For Christ My King

Travel Scenery 1

2012-02-02T08:16:00.002-07:00

So, we are mid-travel, mid-vacation, and I am snapping as fast as I can. God has given me some great opportunities for pictures, for which I am very grateful. We have been either busy or without internet or power, so I haven't had much chance to edit pictures. However, I have a few favorites... as usual.

Fields of flowers, just for the beauty of it, in Taijhong? Taiwan.

Lanterns hung in the trees, Taipei, Taiwan

The 2nd tallest building in the world. 101 Tower, Taipei, Taiwan

Taroko Gorge, Hualien, Taiwan

And, as you can see, this isn't even a start on pictures from Hong Kong. More later...

Practicing the Focus

2012-01-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

While in Taijhong, I got to practice the manual focus on my camera. It takes a little bit to understand how to work it when the lens is built in the camera. Thanks to the principal of the elementary school giving me permission, I got to practice on some beautiful landscape. Working the focus on my camera reminded me how easy it is to "get out of focus" in my Christian life. It is easy to leave a "blurry" picture of Christ when I act to quickly, give an inaccurate or irritating picture when I focus on the wrong thing, or accept my "close enough" relationship with Christ instead of only shooting for the best.

The perfect weather allowed for the clear reflection on the water.

My personal favorite.

A friend asked me to photograph the yellow flower, so, here it is.

Abstract shots are more difficult for me.

That's as close as this camera likes to get.

"He is a Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are judgement. A God of truth and without iniquity, Just and Right is He."

Week 13

2012-01-19T22:44:00.002-07:00

Dear Praying Friends,

What an amazing week! God opened up a few witnessingdoors, and I got privileged to meet some very cool kids. But enough with thepromos. Let’s just get to the point.

Last Sunday, after church, we packed up to head forTaijhong. The trip took a couple of hours, but at last, we arrived after dark.The principal’s assistant met us, drove us past the school, and then took us onto our rooms. This school took such good care of us! We stayed in the guestteacher facilities on a college campus, but it felt like a very nice hotel.Just a step in our room, and I took a deep breath.

Ah!

Time to relax. I so needed that break. Thank You Lord!

Teacher Jo: Responsibility with the Red Hen

The three day camp felt a lot like teaching CharacterFirst when I was an intern in Oklahoma City. We went into the classroom andused object lessons, stories, songs, and activities to teach character. CEImade sure we always had a translator in the room, so we were able to do somemore in-depth teaching. When we are at the CEI campus, we have to teach from abook. Here though, there was no book, so we reinforced the character that theChinese teachers taught, with simple English words and phrases.

For example, one of the concepts that the children learnis “positive thinking.” This is kind of like, “attitude is everything, so thinkhappy thoughts.” In Chinese class, they learn how to identify and deal withtheir emotions. So, we taught the English for emotions, and asked the kids whatthey can do to change “negative” emotions. (They are allowed to answer inChinese.) And they learn to say “Positive Think-ing” in English.

Listening Carefully

Teaching in the school is a little different tone than atCEI campus. The children were still “in school” and so they behaved very well.We had to make sure to watch the time for the class periods, as we couldn’tteach over time. There were otherclasses in process too, so we had to be considerate. All in all though, Ienjoyed the time immensely.

Tuesday evening, the rest of the teachers went into townfor dinner, but I had food in my room and wanted to go to sleep. The principaloffered to drive me back (instead of taking a bus) if I hung out and tookpictures for a few minutes more. Of course I said yes! Their school campus isbeautifully landscaped, so I had hoped to have time to take pictures. As hedrove me to the college, he asked if HTC was a religious foundation. I saidthat they are not, but I am a Christian. Though it was only one sentence, Ifelt encouraged. All we did was teach at a school all day, and they notice thatwe are different.

Wednesday, I wore a cross necklace. In the states, if youwear a cross necklace, many times people assume you are Catholic. However,here, a cross is a symbol of a Christian. One of the children noticed thenecklace and asked “ShanDi?” (the name for the One True God). “Yes,” I answered. “I follow ShanDi.” The child looked impressed and walked off.They usually know who God is, but think that He is only for the Westerner. Praythat the seeds planted will grow.

On the train with (some) of the CEI team

Riding the train home, I was very surprised to have anolder man offer me his seat. Though the Taiwanese are very accommodating, intravel it is every man for himself. When I thanked him, e explained himself. As he started to speak, Itold him I know very little Chinese. He nodded, slowed down his sentances, andused simpler terms, waiting for me to understand. He explained that he was aChristian. -He followed ShanDi. I smiled. I understood. Showing Him the cross on my necklace, I said,“Wo ye.” (Me too.) I follow ShanDi too.He continued to speak, sharing his testimony and speaking truth and life to me,even though I couldn’t understand it all. Then, before leaving the train, hereminded me, “Yesu ai ni.” To which Ireplied, “Yesu ai ni ye.” (Jesus loves you too.) Thanks for the encouragementonce again Lord.

It was a great three days!

Then yesterday, we had emergency fire training in Chiayi.It reminded me of the homeschool field trips we took in grade school. I’ll takea work day like that anytime! I even got to handle the water hose and “hosedown” the grounds outside the school, because I was assigned to that group in afire. Yes!!! So fun. Their safety measures are a little different, and takesome getting used to. I opted out of rappellingoff the second floor with no helmet and only an upper body harness. It justdidn’t make sense to me to do thatunless I actually needed to.

Last night, while Susanna took her voice lesson, I hungout with Katrina. We had a grand time discussing music, teaching, photography,and work. I found it easy to talk to her, as we have very similar preferencesand hobbies. There is one area we don’t agree, and that is religion. As wefinished talking, she told me that she appreciated my respect for her religion,for all the other Christians she has met have fed her a guilt trip or told hershe was a failure without Christ. Wow. She didn’t seem open, so I didn’t wantto turn her off. Pray that she will meet other Christians who treat her withlove, and that God will turn her heart toward Himself.


Taijhong Camp 2011

This has been a great week. Today marks the beginning ofChinese New Year winter break, and I’m looking forward to that! Time with the teachers, then vacation in HongKong, pictures of Taroko gorge, and many fun activities planned. I will try to keep you all updated as much as Ican; otherwise, I’m out on recess for 3 weeks!!!

