To Bless Taiwan

Hello friends and family,

I hope and trust that you have been well. Life has been extremely busy and we've all been working hard to make an impact here in Taiwan. Even though I feel very tired and it hasn't been easy, I feel very fulfilled knowing that we are making a difference here in Taiwan.

Restaurant:
Working in a restaurant is very physically demanding. Since I'm still young, I've been able to endure a lot of the work but recently I've been feeling the strain. I was focusing on just being myself and the bible verse that kept running through my mind was "...the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10b). I was really encouraged by our new chef Mei. Mei is an older Taiwanese lady and I was in charge of training her this past month. The language barrier was difficult and frustrating and it was hard to really know if I was having a positive impact or not.

However, Mei surprised me the other day! She bought me a wedding gift after she found out I was going to be gone at the end of the month. I found out later From Drew and Sarah that it is very rare to be given a gift like that. Some of our staff translated a card she wrote and she also shared with me about how encouraged she was by my leadership and also how I was constantly smiling. She thought it was interesting that I was smiling all the time but I explained to her that Jesus loves me, and that is enough for me to smile :). May also burned her hand while cooking the other day and we allowed her to go home early. She had expressed how she never experienced anything like this in her work before. We invited her to church and we saw her today! Please keep praying for our staff. The culture that we are setting for our employees is really counter cultural and making a difference here on the ground level.

Church:
God has really been answering our prayers on all fronts. Besides myself, a lot of people are traveling this summer and so we were worried if there would be enough people to hold down the fort at Oasis. God answered us and sent very talented new members of our church to join the worship team. We've also begun our first phase of our new church renovations that I mentioned in my last update! We've also had several new members sign up through out membership class. Last Sunday during Pentecost Sunday, we all prayed that we could receive the Holy Spirit again and that God would refresh us. A lot of people were rejuvenated and it felt like people had "taken a bath in the Holy Spirit." God is really using our church as an Oasis out here in a land with 5% Christianity.

Prayer requests:
1.Thank you for praying for our health and safety. We have all been doing much better physically! Please continue to pray for us in this way.
2. Please pray that God would continue to lead our church and our new leadership team for this next season.
3. Please pray that church would run smoothly with several leaders and their travel schedules throughout the summer.
4. Please pray for my wedding planning as well as safe travels as I return to the states!

Hello my dear friends and loved ones,

April is the one year mark of my time here in Taiwan! I can't believe how quickly time has flown by and as I reflect on all that's happened, I can say that I have no regrets. I am confident in God's call for me here in this nation. A deep thanks to all of you who have supported me through friendship, finances, and prayer. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to make nearly as much of an impact here in Tienmu.

So much has happened and I could write so much more but here are a few highlights. If you want to hear about what else has been happening, feel free to ask!

Daily Life:
Working at Baptong has been an amazing experience. As I mentioned in the past, a lot of people here eat food that is cheap but terrible for their health. Numerous customers in the past two months have commented about how our food is clean and tasty and how different they feel after eating it. I also run in to Korean people here. One lady in particular is married to a Taiwanese man who doesn't go to church. She found out that we all go to church nearby and was encouraged to know that she could bring him to hear the message of Christ.

Two of our workers moved into a new apartment recently and shared with Pastor Drew that they felt like an evil spirit was in their place. Unlike America, people over here in Asia are very attuned to the spiritual atmosphere. They all felt a lot of fear, unrest, and anxiety. We were able to go and help pray for their apartment as well as pray for their roommates. They were really blessed and encouraged by us and we were able to share God's heart and speak words of blessing over them. I asked them how their new apartment was after we prayed for them and I was happy to find out that they said it felt much better!

Through this experience, I was also able to share the gospel with one of the workers at our restaurant. Her name is Alicia and is a college student from Vietnam studying here in Taipei. She is agnostic and very open to hearing the message of Christ. Please pray for her.

Church:
Life has been extremely busy and at the end of my work week, I often lead worship for two services on Sunday. Even though it sounds tiring, church has been so refreshing and rewarding. Each Sunday church is full and you can sense the hunger to learn more about Jesus through the Bible. We had communion this past Sunday, and another person in our church received Christ - hallelujah! Last week we also had another baptism for a brother named Timothy. I'm encouraged to know that God is using Oasis Church to reach people here. I'm reminded of the early church in Acts where it says that God continued to add to the number of believers. Please continue to pray for salvation of people here in Taiwan.

We are also preparing to start renovations to our space. Please pray for our renovation task force that they would be able to have wisdom. Please also pray for our church finances as we also have to fund-raise in order to complete the most basic upgrades to paint, lighting, and sound.

Prayer requests:
1. Please pray for our health and safety. As I've mentioned in the past, there is a ton of spiritual warfare here and a lot of our core leaders have constantly have things happen to keep them from coming to church on a consistent basis.
2. Do you remember my barber named Bryan? I've continued to share Christ with him since I've been here and I was able to give him a Chinese/English Gideon's Bible. Please pray for his salvation as well as the salvation of Alicia (from Baptong).
3. Please pray for our restaurant that God would continue to protect us as well as give us wisdom on how to bless Tienmu and Taipei.

Happy Resurrection Day everybody!

It's hard to believe that Easter Sunday has just passed. A lot has happened in the past month. Here are some of the highlights!

