5 Believe at Yilan Prison

A. Nikorn and A. Chachuwan Pray for New Believers

It took 2 ½  hours to reach Yilan from Neili.  At this center the government only allows the Christian Coalition to enter once a month.  It was Richard’s and my first time at the prison.  The meeting was held on the prison’s enclosed roof, which had a view of colorful rice fields, a Chinese cemetery and mountains.  A program of singing in 5 languages and  several movie clips showing God’s love was presented before the prisoners  were separated into  language groups.  Linda used pictures telling the creation to Christ story to the Thai inmates.  Then Richard talked about how Jesus who would lead their lives in a positive direction if they would believe and listen to His voice.  When finished, the 2 Thai pastors asked who wanted to accept God’s love for them.  All 5 Thais raised their hands and were led in a prayer of salvation.  As the inmates were leaving, the Christians gave them 2 kinds of fruit, a bag full of food, and some orange juice.  

Argument in English Bible Class

Linda Teaches 

As Linda was reviewing the past lesson on Noah, an older man in the group began saying, “God made a BIG MISTAKE!” He was getting louder and louder to where the students were looking at him rather than listening to the teacher.  So Richard asked him privately why he was upset. The man replied pointing to a sentence in the book, "Look here, God made a BIG MISTAKE." Not wanting the man to become a further distraction to the teaching, Richard said we'd talk after class.  At the end of class, the man continued his argument that God made "a big mistake" in bringing a worldwide flood destroying all the people of the earth except for Noah’s family.  Basically he was saying that God had unjustly killed thousands with the flood. We tried to explain that God was punishing those that had done evil. These same people refused to listen to Noah's warnings of impending disaster and stubbornly refused to repent.  However, the gentleman was solidly convinced that he was right and everyone else wrong. He didn’t want to reason. Instead, he became even louder and finally stomped out of the room.  Pray for this 92 year old man named Toby. Ask God to open his mind to understanding.

Celebration of Thai Mother's Day

Praising God in Worship

On August 25^th seven of the Thai Churches came together in Neili to celebrate Thai Mother’s Day which is August 12^th (the Thai Queen’s birthday).   After eating a special meal, we walked upstairs to use the sanctuary of a Chinese Church. The women were responsible for the worship.  Worship songs were sung with great gusto.  Special songs and a Thai dance were performed by the different churches for the occasion.  Alyssa, a volunteer from Germany was recognized for her work in Taiwan.  A. Erica spoke about the fruit of a godly mother.  Mothers were called to the front, honored and given gifts.  Then Richard and I spoke about our time in Taiwan and encouraged the believers to hold fast to God.  The Queen’s Anthem was sung and 2 delicious butter cakes with cream and chocolate crunch icing were cut for all to enjoy as we headed home for the evening.

Last Visit to Sansua Prison

150+ Prisoners at Sanxia Prison

On Wednesday, the main program at Sansua prison was about God’s love and sacrifice.  Once we split into 5 different language groups, orange juice was distributed for all to drink. Linda taught the Thais about the plan and power of God in creation and about how mankind is different from other animals.  A Thai pastor explained the trinity to the 5 inmates, a story that they heard for the first time and had a hard time grasping (as we all do).  Later Da-ru-nee told them about what it meant for man to be created in God’s image.  Before the prisoners went back to their dormitory, some fruit and a snack were given to the inmates.

Sending the Spirits Back to Heaven

Chinese Monks Chanting

Saturday we ate breakfast in our apartment to the sounds of monks chanting across the street.  In front of our apartment building, a Chinese ceremony was taking place.  Tents were set up.  Tables were neatly arranged underneath with gifts of cakes and fruit for the spirits of the dead.  Burning incense on each of the 100 tables filled the air with a sweet smell making it hard to breathe.   At the front were Chinese gods on an altar and Chinese monks chanting.  People stood around the monks reverently praying.  According to Chinese custom, spirits of the dead are released from heaven during this time of year. They usually call them down to earth by setting off hundreds of fire crackers. The Chinese believe that the noise alerts the spirits that a ceremony is about to begin. After a month of burning money and offering food, people were finally sending these spirits back to heaven.

