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April 24, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid—they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, “You speak to us and we’ll listen, but don’t have God speak to us or we’ll die.” Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won’t sin.” The people kept their distance while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.  Ex. 20:18-21 The Message

The passage above shows the reverent fear that the people of Israel held for Jehovah God at that time.  Many Christians today do not have such reverent fear of God.  They have no awe of God.  If we as Christians truly held God in awe how might we live differently?  Might we keep the 10 commandments and truly desire to live as Jesus would live?  Please pray for us as we strive to live in awe of our God before Him and the Taiwanese.

 

We thank you for praying for our churches as we prepare to be gone for a year.  The Eternal Light congregation is do very well as we move closer to the date that we will be leaving.  The Good News congregation on the other hand is a little more nervous about us being gone.  It should be a good opportunity for them to once again learn to rely on the Holy Spirit and each other.  Please continue to pray for both congregations and their leaders.

 

This weekend the Eternal Light congregation had a special activity for the youth and children that centered around the resurrection of Jesus.  The activity was held just after the guitar class so that those students could easily attend, which they did.  The Good News congregation has planned some special activities during Sunday’s worship, as well as a meal.  Please pray that those seeds which are sown will fall into good soil.

 

Praise the Lord, Malachi is heading home soon!  The Michael’s will be arriving in Taiwan on Tuesday to prepare for Malachi’s visa interview on Friday.  Please pray for their travel to and from Taiwan and the interview process.  We are so grateful to have had this opportunity to serve God, the Michaels, and Malachi these past nine months.

 

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

 

1.  Please pray for us as we try to lead and teach by example to live in awe of our God.

2.  Please pray for our congregations as we move closer to the date that we will be returning to the states for a year.

3.  Please pray for those that hear the Gospel message through the ministry of our congregations.

4.  Praise God with us that Malachi will be heading home with his parents  very soon.

 

 

 

Posted on April 23rd, 2011 by dunns
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April 17, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

‘Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord that he will provide for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you can be still.” The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”’ Exodus 14:13-15

How many times do we as Christians not stand firm on our faith that God will provide for us?  How many times have missed out on a great blessing because we we were not willing to step forth in faith?  We need to be ready for God to act.  We need to be doing while we are looking for His mighty hand to to save and direct.  Pray with us that we will have such a faith as a witness to our Taiwanese brothers and sisters.

 

Thank you for praying for John’s meeting with Eugene and Paul.  They have been willing to accept much of what he has shared with them so far.  Please pray that they can work out a good plan for implementing so important changes in our church planting strategy.

 

This week Jeanay Stiles came to Cheryl’s ladies group to teach about intercessory prayer and learning to listen to the Lord during prayer.  This was accepted very well by the ladies and led to some ministry to one lady, Hwei Fang.  She has some issues from the past with her family before she was a Christian that she has had a hard time overcoming.  She also has a child with some special needs.  Please pray for Hwei Fang as she learns to give to God all the pain of the past and to totally reject the feelings of rejection, hatred, etc. that Satan tries to place upon her.

 

We only have six weeks until we start our home service.  We will be gone from the ministry here in Taiwan for almost one year.  This is the longest time we have ever been gone.  We are in the midst of preparing our churches and friends for this long separation.  We also have to make other preparations in regards to our vehicles, apartment, resident visas, health insurance, and more.  Please pray that we will learn to follow the Spirit’s direction as we seek to accomplish so much in a few weeks.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

 

1.  Please pray for us to live out a true faith in God to act on our behalf before our Taiwanese brothers and sisters.

2.  Please pray for John, Eugene, and Paul as they discuss new strategies for church planting in our area.

3.  Please pray for Hwei Fang and her family as she learns to listen to the Spirit’s leading on how to pray for her family.

4.  Please pray for us as we prepare the churches for our home service time.

 

 

 

 

Posted on April 16th, 2011 by dunns
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April 10, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

“Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving whether by many or by few.”  I Samuel 14:6b  “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself.”  Luke 24:27

The above scriptures are two that John and others memorized at Jonathan Training during the past two weeks.  They were both challenged and encouraged by these verses.  They were challenged to have faith that God will do a mighty work among the people of Taiwan no matter how many Christians there are here now.  Many were encouraged by the fact that Jesus used Chronological Bible Stories as a means of discipleship.  Please join with us in praying that God will do a mighty work to save the people of Taiwan.

