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November 21, 2010 Prayer Note

November 21, 2010 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“After this Jesus, realizing that by this time everything was completed, said (in order to fulfill the scripture), ‘I am thirsty!’  A jar full of sour wine was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a branch of hyssop and lifted it to his mouth.  When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, ‘It is completed!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”  John 19:28-30

Jesus endured life as a man and then death as a criminal that He might fulfill all things necessary to glorify His Father and save our souls.  What are we willing to endure that we might glorify His name and work out our sanctification?

Eternal Light and Good News are both working on Christmas outreach programs.  They are also praying for those that they will particularly invite to attend.  Eternal Light has received permission to use the grade school’s activity center for their program.  We hope using the school will make it easier for some people to attend.  Please pray for the hearts of those that will attend.

The ministry at His Hands continues to be busy.  There are new expectant moms being interviewed, babies receiving court degrees, and progress toward a new rental facility.  The situation with the mom that had been threatened by her boyfriend came to a head this past week and seems to be settled for now.  We pray that he will leave her and the baby alone.

Cheryl’s brother Tim will have surgery in early January.  Please pray for he and the family as they wait.

Thank you for praying for our finances.  We have paid for Andrew’s tuition and will pay for Moriah’s this week.  We still need to save money for our airfare for this coming summer, as we are in the midst of vehicle repairs again.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Thank you Jesus for your enduring the cross for us.

2.  Please pray for the hearts of those that will attend the Christmas outreach activities.

3.  Please continue to pray for all the moms and babies connected to His Hands as well as the new facility.

4.  Please for Cheryl’s brother Tim as he awaits surgery in January.

5.  Thank you for praying for our financial situation.

November 14, 2010 Prayer Note

November 14, 2010 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“But he said to them, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid.’  Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.”  John 6:20-21

The above passage is part of the Apostle John’s testimony of the Jesus walking on the water.  It is interesting that Jesus sent them out onto the lake and into the storm himself.  Then when He joined them in the boat they came to their destination.  So many times in life we are like the men in the boat.  We are headed in the direction that is pleasing to God, but we insist on using our own strength, ingenuity, … to get there.  We struggle until we are exhausted, then finally we ask God for help, “take Him into the boat.”  It is amazing we arrive at the destination with much less strain and effort.  Let us learn to invite Jesus into our boat as we start each day.

We praise the Lord for the good fellowship that the Eternal Light congregation had last weekend.  Thirty-five people in all attended.  This represented the majority of our weekly attenders.  We praise the Lord that one of the non-Christian husbands, Jared Ke, attended with his family.

Both the Eternal Light congregation and the Good News congregation are planning Christmas outreach activities.  This year the Good News congregation is going to assist with Eternal Light’s program.  We are grateful for the willingness of the congregations to work together to share the gospel message.  Eternal Light’s program will be on Sunday evening the 19th of December.  Good News’ program will be on the evening of Christmas Day.  (Yes, the culture is a little different about the Christmas holiday.)  Please join us in prayer as the congregations prepare for these programs.

We are so thankful for your prayers on Cheryl and our family’s behalf.  Cheryl came through the surgery very well.  We believe her recovery is going very well also.  Please pray that we will have wisdom as she slowly increases her activities.

Please pray for the His Hands ministry.  There are many things happening at this time.  One of the moms that recently gave birth, came to His Hands due to abuse by her boyfriend.  Since giving birth just over a week ago,  he has threatened her, as well as a friend that has supported her throughout the pregnancy.  This is all very disturbing for everyone involved.  Please pray for protection of this mom, the baby, the friend, and those involved at His Hands.  There is also good news.  His Hands has found a larger place, with a landlord that will provide His Hands with a five year contract.  This will allow the ministry to proceed with the application to be a licensed children’s home.  Please pray that this application process will go smoothly and quickly.

Recently in our monthly financial reports, we have reported the need to pay for our children’s second semester tuition and to be saving for airline tickets.  During the past month we received two unexpected donations from two our supporting churches for a total of $3,000 US.  That amount is over half of the total for the tuition.  Praise the Lord!

Thank you so much for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Pray that Jesus travels with you everyday in your boat.

2.  Praise God for a good fellowship outing.

3.  Pray for our upcoming Christmas outreach activities.

4.  Praise God for Cheryl’s lack of pain and pray for a continued smooth recovery.

5.  Please pray for the safety of this mom and everyone involved with her case.  Please pray as well for the rental agreement and application for the children’s home license all to be completed smoothly & quickly for His Hands.