Daily life:
This month I started working in the restaurant as an assistant chef (see pics below). It's amazing to see how God remembers all my dreams and passions. I always wanted to open and work in a restaurant. Ten years ago, before a local place near my house called Koko's existed, I wanted to open a Korean BBQ restaurant near my house but it never ended up happening. Fast forward to today - I am working at a restaurant while building God's kingdom and being a culture changer. A lot of the people in Taiwan eat cheap food that is full of MSG. There is also a lot of class-ism so a lot of the healthier food is too pricey blue collar working class people. It is our vision to provide clean, tasty, and affordable food to all people.

God is using our restaurant to reach people! So, Pastor Drew leaves our church business card next to the cashier with our restaurant business cards. We noticed an interesting phenomenon - the church business cards have been steadily disappearing! It seems like each Sunday there are new people who come to our church after finding our church business card. Just a week ago, Pastor Drew was able to share the gospel with one of our workers here. She was curious about the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism. He was able to share the differences as well as the good news of Jesus with her. There are so many people here that have never heard the name of Jesus. Please continue to pray for the people of this nation.

Church:
Our church atmosphere has been amazing lately. There has been a lot of new members signing up to become members of our church. When I first got to Taiwan, I was part of a small group called "Treasure Hunters". We started with about 7 people. I was having dinner with my friend who leads the small group and he told me that the group had grown to almost FORTY members! It's awesome knowing that a lot of people are hungry to learn more about the Bible and get to know one another. Please continue to pray that God will help the people of our church grow in the knowledge of God through the Bible.

This past Friday, I was invited to lead worship for our joint EM (English Ministry) worship (see picture below). It was the second ever in Taiwan. It's amazing to think that something as common as a joint worship service has only happened twice here. There were about 150-200 attendees and it was an amazing time. Four churches participated and served together and we had a special offering for the earthquake victims of Tainan earlier this month. It was a wonderful time of worship.

Prayer requests:
-Please pray for our church that God would touch more and more people who come - your prayers have been really making an impact over here.
-Please pray for my physical health and the health of Pastor Drew's family and our church leaders. It's like spiritual guerrilla warfare out here and your intercession really helps us!
-Please pray for our restaurant. We need to average approximately $50 US more a day to have sustainable profit and growth. Please also pray that we can find trustworthy staff to hire as we are currently short staffed.

Hello everyone!

This year seems to be flying by... I can't believe that February is already coming to an end. It's hard to believe that I've already been in Taiwan for 10 months...

Church:
This past week, one of our church members interviewed me for a school seminary project. While I was being interviewed, I began to realize that there are a lot of things that I notice as a foreigner to the country. One of the most interesting things that I learned about Taiwanese culture is how understated people are. If you are unaware of Taiwanese history, this country has been occupied and colonized several times throughout it's history. As a result, the people have become very resilient and adaptable. Along with that, freedom of expression seems to be less valued here.

You might wonder, "Well, how does this relate to church?" We've come to the exciting realization that the people at our church are very bright people. Pastor Drew has started preaching on "How to Love Jesus" and has started the year off with the goal of building up theological foundations of Oasis Church. We are also beginning to see the "hidden gems" in our congregation. It has been amazing being a part of a community that humbly seeks God. People also seem to be taking more ownership of the church as well. Pastor Drew hasn't even had to organize prayer meetings, game nights, or fellowship because it has been happening organically. We've also started a "Renovation Task Force" to improve our sanctuary as well.

Church has also been continuing to grow. We were very surprised to see that the attendance did not drop off during the Lunar New Year when most families here travel. It is encouraging to know that people are coming to learn more about Jesus. I seem to say this often lately but, if you've been praying, it's truly been making an impact over here. I cannot emphasize this enough! Thank you!

Daily Life:
First of all, thank you for praying for my safety! I was totally safe while making deliveries on a scooter for Baptong (our restaurant). Starting in March, I will be transitioning into the restaurant as an assistant chef. Please continue to pray for the restaurant that many people would experience something totally new through our Christian business model.

Pastor Drew told me a story about how the other day a woman walked into the restaurant. She noticed an Oasis Church business card that is in front of the cashier. She asked, "Why is there a business card for church?" "It's the card for our church. I'm a pastor," Drew responded. She immediately started to cry. She actually was crying so hard that she had to sit down. Curious what was going on Drew asked, "Is everything okay?" She tried to gain her composure. "This is no coincidence," she said. She was bilingual and she was longing for a church. "God led you here tonight," Drew replied. She will be coming to church tomorrow, hallelujah!

This sister in Christ just spotted the business card and it moved her so deeply. This is the state of Christianity in Taiwan. I know that through the pictures it looks like church life is very similar to what we experience in Christian nations. Not so.. many people are in dire need of strong Biblical teaching and a safe community that doesn't emphasize a legalistic, works based spiritual life. There is a stigma here that all churches want from people is their money, commitment, and a moral life driven by will-power (mind over matter). Please pray that instead of religion, that Jesus Christ would be revealed in our Church, and in our nation. I strongly believe that if a person truly encounters Christ, they wouldn't be able to resist his love!

Prayer Requests:
-Please continue to pray for church. We are on the front lines. Spiritual warfare is constant and the enemy is looking to stop us from making an impact here.
-Please pray for my transition into the restaurant that it would be smooth and also that God would use it to reach many people here in Taiwan.
-Our worship team has been experiencing a lot of people transitioning and moving out of Taiwan. Please pray for people who love music and love to worship to be sent to our Church.
-Please continue to pray for my finances. As I've mentioned before, several of my monthly supporters could no longer support me. I am praying for 4 more people to support me monthly at $100 for the remainder of my time here. If you feel compelled to sow into our mission here, please check out my fundraising website at https://fundly.com/to-bless-taiwan/ or donate through PayPal as a gift to: [email protected]

Hello friends and family,

I just wanted to let you all know that we are safe and alright here in Taipei. The earthquake that you might have heard about took place south of the island. However, it was a big enough that it was felt in Taipei. A friend of mine woke up at 4:00AM from the tremors.