 

Please pray as John begins sharing with our team; Cheryl, Paul & Betty, and Eugene & Tina; what he gained from Jonathan Training.  Some of what he has to share will be challenging to their present way of doing ministry.

 

Eternal Light is preparing for a Mother’s Day outreach.  Please pray that those we invite will attend and will be drawn to the Lord Jesus.

 

We are excited to share with you that Ladybug, one of the His Hands babies, now has a forever family!  The Lord has led a wonderful young couple to adopt her.  Please pray that the process will move ahead quickly.

 

His Hands was asked to help find an adoptive family for a baby girl that has a severe skin disorder called Ichthyosis.  The case has some difficulties that will keep His Hands from helping with the adoption, but they could still help find a family if another agency handles the adoption.  The family is having difficulties caring for the child as well.  Please pray that God will intervene in this little one’s life.

 

Thank you as always for your prayers.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

 

1.  Please pray that God do a mighty work through the Christians in Taiwan to win the people of Taiwan.

2.  Please pray for John, Paul, and Eugene as John tries to share with them the training that he has received over the last two weeks.

3.  Please pray for Eternal Light’s upcoming Mother’s Day outreach.

4.  Praise God for Ladybug’s adoptive family.

5.  Please pray for this new little baby and her family.

 

 

 

 

Posted on April 9th, 2011 by dunns
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April 3, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord.  I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name ‘the Lord’  , I was not known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as resident foreigners. I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.  Exodus 6:2-5

 

Our God is a God that remembers the covenants He has made.  Even though to some it may have seemed like God had forgotten, actually He was waiting for the right time to fulfill another portion of His covenant.  We who are Christians have covenanted with God as well.  He will not forget to fulfill His end of the covenant.  He will provide a place for us in eternity with Him.  Will we be faithful to our end of the covenant, to live a holy life for Him?

 

Thank you for praying for our family while John has been away from home this past week.  John will continue to be in training this week, so please keep praying.  The training has been very helpful and challenging thus far.  Cheryl and the kids have gotten along pretty good so far.

 

A couple that we are very close to lost their daughter this week past week.  Their names are John and Polly Tilford.  Their daughter, Sarah, died unexpectedly.  Please pray for their whole family as they grieve.

 

Three babies, including Malachi, are waiting on their visa/exit interview in order to be able to go to home to their forever families.  Hopefully, their families will be able to come and pick them up within the next month.  Please pray that these cases will be finished soon.

 

One of the ladies in the Wednesday morning ladies’ Bible study is 38 and expecting her third child.  The doctor recently did a sonogram and found some abnormal shadows in the brain area.  She will have an another test done in a few weeks.  Please pray that the doctor finds no abnormalities this time.  Doctors often suggest an abortion if abnormalities are found, and many people, even Christians, use abortion as birth control.  Jun Yi is not yet a believer, but is being loved by our ladie as she seeks the one true God.  Pray that she will not even need to face these decisions and that she will have peace from the Lord throughout her pregnancy.

 

This coming Tuesday is Tomb Sweeping Day.  It can be compared and contrasted with our Memorial Day.  It is similar in that passed loved ones are remembered.  It is very different in that people actually worship their ancestors.  Our Christian brothers and sisters have an opportunity to bear a great witness to their families at this time.  They can choose to go with their families to the grave sites and clean them off, but also choose not to participate in praying to their ancestors and other worship practices.  Instead, they can pray to God thanking Him for their ancestors and asking Him to bring blessing to their families.