A Fellow Servant of Christ,
Barbara Sutton

"Miserably" at Peace part 1

2012-01-16T03:30:00.002-07:00

Whenwhere God puts you makes you miserable…

Just as anyone should before making a major decision, Ipray about God’s certain will concerning my mission trips. I remember beingtold once that though the opportunity may be amazing, “if it’s not where God wantsyou, you’ll be miserable.” So, I wait for God’s peace on where to go.Sometimes, it’s just a certainty in the pit of my stomach, or a settled mind,or just a “sure feeling,” and sometimes, God just brings the circumstancesabout so that there is no other choice.

Coming to Taiwan, I had that feeling in the pit of mystomach that I was going. My mind was screaming that it had to be a mistake. -Ididn’t want to come. It reasoned that God wouldn’t call me to a place withoutturning my heart there. My mind thought out alternative choices if Taiwan“didn’t work out,” but frankly, I knew. I was going.

Why did I fight it so much? I don’t know. I didn’t wantto go to Taiwan, but I knew that if that’s where God wanted me, I wouldn’t “behappy” anywhere else. He would get me there whether I liked it or not. So, Iresigned myself to the fact that I would be teaching English to a bunch ofChinese children and prayed for God to change my heart.

-And He seemed to. Slowly, slowly, God gave me anexcitement for the trip, wisdom in packing, and a smile on my face. Peopleasked me if I was still planning on going to Mexico some day, as Taiwan andMexico are not close to the same, and I had to answer carefully. God still hasmy heart on the Mexican people, but I know that if He calls else-where, Icannot ignore it. The Taiwanese need Jesus too.

Yes, it’s hard to go. No, it’s not what I had in mind.

But then, when was I ever able to comprehend God’s mind?Since when did He start “explaining” His will to me?

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

Finally the day came to board the plane and fly. Off toanother adventure. I was excited now, but trying hard not to form anyexpectations of what was coming. Every trip I have made to date I have learnedsomething, but what would I learn here? Would I enjoy it? Would I go home justas excited as when I left? -I reallydidn’t know.

I met one of my team-mates onthe plane. What a joy it was to get to know her on the plane over. She bubbledover with excitement and her smile reached everyone she met. Her testimony ofhow God brought her over had both intrigue and tragedy, confusion and humor, remindedme of Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together forgood to them that love God, to them who are the called according to hispurpose.” We bonded quickly.

Meeting my team leader, I felt overwhelmed at God’sgoodness. What a great team He had put me on! Our ideas for ministry, and ourteam goals, as well as our personal goals melded so well, one would think wehad been chosen specifically to work together.

-And who’s to saywe weren’t?-

When we pray together, it’s as if the whole world stopsso that we can approach the throne of grace uninterrupted. A couple hours ofprayer and praise flies by as only fifteen minutes. Though it is impossible tosee all the results of prayer this side of heaven, some of them already seem tobe answered. This is what a team is all about!

Yet, something was wrong. I felt miserable. I knew thiswas where God called. He wanted me here, and that is so obvious. If God wantedme here, wasn’t everything supposed to go smoothly? Doesn’t it mean I should behappy? Won’t God then work out all things perfectly?

Very obviously not!

I felt like a fish out of water, like a child in a hugecrowd of people five times my size. A different language, a different culture,a different learning style, different foods; just to name a few! It didn’t seemto matter what I did, I couldn’t keep up with the schedule of where I was to bewhen. I started out excited to teach, but quickly noticed a huge languagebarrier and lost heart. I easily got lost in town, partly due to the fact thateverything is written in Chinese, and partly due to just feeling lost. It began to feel like I looked through a cloud ateverything, like I wasn’t really part of it, but just there. Even with all the ways God had taught me and prepared me forlife, I was totally unprepared for THIS.

Quickly sensing discouragement, it didn’t help when myteam mates began to point out these and other discrepancies in my life. Theydid it in complete love, in God’s perfect timing; but it felt overwhelming tome. It seemed that my “best” did not even enter the scale of “capable.” I sawin them the many character qualities I was missing, but could not understandwhy I couldn’t “get it together.” It’s not like I’ve never been in a foreigncountry before! This is not how it issupposed to be. I’m obeying God. I’m here.

Okay, it’s time to get desperate. “LORD!” I felt likedemanding. “What’s going on here?” But I knew the problem was me, not God, notmy team, not even the foreign country. My friends were telling me to get overmyself, but I didn’t know what to“get over.” It seemed my prayers were a waste of time, because I didn’t know whatsin was keeping me from God so I couldn’t correct it and mend ourcommunication.

So, what does a Christian do when God seems silent?

As silly as it sounds, a Christian just keeps doing thebasics. Reading the Bible, applying what I read, praying, and seeking God’sface.

Really?

Yes.

You see, there is someone in the Bible who had this sameissue. I had nearly forgotten. His name was Job. Even though he was upright andclean before God, he had a very hard time. Job’s friends accused him ofhypocrisy because it seemed God had turned against him. They claimed what manythink today. “If you are doing God’s will, you will be blessed; so, if you aremiserable, you must be out of God’s will.”

However, this is NOT the case. Yes, God promises to blessthose that obey His principles. Yes, God says that all will work for good. Thequestion is, what is good? Whodefines it? Me? Now that would be heresy, as it would put me on the same levelas God. Of course, He defines good, for He can see the greater picture.

-That all things come together to glorify the Father.-

In Isaiah, God states that Hecan bring light out of darkness, treasure out of evil, and creates good andbad. He can turn any circumstance into the perfect picture of His grace. “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden richesof secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee bythy name, am the God of Israel. I form the light, and create darkness: I makepeace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” Isaiah 45:3,7

In Job’s case, God didn’t turn against Job. Satan did.Satan dug in with “both hands” so to speak, stripping him of his cattle,killing his children, and taking his health. Did Job do wrong to deserve this?Was he in the wrong place? Did he step out of God’s will? I don’t think so, forin the beginning, even God calls Job upright and without evil.

So, forget the lie that if you are where you should beyou will be happy. God’s plans are so much bigger than that! Don’t put him in abox! For sure, make sure you are clean in God’s eyes, but don’t beat yourselfup. If God shuts a door in your ministry, He will show you where to go.

Really, it’s quite silly to try to out-guess God to knowwhat He’s thinking. So let Him be God. Serve where He has you. Endure hardnessas a good soldier. Trust His perfectplan.