If you are a person of prayer, please pray for this tragedy. I found out over dinner with some friends today that the reason why a lot of the buildings went down were because contractors and/or engineers cut corners during construction. A lot of people have lost homes and lives and it's terrible that it happened during Chinese New Year... I am truly grieved.

Thanks to all who have already checked on me!

Happy Lunar New Year!
David

Hello friends, family, and loved ones!

Happy New Year! For all my friends and family in the Northeast, I hope you are all safe and doing well after winter storm Jonas! We also suffered here in Taiwan. The Island experienced snow and freezing weather for the first time in 10 years. Even though it doesn't get nearly as cold as Korea or Philadelphia... there is no heating here in Taiwan so it was quite cold here as well..

Big news. A lot has happened since my last update. I have big news! I wish I had a chance to fill you in on all the details. As you know, I've met a very special person. Her name is Anne and she was able to visit me last month. While she was here, we were able to talk about marriage and the possibility of serving together here in Taiwan. I spoke to her father and asked for his permission to marry her.. And he said yes!!! I'm so thankful to have her in my life and I hope that you can all get to know her soon. I haven't officially proposed yet but I will have more details to come...!

Church:
For the start of the new year our sermon series is called: "Loving Jesus". It's been a fresh start as we build our the new foundations of our church. I love that we're able to talk about this in depth because the term is so widely used with very little context on what it really means to love Jesus. Even though on the outside our church looks very familiar to what churches might look like in the west, the truth is that there is not much deep Biblical and theological teaching here in Taiwan. Please pray that the Taiwanese Christians would be able to have a solid foundation based on the word of God.

This is a picture of a recent baptism. This is Ray's father, Frank! I remember Ray's (standing behind Frank) heartfelt prayer, "God, thanks for hearing the prayer of a 16 year old boy". To give a little context, Ray used to attend Oasis Church as a teenager and actually came to Christ through our church. This past Christmas was his first back in a long time and he came to be with his Father because he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease... Please keep his health in your prayers, that he would be healed in Jesus' name!

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I recently had a dream that we were in a war and the parking structure at the mall where our church is collapsed. At first I was a bit scared and didn't know what to make of it but through some reflection I realized that God was encouraging us. As you know, I've been constantly talking about how the spiritual warfare has been so intense while we've been here. The dream seems to have been a symbolism of conquered territory. I had a strong conviction that the dream symbolized us as a church taking the enemy fortress down and claiming it as a territory for God's kingdom. I shared the dream with the pastors and after some thought, they also agreed that it is true. Thank you for your prayers! The spiritual atmosphere at Oasis Church has been shifting and the church has been growing, hallelujah!

This is my new friend Alex. Crazy story... Alex is a music professor at a university here and he shared with me a story of how he injured his ankle doing a flip in a martial arts demonstration. I thought to myself, I'd love to pray for this guy but I just met him. Crazy thing is, I had a random dream one time where I had met a guy through my friend Jesse (not pictured here) and prayed for his ankle in my dream. This gave me the courage to ask if he would be open to receive prayer. SO... we prayed together and to my surprise, God healed his ankle completely! All the pain left and full mobility was restored! Hallelujah!

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Daily Life:
This month I transitioned into the restaurant and have been helping out with deliveries as well as working the cashier when it is extra busy. In the off time, I still help out the Shih family watching their lovely daughters while Drew and Sarah are in the restaurant. Today, I was also able to walk around the neighborhood and pass out flyers with Drew. It was really good being on the ground level and getting to interact with some of the local Taiwanese with my baby level Chinese skills :) There has been a bit of a transition in my life with scheduling and workload so please keep that in your prayers as well.

Also, If you no longer wish to receive my e-mail updates, no hard feelings - please let me know! I'd hate to have these updates create clutter in your inbox :)

Prayer requests:

-Please pray for church that new leaders would rise up in this season and for spiritual protection moving forward.
-Please pray for the restaurant. We recently found out that three previous businesses have failed in the same location. -Please pray against any curses that might be on the land or the area. Please also pray as the logistical details continue to be worked out and streamlined.
-Please pray for my safety as I make deliveries for Baptong that I'd be safe on the scooter.
-Please continue to pray for my finances. If you feel compelled or convicted to give, please do so via my website (https://fundly.com/to-bless-taiwan) or my PayPal ([email protected]).
-This is Bryan. He is the guy I mentioned a few months back who cuts my hair. As you can see, he's pretty good! I've been able to share the message of Jesus with him and he's been receptive and asking me a lot of questions. Please pray for his salvation.
-This is Anne's friend's friend, Bob. Bob is a local Taiwanese guy who recently came to our church for the first time. He is open to Christianity and is seeking at our church. Please also pray for his salvation!

Yours in Christ,

David

My friends, family, and loved ones...

Merry Christmas!!! I can't believe Jesus' birthday is upon us. It doesn't feel like Christmas so much in Taiwan. It's been a bit strange experiencing 75 degree weather during Christmas week and the holiday doesn't seem to be as big of a deal over here. As the year comes to a close, I think back at what an adventure coming to this nation has been. I also think of all the wonderful people I've met in my journey of life and I am grateful for each and every one of you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being you!