 

Thank you so very much for undergirding these items with prayer.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

1.  Please pray that we learn to see God’s faithfulness as we learn to live holy lives.

2.  Please continue to pray for our family and all the others that are involved in the the Jonathan training.

3.  Please pray for the Tilford Family as they deal with the death of Sarah.

4.  Please pray for all three of the babies and their families as they wait for their visa/exit interviews.

5.  Please pray for Jun Yi that she will carry her child to full term.

6. Please pray for our Christian Brothers & Sisters to have a good witness during the Tomb Sweeping Holiday.

 

 

 

Posted on April 3rd, 2011 by dunns
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March 27, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”  God said, “Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”  Exodus 3:4-5

 

Why was the ground on which Moses stood holy?  Did God appear to Moses there at that place because the ground was holy?  Or, was the ground holy because God was there and declared it so?  I believe it is the latter.  God is holy and His presence and claim upon a place makes it holy.  It is the same with us.  We are His holy temple because of His presence within us.  We should then carefully consider how we live the life God has given us since it is holy!

 

Please pray for Chris & Samantha Sanford as they prepare to come to Taiwan as full-time missionaries.  Chris was our intern in 2009 for six months.  He has now married a wonderful Taiwanese Christian woman.  They are planning to be back on Taiwan no later than September.  They will come sooner if possible.  Please pray for them as they raise the last 12% of their budget and finish up other preparations.

 

There are seven Formosa Christian Mission/Team Expansion missionaries , along with a group from Overseas Missionary Fellowship, who will be attending Jonathan Training this coming two weeks.  We will arrive at the retreat center Sunday night and begin the training on Monday morning.  We will have the weekend off and then do the same again the following week.  This week will be very thought provoking and challenging as we consider how to best reach the lost people of Taiwan.  Please pray for all of us that will be attending, as well as for our families that we will be away from these next two weeks.

 

This morning Carrie Chen will be giving a testimony at the Good News church.  She and her husband Robert were used by God to confirm His plans for our family to come to Taiwan.  Carrie has gone through a rough stretch these last couple of years with depression.  She has come out of it recently with a great desire to tell about the faithfulness of God to her during this time.  Please pray that the people will be challenged and encouraged by her testimony today.

 

Thank you for lifting these needs up in prayer.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

1.  Please pray that we model a holy life for our Taiwanese brothers and sisters.

2. Please pray for the Chris & Samantha Sanford as they prepare to return to Taiwan as full-time missionaries.

3.  Please pray for all those who will be attending Jonathan training and their families.

4.  Please pray for our people to challenged and encouraged by the Carrie Chen’s testimony today.

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 26th, 2011 by dunns
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March 20, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

“During that long period of time the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry because of their slave labor went up to God.  God heard their groaning, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, God saw the Israelites, and God understood….”  Exodus 2:23-25

 

God heard, remembered, saw, and understood.  These are verbs found in verses 24 & 25.  These verses remind us that God is listening to us and watching us in our situation, but not only that.  He also understands our situation and knows what we need and when we should receive it.  May we learn to be faithful as God watches out for us and provides for us.

 

Please pray for Paul, our co-worker, as he counsels in both the elementary school and jr. high school in the area near the Eternal Light church building.  He has gained the respect & trust from the school administration at both schools.  Please pray that his counseling will provide opportunities to minister to families in the area.

 

Team Expansion has a few teams in Japan.  One of these teams is located in an area that has been affected by the earthquake and tsunamis.  They are presently trying to move all women and children out of these areas.  The team that works farther south in Osaka has organized well for assisting with relief efforts.  Please pray that everyone will be safe and that their efforts will be effective in saving the lost.

 

John and others are continuing to prepare for the Jonathan training that begins on the 28th of March.  This training will most likely stretch most of us in our thinking about how to reach our target people.  Please pray that this time will bring glory to God.

 

In the last few months, the His Hands team has been seeking placement for one of our babies who has significant special needs at this point in her life.  We are not sure of her future but know that our awesome God is in control of all that concerns her.  If any of you know of a family who could take this beautiful baby girl into their home please, please let us know.  We affectionately call her Ladybug, since at this time she only has a Chinese name.  Thanks for your prayers for our precious Ladybug.

 

We are grateful to you for praying with us about these concerns.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

1.  Pray with us as we seek to acknowledge God’s faithfulness to us and to be faithful to Him as well.

2.  Pray for Paul and his counseling ministry.

3.  Please pray for the Team Expansion families that are serving in Japan and the brothers and sister that they serve with.