“Then Job answered the LORD, andsaid, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can bewithholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge?therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me,which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand ofthee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear:but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust andashes.” Job 42:1-6

To be continued…

A Need Here in Taiwan

2012-01-10T02:45:00.001-07:00

To those of you who are artistic, here is a way you can help the ministry here in Taiwan. Everyone else, this just lets you know what's up.

The last email told you about the classrooms that we are painting. One of the rooms tells the story of Noah and how he obeyed. However, this camp does not want the story to look like a Bible story. They want the pictures to look like a "normal" story book. (We are also trying to keep it as historically accurate as possible, especially where the boat is concerned.) With these specifications, finding pictures on the internet, or copying coloring books is out. That being said, if you would like to help, I would love to have the following 10 scenes drawn. If you want to draw one, that would be fantastic!

1. God tells Noah to build a boat.
2. Noah obeys. (and builds a boat)
3. Other people make fun of Noah.
4. Many animals come.
5. Noah, his family, and the animals get on the boat.
6. God shut the door on the boat.
7. It rains for a long time. The flood covers all the earth.
8. It stops raining. Noah sends a dove to check the land.
9. Everyone leaves the ark.
10. Noah thanks God.

Here's the details:
We will be painting it, so we just need outlines.
Because it has to be sent by scanning or taking a picture, it needs to have dark lines.
The size I need is about 24 in square. (so photo files need to be large)
If you're good at computer art, I'm game for that!
No words please!
If you send your name with the file (preferably not on the drawing itself) we will give you credit for your work.
Please try to keep the pictures historically and biblically correct, but keep the people's dress present day. (their request)
It needs to be completed and sent to me by April 28th.
Comment on this post to let me know you're sending it, and which scene you're drawing.

Thanks so much folks! I really appreciate your help on this!

Office Week Business Update

2012-01-09T00:03:00.002-07:00

Happy New Year!!!

Well, I would would write you a camp update, but we are done with camps until next semester. We do have a short 2 1/2 day character training in a school, so more on that when it comes. These weeks in the office are filled with re-writing and re-vamping curriculum, painting new classrooms, Bible study, team time, and of course, lots of meetings. Though we are busy all the time, it's a little less exciting than school children. However, I will try to at least give you an idea of what's up:

PAINTING PROJECTS:
Next semester, we begin double camps, which means we use some classrooms that were previously not used. These "new" classrooms need decorated. Us English teachers were given the assignment. We put our heads together, and...
One room is the music room. Sanna is in-charge of the details. It already has some whimsical notes, so we kept to that theme. She added some giant sheets of music with some favorite songs, in English and Chinese.
Another room, in which Jo was given charge, is depicting character. She has worked very hard to depict in cartoon style, the story of the Red Hen. There are many scenes, and lots of work, so it will take time, but it will be great!
The last room, which ended up being mine, shows history. We had chosen the story of the Flood to put in there, so all I had to do is figure out how to display it. This room is also special, with an interactive part on the wall where the kids can play with the animals. The wall will be painted with magnetic paint, so the pieces will stick on the wall. the story is in 10 scenes, framing the interactive circle.

please pray that we are able to finish, and that the kids will see the character depicted as well as just "neat" stories.
CURRICULUM:
Since we got here, we have not had a good chance to work on curriculum. We just taught what was developed last year. However, each of us has seen a need for relating the English we are teaching to the character they are already learning in Chinese. Also, we have considered adding some emphasis on the children's unchangeables, (which we call special gifts) but that may not be doable. There are 5 qualities taught here: attention, respect, responsibility, honesty, and gratefulness; along with two concepts: self-confidence and positive thinking. The idea is to back-up the character with our English. For example, when we teach emotions, we can refer back to their class on positive thinking. When we teach about the rules in the classroom, we can back-up the ideas of attention and respect.

please pray that God will give us wisdom, creativity, LOTS OF IDEAS, and knowledge of the necessary Chinese to teach this way.

*please note, their term "positive thinking" is more equivalent to "optimism" but it all depends on who teaches it.

Today, we got a surprise visit from Mr. HT. It was good to see our boss (we call Joyce our boss, but she is really our supervisor). It was also good to have an excuse to clean the office. We had fun making a new year's blessing poster with his help, and practicing Chinese calligraphy. Mr. HT is not a believer, but he is close. We continue to pray that he will see that Jesus is not just a good way, but the only way.

please pray for Mr. HT's salvation. (as well as the rest of our Chinese teacher team)

Thank you all for your faithfulness in prayer and for your encouraging notes. I know I do not get back to all of you individually, but I DO appreciate the notes!

A fellow-servant,
Barbara

People and Pictures

2012-01-06T23:51:00.001-07:00

I had just set up the tripod, and was concentrating on composing the "perfect" shot, when over my shoulder I hear giggling. Turning around, I see some nervous young girls intently watching me. Apparently, they had never seen a foreigner before. I said "hello" and waved while they giggled back. After adjusting the tripod again, I took a few more shots; and noticed they were right behind me trying to see in the screen. I showed the three girls how I was composing the shots, and then the pictures I had taken. Really, I'm not sure if they were interested in the pictures; I think they just were curious about me, but it's okay. It made me remember that people are so much more important and I shouldn't let pictures get in the way of making relationships.

(Yes, this is a real dog sitting in a real pot of flowers. Thanks to the zoom on my camera, I could take this shot from about one hundred yards away on my way back to school.)

"I love you!"

2012-01-04T17:45:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, God gives amazing reminders of His love... and this week I got one. Susanna and I were walking home from the store. As we walked past the fruit stand, I casually mentioned how nice it would be to have some pomegranates. Glancing over my shoulder as we walked past, I saw a pile of, guess what? Pomegranates. I picked some up and we continued on home.

Thank you Jesus. I gottcha! Thank you so much! I love you too.

Get a LIFE!

2012-01-01T20:57:00.006-07:00

I love it when I read my Bible and God hits me over the head with something. It never ceases to amaze me how fresh and living the Bible can be, even if I read the same passage for a week at a time. For the last few weeks, I've been reading 1 John 1 at least every day. Though it is tempting to just close my eyes, quote the chapter, and move on, the Lord has reminded me several times to slow down and think about what I'm reading.

Opening my Bible to the familiar passage last night, my eyes about popped out of my head when God pointed to the phrase at the end of verse one:

"...the Word of life..."

Oh yeah. How did I miss this before? Here I was struggling so many days to read my Bible, memorize verses, listen to God through meditation, and so forth, and what's my excuse? "Life is just so busy these days." So pathetic when God has given

"...the Word of life..."

