaving for home assignment is short.  Please pray for all our arrangements to be completed soon.  We have several things to accomplish both here and in the States.  We are grateful for all that is being done to prepare us a house to live in and to find us a vehicle to drive.

 

Thank you for praying.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

 

1.  Let us pray to learn to rest in our God as we do the work he has given to us.

2.  Praise God that Malachi received his visa.  Please pray for travel and adjustments for the Michael family as they return to the states.

3.  Please pray for the adoption of Malachi’s brother to begin soon.

4.  Please pray for the Mother’s Day outreach next week at Eternal Light.

 

 

 

 

Posted on April 30th, 2011 by dunns
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