Prayer and Praise

1.  Praise God for the ministry we had in Taiwan.  Pray that many will come to know God.

2.  Pray for effective Thai leaders to work with Thai guest workers in Taiwan.

3.  Pray for increasingly more Thais coming into God's kingdom in Taiwan.

4.  Pray for God to bless the work of the missionaries that we worked with in Taiwan.
5.  Pray for God's leading in our lives and future ministry.

Proclamation in a Factory Results in New Believers

Richard doing Card Trick

Friday night we went to a factory about 40 minutes from our apartment.  The manager of the factory is a Christian. He allowed the Thai Christian Group to come and make a presentation to the new Thai workers in the factory.  About 11 men decided to come.  The Thai Christians did a good job of presenting Christ, singing, and talking about Mother’s Day which was August 12^th in Thailand.  Richard even did a card trick which really amazed the Thais especially the man who was holding the card with a picture of Jesus, the only way to heaven.  Ten of the men made a profession of faith.   Arrangements are being made to begin a Bible study in the factory.

“How to Have a Happy Family”

Richard preaching

After going to Chinese Church in the morning, we went to Taoyuan city to pass out Christian tracts to Thais.  Sunday is about the only day off most factory workers have.  (Most will work overtime in order to make more money to send home to support their families in Thailand.)  So Sunday afternoon was an optimal time to meet Thais as they were eating at local Thai restaurants.  Pray that these Thai men and women will see their need for God and seek out those who will introduce them to Jesus in Taiwan. 

After a short rest at home, we went to Sunday night Thai church.   After A. Emanuel did an overview of  the book of 1 Samuel,  Richard preached on “How to Have a Happy Family.”  The Thais laughed at his illustrations using the biblical text of Colossians 3 and agreed that following the Bible can bring the happiness they need in the home.

Spirits Discussed in Sansua Immigration Prison

The Bible lesson was on angels and spirits and where they come from.  We began by letting the Thai prisoners tell stories about their personal experiences with ghosts. Then Linda taught the lesson telling the biblical perspective of spirits as fallen angels. Most Thai’s are scared of spirits and do many things to appease them. The conclusion to the study was that God has power over evil spirits and believers need not fear.

Linda and Dar-ru-nee Pray with Inmates.

Even in jail,  men can show generosity.   One man had over 50,000 Taiwanese Dollars ($1,600 US) from his last employment.  He gave 20,000 of it to one of the men from last week, who had acted inappropriately, so he could fly back to Thailand.  His reasoning was that this man would have been even crazier waiting in the jail with nothing to do. 

The prisoners talked of their desire to go home and their struggles with whether to be a Christian or not.  This struggle weighs heavy on their minds as they consider what being a Christian in a Buddhist society would mean for them on their return to Thailand.

Future Opportunity for Bali Group

U-an and Kit

Before the Bible study meeting, we passed out Christian literature at Thai stores where Thais from the factories were congregated to watch Thai boxing on cable TV.  Once at the meeting place, we ate a delicious Thai meal.  We were disappointed that only one man was there. But before Richard began the lesson, another man came (He had been working overtime).  Praise God! 

Many Thai workers are headed home to Thailand at this time because their labor contracts are up.  (Labor Contracts run for 3 years.  The first year, if they are thrifty, they can pay off their agent/air fare.  Then the 2^nd and 3^rd years they can send money home to their families.) 

The Taiwanese government is building a lot of new apartments in Bali. Rumor has it that they will use about 700 Thai workers for approximately two years in the construction of these buildings.  If this be true, the Thai church in Bali is in a good strategic location to reach them with the gospel.

Prayer and Praise

1.    Pray that the hearts and minds of the incoming Thai workers in Bali will be open to know and accept God’s plan for their lives. 

2.  Pray that the cell group in the factory will grow to include most of the men working there.

3  Pray that the Thai Pastors will have their needs met for salaries and for new  pastors to come and join the group in order to reach more Thais in Taiwan.

4.  Pray that the Thai Christian Group will reach the 50,000 – 100,000 Thais guest workers in Taiwan.

5.  Pray that the Chinese English class (which uses Bible stories) in Neili will turn into a new church.

6.  Pray for Thai Immigration prisoners to know Christ and be faithful to get into a church once they return home to Thailand.