Here's what's been going on over here in Taiwan:

Church:
After the "Restoring the Foundations" series, we've changed gears and focused on the Advent season. It's been a nice break from all the intense inner healing that has been happening in our community to celebrate the coming of Christ. I also had the chance to participate in a prison ministry here in Taiwan. To my surprise, there are thousands of incarcerated foreign workers here in Taiwan. Six of us from Oasis were able to go to the detention center and serve food as well as throw a large Christmas party for the inmates. Going into the day, I was really nervous and didn't know what to expect. I never interacted with prisoners before. But we were assured that they would be on their best behavior since the party is one of the highlights of the year for them.

While I was there, we did more than just serve food. We were encouraged to interact and converse with people and share the love of Christ in that way. I was able to put my English to use and met people from Vancouver, Netherlands, Paris, and all over. My most surprising conversation happened with a Korean American that was from Seattle. We were advised not to ask why they were there so I can't tell you much about that... but it was clear that there was such brokenness in him as well as all the inmates being away from their friends and family during the holiday season. I was able to pray for several of them and I could sense that they were encouraged and happy just to be able to have conversations in English. Please pray for them that they would come to know Christ.

Daily life:
One of the highlights of the month was when my girlfriend, Anne visited (photo below)! I was so thankful that she was able to come to Taiwan to see me in my element and my life here serving. It was a sweet time and I'm so sad that she's gone home. Please keep us in your prayers, that God would lead us and be the center of our relationship. Other than that, not much has changed since my last update since the school semester does not start until February. I have been teaching some church kids guitar and have been looking to get more students. I also was recently approached to private tutor English. Thank you for your prayers! Please continue to pray for my finances as it is difficult for me to have a stable income here until I can acquire a working permit (which is possible after getting a student visa). If you feel compelled or convicted to give, please do so via my website (https://fundly.com/to-bless-taiwan) or my PayPal ([email protected]).

Prayer requests:
-Please continue to keep Oasis Church and the leaders in your prayers. The New Year is around the corner and with it a lot of transitions have been happening. Please pray for wisdom and clarity for the leaders as well as our spiritual protection.
-Baptong has finally had it's Grand Opening on the 23rd and is continuing until the 26th. Please continue to pray that the restaurant would be a blessing to the local community. -The service and food that they bring is truly counter cultural. Please also pray for trustworthy workers to be sent to support the restaurant.
-For clarity regarding various parts of my life heading into the New Year. Please continue to pray for my finances, visa, as well as my upcoming enrollment in a Chinese University language program.
-My relationship with Anne, that we would be led by God and that our relationship would be rich and edifying.

Family and Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for but in particular, I'm thankful for the group of friends I have here in Taiwan. Without them, life would be much more difficult. Holidays away from home have always been hard and today was no different. Luckily, I've been blessed with amazing friends here and it definitely helped me feel less melancholy. I was even able to eat some turkey! I'm very thankful to God that I could eat turkey again this year. I still remember praying to God last year asking him to let me go home to eat turkey (my lease actually wasn't up until February).

This past week I was able to go to Hong Kong to secure a visa. This is the first step toward being able to obtain a student visa. Thank you for your continued prayers. Everything went so smoothly without any complications. For those of you who may not know, the Taiwanese Embassy in Hong Kong is known to reject visa applications for the slightest of reasons. I was able to get mine processed in 5 minutes! Truly a miracle.

As I've continued to practice my faith, some of the most fascinating moments of my Christian experience was when I began to see the power of God unfold in front of my eyes just like in the Bible. If you've never experienced it or are skeptical, I highly encourage you to pray a sincere prayer to Jesus of Nazareth asking him to show you his power. I know that it will greatly encourage you too.

Church:
So much has continued to happen since the last update. One of Drew's mentors, Bob Ekblad (http://www.bobekblad.com/) came to minister to our church and it was a very powerful time. He continued our series on inner healing and gave Biblical teaching on how to overcome rejection, fear, shame, self-hate, and even animal spirits (Chinese Zodiac influence), and then how to partner with the Holy Spirit. Even though I've been living the Christian life through my 20s, this time had a profound effect on me and encouraged me deeply as well. He also gave a wonderful seminar for the leadership team (small group leaders, pastors, elders) on how to pray for people and really bless them through praying healing and being able to hear from God. It was very powerful and unexpectedly, one of our leaders got healed of a chronic back problem!

God has been really restoring the foundations of many peoples' lives at Oasis Church. As a result, so many people are becoming passionate and also encountering God in powerful ways. God has been showing us how to really thrive spiritually in this nation. I shared here and there, but the spiritual activity is pretty remarkable here. Although the nation is modernized, people are very open to spirituality and so it really affects believers here. Last week, Pastor Drew preached on the gift of tongues and the power of being able to pray in tongues. God really moved and several people received this prayer gift!

This past Sunday the sermon was a recap of everything that has been going on and during the response song time (after the message), God really began to move in our congregation and a person began praying in tongues very loud with many tears. Even though we weren't expecting to focus on prayer a second week, God had other plans and we continued to pray. During this time, I also encountered God very powerfully and began weeping very loud for about 20-30 minutes. It was a very powerful wake up call to all of us not to just sit back comfortably as Christians, but take the charge to be active with our faith outside the walls of church. We prayed for the salvation of the nation as well as a deepening of the power of prayer.