Life on earth is just a blink in eternity, which is really what this is all about. My job on earth is to glorify God, which will be continued through all eternity. What exactly does that mean? It means actively sharing about God's work in my life, telling others the wonderful gospel of Christ, and living a life that seeks to conform to Christ's image.

Some people laugh or get uncomfortable talking about spiritual things, but the fact is, life is all about the spirit-world. It is a struggle, I admit, to think on spiritual things, to live constantly on earth but be thinking of heaven, to remember what life is truly all about. I suppose that's why God gave us

"...the Word of life..."

to teach us what life is really all about and to guide us which way to go. So, I have decided I need to put my life back in perspective. -God's perspective.- I don't want to starve my spirit of refreshing truth and growth. I want to practice well for an eternity of praising God. And, I say to you,

Get a LIFE!


"And He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psalm 1:3)

Camp Week 12

2011-12-31T23:57:00.002-07:00

Dear Praying Friends,

This week, the Lord blessed us with some very sweet kids.They were very respectful and thoughtful.

In our “Cookie” class, we review old material of “I liketo eat ________.” Then, we introduce American Christmas foods, showing pictureswith the vocabulary. At the end of class, we show them how to decorate a sugarcookie, and then the teacher eats it. Usually, the kids come unglued wanting toeat a cookie as well. These kids were so respectful, they just accepted it;though they did have some “puppy eyes.” Teacher Sanna offered some to TeacherJo, and instead of being jealous, the kids asked “what about Teacher Bob.” Wedo the same scenario every week, and this is the first time the children haveresponded with “what about the teacher?” instead of “no! I want one!” So amazing! They earned extra icing andsprinkles.

Many of the children got sick this week, and 6 childrenwere so sick they were sent home. I am told this is quite normal this time ofyear. About half of the children wore masks, and a few of the teachers got sickas well. Here, it is quite typical for a child to be put in seclusion untiltheir parents come. This is really a very wise thing, seeing that there are somany people in a small place, so germs pass quickly. However, I was flooredthat the sick children were set at a table to wait for 2 hours with nothing todo. It was fun to find toys they couldplay with or pictures they could color, and the teachers really appreciated it.Before long, the sick table moved to the empty desk beside me. The Lord kept mewell. I got tired and fought a cold, but I did not get a flu. Praise the Lord!

One day I was feeling especially discouraged. The kidsdid not know it, but they are so sweet anyway. I got more compliments that day. “Teacher Bob is beautiful.” “TeacherBob, thanks play me.” “Teacher Bob, yourhair is good.” “Teacher Bob, I love you!” The Lord gave me more doses of lovethan I would have dreamed of. What a blessing. Thank you Lord!

We do not have any more camps until next semester, justoffice weeks. Well, I take that back; we have one camp, but it is a three daycamp that we travel to, so it is totallydifferent. -More on that when it comes.

This weekend, for New Year’s Eve, a team mate and I awokelate feeling lazy, so we enjoyed a day of fellowship, food, and good movies. Ilearned a lot from the movies we watched, and it was nice to take a day off totruly relax. The American food was delicious; I’m sure we’ll make it again. Weeven went to bed early. I’ve seen enough New Years come in.

A Few More Fun Facts...

2011-12-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

a group of college students with whom I toured a peanut farm

Food
- fried chicken is eaten with chopsticks (this takes some practice, but is a lot less messy
- liquids are not served with most meals
- a very common greeting is "have you eaten?"

Health
- any slight sign of illness, from headache to a slight cough, is treated quickly; and the person wears a mask until the symptoms clear completely.
- mosquito bites are given treatment
- most treatment is healthy, as in a vitamin or a herb
- the hospital is basically a senior citizen's center, to hang-out, get a shot of vitamin C, and visit with the doctor.

General Living
- most places do have American toilets
- though we do have coins and bills like the US, there are no "cents," just dollars
- Christmas is not a holiday. People will work right through it, though some, mostly Christians, do celebrate "Jesus' birthday."
- the churches in Douliou did not decorate until the 24th
- dancing seems to be included in most Taiwanese parties, including Christmas

- gift giving is a major love language here. everyone is so friendly and tries to give us whatever they can, a bag of beans, bread, a calendar, a key chain, etc.
- culturally, gifts are NOT opened in the presence of the giver.

aboriginal dance

People
- jump rope is mostly a boy activity, though girls may do it as well
- what Americans would consider "personal questions" are normal conversation here, like "how much do you weigh?" or "how old are you?"
- a common ice-breaker that I have experienced is "will you take [a] picture [with] me?" which is asked before "what's your name?" or "where are you from?"
- colors are not gender specific. I have seen many boys wearing pink or carrying a pink bag, or girls with black backpacks or blue shoes.
- small children, (under 2) wear squeeky shoes so that parents can find them.
- people are very friendly to foreigners and will try all the English words they know. (usually "hello" "ok" and "I love you")

Christmas Party!!!

2011-12-22T01:47:00.000-07:00

We, the CEI English teachers, wanted to give the Chinese teachers here a real American Christmas experience. The food, the activities, and the Christ behind our celebration. So, today was the chosen debut. After many runs up and down 3 flights of stairs, I don't think exercise tonight will be necessary. The teachers were tortured with anticipation, as we gave them invitations yesterday. They kept asking what we would eat, but do you think we told? No way!

It was so exciting to prepare a surprise for them, knowing that they would love every minute. -And to share the story of Jesus, from the beginning to the coming of Christ. (Genesis 1-3, Luke 1-2) There are no words! They loved all our "traditions" and gifts, and just having fun. A lunch time party turned into almost 3 hours.

Here's a few pictures to tell the story.

God is good! Each of us English teachers got each of the Chinese teachers a gift. Jo's were stockings, Sanna's were tree ornaments, and mine went under the tree. It couldn't have gone better if we had planned it.

American food, American syle.

Decorating the tree-

Presents!

Christmas carols Taiwan style- Kareoke, which turned into dancing. Very fun with a group of all-girls.

Reading the Christmas story.

Making snowmen, courtesy of my mom. (They all say "thank you!")

They loved the fact that Americans open their gifts right away. Now they use that "rule." LOL!

Today, the teachers left the office looking all mischievous. Sure enough, they called us UPstairs for a "meeting." We were immediately suspicious, as meetings are usually downstairs. As soon as we were all in the room, they sang We Wish You a Merry Christmas and proceeded to give us gifts. So sweet!