Soccer Outreach

Thai Competitors

For the past 4 weeks, Thai Christians sponsored a soccer competition.  Over 300 Thai men from the local factories competed.  Four teams would march onto the playing field at a time with much pomp in the uniforms of their sponsoring company before each game.  Pictures were then taken.  Two games were played at a time beginning at 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.  Some of the cheering sections were very loud and vocal.  Thais were presented the Gospel, fed good Thai food, listened to live Thai music and watched some exciting games.  Each Sunday night church members would drag into the worship service tired from the all-day competition.   But they became refreshed from worshipping God.  Last Sunday at the end of the 4 week competition trophies were awarded to the best teams.  May God bless this and other activities to reach the Thais and bring them into God's kingdom.

Sacrifice to Spirits

The Saturday Thai Bible study at Bali was a sad one.    One Thai man in the group was going on a boat to Japan to work for 2-3 weeks.  He was a little excited, but mostly scared of going to another country whose language he did not speak. That was one of many the difficulties he thought he would have to overcome.  The other man was considering returning home to Thailand because of some unfair treatment at work.  He was going to talk to the owner of his factory on Monday before any decision was definitely made.  Both of these men had become Christians since coming to Taiwan and this tempered their decision making.  Before, both men would have gotten mad and said some things that would have made the situation worse. But now they sought God's wisdom to help discern their future.

Pig sacrificed to displaced spirts

Another Thai man in the group asked a question about why God forbade the Israelites from eating pork.  The man confessed that really, really  enjoyed eating pork.  We told him that pigs were one animal that the people of that time sacrificed to gods and evil spirits.  This answer seemed to satisfy him as he thought about Chinese people sacrificing pig to their gods. Some also offer pork to the spirits that they believe roam the atmosphere with no one to care for them.

Lee

Linda prays with Lee

We went to see Lee this past week. Lee is a 35 year old Christian from Thailand.  She is married to a Taiwanese and runs a little convenience store catering to factory workers from Thailand, Indonesia, Viet Nam and the Philippines. Lee has a lot of desires in her heart.  Since she runs the store, she isn’t able to go to church very often.  Lee works 7 days a week. She would like her husband and his mother to become Christians.  She wants to shut down the store and get another job where she can rest more.  She has been married for 10 years and wants to have a child.   The list goes on.  She prays every night, but our heart aches for her because we know that she a needs fuller relationship with God and the fellowship of a good church family.

The truth is that we see people like Lee frequently.  Some are Christian and others are not.  They have a great many desires, but don’t know God clearly enough to allow Him to help them.

Interruptions

In the immigration prison, it was a very hot  96 degrees.  Fans were running, but it was still stuffy and everyone was sweating.  One Thai man detained there had been in a traffic accident and had gotten hurt .  The other had gotten drunk causing some problems.  While in the regular prisons serving their time, both had been beaten over the head by other inmates.  These 2 men interrupted our teaching several times by laughing inappropriately. One man keep whispering to an invisible friend. The other sat with his legs crossed, smiled a lot, and made flirtatious remarks to the 3 woman in the group. One even claimed to be a medium for one of the Chinese gods.  The other Thais who came to hear about Jesus were very kind and accepting of them.  Towards the end of the lesson, the Christian man who was working with the Chinese inmates came over and prayed for these two men.  We finally got through the lesson and quizzed the Thais.  Even though there were many interruptions, all of them gave correct answers!  It was a blessing to be able to teach God's Word in spite of the heat.  

Sun Moon Lake

Port at Sun Moon Lake

This past week we went to Sun Moon Lake, a lake in the middle of Taiwan, on our day off.  It is a place that is sacred to the aboriginal people of Taiwan.  We had paid to take the express train, but ended up getting on a slower local train by mistake.   However, it gave us the chance to see the beautiful scenery of rice fields, mountains, industrial areas and big towns along the way.  Once at the lake we ate a traditional Taiwanese food of chicken curry.  We got tickets to ride a boat to several points on the lake.  We had our pictures taken with the stones that said Sun Moon Lake in Chinese and viewed a Buddhist temple in honor of the man who brought the Buddhist scriptures to China.   All day long, our two Thai friends filled us up with local delicacies, such as wild boar hot dogs, eggs boiled in tea, young fern, oriental jellies and of course, ice cream which melted faster than we could eat in the heat of the day. The return train trip went faster and we were all glad to see our beds upon returning home at 10:30 PM. 

