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January 15, 2018 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“‘Sir,’ the official said to him, ‘come down before my child dies.’  Jesus told him, ‘Go home; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home.”   John 4:49-50  NET

The official came from about 40 miles to ask Jesus to come to his home to heal his child.  He was very committed to bringing Jesus home with him to heal his son, but Jesus did not go, instead he told the man the man, “Go home; your son will live.”  The man then demonstrated the true extent of his faith by believing Jesus and returning home.  Jesus gives us many directives in the Bible.  Do we express our faith in Jesus by acting on them as this father?  Many times I do not.  I wait, looking for more signs from Him that this is His will.  Join us in committing to act in faith upon God’s Word.

This coming Sunday John is going to begin working to disciple at least two of the boys at The Home of God’s Love.  One is Yi-fa, who was baptized recently.  The other is Jing-wei.  He is a second grader, and has expressed an interest in being baptized.

Thank you for praying for Jin-li. He continues to improve little by little, but he still is very weak.  He has had a hard time eating anything solid.  Please continue to pray for his healing and for a family member who is willing to donate part of their liver.

Please pray for the family of Edna Kidd.  Edna was the mother of John’s brother-in-law, William Kidd.  She went to be in the presence of her Lord and Savior on Sunday in the US.  She was a great Christian lady who always had a smile.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for us to live by faith as we seek to follow Jesus.

2.  Please pray for the new discipleship class that will begin this coming Sunday afternoon.

3.  Please continue to pray for Jin-li’s healing from liver failure.

4.  Please pray for the family of Edna Kidd, as they grieve over her passing and rejoice in her going to heaven.

Posted on January 15th, 2018 by dunns
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January 6, 2018 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord who rules over all.  ‘But you say, “How should we return?” … Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse … You have criticized me sharply, … You have said, “It is useless to serve God.”’”  Malachi 3:7b – 14a

As a new year gets under way we often think about how we might improve ourselves.  We make resolutions.  Sometimes we even make promises to ourselves and others.  What about our relationship with God?  Have we considered how we might improve our relationship to God?  He tells the people of Malachi’s day that they need to return to Him through bringing the whole tithe to Him.  He wants them to trust Him.  He calls on them to stop criticizing how He cares for them and uses their service.  They think they do not need God’s help or care.  They are proud.  We should ask ourselves, “Is God trustworthy?  Do I need His care?”  If we are to draw close to God we must first consider Him trustworthy.  We must also give up our foolish pride and recognize our need for His continual care and provision.  Join us in admitting our pride and seeking to trust God with all we need.

We are rejoicing over two recent baptisms.  First, Mr. Jang from Taichung was baptized on the 31st of December.  John led a discipleship group in the Jang home while in Taichung.  Then just today on the 6th, Yi-fa from the Home of God’s Love was baptized.  Yi-fa is in 6th grade.  We praise the Lord for these two brothers in Christ.

We ask that you pray for Gin-li.  His liver is failing.  He retired early from the police department in order to become a preacher.  He lived at The HoGL about 40 years ago.  His condition was so bad this past week that he was in intensive care.  After lots of prayer by many people is out of intensive care, but he is still in need of a liver transplant.  In Taiwan only blood relatives may provide organs.  No one at this time in his family is able to do so.  Please pray that God will heal Gin-li by His own hand or through providing a donor to help Gin-li.

We have enjoyed having Andrew & Moriah home the past two weeks.  Please pray for them as they return to the dorm tomorrow afternoon.  They both have basketball games this week and a tournament on the weekend, as well as getting started with a new semester of classes, Andrew’s last semester of high school.

Thank you for continuing to be part of our ministry through your prayer support.