What they call me here in Taiwan, is apparently in 3rd tone: B-O-B. Thanks guys! This is perfect, as I can wear it with almost anything. Feeling so special. Jesus has blessed me so much!

Merry Christmas!

From Anger to Love

2011-12-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord for his kindness and mercy!

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a boy named *Rex. (Name changed for privacy and security.) He came to CEI with a huge anger problem. One time, I even had to wrap my arms around him and pull him, kicking and screaming, away from a fight. When the end of the week came and he was not any better, wondered if the Character Institute had helped him at all. But, some kids are just a lost cause, and we figured he was one of them.

Yesterday, he called Yellow and asked to meet up with us. So, while Yellow, LanCi, and I were at the BBQ, his mother drove him half and hour to come see us. He said, since CEI his anger is not as big a problem anymore. Looking at him, you saw it. He was a completely different boy. The anger had melted into genuine love and concern for others. Everytime I said something, he asked for the translation. -He didn't want to miss anything. He even asked the teachers questions to learn more about us. And he wanted to share gifts with us. This is a total change from the boy we had at camp two weeks ago.

Praise the Lord that he answers prayer and intervened in this boy's life! We are seed planters, but God privileged us to see the fruit of our work here. *Rex is SO much happier. Thank you prayer warriors for praying.

KEEP PRAYING! *Rex's battle is not over yet, but he's on the winning side! KEEP PRAYING! Our work here is not finished. There are more children to reach. KEEP PRAYING! There are still many souls that need won. Thank you for bringing me and my ministry before the throne of grace.

Earthen Barbeque part 2

2011-12-17T23:00:00.003-07:00

As soon as the fire goes out, the food, wrapped in foil and newspaper, is placed inside the ovens. Whole chickens, sweet potatoes, corn, and a veggie similar to bamboo. Yum!

Then, the young people viciously attacked the ovens with a shovel. The idea is to seal the pit so that the heat cannot escape. Now it just looks like a mound of dirt. It takes about two hours to cook, so everyone goes to the festival to check out the sights.

The wind was great. Otherwise the smoke would have been unbearable. The children took advantage of it and flew kites. I got to meet a few of them who were excited to practice their English and take a picture with an American.

This is peanut and sweet potato harvest. Here, they were drying the peanuts. Uncooked and still a little damp, they tasted like over-aged garden green peas.

Some of the guys were goofing off and burning the last of our unused wood, but it turned out to be a great reminder. The cross of Jesus is a difficult road, we have to constantly stay on guard. Sometimes, it gets a little hot. But, the cross is the only way to avoid the fire of hell.

After the two hours, we felt the tops of the mounds. If they are cold, they are perfect. Putting on heat-protective gloves, they dug the food out of the ovens.

Dinner at last! The whole process took from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm. It's a lot of work, but it is a great memory builder and time of fellowship.

Daddy, the guy who cut the chicken really appreciated my pocket knife. He admired it A LOT and said to tell you. I offered them my knife after seeing them attempting to rip apart a whole chicken with chopsticks and a 2inch pocket knife.

Earthen Barbeque part 1

2011-12-17T22:39:00.001-07:00

I received an invitation to a barbeque with about 50 college students, and the Lord allowed me to go. There were hundreds of people at the sweet potato harvest festival. We were just a small group. I could try to explain the day to you, or I could just post pictures to explain for me. -I think I shall do the latter.- Sorry about the lighting folks... it was unavoidable in some pictures.

First, we had to hollow out a place in the ground. Then, piece by piece, we began to build the ovens out of clods of dirt.

We had five pits for 50 people. (And that was just barely enough.)

Everyone helped in one way or another. If you weren't building the oven, you hauled wood. If you weren't doing that, you wrapped potatoes and corn in foil.

Lathe... fond memories.

Each oven/pit had a hole in the bottom to put the wood in to burn. Sometimes, they also have a hole in the top to put the food in later.

Dad, you'd love it... they start the fire with a blow torch.

There was a tremendous amount of smoke! Everyone cried. Here's why: before using the oven, they have to harden it, so the first thing that cooks is the dirt. As long as the fire keeps burning, that means the dirt is still burning, but if the fire goes out and the dirt is black, it's time to put the food in.

Camp Week 11

2011-12-16T00:27:00.003-07:00

Friday, December 16, 2011

Dear Prayer Warriors,

I’m feeling very Taiwanese as I sit here in a stripedbrown and black shirt, dark blue jean skirt, black knee high socks with graydiamonds, and brown shoes. Only in Taiwan! I got dressed in the dark, and whenI saw myself in the light, I was going to change. -But, alas! Life got busy.

What an amazing week God has given us! was our first weekhaving two camps at once, and what a blessing to have good children. These childrenare amazing! (The CEI teachers herewould call them “angels.”) At first,they were so quiet it was a little creepy to be in class, but as the week woreon, they warmed up and have become a lot of fun to work with.

One of the classes have a very strict teacher. We foundit very difficult to get them involved in anything. They seemed overly timidand cautious. After we knew more about the culture at their school, weunderstood them more. By the end of the week however, these children wereconfident and happy, even asking theteachers for hugs. A little love and attention makes a big difference!

In one class, where we introduce the idea of “Christmas,”the children were full of questions. Christmas is not a holiday here, thoughsome people do celebrate it. At the very end, we teach the word “nativity” andexplain why we have Christmas. “Christmas is someone’s birthday. That person isso important that everyone wants to honor Him, so they choose to celebrate Hisbirthday on Christmas.” At this point, the children usually guess correctly “Yesu!”.But, in this class, a child asked, “What’s His English name?” When we answered,he sat there a little confused. “Then, who is Yeshua?” he asked. We were shocked to have such a question froma country where God’s name is not common. Taking the children to the big map inthe back of the class, we explained that Jesus is God’s English name and Yeshuais the name given to Him when He was born, in Israel. Wow! What a teachingmoment!

Again, the Christmas party is the highlight of the week.Starting with, “Are you here for a party? Are you HERE for a PARTY? ARE YOUHERE FOR A PARTY?” The children shriek with joy and laughter. They usuallybehave better for the party than any other class. These children were countrykids and were very excited to be invited to a Christmas party. For many ofthem, it was their first Christmas party, first time celebrating Christmas, firstChristmas cookie, first Christmas present, and first candy cane. Can youimagine? And, yes, we have Santa. Ifthere is one thing the children know about Christmas, it is Santa Claus, so itwould be terribly disappointing without him. However, we teach that Santa was areal person of very good character who lived a long time ago. Today, it is funto pretend he is real, but he is really just a reminder of the spirit of love,giving, and good character.