Prayer and Praise

1.  Praise God that the soccer competition is finished.  Pray that many Thais will become interested in God because of the care of the Thai Christians.
2. Pray for LeAnn, a Thai lady who came to our Tuesday night English class at the local library. She has expressed an interest in Christianity.
3. Pray that God give us wisdom as to where to go to in order to connect with more Thai people.
4.  Pray for Cindy and Jon both members of the Tuesday night English class at the local library.  They are searching about whether God is the answer for their lives.

Answered Prayer

Thanks for praying!

Linda teaches Thai Women

Last week not a single Thai came to learn English.  We were sad and about ready to give up on the idea of teaching English to Thais with the short time we had left in Taiwan.    However, on Sunday night during the Thai worship service, we got a phone call from someone who wanted to come learn English.  Monday night 3 Thai women came to our apartment.  Their names are  Toom, Mae and Am.   Each adult wanted to be able to use English with western people who they saw.  Pray that each of them will return to study with us and allow God to touch their lives. 

Immigration Prison

Razor Wire Surrounding the Prison

At the International Detention Center, the women came down the steps as usual, sat on their stools waiting for the program to begin.  The Christians who had come to teach and sing with the detainees waited and waited but the men did not show up.  We were told that some of the men had been involved in a fight, so the administrators punished them all.  Thus, none of the men were allowed to come to the meeting.
This past week we spoke to 3 Thai women and a Cambodian woman.  The Cambodian was brought to Taiwan as a 3 year old.  Her mother failed to fill out the proper forms for her to have Taiwanese citizenship.  So as she turned 18, she was arrested because she lacked a valid ID or papers proving her nationality.  Soon she will have to return to Cambodia.  What a sad turn of events for someone, who grew up in Taiwan speaking Mandarin, cannot really speak Cambodian and is being forced to go to a place she does not know.  Another woman, who is about 30, was married to a Taiwanese man for 10 years. But because she could not have any children by him, he divorced her.  She had opened a shop and was able to support herself, but was arrested because her husband had never registered her with the Taiwanese authorities.  Most of the women have a high school or less education, an ignorance of Taiwanese law, and trusted their husbands or mothers to register them properly with the local authorities. As you can see, this tragically does not always happen.

Celebrating 45 Years of Marriage

Linda Cuts the Cake

After eating great Thai food, we worshiped God in the Thai language this past Sunday evening at the Thai Fellowship Church.  A missionary from Germany was the speaker for the evening. He had served in Thailand for 18 years and now he works in Taiwan with Thai people. He told the stories of 3 of the Old Testament judges.  Then we sang some great Christian songs written from a Thai perspective and listened to a sermon on how studying the Word of God helps you know the truth.  Later the church family surprised us by preparing a chocolate cherry cake in honor of our 45th wedding anniversary. We were called to the front of the church and asked to impart some wisdom on how to have an enduring marriage. We had to think quick because neither of us was prepared to speak.  Thus, we told them practicing forgiveness often was very important. In marriage decision are made together, since the couple have become one. And most of all, make God number one in your life seeking to please Him by staying married.

Bali Bible Study Group

 We traveled again with members of the Neili Thai church to help with their new group in Bail. As always, we started with a meal of Thai food.  This helped as most of the men were just getting off work.  The men listened as we talked about the parable of the soil in Matthew 13.  The study we prepared was way over their heads in understanding.  They were confused about the 4 soils and how it related to the heart. Plus, they had trouble comprehending the meaning of a "parable".  However, one man summarized the lesson well.  He said: "This is a warning to Christians who go out and proclaim the Word of God. The fact is that some people will accept the gospel, but others will reject the good news. Therefore, we should not get discouraged by rejection, but keep on proclaiming."  What great insight from someone who has only been a Christian about 2 months!
He is reading the Bible daily and asking questions about things he doesn’t understand when the group gets together on Saturday night.  

Linda and Sawang Prepare Food for Study Group.