6.  We praise God for the additional donations received recently.

October 31, 2010

Dear Family & Friends,

“I will tell about your justice, and all day long proclaim your salvation, though I cannot fathom its full extent.  I will come and tell about the mighty acts of the sovereign Lord.  I will proclaim your justice – yours alone.”  Psalm 71:15-16

Today being a 5th Sunday, we will be having testimonies.  We believe having these opportunities gives our people an opportunity to think about how God has been working in their lives, and then to praise Him for it.  It also gives them practice for sharing their testimony with non-Christians.  Join us today in praising God for the work He is doing in our lives.

This coming weekend the Eternal Light Christian Church will be going on an overnight activity.  They are going to the south of the island for some fun and fellowship.  Sunday morning they will also have an outdoor worship service.  We hope this activity will help to grow the bonds of friendship between the members.

We were blessed this weekend with visitors from Taipei.  Scott & Angie Pagel and three of their children stayed with us overnight on Friday.  Their oldest child, Bethanie, played in a volleyball tournament on Saturday at Morrison Academy Kaohsiung.  It was joy to spend some time with some our Team Expansion family.

Please be praying for Cheryl’s brother, Tim, as he will be having surgery soon.  We don’t have a date yet for the surgery.  When we know more we will pass it on to you.

We also ask that you pray for Cheryl.  As you know last January Cheryl had a procedure performed on her uterus and had some abnormal cells on her cervix.  Cheryl went to see a doctor on Thursday for a check-up.  He decided that it was time for Cheryl to have a hysterectomy.  He was able to schedule her for this Monday morning in Taiwan.  That will be Sunday evening in the States & Canada.  Cheryl is relieved to finally have a date set for the surgery.  We believe this what she has needed for a quite a while.  Please pray for the surgery and recovery to go well.  Please pray as well for Andrew and Moriah as this week they will be staying with friends.  We also ask that you pray for our older children and family that are in the States & Canada.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  We You, God, for the many works you do in our lives to make us more like You.

2.  Please pray that the fellowship activity this weekend will be uplifting to our people and glorifying to God.

3.  We thank God for the blessing of good friends and fellowship.

4.  Please pray for Cheryl’s brother, Tim, and the rest of the family as he awaits surgery.

5.  Please pray for Cheryl as she has surgery on Monday and for the kids as this week will be different for them.

October 24, 2010 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“He took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people, and they said, ‘We are willing to do and obey all that the Lord has spoken.’  So Moses took the blood and splashed it on the people and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.’”  Exodus 24:27-28

The story that will be told in the Good News & Eternal Light churches today is the giving of the Law to the Israelites.  Before and after the law was given, the Israelites stated that they would obey all that God had spoken to them through Moses.  A covenant was made in blood between God and Israel.  Is it not the same with us that a covenant in blood has been made between God and every Christian?  We have made a covenant with God, we should live accordingly.  We should bring glory and honor to God as well as blessing to ourselves by honoring the covenant.  Please pray for us to be living examples to the Taiwanese as how to live in covenant with God.

We are glad to tell you that we did not receive much rain nor wind from the typhoon this week.  Other areas did receive heavy rain.  Some people near the Home of God’s Love in the NE part of the island have lost homes and possessions, some even their lives.  Please join us in prayer for these people.

Please pray for Chen, Fang-yi, one of our brothers at Eternal Light.  He has developed high blood pressure that caused him to have a nose bleed off and on for 36 hours.  If he had bled inside his skull he might have had a stroke.  Please pray for Fang-yi to learn to deal better with pressure at work, to change his diet, and to take his medicine properly.  We praise God that he did not have a stroke.  Fang-yi is 44 years old.

This past week or two Cheryl has spent quite a bit of time with some of the birth moms from His Hands.  Two have recently given birth by Caesarean section, so please pray for their healing.  One of these moms has had some interaction with Christians, but the other two have not.  These two really are completely ignorant of a loving creator God.  They don’t even understand why you would pray to a God in the way that Cheryl does for them.  Please pray for Cheryl and others to have opportunities to share the Gospel message with them in ways that will cause them to think and consider their beliefs and worldview.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for us to be living examples to the Taiwanese as how to live in covenant with God.

