Let the Studies Begin!

SBS 2016 Has officially begun!

Pictured above is the very first day of teaching. I had the privilege of teaching Bible Overview and the Inductive Method Overview to our class of 28 amazing students. They have been here only a few days, and already the staff are thrilled by the interaction we see from them.

As we prayed for the school, the staff felt that God was speaking the theme of 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. This passage talks about the fact that as believers, we are a New Creation! And as such, it is our job to take the good news as ambassadors for Christ and reconcile the world to God. We were really excited to see that God was placing a heart of evangelism over us as a school. Our heart is to search the Scriptures to know Him, so that we can represent Him well to a lost and dying world.

Our Campus is in the middle of a frontier mission field. There are Buddhist temples all around us, including right down the alley from the apartment that I live in. Click on the link below to watch a short clip of what it looks like to be involved with YWAM Taipei, right here in Danshui.
YWAM Taipei Video

SBS Staff 2016

Please pray for this school!

Pray for us as a school as we enter an intensive inductive study of the Bible for 9 months. Running this school in the middle of a nation that is only 2% Christian is spiritual warfare in itself. Pray that we would tangibly sense the grace of the Lord in our school, and that we would encounter people who are ready to hear the Gospel when we are outside of the classroom!


Pray for the missionaries here - there is a growing desire to see more people reached for the Kingdom of God, and we need to seize the opportunities given to share the gospel.

Pray for the lost - for a softening of their hearts to receive Christ.

Luke 10:2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

New Year. New Me.


I am definitely one of those people that loves to set unrealistic goals for the new year.

This year I was ready - by January 1st, I was actually ahead of myself. I had a Bible reading plan picked out, a friend had given me a brand new planner, and I was ready to implement so many things I knew would make this the best year of my life - so far.

It was an amazing start, honestly. I was ready to become a morning person, and the jet lag I felt coming back to Asia boosted my goal of being wide awake at the crack of dawn. For that first week, I was up at 5:30 or 6:00 with my coffee and my goals. I felt amazing. I knew that I couldn't always rely on jet lag though. I was desperate to keep going with my newfound routine.

Then when the jet lag wore off, I kept some goals, but the mornings weren't quite the same. Turns out, being a morning person doesn't just happen because you want it to. I understand now why it is called 'a discipline' to wake up early enough to sit and be with the Lord before anything starts.


It is February, and I have been back at work in Taiwan since the beginning of January. There is no SBS running at this point, and staffing looks different in between schools. I normally go to the office, or work from home on preparations for teaching, getting caught up on reading, or doing some communication work with supporters. Mostly, it is quiet and relaxed. I am grateful for different paces in different seasons. This season, however, is mostly rainy and cloudy. I don't get to see the sun very much in these months, and that has been more difficult than I remember. Before, I didn't understand why some people say they get seasonal depression... Honestly, that seemed fake. Now, I realize it is probably a very real thing.

I don't have seasonal depression, but without the vitamin D or warmth of the sunshine, I can honestly say it was hard to desire to get out of bed to do anything.

 I did it - but it was like moving with weights attached to my limbs.
I felt like I was re-learning to choose joy and choose things that were practically really helpful if I were to function. I decided that I needed things like Vitamin D pills to supplement my diet! It's interesting how practical a solution can be. In addition, taking the necessary steps to tend to my spiritual well-being was essential for my mood and attitude as well.

Since coming back from the holidays, I was also able to take a trip to the southern part of Taiwan to teach english and the Bible to kids, teenagers and adults. This trip was a bit last minute for me, but it was exactly what the Lord had in mind for me to get my heart and mind set for the upcoming year. I got to serve my heart out... We had 9-12 hour days of ministry - most of those days were english classes, but it was time also of planting seeds of the gospel into lives that desperately need Jesus.

Most of the children we taught in english camp come from really broken homes and low-income situations. It was a week-long holiday in Taiwan, and while these kids have off from school, it also means that a majority of them don't eat during that week because their schools provide them with food. We noticed as the week progressed that they were much quicker to grab the bread on the tables before we started english camp. The lady that oversees the kids programs would also serve the families in helping the children shower and cut their hair as they came for camp.

The Teenagers in the older youth group we got to teach in Taidong

We also had the privilege to give tools for inductive Bible study to a group of adults working at the same church. I was thoroughly refreshed to be able to pass along what I have learned from staffing SBS. My heart is full, and it gave me a renewed sense of purpose.

This year is going to be a wonderful one. I will continue to make goals for myself, but I will also lean into the Lord's mercy and grace to help me see Him as I see myself with my weaknesses. I will learn to have mercy and grace in those areas, because I know it will also effect how I treat others. Looking ahead to marriage, I also want to extend that grace to my future spouse someday... that 'someday' being closer than ever... I'll save more of that story for next time. :)

My fiancé and me in Taidong

The Struggle

I have been thinking a lot lately about what it looks like to wrestle with faith.
What does it mean to wrestle, and is this a bad thing or a good thing? Thinking about how Jacob wrestled with an angel to receive blessing from the Lord...