Finances:
I am still unable to work without a work permit here. If I get caught working without one, I am subject to an immediate deportation and ban for 10 years. I won't be able to do so until I get my student visa in February. Now that we have a clear idea on how to move forward, I underestimated the amount of money that I need to be able to live and serve here for the two years I planned. Please pray that God would continue to provide for me financially. I've needed to spend additional money on securing visas as well as leaving the country to do so. I also did not expect to be taking classes again at the age of 31 but I will be enrolling at a university to learn Chinese as well. If you feel compelled to give, please check out my fundraising website (https://fundly.com/to-bless-taiwan). My PayPal ID is also: [email protected].

Prayer requests:
Please continue to pray for our church and our leaders. Your prayers really, really make a difference here in Taiwan and I believe our church is flourishing because of all your prayers
Please pray for Baptong (Drew and Gabe's restaurant). It has been doing very well but as a result we've all been very busy. I've been babysitting Drew's daughters so that him and his wife can be at the restaurant. Please pray for us all that we can get used to the new routine and that God would continue to send trustworthy workers.
I still won't be able to work until I upgrade my visa in February as a student. Please pray that it would go smoothly.
That my finances would continue to be covered for the remainder of my time here

Hello everybody :)

I can't believe that it's already October. Time flies and I'm reminded of the verse in James 4 that tells us that life is a mist that appears for a while and vanishes.

So much is happening out here in Taiwan. Church has been steadily growing in the past six months and by the grace of God we have been at max capacity in our sanctuary. We are at or beyond 80% capacity every week so we will begin a second service. Please keep the new service in prayer! This will start on November 1st.

We have also started a new sermon series entitled "Restoring the Foundations" which is on inner healing and deliverance and it has been having a huge impact on our community.
In a nutshell - the material teaches us how to live the Christian life in freedom - not being subjected to the influences of the world that are against God, and also how to deal with internal/external things that affect our day to day life in Christ. If you are interested in this (and I highly recommend this book) here is a link to the study:

http://www.amazon.com/Restoring-Foundations-Integrated-Approach-Ministry/dp/0964939827

I was really encouraged because when we started. First the English speakers prayed and then the Chinese speakers prayed separately. I was surprised to see that the Mandarin speaking people in our church far outnumbered the English speakers! This past Sunday we had a time of prayer after the sermon where the church leaders came to the front to pray on the mic. I was profoundly impacted by the prayer of one of our elders named Dow. I had no idea what he was praying and I felt the presence of God so powerfully. I have similar experiences when I hear the congregation sing in Chinese. God has such a heart for this nation! Please keep praying that God would continue to reach the local Taiwanese in our area!

Through the sermon series I am learning more and more how certain experiences, hurts, and disappointments have dominated the way I interact with people. This has caused a lot of problems for me personally in my life and I'm so glad that God is revealing to me through his word how to overcome.

The past few weeks have been very busy. I've been helping the church translate popular worship songs into Chinese. Even though I don't know what I'm singing sometimes, it is awesome hearing the congregation sing in Mandarin in one voice during worship! What a blessing that's been. I have also been helping Drew and his family out as the restaurant nears completion. Originally I was planning on working here part time but it turns out that it is very risky to do that without a working visa. So instead I am planning on studying Chinese at a University starting the next semester in January to get a long-term solution for my stay here. This will make it difficult for me to work on the side as well so please continue to keep my finances and visa situation in your thoughts and prayers.

Prayer requests:
For protection and strengthening - a lot of evil spirits still have an affect here and there. It hasn't been as intense as ghost month. This past week my mom visited and she expressed how she could feel the difference in the spiritual activity here as well
For the second service at our church that God would continue to send Taiwanese to know Christ!
Please continue to pray for my finances. My largest monthly supporter suddenly passed away which was a complete shock and true loss of a friend.
Please pray for Drew and Gabe's restaurant. It is called "Baptong" Drew has a heart to reach the local community on the "ground level" through this restaurant. Please pray that they can be a light and reach many locals here.
Since my last update, I had an influx of friends and even family come through Taiwan! I feel so much encouragement and strength knowing that they (and also you all) support me out here. As usual, I've included some pictures to help you feel connected to the action here :)

Hello my friends and family,

I hope that life has been treating you well. Life here has been moving quickly. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. God has been really faithful to me and encouraging me here. Even though I knew that God sent me here to do his work, there were often moments where I felt lonely and questioning my decision to move here. In the midst of my wavering faith and doubt, God continued to show me that he had my back. In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about how our Father, our Dad in heaven knows everything that we need even before we ask of him and that he'll take care of us - he'll put a roof over our head and give us food to eat. This past month I was able to experience this when I was looking for a place to live.

Drew was helping me out along with our new Pastor, Joey Chen. Joey recently moved into a studio apartment in the neighborhood and after visiting I thought to myself, "it would be nice to live in a place like this!" Drew seemed to read my mind somehow and said to me, "You should pray for a place like this." So I said aloud, "God, I want a place like this!" We were looking for a place online near the church and in the neighborhood but it was difficult to find a clean place that was worth the money. I was feeling a bit discouraged but didn't lose hope. I knew that God would give me the perfect place. Drew had the idea of having Joey ask the front desk man if there were any units left. To our surprise, the next morning he told us that there was a unit. We walked in to look at the place and it was perfect! We met the landlord and signed the lease the next day.

I met a fellow Korean-American friend here (we're rare out here) in Taiwan named Danny! He's been living here for five years and told me that finding a place for the price in the time frame is nearly impossible. God surely provides. I wanted to share this story with you to encourage you. Maybe you walk with God, maybe you don't believe in God, maybe you're far from him. Whatever your situation may be, the Bible is clear about what kind of dad he is. I pray that my story encourages you to approach God as a good dad! And if you are in need of provision, may he provide for you for the Lord knows the cries of our hearts.