God Bless

John & Cheryl

1.  Pray that we will seek to be humble before God.

2.  Praise God for Mr. Jang and Yi-fa’s baptims.

3.  Pray for Gin-li to be healed and for God to receive the glory.

4.  Pray for Andrew and Moriah as they return to a busy schedule at school this week.

Posted on January 6th, 2018 by dunns
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December 18, 2017 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“He began to speak out fearlessly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.”  Acts 18:26

This passage was part of message from John’s sermon on Sunday.  This verse shows that Apollos apparently had a humble spirit.  Even though he was evidently very well versed in the old testament scriptures concerning the Messiah, he was still willing to be corrected.  Priscilla and Aquila were humble as well as being sensitive to the situation and pulled him aside to teach him.  They evidently proved to him that Jesus was the Messiah he taught about.  There is another point that many of us can learn from Pricilla & Aquila.  They were older, more mature believers with good training of their own, but they continued to seek to be taught from God’s Word.  They also realized that God had placed them in this place to support the work of the evangelists, pastors, and teachers that God sent their place of worship.  Join with us as we try to learn to have a humble spirit as we both continue to learn and to teach.

This past weekend our team spent three evenings in the night market spreading some Christmas cheer.  We offered free hot chocolate, green tea, and cookies to passersby as we passed out flyers about the upcoming Christmas activity this Saturday evening.  We also passed out a booklet  from Book of Hope, that emphasized the coming of Jesus to the earth.  The booklet also contained a set of stories telling about God’s plan of salvation from creation to Christ.  Please pray that those who accepted the booklets will consider what it says.  Pray as well that they will come to enjoy the Christmas activity and hear more about Jesus.

We ask that you pray for Andrew’s health and future.  He has been having trouble with asthma more this year.  The pollution in Taichung has been much worse these past few years and many people are having more and more trouble.  We also ask that you pray that he gain wisdom concerning how to care for himself.  We hope he can understand his body and tell when he is need of using his inhaler before it gets too bad.  He will be heading back to the states for college this coming summer, and we covet prayers on his behalf and our behalf for help in making wise decisions as to what college to attend studying computer science and how we can best help him at this time in his life as his parents.

We appreciate your loving concern and support especially at this holiday season.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we will have humble spirits as we learn and teach.

2.  Please pray for the Christmas Outreach this coming Saturday evening, as well as many other events during this holiday season.

3.  Please pray for Andrew as he learns to deal with asthma and makes important decisions about his future.

Posted on December 17th, 2017 by dunns
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December 3, 2017 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus.  He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated Christ).  Andrew brought Simon to Jesus.”  John 1:40-42a

Andrew is not mentioned as often in the scriptures as Peter, John, or a few of the other apostles, but think of what he did.  Andrew gives us an example that is worth following.  After meeting Jesus, he tells his brother about Him and introduces Peter to Jesus.  Such a simple act, but so important.  This is what we as disciples of Jesus are to do as well.  We are to introduce our family, friends, or anyone we meet to Jesus so that they too may come to be His disciples.  Join us in following Andrew’s example of introducing Jesus our savior to someone that has not met Him yet.

This past Sunday afternoon we assisted the Sanfords with an outreach in the park next to our community.  We set up a table with drinks and kites and handed them out to those who came by.  Many people were willing to enjoy flying a kite and talking with us for a while.  The purpose was to meet people and let them know that the Sanfords were beginning a Sunday worship service in their home.  There were a few people who seemed interested and some interesting responses by some as well.  One lady asked Samantha, “Is this a safe place?”  Later she showed Sam bruises on her arms from being beaten.  Please pray for this lady and others that were invited to accept the invitation to hear about the true and living God.

We ask that you pray for another outreach that is being planned.  We don’t know exactly how it will happen, but Chris would like to rent a space in the night market area for a week or so before Christmas to share about the coming of Jesus to the earth.  He is investigating the logistical possibilities presently.  Pray for us to receive wisdom from God concerning the night market outreach.

We continue to ask you to pray for the McGill family as they grieve over Sharon.  We also ask that you pray for Moriah’s dorm family as they try to find a new normal without Sharon’s presence.  We also hope that the dorm family will be a source of encouragement and strength for Terry & his son, Josh!

Jon Ralls, our former Taiwan co-worker, just recently finished his last round of chemotherapy.  He is waiting to see how tests come back to know the present situation.  He has been fighting through fatigue, so pray for strength and endurance.

Thank you for your prayers.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Pray with us to be active in introducing others to Jesus.