The last day of camp usually holds lots of tears and hugsas the children get ready to leave. These dear children clung to us and did notwant to leave, but they are obedient and listened to their teacher. Of the entire group, there were two boys whowere a “little naughty” (though I never had thatmuch trouble with them. When it was time to get ready to leave, one boycame and wrapped himself around me. I looked to see who it was and whispered “Ilove you” in his ear. He burst into tears. So, I held him and told him “It’sokay *Y. It’s okay.” It amazes me howthe naughty ones seem to cry most about leaving here. I think it is becausethey know we correct them out of love for them.

Merry Christmas All!

"My Daddy is stronger than your daddy"

2011-12-10T00:15:00.001-07:00

"My daddy is stronger than your daddy.

He is SO strong he can carry me on his shoulders."

"Yeah? Well MY daddy is so strong, he can lift me high in the air with one arm."

"Well, that's NOTHING!

MY daddy is SO strong that he can lift a car to change the tire!

(with no knowledge of a jack.)

Remember conversations like this? When you were little and daddy was always the hero? When you argued with friends over who had the best, biggest, and strongest dad? When daddy could fix any problem and help you through any test?

I had forgotten.

That is, until two days ago. I awoke extremely exhausted. My body felt so heavy on the bed, I wondered how I would ever carry myself. As I opened my Bible to start the day, I pleaded with the Lord. "Lord, I know you have promised to give me strength to do what you have called me to do. Please remind me of that strength today. Give me your promise once again."

However, it was this verse that the Lord brought to my attention in Psalm 96. "Give unto the Lord... glory and strength." What? How was I supposed to give the Lord strength? I thought I was the one that needed it from Him, not the other way around.

Though I was confused, I was determined to see what God had for me. He had a reason for giving me this verse. I just didn't know what it was yet. So, I humbly asked the Lord to open my eyes as I meditated on the verse throughout the day.

At lunch time, with the background sound of screaming, happy children, God gave me the most beautiful picture of this verse. -A child, being swung up into the air by his dad with ease, laughing and screaming with delight the whole time; and giving strength to his dad.

A dad needs his child to need him. He needs his child to think he can do anything. A dad without respect is a dad without honor. But a dad who wears a cape is confident and capable and makes other dads jealous.

My God is the same way. He needs me to "need" Him. Exodus 20 calls Him a "Jealous God." No, God does not need me to do anything, but He needs me to acknowledge that HE can do anything. He is the giver of strength because He IS strength. He needs me to brag on His strength, to give Him a "cape," to let Him be the Hero.

So, I share with you today:

My Daddy is SO STRONG He can carry me through the day without effort. He alone can give me delight through reveling in His power. My God is SO STRONG that my burden is but a drop of water upon His back. My Lord is SO STRONG He can take me up to the heights of heaven and carry me through the sorrow of the lowest hell. My God is big enough for every problem and humble enough to go through it with me.

MY ABBA FATHER IS THE BEST IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!

Camp Week 10

2011-12-09T22:49:00.001-07:00

Saturday, December 10,2011

Dear Praying Friends

God hasdone so much evident work this week that I hardly know where to start.

I started taking notes in our cool-down meeting so that Iwouldn’t miss anything. God is so amazing!!!

One boy, whom I will call *Jay, seemed to be verydiscouraged. His classmates were always on him, telling him he couldn’t do it,giving him a thumbs down, and refusing to help him constructively. The Chineseteachers said he was really naughty in character class, but he was never aproblem in English class. Feelinghonestly that he was actually very smart, I would encourage him every time Iwalked past him. “Jaio! You can do it Jay!” He would look at me like, “no I can’t.”The kid across from him would shake his head and give me a two thumbs downsign. I rubbed Jay’s back and repeated quietly “Jaio!. I know you can do it!” Ididn’t really know if what I said helped him or not, but he always had his workdone in English class. At the end of the week, Jay left a note for the teacherssaying he didn’t want to go home, because CEI is “better than heaven.” Now, Idon’t guess that he knows what heaven is really like, but, it is obvious hefelt loved all the same. He cried in the closing ceremony, so I gave him a hug.He melted into my arms. “Wo ai ni Jay! Jaio! You CAN do it!” What a sweet kid.

*Bailey never seemed to smile. Even when we would dofunny things in class, and her face got an amused look, her face never brokeout in a huge grin. She had a long-suffering look that made me wonder what homewas like for her. The boys at her table were always messing with her, takingher stuff, or hitting her. She didn’t respond harshly. -She didn’t respond atall. Here was a girl, that in 4^th grade, already sees the world asan ugly, cruel world. She has built thick walls around her heart, so thatnothing gets to her anymore. It doesn’t bother her to be “trompled over” becauseshe feels that is normal. How sad! I gave her a hug and a smile every chance Igot. I do not know the results yet, but I know that God’s love never giveswithout causing an effect of some sort. I pray she sees that true love does nottake advantage, and that there is One out there that LOVES HER with that love.

There were a couple of boys who were very naughty in thefirst class. I talked with them the first chance I got. I told them that theyhad great names that reminded me of my family back home. One of them has thesame name and personality of my uncle back home. When I told him, he was veryexcited and told the other teachers that he “was my uncle.” LOL! He was very outgoing, but I didn’t strugglemuch with him in class. As he got ready to leave, he very proudly announced tome “Teacher I miss you.” I smiled and chuckled a bit. “I will miss you too. *__” Theother boy was very short and reminded me of my brother. I told him how mybrother was very short as a kid, but is very tall now. I found out later thatthis was EXACTLY what he needed to hear because he struggles with his height.He was like my little brother all week, and I didn’t have any trouble with him,though he was VERY naughty for others. God gave me favor through speaking wordsof life and truth to him. What a good lesson to me.

From the very first step off the bus, *Amy wore a hugegrin. She loved on the teachers and was very obedient. I never saw her reactwith impatience with the others at her table, though they gave her much reasonto react. Every time I saw her, she had a big smile. At first I wondered if itwas all a show to hide insecurity, but I soon realized, she is the REAL thing.Later, in one of our classes, she called Teacher Jo over (because she speaksgood Chinese) to tell her that she was a Christian. Yes, there are Christianshere, but we don’t see them often. Jo chatted with Amy for quite a while andfound it very encouraging. This girl knows Jesus and is not ashamed of him.Though it may have been a hard week, I was encouraged through this girl whotruly had the joy of the Lord as her strength.