Prayer requests:
As I shared last month, Drew is preparing to launch a restaurant with our friend Gabe. Please pray as the soft opening is in the beginning of October.
God has been really working on my heart and my character. I've been getting a conviction to be more disciplined and structured in my life.
Safety - there has been more spiritual attack on my friends. A lot of freak accidents have been happening but by God's grace nothing major happened and nobody got hurt. It's been too common and specifically been happening to key members of our church. Please pray for protection and that we don't have to deal with these occurrences.
For the first time in my life I lost the life of a friend. His name was James Ahn and he served in the US Military. He passed during a military training exercise. I was mourning for his life this week. Please pray for his family.

AUGUST UPDATE

Hello friends and family :)

After about a month in the States, I am back in Taiwan! Thank you all for praying for my girlfriend Anne's situation. The funeral was solemn and the support from Anne's father's church community was enormous. There were about 900-1,000 people in attendance. It really showed how tremendous of an impact Anne's mother had on the community. I was amazed and it was clear how big of a loss her life was.

Praises from the Trip:
I am so thankful for my home church Calvary Vision Church. Every time I return, I feel the community support and prayer. The friendships and people supporting me really empowers me to do well out here in Taiwan. They also made a significant financial blessing to support my time here. Also, thank you to my supporters and new ones - you guys know who you are :)
I was sick for more than half the trip. God used this time to slow me down, reflect, and show me fragmented parts of my personality and I began to discover some things. It's a bit scary to slow down and look into yourself with God. It's much easier to just keep busy, plow through, and do ministry. I feel like I am getting to know myself for the first time in my life.
I was fortunate to spend a lot of quality time with Anne. I was able to meet her family and her close friends and also got to see the area which she grew up. I believe I was able to be a good support for her in her time of grief.
Thank you for your prayers! I am at about 85% now (total on the website doesn't include monthly support). Please pray and if you feel compelled, help me reach my goal! https://fundly.com/to-bless-taiwan
Back in Taiwan:
Praise God! I have all the paper work I need for a visa but it is extremely difficult to get a long term one. Right now we are brainstorming and I may enroll in a school to take Chinese classes. Please pray for this process that it would go smoothly.
Oasis Church has been steadily growing and blossoming as a result of true community and authentic friendships emerging from the culture that we are establishing here. The worship team is also solidifying as we are growing together as a team. More and more local Taiwanese are showing up on Sundays to receive the word of God and get to know Jesus. We will be having another baptism this Sunday. Hallelujah.
Drew has a huge heart to be a tent-maker (Christian business) out here in Taiwan to impact the local community. One of the strategies for reaching people is through business. People are just too busy and don't see the value of church here in this culture. He will be launching the restaurant along with his business partner next month. Rather than just getting the local Taiwanese to come into the church, our heart is to also bring God out to the people through this business. Please pray for God's covering, help, and grace.
The other night I was awakened by fireworks at 3AM in the morning. It went on for a good 10 minutes and afterwards I was able to sleep. Yesterday I went to get my hair cut. I noticed my stylist was wearing a bracelet and after asking about it I discovered he was Daoist (a sect of Buddism). I asked him if he knew anything about this and I found out that here in Taiwan, they believe that evil spirits are allowed out of their prison to roam for about a month and that the fireworks are used to scare them away. Please pray that we would be shielded from this spiritual activity.

Thank you so much for your support, and continued prayers. We are in this together and it helps me in this new culture knowing that I have family elsewhere covering me.

With much love,
Euntae

JUNE UPDATE

Hello friends and family :)

The month of June has flown by. I want to first say... thanks so much for your friendship, prayers, and support! As I've had more time to myself in a truly foreign land (Korea was still in my heritage), I've come to a lot of realizations - one of them being the importance of friends in my life! So thanks for being you!

Prayer requests:
My FBI check returned! This is somewhat of a miracle because the website said it would take a minimum of 6 months of processing due to a new IT system. It took ~2-3 months! Thank you and pray that the final authentication process would go smoothly.
I will also be looking for a part-time job once my Taiwan visa process comes completed.
After this summer I will need to find housing and/or a roommate. Please pray for this process
I've been learning Chinese. Please pray that I'd have grace to learn quickly and accurately.
There are a lot of big-picture life circumstances that are happening. It's making it hard to discern/decide what to do. Please pray for that as well
There is a ton of spiritual warfare here so please cover me. I haven't been sleeping well for the past couple of weeks and having very intense dreams each night.
God has been doing a lot of inner healing and showing me that I struggle with "self loathing" from patterns of hurts in my life (childhood through adulthood). It's an internal dialogue that really makes me depressed and down. I've been being healed up a lot! Please pray for full deliverance.
Taiwan has officially entered it's "hot season" or whatever you want to call it... all I can say is that the weather has been constantly 95-100 degrees. I can't say I've adjusted to the weather yet. The intense heat keeps making me feel lethargic and drained of energy so please pray for my energy levels to adjust to this intense heat. Summer is centered around finding places with air conditioning. A lot of the times I feel forced to go into stores or buy drinks at convenience stores or bubble tea stores just to try to cool myself down...

My time in Taiwan is easily the most fruitful season of my life. It's amazing to see how things have unfolded since arriving here. I came here a bit scared because of the foreign culture and unsure of what would happen but God has been healing me of many many hurts that I've experienced while growing up. Inner healing has been an ongoing theme on a personal and ministry level. Little did I know that God would use Taiwan to remove me from being influenced by my Korean and Philadelphian culture. Through this I feel more at peace and find that I'm discovering myself in a deep deep way.

