Changes!

Hello friends and family! It is just over one week since we arrived safely in Taipei – although there was no particular difficulty in travel, we both had colds which made the already challenging process very draining. Jetlag has not been as troublesome as it could have been. We are now feeling mostly better.

This past week has been a whirlwind!  The first two days we had orientation, then started the various ministries that we will be involved in during our stay.  These ministries are located in the Wanhua District of Taipei, which is the most disadvantaged area in the city.  Last Wednesday we had a prayer meeting with most of the OMF missionaries working in Taipei- they are awesome people!  Later in the day we helped out with a kid’s club at an elementary school.  On Thursday, we helped out with an English class for Taiwanese children.  We will be leading this class during another missionary’s absence, so please pray that we would teach it well (neither of us have experience teaching ESL).  On Friday, we went to a youth group for 6^th-9^th graders at a private Christian school called Morrison Academy.  This school is for TCK’s (third culture kids).  This will be a nice break for us as all of these kids speak English!  On Saturday, we went to a park outreach for area kids in Wanhua.  Playing games and telling Bible stories- fun times!  Sundays and Mondays are our days off every week.  On Sunday we went to Danshui and Bali, which are two fun cities on the Northwest corner of the island.  It was nice to get away from the busyness of the city and see the beautiful river and mountains!

This past week and a half has been a whirlwind of new things.  Some exciting, some difficult and frustrating.  We are making many adjustments; from learning the logistics of living in a new “home” to finding our way around this crazy city every day.  God in His goodness helps us through each day.  Slowly things are starting to feel more normal.  :)

Thank you for all of your prayers.  It is now when we are being stretched that we understand just how much we need  them.  Please pray that we would be content right where we are, making the most of every opportunity God gives us.  

Another prayer request we have is specifically for a boy in our English class.  He asked Jesus into his life a while ago, but recently also started attending meetings with the Yi Guan Dao, which is a cult.  There are many people in Taiwan who profess Jesus as their Savior, but are still worshipping the gods of their ancestors.  Pray that they would realize that God is the only reality, the only One worthy of all of their trust and worship.

If you ever would like to chat and catch up, shoot us an email or we can even Skype! Also, please let us know if there is any way we can be praying for you.

Zai Jian (Goodbye)!

M&G