Prayer and Praise

1.  Praise God for the 3 Thai women, who came to learn English.  Pray that they continue to come and learn about God.
2.  Pray that some in the Tuesday night Chinese Bible English class will express interest in knowing God.
3.  Pray that we will see more people at the Immigration Prison come to know Christ as Savior.
4.  Pray that we will meet and be able to present Christ to Thais in our area.

More Immigration Stories

Linda teaches Delia

 While waiting for the large group of men and women detainees to enter the big meeting room, we saw about 10 new prisoners being brought in for orientation in a back room. They were shackled with leg irons and arm chains.  Some were also handcuffed to each other. What a sad sight. This reminded me of the old radio program “Unshackled” which in the spiritual realm only God can do.

Even though the foreigners are in an uncomfortable situation while awaiting release, it is encouraging to know that many receive Christ before being deported back home.

Last week we talked with an English speaking Filipino.  Even though there are more upstairs, only one Filipino girl was brought down.  She had been in the prison only 5 days.  She acted ashamed about being in the prison.  But after talking, singing, and reading Bible stories, she was encouraged.  She cried and called Linda, Mama because she felt comforted.  She had overstayed her visa after being in the country for 6 years as a domestic and health worker.  Even after sending money home to her family each month while working, she was unsure whether her family could raise enough money to pay for her fine and transportation back home.

The 5 Chinese men, who prayed to ask God for forgiveness and accepted Christ the week before were baptized.   The men then surprised everyone by voluntarily giving an offering!  What a blessing that God prompted their hearts to give to the Christian work at the prison.  The money will go to help more inmates hear about God. 

Sunday Night Thai Church

Khun Darunee, leader of the Neili Thai Church

We enjoyed eating Thai food such as Larp, stir fried vegetables, sticky rice and chicken soup.  During and after the meal we talked to Thai Christians.  It was interesting to find out why and where they had become Christians.  Richard preached and brought some humor into the seriousness of the topic:  “Reasons Why God Doesn’t Always Answer Our Prayers”.  

Thai Cell Group in Bali

Richard Teaching in Bali

The Thai Fellowship Church in Neili a few months ago started a Thai Bible study outreach in the town of Bali where there are several hundred Thai factory workers.  We go each Saturday evening traveling one hour to reach the town. A Chinese church lets the Thais use a room in an adjacent building. Last Saturday Linda taught a lesson on Samuel anointing David.  Praise God the men participated in the discussion and even seemed to enjoy the process. Richard closed the teaching by giving 3 practical applications from the story. One of the men from the Bali area named Kit is not a Christian, but continues to participate in the cell group each week.

Bible English

Richard Teaching

On the second week of teaching, the English class dropped to 45 people.  This is really a more manageable size because people were not as crowded into the room.  We talked about Adam and Eve’s sin, sang songs and Jim told his testimony about his daughter’s car accident where 3 doctors said that she should have died.  However, God intervened and performed a miracle so that she can now walk and hold a job.  During this crisis, Jim and Brenda yielded their lives to God.  Some people in the class cried at the telling of the story.   

Sightseeing in Taipei

We took our 1^st trip to Taipei to see museums and a Chinese Buddhist temple.  We took a train from our apartment in Neili to Taipei, about 40 minutes one way.   A niece of one of the ladies from Friendship International at First Baptist Church in Round Rock, Texas took us to the 4 places including an old Chinese Temple where hundreds were worshipping Buddha and Chinese gods. We were troubled by this scene but realized that they don’t know the real, living God.  The niece also took us to the National Museum full of artifacts from China.  We spent three hours at the museum looking at china bowls, paintings,  old manuscripts, and priceless glass wear. Sorry, but no pictures were allowed. We had a great time and were very tired when we got home.

Prayer and Praise

1.        We praise God for his moving among the inmates at the immigration prison.  Pray that new believers when released will find churches to attend and grow in their faith.

    2.       Pray that the English Bible class for Chinese in our apartment complex will turn into a church lead by Jim and Brenda.

    3.       Pray for more non-Christian Thai men and women to come to the Thai church in Neili and find Jesus as Lord.

    4.       Thai Church leaders are discipling many new Christians each week (many are factory workers on 3 year contracts). Pray that when these workers return to Thailand, they will help spread the gospel.

    5.       Pray that God will give us wisdom as we attempt to find and evangelise Thai people in Neili.