I've been learning Chinese twice a week and I've been getting much better at it. I sing in Chinese now at church and it's a very powerful experience hearing the Taiwanese people worship in their native tongue. I have good progress but memorizing the tones has been difficult! The same word with the different tone changes the meanings of words.

Church has also been amazing. Ever since Pentecost Sunday a motto that Drew and I have adapted is: "It's party time all the time!" God really started to stir in us a passion for revival for Oasis Church and also for this nation. I've been leading worship three times a month and getting to know the people here at Oasis. The people here are all very sweet and very different from what I'm used to. It's literally the opposite of the roughneck Philadelphia style and the hyper pace of Korean culture. People here are much calmer (I think because of the heat hehe) and it brings a really sweet dynamic to our church community. Please continue to pray for the church that they would grow in love for God and to know him deeply through the Bible. Please also pray for my continued transition here. I've been misunderstood a lot because of whole Philly Korean-American flavor I bring but I know it's only the beginning of the beautiful process of building friendships.

MAY UPDATE

Ni hao my friends and family! :)

A month has gone by and it's time to get you guys up to speed with what's been going on. First things first, it is HOT over here. I think the monthly average temperature has been ~90-95 degrees since arriving. It took me two weeks alone just to get used to the heat. I was feeling lethargic for a while but after a little bit I was able to adjust. I came in on a 90 day tourist visa so if you are a praying person, please pray that my FBI Background check will arrive quickly! Apparently there is some delay in the system due to an IT upgrade... I figure I'll have to leave the country for a bit and visit somewhere (so I can have proper re-entry) but it's been hard to plan without that document.

Life here has been great but it is definitely much different than what I'm used to. I've been staying at the Shih's house and helping out with their four lovely daughters. For the most part people here are very kind and thoughtful but there is a lot of repression (many say it's like Japan) and people live with a lot of FOMO (fear of mission out) here. This is also a very spiritual nation. A few weeks ago, I was going to run errands with Drew and we saw people in front of the building next door burning either money or religious tags/papers. Drew told me that usually occurs on a monthly basis. There are also shrines of Buddha or other gods in various businesses. Some of these things actually make me have headaches or be nauseous...

Church has been awesome and I've led worship two Sundays since I've been here. There is another worship leader and we have been alternating. We're still trying to figure out and brainstorm what life will look like for me moving forward. As of now, I've been taking Chinese lessons twice a week and just learned the four tones as well as how to read in pingying (Romanization of Chinese). I'm still trying to discern what to do for my long term visa - whether to start teaching again or to pursue other opportunities. I can't share all the details yet but there are other possibilities here :).

God has been blessing us greatly as friends. Since I've arrived, me, Drew, and Sarah have been dreaming together about the kingdom and also been getting closer - like "fam". We've also been powerfully experiencing God together. I've actually never encountered God so powerfully in my life until I've been here. I'm so thankful to have covenant friendships like them to do ministry and life with. There is so much excitement regarding this but it will have to be for a later time :).

Please pray:
For my safety as well as the Shih family - I almost got in a major scooter accident last Sunday. A taxi turned without looking and I almost hit it. The scooter skid out but under me but I was completely safe somehow! The spiritual warfare here is intense.
For wisdom and discernment regarding my future decisions which will shape what life will look like
Friends from God - I already met a bro here named Jesse (thanks for the photos!) who's been helping me a lot. We've been getting to know each other and at the moment, he's my only friend other than Drew and Sarah! HAHA. I'm very thankful that he is a quality bro. You will see him below!
For my future housing which I will have to find and move into by the end of the summer

Hello :)

I'm currently sitting in the KAL lounge at JFK and a million thoughts and emotions are flowing through me. I wanted to e-mail a quick update letting you all know that I'll be boarding my flight at 12:50AM and landing in Seoul at about 4:30AM. Thank you all for your prayers. I had a wonderful week spending time with the people I truly care about and leave with a heart full of love. As I leave I can't help but think of this worship song. I attached a copy of a recording I made at my friend's studio about a month ago. I was preparing to record a full arrangement but I didn't get a chance to finish it.... :( Anyways, bless you guys and enjoy :)

With much love,
Euntae

Hello!
If for some reason you aren't receiving my e-mail updates, please let me know. I've been updating supporters through e-mail. If you'd like to be added as well, please let me know!

Hello friends :)

Taiwan is now just around the corner. I got my itinerary and will be flying out Sunday night at midnight (technically Monday, the 13th). I plan on being in Korea for a few days before I fly out on Saturday the 18th. It's less than three weeks away! If I come into your thoughts, please throw up a quick prayer for me :) Fundraising-wise, I still haven't had much progress since the last update. I'm thankful that the Bible says that God is the provider. I've experienced his provision in amazing ways these past few years and although sometimes it comes right in the nick of time, I'm praying that it can happen earlier than later :)

Prayer requests:
Please pray for 7 monthly supporters! I've been stuck on halfway for a bit now but I trust that it will be fulfilled :) (https://fundly.com/to-bless-taiwan)
A lot of paperwork and authentication of papers needs to be finished. Please pray that the process will be smooth. Also FBI background checks are delayed lately. Please pray it'll be expedited!
Final Taiwan details - I'll be mailing boxes over to Taiwan soon. Pray that things don't get lost!
My transition out of home. Being here has been an amazing time and it was really good reconnecting with friends and my home church. I'm sad because my departure has kind of crept up suddenly and I wish I could've spent more time with people. Pray a blessing upon them for me!
The month of March has flown by. In typical Philadelphia fashion, we had 6 inches of snow on the first day of spring. Snow and shoveling my long driveway is something I will definitely not miss! Yesterday was National Puppy Day and here is a picture of our boy Happy hanging out on a bean bag in my room.