Another wrestle is evidenced in the countless stories of Atheists who seek to disprove God's existence, or ignore him altogether, and end up face to face with the reality of God. This is true of the life of C.S. Lewis, famous for his series The Chronicles of Narnia and many other published works, Michael Reiss, a Biochemist who had grown up in a non-theistic household, and Johnny Lang, a musician who formerly hated Christianity and then was supernaturally encountered by the love of Jesus.

I am currently in the midst of staffing a School of Biblical Studies, and I watch as students struggle where I was two years ago. Ironically, I think this struggle has intensified in my walk with the Lord. Not a struggle with the thought of 'Is God real?' or 'Is He Good?' These questions have been answered with a resounding 'YES', irrevocably cemented in my mind and heart and are the reason for struggle.

This wrestle of faith I am referring to is, 'how do we respond, and how are we to walk in relationship with this God?' If what the Bible says is true, then there are countless implications in every day life.
I will narrow this down a little bit...
The greatest commandment that is given in the Bible, first in the Old Testament, expanded yet simplified by Jesus in the New Testament is to

 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

...Simple.

Right?...
But how? What does it look like to love the Lord in all of these areas, and what does it look like to love your neighbor as yourself? If as believers, we are given the Holy Spirit, and he helps us in this, how much is depending on the Lord, and how much is on us? To love the Lord with your heart- this is in the area of emotions. So, it's ok to be emotional about our relationship with the Lord. If he doesn't touch our hearts in this area, we might just need the Lord's help. 

If we are to love him with our minds - this is one that doesn't come so easy to understand for me - then we also need the Lord to help us with this. My tiny pea brain can't comprehend the living God let alone begin to work out loving him from my mind. Again- here we need the Holy Spirit. But I digress... Maybe it's just me.

Now the area of the soul? Wow. I can feel my limitations in my mind - Where to begin with this? Isn't it close to the heart? To love God with my soul - It sounds like what I feed my mind and heart is produced in the state of my soul. Ok - If I am anywhere close to understanding the meaning of the soul, then it seems I need to filter what comes into my mind and heart. Only the things that are good... Only the things that lead me to thinking about the Lord. But I live in a world that constantly assaults my senses. Is my soul affected because of this? Man... I need the Holy Spirit to do his work to sanctify me in my process of learning to love the Lord in this area of my soul.
My strength - I can see that the Holy Spirit gives strength to our mortal bodies. But this is the most interesting to me. We don't just sit back and say 'I love the Lord' and hope it to be true or to be cleaned up and transferred through the Holy Spirit to God... in our strength - we fight to love the Lord. It doesn't seem like these things are all that separate. But it is the 'how' that is produced from the struggle; how all these fit and how they should look.

The wrestle comes through how I examine my life, how others help me to examine it... and how I instruct others to live their lives in discipleship relationships.
May we wrestle with this as our aim... may our love for others be out of a place of walking out in this wrestle. May we not forsake loving the Lord with our hearts when we love him with our minds. May we seek the Holy Spirit's help to not become imbalanced or dichotomized in walking out loving God. May we struggle until we make steps and see the things that we don't know how to fit together operate as loving God with our entire being. This is what we are commanded to do.

Chinese Boot Camp

We Graduated!

We are done! Well, actually, we have only just begun. The 7 of us have just made a two year commitment to staffing with YWAM in Danshui, and to begin our commitment, the base (starting with us) asked if we would be willing to learn Chinese in order to better serve Taiwan. This required about half of our group to come back at least 4 months earlier than planned. All this to say, it was worth it!

During these three months of Chinese, I was humbled in many ways that I was not anticipating. I will try to paint a picture of the roller coaster of language learning for you... The three months of Chinese Classes culminated to a final proficiency test. This test was basically a pass or fail the course kind of test. All of us passed, praise the Lord. However, many of us had the daunting thought of 'what if I am the ONLY ONE who doesn't pass?!' Many times I thought this, especially on the days that learning Mandarin Chinese felt like learning Mandarin Chinese.

This whole season and process also revealed things about my character that were uncomfortable to deal with. I am not sure how to describe it other than comparing it to fasting. If you have ever fasted for a somewhat-extended amount of time, you are aware that it doesn't necessarily make you feel holy, but rather, quite cranky and human. Its the voluntary weakness in my experience that shows me my need for the Lord. I felt similarly in my attempt to learn Chinese, except far less noble. In my weakness, however, it was an incredible opportunity to begin my staffing experience realizing how much I need to depend on the Lord. In March, I will begin staffing an SBS. This means that I will begin teaching, leading small groups, one-on-ones, all on top of ministry in Taiwan. I desperately desire the grace of the Lord to know how to do this well and bring Him the most glory.