2.  Pray for those who came to last week’s outreach to desire to know more about Jesus!

3.  Pray for us to know God’s will concerning the night market outreach.

4.  Pray for the McGill family as they continue to grieve.

5.  Pray for Jon Ralls and his family as he continues to battle cancer.

Posted on December 5th, 2017 by dunns
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November 19, 2017 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.  Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth we are absent from the Lord – for we live by faith, not by sight.  Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So then whether we are alive or away, we make it our ambition to please him.”  II Cor. 5:4-9  NET

Life is filled with joys and hardships.  This is the reality of life.  When we compare what we experience here on earth to what we believe heaven will be like we all long to be in heaven.  We think of verses such as above when our loved ones are ill or pass away.  We sing about heaven in our songs.  We want to make sure our loved ones know Jesus so that they can be with us one day in heaven with the Lord.  These are all true, but there is another truth.  When our loved ones do put on their spiritual bodies and leave us for heaven, we cry.  We hurt.  We have pain.  We stand as Jesus did before the tomb of Lazarus and weep.  Why?  We know they have gone to be with Jesus.  We know they will not suffer from the hardships and troubles of this life, but we cry.  We cry because we miss them.  We hurt because their blessing has become a hole in our lives for a period of time.  We are in pain because we are still in this tent that is burdened and mortal.  So what shall we do?  We will continue to live by faith and not by sight.  We will make it our ambition to please Him everyday.  We will continue to hope for the day of our homecoming as well.  Pray with us to learn to live everyday with a desire to please Him!

Our dear friend Sharon McGill has gone to be with the Lord.  She gained her heavenly reward on the evening of the 16th with several of her family and some friends around her.  Please pray for her family, friends, & all of her dorm students, of which Moriah is one.  She has left an amazing legacy behind in her family as well as all those who called her Aunt Sharon through the dorm.

We ask that you pray for our friend and fellow minister, Nate Schnautz, who lives in southern Illinois.  He has been fighting cancer and was told that treatment will only extend his days here on earth, but not cure him.  Please pray for his healing whether through God’s hand on his body, or through taking him home to heaven.

We ask that you pray for our mission family here on island.  Everyone needs encouragement at times.  Holidays, like Thanksgiving that is coming this week, are fun and happy, but we also miss our family and friends who are not here with us.  Satan can use this and so much more to put stress in our lives or discourage us.

Thank you!

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we learn to live each day for Jesus.

2.  Please pray for the McGill family as well as all of the dorm students.

3.  Please pray for Nate Schnautz and family as he fights cancer.

4.  Please pray for our mission family’s strength and encouragement.

Posted on November 19th, 2017 by dunns
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November 11, 2017 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praises. Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up – and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.”

James 5:13-16

Prayers of the righteous as pronounced here are having great effectiveness in the lives of those who believe.  It seems that everything is covered whether it be emotional, physical, or spiritual need.  We are called to pray.  We are also told to set people apart for God as we pray.  It seems that when we come together as God’s people setting ourselves on His purposes not our own He will act according to His will.  We want to set ourselves apart for His purposes to do His will.  We also want to pray with this same attitude.  Will you join us in committing yourselves in the same way that God might be glorified and that our prayers might be effective.

Please pray for Moriah’s dorm mom, Sharon McGill, and her family; Sharon is also the wife of Andrew’s soccer coach.  She is in the States now continuing to fight cancer that she has been taking chemo treatments for these past 8 months.  Barring God’s intervention she will most likely go home to heaven before being able to return to Taiwan.  We ask that you pray for God to remove the cancer from her body.  We also ask that you lift up her family and the Morrison school community for strength and encouragement.  This is a link to a blog about Sharon’s condition.  https://carinforsharon.blogspot.com

We ask that you pray for John as he preaches on Sunday and leads the youth Sunday school class.  John also continues to lead devotions on Monday evenings at The Home of God’s Love.

The HoGL also just went through another semi annual inspection.  We are praying for a high score.  A high score is needed in order to be able to eventually apply for the international adoption license again.

We thank you for praying for our ministry and our family.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.   Please pray for us to set ourselves apart to God’s will and purposes as we serve and pray.