Lately I've been thinking about the swiftness of time. A funny saying that I heard before goes, "life is like a roll of toilet paper. The sooner you get to the end, the faster it runs out." :) But on a more serious note, the phrase in my mind has been "You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Life seems to be going by as fast as ever and I've felt prompted to remember to live in today. Many of us from the Northeast are guilty of living in the future. By this I mean that we have a tendency of not cherishing the moments we have right here, right now. I hope and pray that even though many of our days may seem mundane that we don't lose sight of the beauty and the good in the life that we had. May it not be clouded by the evil and destruction that we face day to day, but may our eyes be enlightened!

Bless you all :)

Thanks everybody for the support... I'm really blown away by it. It's already March 2nd now and the time to leave is coming soon. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as there are a lot of things that need to work out for my visa etc. Bless you guys and I'll keep you posted as more things unfold!

Christianity in Taiwan by Drew Shih

As a nation, Taiwan has great potential to be a powerful base for missions, much like Korea has been a base for missions training and resources. Taiwan has the economic stability, is strategically located with many surrounding countries in Asia, and has no government restrictions for Christian missions work. This is a big factor considering there are currently 120 million Christians in China hungry for discipleship and training. If Taiwan can become a base for missions training, it would be a tremendous asset for the next generation of Chinese Christians. Instead of traveling all the way to the states to receive biblical foundation and theological training, my vision is to help set up and prepare Taiwan to be a part of the global missions movement from China.

On an OMF (Overseas Missions Fellowship) website devoted to missions in Taiwan, a leader further describes Taiwan as an important country for Asia:[1]

When thinking about ministry to Chinese people we immediately consider the needs of Mainland China. However, Taiwan is also a Chinese society of over 23 million people.
Read on to see why maybe you should consider ministry to Chinese people in Taiwan.

1. Taiwan’s percentage of believers.
Operation World states that 2.5% of Taiwan’s population are evangelical Christians. Local statistics indicate however that only about half of these are regular church attenders. In contrast, the various estimates of China’s Christian population range from 5% to 10% of the population. In terms of raw statistics, Taiwan is less reached than China. In fact Taiwan is recognised as the only major Chinese society where there has not yet been a significant spiritual breakthrough.

2. The unreached people of Taiwan.
The working class Taiwanese are less than 0.5% Christian. They number about 15 million people - two thirds of Taiwan's population. They are an unreached people group, with a similar population and percentage of Christians to the largest minority group in mainland China, the Zhuang.
Most Christians in Taiwan are middle or upper-middle class, well educated, and comfortable speaking Mandarin. The working class are less educated, less open to ideas from the outside and much more comfortable using Taiwanese. These people are not being reached by the church in Taiwan. They are cut off by language, cultural and socio-economic factors. Many local church leaders confess that they do not know how to reach the working class people around them. There remains a great challenge of using bold and creative methods to take the gospel to the un-reached working class majority of Taiwan.

3. Missionary decline
Taiwan still needs missionary involvement to help reach the working class. Taiwan is an open country, allowing missionary work. However over the last 10 years there has been a rapid decline in missionary numbers in Taiwan - more than any other country in Asia. This is not due to an organised exit strategy in the light of a completed job, but rather through missionary attrition and because of the attraction of other mission locations.

4. An open door
Taiwan has a wide open door for all types of mission work. Missionaries are free to publicly preach, teach and start new churches. There is no need to work in a secular profession or to be a student to gain access to Taiwan. It is an ideal place for those who are gifted and called to ‘full-time’ gospel work. It will be a tragedy if this opportunity is not grasped while it lasts.

5. Spiritual darkness
Visitors from China often comment of the spiritual darkness and the hardness of people’s hearts in Taiwan. Ministry in Taiwan is difficult and fruit is hard won. It has been said that Taiwan has more temples per person than any other place in the world. It is an island soaking in an atmosphere of idolatry and superstition. Taiwan is politically open but spiritually closed.
This is even more of a reason why the gospel must be preached. It is the gospel itself which breaks down strongholds and softens hearts. Through exposure to the truth people are slowly brought to Christ. Without the willingness of faithful labourers to plough the hard soil and plant the seed, the harvest will never be seen.

6. Buddhist mission
The spiritual darkness of Taiwan has influence beyond its shores. In recent years Taiwan has experienced a revival of interest in Buddhism and local Buddhist organisations have flourished. The largest of these have millions of adherents and are using their influence to build temples and monasteries overseas and spread Buddhism throughout the world. Taiwan Buddhist teachers and missionaries are attracting a significant following in many Asian and Western nations today.

7. A door to China
Finally, although Taiwan is needy in itself, the winning of Taiwan may also have an impact on the church in China. Thousands of Taiwanese businessmen work in China. Taiwanese Christians are already active in ministry in the mainland, sharing the gospel, training leaders and producing literature. With a common language and culture, they are the best equipped to assist the church of China to grow and mature. A growing, healthy church in Taiwan could potentially have a significant impact on the spiritual future of China.
Do you have a burden to see Chinese people reached with the gospel? Then what about Taiwan? Could this be the place where the Lord wants to use you?

[1] http://www.omf.org/omf/taiwan/resources/articles__1/taiwan_or_china