In two days, Timothy will start preschool here in Taiwan.  He will only go for 4 hours a day in the mornings.  We are excited that he gets to learn Mandarin, interact with other kids and learn new skills.  Life with Gabriel is so much fun.  He is always laughing, always in a good mood.  He is eating all sorts of things now, and his favorite foods are oatmeal and papayas.

Thank you for continuing to ask about our children and praying for them.  We are blessed by your love and encouragements.

Starting in the beginning of May, our team in Taiping will be starting a new ministry at the local night market.  There is a night market in the center of Taiping every Wednesday nights from around 6pm to 12am. The market attracts people of all ages and the stalls include food, clothes, household items and also a lot of games.  We are planning to set up a stall on Wednesday nights in order to have a Christian presence in the market and to meet with people.  We will have Christian literature as well as information about events about our prayer center which we hope to invite people to.  We are excited about this new ministry.  We hope it will attract people and allow the Taiwanese people to learn more about Christianity.  Please pray for our team as we embark on this new and exciting journey.

As we encounter different working class people each day, we are amazed at the spiritual and emotional needs of people.  Here is a glimpse into what we have been doing in our ministry.  Please pray with us as we continue to build relationships with people in our community.

Mrs. Hsu is a 62 year old lady who used to live next door to us in our apartment complex.  She moved out three months ago to another apartment in Taiping.  Tina has been able to keep in contact with her and our whole family was able to visit her at her new place.  Mrs. Hsu has been going to the temple and worshipping ever since she can remember.   Tina has been able to pray for her and explain to her the meaning of the Gospel.  Even though Mrs. Hsu is open to allowing Tina to pray for her, she told Tina that she will not give up going to the temples.   The change in lifestyle can be very difficult for many Taiwanese people, and it is true in Mrs. Hsu’s case.  Please pray that her friendship with Tina will grow and that Mrs. Hsu will have a desire to learn more about Jesus Christ. 

Mr. Nee is a guy who works at a coffee shop nearby.  Nathan has been able to get to know him through different occassions of buying drinks there.  Nathan is able to visit him on a weekly basis and build a friendhsip with him.   Mr. Nee always gets excited whenever he sees Nathan visiting him.  Nathan asked him if he would be open to listening to Bible stories, and Mr. Nee said he would.  Please pray for their future meetings as Nathan shares the creation story with Mr. Nee.  Pray for Mr. Nee’s heart and his desires to know more about Christianity and learn more about Jesus Christ.

We celebrated Gabriel’s 1st Birthday with family and friends last weekend.  We have been amazed at  how fast time can fly by.  We cherish every moment that we have with our little ones.  Here are some pictures of this big celebration.

On February 5th, our team hosted an outreach event at our ministry center that included eating hot pot, making lanterns and traditional desserts.  We invited people from the community as well as people from the house church here in Taiping that our team has planted.  Many of the people that attended had invited their family member and we even had a new family come by and join us for fellowship.   On this night, both Nathan and I gave our testimonies.  It was a great opportunity to share with this group of people how we came to faith, why we have committed our lives to follow Jesus and how we were led to Taiwan.  It was encouraging to see the faces of people who were not yet believers and yet were intently listening.  We praise God for a great night of ministry and fun.

Our two boys bring tremendous joy in our lives.  Gabriel is now 10 months old and Timothy is 2 and half years old.  Gabriel is crawling all over our apartment and is able to pull himself up while holding on to furniture.  Timothy is singing various Bible songs and Taiwanese nursery rhymes.  Timothy prays for his little brother every night before Gabriel goes down for the night.  Everyday with the boys is an adventure and we treasure every moment that God gives us.

A recent video has been produced about the OMF ministry in Taiping.  In this four-minute video, you will learn more about the members of our team and the people we are seeking to reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  You can click on the link below and be directed to the video:
 
http://vimeo.com/32505897
 
Thank you for your partnership in the proclamation of the Gospel.

As the Christmas season is upon us, we welcome Nathan’s parents here to Taiping for the first time.  Nathan’s mom volunteered her time at our training workshop to do childcare, and we welcome Nathan’s dad in just a few days.  Even though we have been skyping on a weekly basis, seeing Nathan’s parents in person makes us really excited.  They absolutely adore Timothy and Gabriel, and watching them interact gives us so much joy.

For the last week, we have been at training workshop learning more about what our home assignment might look like.  We are planning on coming back to the US at the end of 2012.  We are excited about the chance to reconnect with churches, families and partners that are praying for us.  This workshop has reminded us of the important role that our partners have in our ministry in Taiwan.

Our little baby Gabriel is now seven months old.  Time is just flying by before our eyes.  Gabriel has definitely been God’s amazing grace and blessing in our lives this year.  He brings a smile to our face every day.  Gabriel has started eating solid food and is almost able to sit up all on his own.  He loves playing with his big brother and laughs out loud whenever Timothy does something funny.  Watching our two boys interact and play with each other is one of the most precious moments we can witness during our daily routine.   We love every moment of it.  Here are some pictures of our boys.