Even the student’s teacher felt loved when she steppedonto our campus. During closing ceremony, we sang “Happy Birthday” to her, andshe broke into tears. So all of us teachers gathered around her and gave her abig group hug. Apparently, someone close to her had died right after shedropped the kids off on Monday. When she saw we truly cared, she knew her studentswere well cared for and felt comfortable enough to open up to the teachershere.

On Thursday, the children practice good character byinterviewing people in the park. This week though, it was too cold to go to thepark, so they asked us to dress up to be interviewed by the kids. These kidsdon’t speak English well though, so each of the English teachers was assigned atranslator. God is so good! This gave us one-on-one time with that teacher, andopened up the door of opportunity. Irole-played a college student, and brought out my books to study. Of course, allI have is Bible-study type books here with me. Teacher Lisa was translating for me, and in-between groups, we looked atone of the books together. She practiced her English by asking about thepictures, and I practiced my Chinese and Taiwanese. On one of the pages, therewas a picture of a lion and a lamb together. She asked me “is there a story tothat picture?” It is odd to see a lion and lamb peacefully together. With a quick prayer for guidance, I delvedinto the story of Jesus. We didn’t finish, because another group came tointerview us, but I had a chance to share. I’m excited about how the Lord willcontinue to work in the future.

So, there are a few stories from this week. I hope youenjoyed them, but most of all, I hope they have moved you to pray. God is here,on the front lines, working with us. Yourprayers release His power to work among us. Please keep praying! Your prayersare effective!

Praises this week:

-New glasses! I can see!!!

-An opportunity to witness to Lisa.

-Being able to call home on Monday night.

Happy in the Service of the King,

Barbara J. Sutton

Camp Week 9

2011-12-02T03:52:00.001-07:00

Friday, December 2, 2011

Dear Praying Friends

My heartis heavy as the children go home. So many stories… it is hard to know where tobegin. This class could play very well together, but it didn’t take much for afight to begin, and they fought like vampires. They had no qualms about hittingtheir seat-mate upside the head for not paying attention or kicking the personacross from them because they took the color of crayon they wanted to use.Sadly, they all seemed to be very hardened individuals at 4^th grade.Though some of them smiled right away, most of them kept a very grim, seriousappearance. If they did smile, you could tell it was either devious or a “courtesy”smile.

Thenotes we received at the end of this week probably told it best: (Translatedfrom Chinese.)

“TeacherBob, Thank you for CARING about me.” Thisis from a child who is often ignored or overruled by his classmates because heis shy. However, he always greeted me with a cheerful “Hello teacher” so Ireturned the favor. Many times this week, as it was very physical and emotionalsometimes, I would randomly ask a child, “Are you okay?” I try to get the quietones to participate with the other kids. This boy really appreciated that ateacher actually cared enough to stop what they were doing and talk/play withhim.

“Teacher,thank you for playing violin.” Children love music. Teacher Jo, Teacher Lydia, andTeacher Yellow play guitar, I play violin, and all of us sing. This little onetried so hard to play Twinkle Little Staron my violin even though it was huge for him. The children laughed when heattempted at first, but with a little encouragement from me, he learned thefirst line quite well. How sad that for some of these children, being told theyare “good” and that they CAN achieve and that they ARE worth something istotally foreign.

That is just two of the many notes we received. (Ofcourse, these were addressed to me.)

One boy struggled all week long.In the last English class, we played a game and he got upset and startedswinging. It took me a minute to get to him. I had to pull him back from theother kids, kicking, swinging, and yelling the whole time. All that goatwrestling was good for something! I physically restrained him, and then begantalking softly to him. “It’s okay, *Rex, it’s okay. Settle down. It’s okay now.”He could not understand what I was saying, and sometimes still struck out, butI did not let go. By the time a Chinese teacher came over to talk in hislanguage, he had broken into tears.

(Knowing the rest of the storynow, I know he cried because he had messed up again. He had made a wrong choiceand could not control himself. *Rex is extremely bright and one of the mostattentive kids we had, but he could not control his emotions. He doesn’t knowhow to be happy or sad, only angry. So, if he is happy or sad, all others seeis an angry boy. The teachers here are hoping he can get some therapy, for hebadly wants to do right, but when push came to shove, he couldn’t. Please pray that God would intervene inthis boy’s life. I don’t know what home is like for him or why he respondsthe way he does, but God can reach beyond all that.)

Later, I ended up washing mylunch dishes next to me. *Rex greeted me with “hello teacher.” So, I responded,“hello *Rex.” (In Chinese:) “Teacher, I’m sorry I caused so much trouble inEnglish class.” I walked over to him and gave him a shoulder hug. “It’s okay *Rex.Wo ai ni.” (I love you.) “Thank you teacher. I love you.”

Wow. The other teachers said this was amazing. He really did care andrespond to a little love.

As us teachers met and discussedthe week, we all commented on the same things. It was a rough class. However,though we didn’t see immediate change, they seemed to leave much softer thanwhen they came.

This week, we had the privilegeof teaching about Christmas. We teach all the traditions, from the stocking, tobaby Jesus, to why we have red and green at Christmas. It is a secular school,so we cannot completely center on Jesus, but we can introduce it. At the end ofthe week, we, the English teachers, host a party for the students and Chineseteachers. They sing a song, write a Christmas wish, and even get a present. Itwas so much fun! The Chinese teachers said it was the highlight of the week forthe kids. (Knowing them, probably them too- they love parties!)

Overall, it was a great week. I’velearned a lot more Chinese, and I’ve experienced very crazy classes. I need tokeep classes simple and learn more ways to get children who speak anotherlanguage to be attentive. I want to prepare better so I move smoothly fromactivity to activity and I need to get as much out of the 40 minute class aspossible. These are my goals for next week.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Please pray for our team as werevamp the Christmas lesson plans.

Pray for the children as they gohome, that they would continue to stop, think, and do.

Pray for *Rex, that God wouldallow him to get some effective help in dealing with his emotions.

Pray for us, we will be movingaround a little because we have another English teacher joining us, to helpwith double classes next semester.