4.  Please continue to pray for the upcoming Jonathan training.

5.  Please pray that we find a family for Ladybug.

 

 

 

Posted on March 19th, 2011 by dunns
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March 13, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

 

“Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life!  For these past two years there has been famine in the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.  God sent me ahead of you to preserve you on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

 

Joseph was able to understand that God had orchestrated everything that happened to him in order that the salvation of his family would be accomplished.  He was not upset by the fact that God would choose to use him this way.  Joseph had learned to accept the sovereignty of God over his life.  May we learn as well to accept what God wants to do with us for the glory of His name and the benefit of others.

 

Many of you have prayed for His Hands to have a larger building for the House of Hope, which is our unwed mother’s and baby home.  We are probably within a month of being able to move into that new facility.  Please pray that this new facility will meet the government’s requirements for organizations such as this one, that we can do more to meet needs in the name of the Lord in the Kaohsiung area.

 

John and several others missionaries here on island will be attending two weeks of strategic church planting training.  This training is called Jonathan Training.  It helps to develop a church planting strategy specific for your people group in the area in which you minister.  John will be home only on the weekend during those two weeks.  Please pray for Cheryl and the children while he gone.

 

Please join us in praying for the people of Japan as they begin rebuild their lives following the disastrous earthquake that happened this past Friday.  Please pray as well for the missionaries and other Christians in Japan to use this as an opportunity to share the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Thank you for praying for the wedding service that John performed.  Everything went very well.  We hope that the service was a testimony to the non-Christians who attended.

 

We are very grateful for your continued prayers and support as we strive to serve our LIVING God here in Taiwan.

 

God Bless,

 

John & Cheryl

 

 

1.  Please pray that we can teach our people to accept the sovereignty of God in their lives.

2.  Please pray that the new House of Hope will fulfill the government requirements for a baby home.

3.  Please pray for those of that will be attending the Jonathan Training and for their families.

4.  Please join us in praying for the people of Japan both physically and spiritually.

5.  Thank you for praying for the wedding service.

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 12th, 2011 by dunns
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March 6, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“The LORD was with Joseph. He was successful and lived in the household of his Egyptian master. His master observed that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made everything he was doing successful. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned.”  Genesis 39:2-4

God was with Joseph even as a slave in Egypt.  Joseph chose not to be overcome by his circumstances as a slave.  Instead he chose to believe that God was still with Him and could bless him in Egypt as well as in Canaan.  We need to recognize that God never leaves us and has great blessings in store for us even when our circumstances are less than desirable.  Please pray that our people will be faithful even in the tough times, like Joseph, so that they can receive a great blessing.

Thank you for praying for our visit with Xiao Mei’s ex-husband, Mr. Mao, and his family.  They graciously welcomed our visit.  We listened as they shared their feelings.  They also listened to us as we appealed to them to choose to forgive Xiao Mei for both their sake and her’s.  Please pray that they will choose to hear what was said so that they can be free from the bondage of unforgiveness.

John is preparing to teach a course for present and potential leaders.  It will help them learn how to study the Bible and prepare to teach from it.  The time available is short so pray that preparations can be made swiftly and properly.  Please pray that those attending will truly come with an attitude to learn so as to serve the Church.  Please pray as we continue to work out a time to schedule the Kairos training.

This coming weekend John will be conducting a wedding.  It will be the first time that he has the majority of the service to perform.  Cheryl and John will also be singing at the reception.  Please pray for us as we prepare.  May God give John the proper words to speak as this young couple begin their lives together in Christ.

We have some news to share with you about our family.  Bethany and Philip are expecting in September.  Bethany is now almost 14 weeks along.  Please pray that the pregnancy will continue to go smoothly.  Bethany’s due date is also her birthday!  Only God knows when the baby will be born, but it is kind of exciting and fun for her to share.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that our people will see that God is with them in the hard times and live faithful lives.

2.  Please pray that Mr. Mao and his family will be willing to forgive Xiao Mei so their hearts can heal.

3.  Please pray the training course John will be teaching this spring and for a time for Kairos training to work out soon as well.