2.  Praise God for our safety during the typhoon, but pray for those affected by the flooding.

3.  Praise God for sparing Fang-yi from a stroke, but pray for him as he learns to live with high blood pressure.

4.  Please continue to pray for opportunities to witness to the birth moms at His Hands, and for their health.

October 17, 2010 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household to the land that I will show you.  Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name.’”  Genesis 12:1-3

Today the story that will be told is the call of Abraham.  In this text, Abraham is told that God will bless him in order that he might be an example of divine blessing.  God wanted “who” to see this example of divine blessing?  He wanted to show the rest of the world, the nations.  He wanted to draw the nations to Himself through the example of blessing that He gave to Abraham and his family.  God does the same thing today through us as Christians.  When we live lives that show gratefulness to God for the blessings in our lives others are drawn to God and glorify His name.  Let us pray that we live in such a way that glorifies God for the blessings in our lives.

Please pray for the Good News church and Eugene  as they continue to learn to work together.  Eugene is finding out that everything is not going to be as easy as it first seemed.  Some of the cell groups are resisting going out to prayer walk and serve in the community.  Other cells are resisting using the material that we are wanting them study.  This is a result of no true guidance from leadership over a period of time.  Please pray for Eugene and the cell leaders as they try to work together on these issues.  Please pray as well for John to have wisdom as he tries to help them through this process.

Paul continues to help counsel certain students at the local grade school.  These children all have some kind of family issue.  Some of them have begun attending the Wednesday after school program at Eternal Light.  Paul may begin helping with such youth at the local jr. high school as well.  Please pray for Paul to have wisdom as he counsels these children, and for our program to bring Christ into the lives of these children.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we all learn to glorify God through the blessings He gives us.

2.  Please pray for the Good News Church, Eugene, and John as they work through cell group issues.

3.  Please pray for the counseling at the local schools and Wednesday after school program.

4.  Please pray for the ministry at His Hands as things are busy at this time.

October 10, 2010 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

But to Adam he said, “Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  Genesis 3:17

This one verse reminds us that we are to first obey God.  God is the one who charges us to obey our parents and those in authority over us.  When we do this we are being obedient to God, but when we choose to listen to those that entice us to disobey God, we have sinned.  We willfully bring a curse upon our lives.  Pray with us that we will be an example to the Taiwanese to always choose obedience to God so that blessing can come to our lives, not curses.

We are grateful for you prayers in regard to the the Global Rest retreat we attended.  The retreat was very good.  Our speaker, Chris Dewelt had some great words of encouragement.  The rest of the Global Rest team did a great job as well.  We were treated with honor and love.  We do not deserve the special care and recognition they gave to us, but it was wonderful.  Please join us in thanking God for the ministry and people of Global Rest.

After the retreat, We spent some time with our field coordinators, Dana & Chris McCain.  They helped to clarify some of our goals and procedures for establishing a church planting movement in our area.  Our desire is to establish a network of churches in the Kaohsiung area that rely upon the Holy Spirit and the Power of the Gospel to spontaneously grow and multiply.  We believe that one important part of this process is training our people to share the gospel message.  We believe that using Bible storying, in other words, Bible story telling, is very simple and is a reproducible format for training people in the Word of God.  Please pray with us as we move forward with implementing our plans.

During the Morrison Christian Academy fall break we have also been honored to have Bethany’s sister-in-law, Elyssa White, stay with us.  She is a senior this year and is waiting for her mom and dad to return to Taiwan after her mom’s heart surgery that took place in August. Lord willing, they should be able to return in November.  Please pray for Elyssa as she finishes up her high school studies here in Taiwan and for Kathy-Lu as she regains strength after a successful surgery.

The ministry at His Hands Taiwan is rarely slow.  There are two expectant mothers at the home at this time.  One of them is scheduled to have a Cesarean section this Wednesday afternoon.  The other mom should deliver in the next two weeks.  Please pray for these moms as they give birth to their babies.  Pray for clarity of speech as Cheryl and the other ladies seek opportunies also, to share the gospel with them

Thank you for the blessing of your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we will have a witness of obedience to God before the people of Taiwan.

2.  Please praise and thank God for the ministry and people of Global Rest.

3.  Please pray that our plans for developing a network of churches in the Kaohsiung area that spontaneously grow and multiply through the power of Gospel will be accomplished.

4.  Please pray for Elyssa and Kathy -Lu White.

5.  Please pray for the two moms at His Hands that will deliver soon.

October 3, 2010 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Then the Lord God took dust from the ground and made a man.  He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nose, and the man became a living thing.”  Genesis 2:7

We are beginning a new sermon series at both Eternal Light and Good News churches.  We are doing an overview of God’s story of Love from Creation to the Church.  Today we look at Genesis 2.  This chapter tells the beginning of mankind through a poetic style.  It is more concerned with what happened and why rather than when the events happened sequentially.  God specially created mankind and gave him the gift of life, the gift of love.  Please pray for us to be able to communicate God’s Love to the people of Taiwan.