2.  Please pray for Sharon McGill as she fights cancer.  Pray for the family and the school community too.

3.  Please pray for John as he preaches and teaches this week.

4.  Please pray for The HoGL as she strives to serve God through serving children and families.

Posted on November 11th, 2017 by dunns
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October 14, 2017 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.  At the same time pray for us too, that God may open a door for the message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.  Pray that I may make it known as I should.”  Co. 4:2-4

Paul is seen by many as the premier evangelist in the scriptures.  One of the major reasons might be found in these verses.  He asks for prayer for two specifics items.  First, that God would provide opportunities to proclaim Christ.  Second, he asks for prayer that he would present the Gospel message as he should.  These two prayer requests show both his recognition of the need for God’s help in evangelism and his personal need to speak it forth properly.  This could mean that his method and tone are both received well by his audience.  It could also mean something else, but it certainly gives us reason to consider whether we are as concerned about how we present the Gospel as Paul.  Pray with us that God would open doors of opportunity for the Gospel and that we would present the Gospel as we ought.

John hopes to be able to visit Mr. Jiang in at his home this coming week.  John and he talked the past week and the previous week.  God continues to work on Mr. Jiang’s heart.  Please pray that God will provide an opportunity for both John & Cheryl to build trust with the whole Jiang family.

We are slowly building stronger relationships with the children and staff at the Home of God’s Love.  Some of the youth have very soft hearts, while others have built up larger walls to protect themselves from hurt.  Please pray that God will give wisdom to everyone involved a the HoGL as to how to help all the children to realize the love of God.

Thank you for praying for our family.  Cheryl had a good and safe trip with the school board to Cambodia.  God provided and opportunity for her to conect a staff person at the hotel with a young Chinese believer there.  Please pray that his interest in Christianity will grow.

We just had a few days of R&R at the beach with Andrew & Moriah.  We had two days of great beach weather and a day of game playing while it rained.  PTL!

Thank you for praying for the ministry in Taiwan.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray for an open door for the Gospel and that we will speak the truth well.

2.  Please pray for an opportunity to visit the Jiang family in their home.

3.  Please pray for wisdom for everyone working at the HoGL.

4.  Thank you for praying for Cheryl’s travel to Cambodia.  Pray as well for the gentleman she met at hotel.

5.  Praise the Lord for the opportunity to spend time with Andrew & Moriah.

 

Posted on October 14th, 2017 by dunns
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September 30, 2017 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because I must stay at your house today.” So he came down quickly and welcomed Jesus joyfully. And when the people saw it, they all complained, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:5-10

Most of us like the story of Zaccheus.  Most of us have our own idea of how it all unfolded.  Did Jesus walk right up under the tree stop and then look up at Zaccheus for the first time?  Did Jesus make eye contact while he was still a little distance away from the tree allowing Zaccheus the opportunity to run if he wanted?  It does not really matter, what does matter is that Jesus accepted Zacchues as he was.  That unconditional acceptance changed Zaccheus from the inside out.  His heart was changed, therefore he made a plan to act righteously and generously to those around him.  What difference might we make in someone if we just accept them as they are unconditionally?  Pray with us to be accepting of others as Jesus was.

We are asking God to direct us concerning how we should use our time in ministry here in Luodong.  We plan to give The Home of God’s Love, THOGL, a portion of our time each week, but still use the larger portion for church planting.  Actually, we do see some areas where these two overlap, but we still need God’s help making the best choices with our time.  People have lots of good suggestions for us to consider, but we want to choose what is best and not be satisfied with just what is good.  Please pray with us as we consider our ministry plans for this season.

Cheryl is with the Morrison Academy School Board this week in Cambodia for an international school conference.  She left on Friday and will return next Friday.  They have a busy schedule this coming week.  Please pray that much will be accomplished and for their safety.

Tomorrow morning John will be leading the youth Sunday school class at THOGL.  Please pray that John will be attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as he directs this time.

Our former co-worker here in Taiwan, Jon Raals is finishing his fourth round of chemotherapy.  The plan is for a total of 6 rounds of treatment.  Jon has done well so far.  Please pray that the next test will show that the cancer is already completely gone.

1.  Please pray that God would work on our heats to be accepting of others as Jesus was.

2.  Please pray that we will listen to God’s guidance as we make ministry choices.

3.  Please pray for Cheryl as she is in Cambodia this week.

4.  Please pray for John as he leads the jr. & sr. high Sunday school class at THOGL tomorrow.

5.  Please continue to pray for Jon Ralls as he continues taking chemotherapy and that his cancer will be completely gone.