4.  Please pray for the wedding this Saturday that John will be performing.

5.  Please pray for the Bethany & Philip as they prepare for their child to be born in September.

Posted on March 5th, 2011 by dunns
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February 27, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

Then he had another dream, and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”  When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?”  His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said. … Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?  Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. So when the Midianite merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites then took Joseph to Egypt.  Genesis 37:9-11, 26-28

God’s ways are always interesting to us.  First, we see Joseph dreaming that one day his whole family would bow to him.  Later we see him being sold as a slave by his brothers.  How do the these two events mesh together?  God always fulfills His promises, just not as, or when, we think He should or will.  Please join with us in praying for the faith to wait upon God to bring about His plans in His time.

Thank you for praying for Jeff and Michelle Michael as they traveled to Taiwan and back.  Their week in Taiwan was very full.  We’ll wait and let them share some of the more interesting events first.  They and Malachi bonded very quickly, which made for a good week, but also a very difficult good-bye.  Please continue to pray that the adoption process will come to completion soon.

We continue to work toward having a Kairos training this spring.  We are also working toward some other training goals to be completed before we leave on home assignment.

This week we and a few others are going to be visiting with Xiao Mei’s ex-husband and his family  They all need Jesus.  They all also need to let go of the hatred that they have for Xiao Mei so that they can heal.  They need to be willing to forgive.  Please pray for us all to have wisdom as we go visit with them this week, possibly as soon as Monday.

Thank you for praying for Cheryl’s hearing.  The doctor said that her ear looked good, but it needed to have some wax removed, which they did.  Cheryl believes that her hearing is as good as it was before the infection.  She is to return for a hearing test this week.

We appreciate your constant prayers on our behalf.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we will have the faith to wait on God to fulfills his plans and promises in our lives.

2.  Please pray for Malachi’s adoption to be completed soon.

3.  Please pray for our congregations as we continue to work toward completing certain training goals before we leave on home assignment.

4.  Please pray for the meeting with Xiao Mei’s former husbands family.

5.  Thank you for praying for Cheryl’s hearing.  She believes that her hearing  is as good as it was before the infection.

Posted on February 26th, 2011 by dunns
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February 20, 2011 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the ground you are lying on.  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using your name and that of your descendants. I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”  Genesis 28:13b-14

Wow!  What a promise given to Jacob.  He was God’s chosen man to bless at that time.  Paul writes about God’s promises in II Corinthians 1 as being “Yes” in Jesus and that we have proof of this through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  We pray that all of us will learn to trust in all of God’s promises so that we will live boldly for Christ.

We ask that you pray with us as we make plans for developing leadership and servanthood in our people.  Right now we are trying to schedule Kairos training for our congregations during the month of March.  This training hopefully will give our people a global kingdom perspective and a focus on evangelism as missions.  Please pray that we can work out how to involve as many people as possible in this training.

Please pray be praying for our plans for home assignment as well.  We are really having a difficult time finding affordable airfare for our home assignment.  Please pray that we can find and purchase tickets at a good price soon, and have that part of our travel plans completed.

Please pray for the Eternal Light and Good News congregations as they make plans for us to be gone.  We are planning to be gone for a year.  This is the first time that we have been gone for such a long time, and it will be a challenge for the congregations as well as for us.  Please pray for Paul and Eugene, as much of the leadership for the congregations will fall on them.  We pray that other members will step forward and help lead.

Thank you for praying for Cheryl’s healing.  She is doing well, although her hearing has not completely returned yet.  Please pray for her as she continues to heal.

On Saturday, the Eternal Light congregation had an all church cleaning day.  It was good to see them all pitch-in together to accomplish a common goal.  They enjoyed each other’s company as they worked together.  Please pray that they will continue to grow together as the body of Christ in this corner of the world.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we all learn to trust in God’s promises and therefore live boldly for Christ.

2.  Please pray for the planning for Kairos training.

3.  Please pray that we will be able to purchase our airfare at a decent price soon.

4.  Please pray for our Taiwanese co-workers and the congregations here as we make plans for a year long home assignment.

5.  Thank you for praying for Cheryl’s healing.

6.  Pray that our people will grow together as they work together.

Posted on February 19th, 2011 by dunns
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