Pray for Taiwan!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

     Happy (Lunar) New Year! Right now we are in the midst of the biggest holiday for Taiwan – Lunar New Year. Most everyone will be heading home this weekend to be with their families for an extended period to celebrate. This can be the most difficult time of the year for many who are the only believers in their families, as persecution from one’s own family members is particularly painful. On the other hand, this weekend is also the best opportunity for many believers to give an account for the hope that is within them. Would you please pray that in Taiwan this weekend many more family members of believers would come to know the Lord?

     Thank you so much for your prayers! The psalmist wrote, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” That is why we covet your prayers so much! Please, please continue to pray that God’s kingdom would come here in Taiwan. And how wonderful we can pray this with confidence, for God has indeed promised, “Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.”

     These last two months have been busy and eventful. The first week in December we finally saw our prayers answered for God to raise up a suitable man to pastor New Hope Church – something that has been a continual prayer request of ours for the past seven years! We had a special service in which all the former pastors of New Hope were there to ordain and install my former intern Jack Hu as an elder and as the pastor as soon as presbytery his call. I have attached pictures below of Jack’s ordination and of New Hope that week. We are so thankful to finally see this Taiwanese church being placed under Taiwanese leadership. Please pray for Jack as he shepherds New Hope.

Susannah Baptism

     This of course means a pretty significant change in my labors here as well. I’m still mentoring my pastoral intern Calvin, who expects to graduate from seminary this June and then return to pastor a church in the Borneo side of Malaysia, where he is from. I’m also still mentoring Jack for the next few months, and hoping to meet regularly with another recent seminary graduate (Tim) who is hoping to church plant in central Taiwan. But my main labors for the next few months will be to focus on my Chinese language studies. Please pray for my studies, and for my work with these young men entering the ministry.

     January was also a fun time, as my mom came to visit for three weeks all the way from Alabama! Our daughter Please pray for smooth and quick processing of our passports (for Susannah) and visa applications (for Yatang). We can’t wait to see you all again and catch up with all that the Lord has been doing in your lives!

     Susannah Margaret is named after my mom, and this was the first time they were able to meet in person. It was a sweet time for everyone, especially since I was able to baptize Susannah at New Hope a few weeks ago while mom was here. I’ve included a picture from that day as well. Emmeline had so much fun with Nannie, and I’m sure she’ll be happy when she realizes that we’re hoping to head back to America for at least 6 months starting around June. It’s been seven years since I came out to Taiwan, so we have really been looking forward to a chance to reconnect with everyone a bit more significantly this year.

Thank you SO much for your prayers! We miss you all.

Love in Christ Jesus,

Daniel, Yatang, Emmeline and Susannah