Posted on September 30th, 2017 by dunns
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September 17, 2017 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“Therefore do not let what you consider good be spoken of as evil.  For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.  For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.”  Romans 14:17 NET

The Kingdom of God is more concerned with the salvation of men than it is me preferences.  We need to learn to discern whether what we choose to eat, or how we choose to dress is offensive to those around us.  This has application to both evangelism and discipleship.  I need to learn not to offend people to whom I am trying to witness with my cultural habits.  If how I choose to dress or the way I address people offends them, then they will not hear the words of truth I say to them.  In the same way, my habits of dress or things I say may seem disrespectful to a brother or sister in Christ.  This might cause a disruption in a congregation.  I should be willing to sacrifice my preference or freedom for the sake of the peace in a congregation.  Pray with us as we consider again how our being different from those around us can both draw people toward Christ or turn them away.

We ask that you continue to pray as we make ministry plans with the Sanfords and the Skiles.  We are getting a few things in place in our schedule, but people are starting to ask us about Bible studies and serving at schools.  We need to take time to pray and make a plan that helps us choose the best opportunities to serve.

Please pray for Grace Lin, a college age girl, at the Gospel Christian Church in Luodong.  She has something in the her upper jaw bone that is causing the bone to disintegrate.  She is to have a biopsy on Monday morning around 8:00.  She and her mom are both Christians, but her father is not.  Please lift Grace and her family up before the Lord.

We, like you, are praying hard for the people in the US & Canada who have lost so much due to the fires and the storms.  We also have been praying for people in India & Bangladesh where terrible flooding has happened as well.  Join us in praying that God’s people will not only share their possessions and time, but also the hope they have in Jesus.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we seek God’s wisdom as we enter into this community as His ambassadors.

2.  Please continue to pray as we seek to make ministry plans that will provide the most growth for the Kingdom of God.

3.  Please pray for Grace Lin and her family as she has a biopsy Monday morning.

4.  We join you in praying for all those around the world who have lost so much from natural disasters in recent weeks.

Posted on September 17th, 2017 by dunns
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August 27, 2017 Prayer Note

Dear Family & Friends,

“But above all pursue his kingdom  and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.”  Matt. 6:33-34

Sometimes it is necessary to remind ourselves of certain truths that we have known for a long time.  When our lives are in the midst of transition and change it is easy to concentrate more on what is changing instead of what is certain and unchanging.  God’s Word and promises never change and they never fail.  We have the idea that because our circumstances are changing we need to concentrate the most on these circumstances.  Actually, when we choose to focus on God and His truth first then our circumstances that are changing come into perspective.  Afterwards they do not seem as big or difficult.  Pray with us to learn to always focus on God’s unchanging truth and Word first and foremost.

We are just getting settled into our house in Lotung, but God is already providing opportunities for potential ministry.  Mr. Jiang came over to help us install cabinets that we brought with us.  We have known his family for several years. He shared about his son having a type of depression and afraid of being in public.  The Jiang family started attending worship at a local church seeking help.  He feels like it has helped their family some, but his son still has a long way to go.  He invited us to come to his home and is considering hosting a small group there.

We need to work out what our responsibilities will be at the Home of God’s Love.  We also need to make plans with the Sanford family concerning our ministry plans to continue making disciples that make disciples.  We ask that you join us in seeking God’s direction with these plans.

We are getting close to having our house set-up.  Andrew and Moriah are beginning to get into a routine at school and in the dorm.  Andrew is very busy already with school and soccer, and Moriah is pretty busy with volleyball practice and her classes as well.  Please continue to pray with us as we finish setting up our new home and our children settle into school.

Thank you for praying.

God Bless,

John & Cheryl

1.  Please pray that we learn to focus on God’s unchanging truth, His Word.

2.  Please pray for the Jiang family as they seek to know God and desire healing for their family.

3.  Please pray for us, the Skiles, & the Sanfords as we make ministry plans.

4.  Please pray for our family as Andrew & Moriah settle into new school and dorm routines and as we continue setting up our home.

Posted on August 27th, 2017 by dunns
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