This past week Eugene took a cell group out to prayer walk.  They had the opportunity to witness to a couple in the park.  This opportunity allowed the group to see the weakness in their own faith, thus providing an opportunity for growth.  Please pray for the faith of the Christians to grow as they reach out into their community.

Many of you know that Moriah has lots and lots of energy, and has a hard time focusing at times.  Her situation causes many challenges for everyone.  We took her to see a different doctor this week.  She has already done more to understand Moriah’s situation than the previous doctor.  She has provided us with a strategy for helping her accomplish homework and to function well at school.  Please pray for Moriah and us as we strive to work together to help her face life’s challenges.

This week we are going to be attending a retreat that our field co-ordinator, Dana McCain initiated for all Team Expansion missionaries here in Asia.  It is here on island, so we don’t have far to travel.  Global Rest is the name of the organization that actually conducts the retreat.  Please pray for everyone as they travel to the retreat.  Pray as well that God’s purposes will be achieved through this retreat.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please join us in praying that our preaching, teaching, and living will all effectively communicate the Gospel on Love.

2.  Please pray for Eugene and the cell groups he is leading to grow in faith as they reach out to their community.

3.  Please pray for Moriah and our family as we try some different strategies to help her with the challenges of life.

4.  Please pray for everyone who is traveling to the retreat.  Pray as well that God’s purposes will be achieved.

September 26, 2010 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“The village women said to Naomi, ‘May the Lord be praised because he has not left you without a guardian today! May he become famous in Israel! He will encourage you and provide for you when you are old, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has given him birth. She is better to you than seven sons!’ Naomi took the child and placed him on her lap; she became his caregiver. The neighbor women named him, saying, ‘A son has been born to Naomi.’ They named him Obed. Now he became the father of Jesse – David’s father!”  Ruth 4:14-17

We have come to the end of the book of Ruth.  In the passage above, you will notice that the ladies of the village first give praise to God and then praise Ruth.  They recognized that all good and perfect gifts come from God, which included Ruth and her son.  They named the boy Obed, which means, “the one who serves.”  This emphasizes the nature of Ruth and hopefully her son.  May learn to be a servant of others and be remembered for our humble service to others.

Thank you for praying for Taiwan after and during Typhoon Fananpi.  There was an estimated 120 million US$ in damage to the industrial, fishing, and agricultural businesses alone.  Damages estimates to homes and smaller business have yet to be released.  The damage is certainly not like last year’s typhoon Maracot in August, but many people in our area have lost vehicles, appliances, and furniture.  Please pray for us to know how God might want us to help those in our area.

The Mid-autumn Festival BBQ was very enjoyable.  We had a lot of good fellowship.  One highlight was when a young family showed up that had been invited by another friend who attends many of our church functions each week.  They seemed very comfortable and were well received by our people.  We will be visiting with them again this week.  Please pray for the Lin family to be receptive to the truth of Jesus Christ.

A group called Global Rest is coming to Taiwan to host a retreat for all our missionaries on island.  The retreat will run from Oct. 3rd – 8th.  Our field co-ordinator and his wife, Dana & Chris McCain, are coming as well.  They are presently traveling in Asia visiting other missionaries.  Please pray that the retreat will be helpful for all who attend and God will give travel mercies for everyone involved.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl Dunn

1.  Please pray for us and our people to learn to be humble servants of God and others

2.  Please pray that we have wisdom to know whom to help and how after the flooding.

3.  Please pray that as we share the gospel with the Lin family they will accept the truth.

4.  Please pray for our Dana & Chris McCain, the Global Rest Team, and others that will be traveling to help with or attend the retreat.

September 12, 2010 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“He said, ‘May you be rewarded by the Lord, my dear! This act of devotion is greater than what you did before. For you have not sought to marry one of the young men, whether rich or poor.  Now, my dear, don’t worry! I intend to do for you everything you propose, for everyone in the village knows that you are a worthy woman. Now yes, it is true that I am a guardian, but there is another guardian who is a closer relative than I am.  Remain here tonight. Then in the morning, if he agrees to marry you, fine, let him do so. But if he does not want to do so, I promise, as surely as the Lord lives, to marry you. Sleep here until morning.’”  Ruth 3:10-13

In the third chapter of Ruth, we see both the Ruth and Boaz acting faithfully and righteously.  Ruth chooses to be faithful to her first husband’s family by marrying a “guardian” or “kinsman redeemer.”  She could have chosen to marry anyone that would have her, but someone outside of her husbands family would have ended her ties to Naomi and he.  Choosing to marry Boaz kept that relationship in tact.  Boaz as well acts righteously as he follows etiquette by first inquiring of the closest of kin if he would want to fulfill this responsibility to Ruth and her husband.  Of course the very fact that he does not take advantage of the situation also shows that he is a righteous man.

