January 19, 2014
Greetings from Taiwan:
“Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” (I Sam 14:6b) Jonathan, son of Saul, spoke these words of faith before scaling a cliff and attacking an outpost of “uncircumcised fellows.” It was just Jonathan and his young armor-bearer against the horde of Philistines. Numbers didn’t matter. What mattered was that God was on their side! Father, in the name of Jesus, give us the faith of Jonathan!
Molly Johnston went Home to be with the Lord last Sunday morning while I was preaching for Chuck at the Community Church of Taichung. Molly, was surrounded by friends and family when she departed, and was surrounded by even more when she ascended. Molly’s “Celebration of Life” service will be this coming Thursday. She will be missed by many, and has left a lasting legacy for the past 43 years here in Taiwan!
This morning is Come Church here as we strive to both multiply the church throughout S Taichung City (that’s the GO Church), and also stay connected with one another in prayer and fellowship (that’s the COME Church). We are excited to see members taking up the mantle of leadership — even meeting without us when necessary. This, of course, must happen as the church grows. Thank you for praying!
A team of three; Chad Edwards, Jon Ralls and myself, will be heading to the Philippines from Jan 30 thru Feb 8 to do a 5-day Jonathan training for 100 Filipino pastors and their wives. We’ll be in the heart of the Typhoon Haiyan damaged area of Leyte Island, which struck the Philippines on Nov 8th. Jonathan Training, believes our Team Expansion missionary there — Mike Propp – will assist pastors in giving them a new vision of what can be accomplished among folks who are really hurting, using “simple church” concepts of house to house and member by member ministry. While there, Mike and I will also be accessing material re-building needs among the churches — looking to fill a container with tools and supplies from Taiwan.
Getting to and from Leyte will be quite an adventure, including planes, boats and buses. And, we are traveling in the midst of Chinese New Year — which, under normal circumstances would not be advisable, both because of the expense and the masses of humanity. If you would like to help — please pray! If you would like give, please designate it PI relief. (Also, please pray for our friend and co-worker, John Dunn, who planned this JT in PI. He was told by doctors this past week that he can’t go with us, and needs back surgery.)
CNY will soon be upon us, and many of our members will return to their ancestral homes for a week. Please pray that they will have the faith of Jonathan to be a light for Jesus!
Thank you for your faithfulness in all things! May you, too, be a Jonathan this week!
All for God’s Glory Among the Nations,
Dave & Brenda Atkin