Praise the Lord: it is winter.The weather is cool and the mosquitoes are dead!

Praise the Lord for theopportunity to witness to the children and translators through teaching aboutChristmas.

Praise the Lord for a freeweekend to r&r!

Happy in the Service of the King,

Barbara J. Sutton

RED REPORT for Calendars

2011-12-01T16:49:00.001-07:00

This is a RED REPORT for anyone who would like to support my ministry here in Taiwan and wherever else the Lord calls me. Time is running out. If you would like to purchase a Year of Praises calendar, please email my mom, Karen Sutton, at suttonjp@midrivers.com ASAP to receive your calendar before Christmas. She will need your name, number of calendars you would like to purchase, phone number (for confirmation) and mailing address. The calendars are $12USD a piece. Thank you very much and may God richly bless your Christmas!!!!

Fun Facts About Taiwan

2011-11-29T19:24:00.001-07:00

Food:
- meals consist of some kind of rice, noodles, pork or chicken (and of course, tofu!)
- veggies are always well cooked or fried
- they eat very little fruit, except in juice or smoothies
- common breakfast cereal resembles oatmeal
- all snacks are called "cookies" (in English), including Cheetos
- bread is usually either sweet or salty
- in general, food here in Taiwan seems very sweet compared to the US
- deserts are extremely sweet and very small

General Living:
- vehicle of choice is a scooter, called a moped
- food stands and some restaurants are closed between 11am and 3pm
- they love to stay up late
- they don't wear shoes in the house; they wear slippers
- the main focus of life is religion and achievement
- people burn their money as a religious ceremony
- fireworks go off randomly at night

Children:
- go to school from 8am to 5pm or later
- wearing house slippers to school is an offense
- disputes are resolved with "paper, scissors, stone"
- naps are required at school until 8th grade

Another Office Week

2011-11-26T22:35:00.001-07:00

This week was another office week without children. We were supposed to do a lot of decorating, but some other more important issues came up and "stole" our leader. So, what to do?

After completing my assigned lesson plans for our Christmas schedule, I got a little bored. So, I found myself in God's Word a lot more. It was so special just to spend much-needed down time with God, my Bible, (and yes, my camera). Here is a sneak view of what was eating up the rest of my free time:

Thankful for Love

2011-11-20T01:58:00.001-07:00

AsI sat down to write a prayer letter this week, I couldn't help but beoverwhelmed with gratefulness to God. He's been so good to me this year andevery year. Yet, how many times have I forgotten Him or doubted Hisgoodness? He is so precious indeed!

Thismorning, I awoke with hymns and verses about the awesomeness of God runningthrough my head. I felt like I had a personal invitation into the throne roomof God. (Of course, we always can approach God boldly, but this was different,this was special.) So, I rolled over, opened my locker and grabbed my Bible.Where to start? Lately, God’s had mereading a Psalm and Proverb a day, a chapter in Leviticus, and a chapter inMark. At first I thought it ratherrandom, but the Lord began to put the pieces together for me.

Startingin Leviticus, I began reading in chapter 17. For the last few days, God hasbeen telling His people laws on cleanliness and sacrifices.

It amazes me that people actually lived and were able to do anything right according tothose laws. I don’t think I would last a day without messing up somewhere! Then again, the whole point was that theywould be separate from the other people around them.

Thischapter in particular was on blood. Blood is life. Therefore, God commands Hispeople not to eat it or drink it. Anyone who killed an animal and shed itsblood was unclean.

Yet the priests did it everyday. It was their “job.” (And Jesus became unclean for me, shedding His blood so I could have redemption.)

Flippingto Psalms, I read chapter 78. The chapter started with an exhortation to shareGod’s work and Word with the next generation, and then expounded on theunfaithfulness of His people. God did so much for them, and yet they forgotHim.

All those rules, all thosesacrifices, and they still somehow forgot about God… hmm.

Proverbs19 (I had the wrong day, but oh well, God knew.) had a few verses that seemedto jump out at me, and I underlined key words. “He that keepeth the commandmentkeepeth His own soul…” and “The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he thathath it shall abide satisfied…”

But, the Israelites kept allthose commandments and somehow were still not satisfied. They must have missedthe point.

Iwas beginning to see, and was excited about the chapter in Mark that I was yetto read. Chapter 14 is where Jesus spends time in the garden with Hisdisciples. He tells them that they will run, and that Peter will deny Him threetimes.

Peter was a Jew. He hadtrained personally with Jesus for three years. What happened? He surely knewGod’s commands.

Thenit struck me like a lightening bolt.

TheLord gave one law “Thou shalt love the Lord with all your heart…” However, Heknew how easy it would be to get distracted, to desire to be satisfied from theallures of the world, so He gave more laws to the people. These were merelyguidelines to keep them looking and living for Him. The whole point is thatthey were to be working so hard loving Him by doing ________ that that WAStheir life. They didn’t have time for anything else. Others, looking on, say, “wow.They must really love their God.”

Yet,just as I do so many times, they got tired of the duties because they quittruly loving the Lord. True love obligates. In leaving off the first command,the others were empty bondage. They werenot satisfied, so they began to look other places. Surely there was more tolife than seeking to please God…

Andso, I found myself, with Peter. I’ve been raised in a godly home. I’ve beengiven all the tools. Yet, how many times do I forget God and leave Him becauseit is all emptiness. It becomes anembarrassment to share about Christ. Sometimes, I even deny Him in certain areas of my life.

Whyis it that am I not satisfied????

Iforgot THE commandment. Lord, I love you! Help me to seek You more; -with ALLmy heart, my soul, and my strength, so that I am IN LOVE with you. May I be sopassionately in love with You, that it changes my life and the lives of those aroundme. Don’t let me lose sight of the purpose of the Christian life.

True Love

Thisweek has been filled with amazing things. I can’t even begin to tell you of allof the workings of my Jesus, because some of them “have not yet been released”to the public. However, I can say, I am thankful.

Throughall the trials, tests, and tumults of life, God has always been faithful. He has brought me out of the miry clay andset my feet on a rock. He has given mesupportive family and friends. He has loved me with an everlasting love. He has entrusted me with His work here inTaiwan.

Whatmore can I say?

ThankYou Jesus!!!

No words necessary...

2011-11-16T22:16:00.001-07:00

Trust and Teaching

2011-11-14T00:12:00.001-07:00

"If they trust you, they want to hear what you have to say."

-Lan Ci-