May we learn to act faithfully to commitments we make and always choose righteousness above our desires.

At the Good News church there are two basic groups of people.  One group wants to always plan activities that will attract people.  The other group just wants to emphasize prayer and does not care to do much else.  Eugene has been slowly working to move these two groups closer together.  This past week parts of each of these two groups met together in order to pray for the leadership of the congregation.  This is a move in the right direction.  Eugene is also directing changes in the cell groups that hopefully will bring each cell group to the point where they are involved in both evangelistic activities and prayer.  Please pray for Eugene and the rest of the congregation as they work together to glorify God.

One of the cell groups at the Eternal Light church meets at Fang Yi and Chi Rong Chen’s home.  Two of the families in this cell are non-Christians.  They have been meeting together for about a year now.  These two families are slowly moving closer to faith in Jesus.  The Chens and others involved in the cell are seeking God for wisdom to know how to bring them into the family of God.  Please pray for these two families to come to Christ.

This coming Friday & Saturday the teachers and staff from Andrew & Moriah’s school are having a retreat.  We have been asked to speak at the retreat on integrity and teamwork as well as to lead a group prayer time.  Please pray for us as we seek to bring a blessing to these people that are here to serve our family.

Thank you for praying for our family and ministry.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for us to provide a witness of faithfulness and righteousness to the Taiwanese Christians.

2.  Please pray for the Eugene and the Good News church as they work toward a proper balance of prayer and works.

3.  Please pray for Chen’s cell group as they try to bring the non-Christian families to the point of making a decision to choose Jesus as their lord and savior.

4.  Please pray for John & Cheryl as they lead at the teachers & staff retreat this weekend.

September 5, 2010 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Ruth knelt before him with her forehead to the ground and said to him, ‘Why are you so kind and so attentive to me, even though I am a foreigner?’ Boaz replied to her, ‘I have been given a full report of all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband – how you left your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously.  May the Lord reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the Lord God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection!”  Ruth 2:12

In the above passage, Boaz tells Ruth that the reason she has kindness is not just because of her virtue, but because she has trusted in God.  God rewards those that put their trust in Him.  Ruth provides a great example for us all.  She does not assume anything.  She even asks to glean the leftover grain.  How many times do we expect to receive when we have not worked, or even asked.  Many times we treat God as a rich uncle that always gives us a dollar whenever we see him.  God loves to bless us, but also loves to hear and see us express trust in Him through what we say and do.  Pray with us that we are able to model this attitude of trusting in God as we share the blessings God gives us with others, like Ruth.

Please continue to pray for Eugene as he works at Good News.  This week he has worked to re-establish cell groups.  Some groups had come together to form one very large cell, but no one really wanted to lead out.  After coming to an understanding of their fears and concerns, he worked with them to form a structure they could accept.  Afterward, they reformed cell groups and people stepped up to the leadership positions.  Now, all the work is not done yet, but it is a very good start.  Please pray for Eugene and these cell leaders to seek God’s guidance and to trust each other.

John again will be teaching on leadership at Good NewsChurch Monday evening.  They will be discussing the qualifications and functions of elders and deacons.  Please pray that John is able to communicate  the truth clearly and that those who hear the truth will choose to apply it.

This week at Eternal Light we will be starting up several ministries again that have not been in session during the summer.  Our Tuesday morning English Bible Study, counseling at the grade school, the Wednesday mornings ladies Bible Study, and the Wednesday afternoon children’s program all begin this week.  Most likely, next week the early morning character education classes will begin again at the elementary school.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Kathy-Lu as she recovers from heart valve surgery.  She was released from the hospital last Sunday evening.  She continues to do well, but at times has quite a bit of pain.  Please pray that they learn all that they can about managing the pain and rely on God to alleviate it as He heals her body.  Please also pray that no infection  forms and that her strength will continue to grow daily.

Thank you for keeping all these items in your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for us as we teach and model a lifestyle that shows that we trust in God for His provision as we share the blessings He gives us.

2.  Please pray for Eugene and the cell leaders to seek God’s guidance, and to trust each other.

3,  Please pray for John as he again teaches at Good News on leadership Monday night.

4.  Please pray for all the ministries that start-up again this week and next at Eternal Light.

5.  Please continue to praise God for the good progress toward full recovery that Kathy-Lu is making.