In the meantime...

I am finishing up some assignments in order to receive my AA in Biblical Studies from the U of N, helping out with different needs around Taiwan with Ministry commitments through the base in Danshui, and working on my Alien Resident Visa for staying in Taiwan. I will also have a two week break at home with family for Christmas, which will be a much needed and appreciated holiday!

Thank you for your prayers and support! More updates to come soon!

Different

What makes Christians different?

Or, maybe better phrased, "How should Christians be different than everyone else?"

Have you heard this question? If you are a believer or if you have Christian friends, you have probably considered this question. It is a good question - I mean, a really good question. If there is a significant answer, it would be important to know, right?

I read a quote by a man who has become pretty well known in the Christian and Secular world. His name is C.S. Lewis. He authored a series that has become a major motion picture series called, "The Chronicles of Narnia." The quote is this:

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." 

So, what makes it important? Why is it important to answer this question? Lewis put it pretty nicely; because being true, it needs to be the most important thing. 
That being said, how are Christians different, if they have the most important thing down?

The fundamental truth - what is true of Christians no matter the denomination you may hold or be familiar with is this; knowing Christ as Savior changes eternity for individuals. Knowing Jesus and believing in Him, the Bible says secures eternal life (John 3:16). There are so many fundamentals... But that is not what I am aiming for here. I want to get to the question of what makes the difference...

"How should Christians be different than everyone else?"

Having down the importance - the most important important thing...

How does this change our lives?

How does Christian love look different?

Does it matter what is done in secret?

How does conflict look different?

Dealing with sadness?

What minute details are actually affected by the most important thing? Are they at all? What GREAT details are affected?

I met a girl this week in the city I live in. We had great conversation about God, and we both agreed that He exists and is powerful. But where we differ on is the importance of that truth; the effectiveness of that truth, and what the ramifications are of that truth. How that is answered makes all the difference between agreeing that there should be a difference, and the difference being realized.

Spilling Over: Summary of Titus

After finishing SBS in December, I knew that I wanted to practically apply the things that I had received. Going through the Bible 5 times in 9 months, learning historical context and how to interpret the Bible using prayer and extra-biblical resources, I started looking into how to share this wonderful study tool I had been given...

The Titus project equipped me with practical teaching tools to help me take what I had learned and share it with nations that are in desperate need of Biblical teaching.  When I began the program, I became aware of the need in the nations…

·      For every 450,000 people outside of the U.S., there is only one formally trained church leader.

·      Some say that even 85% of Pastors worldwide are without formal training; which means that 77,000 people coming to Christ are left without qualified leaders to disciple them. Let me explain…

Upon hearing these statistics, I honestly wondered if it mattered whether or not someone had formal training to pastor a church. The point was not to give pastors a documentation of their qualification. Rather, the heart of Titus project and what I ultimately wanted to see was an understanding of the Bible and how to teach it in the healthiest way possible. Below is one of the testimonies from my time in Cambodia:

While in Cambodia, my team and I were able to share in a few different venues. One of the most impactful moments was when we were able to organize and teach a Seminar for pastors…

Around 30 pastors in and around Battambang, Cambodia came to our seminar to learn how to inductively study the Bible. We started with Bible Overview; sharing the big picture and illustrating God’s promise of redemption as a theme throughout the Bible. Once this foundation was laid, we taught these pastors the inductive method through looking at the book of Philemon. This included teaching how to observe the text, look into the historical context of the book, then moving onto interpretation.

To help illustrate the figures in this book, my team and I performed a skit – after the skit, and I went on to describe slavery in the Roman Empire to give the cultural setting of the book. We ended with a break and heard some of the Khmer (Cambodian) pastors saying; 

“I have never understood the book of Philemon until today.”

This was earthshaking for me. There are pastors in the nations that have not had in depth training in studying the Bible. Educated or not, I have seen the inductive method change the way that people read and understand the Bible. God ministers through his Word, and understanding the purpose of each book only enhances understanding of his heart. Young missionaries like myself and my team were humbled to help bring this foundation of teaching to the nation.

I have never been so excited about Bible teaching! If you would like to hear more about the outreach or the inductive method comment below or email me.

God's Wisdom and Redirection - Cambodia

Through lots of prayer, change of plans, settling on plans, purchasing airline tickets, canceling airline tickets, and then changing locations, the Ukraine team became Team Cambodia!

It was definitely a dramatic switch, but understanding how volatile the situation in Ukraine is becoming, it was definitely the Lord that led us to finding another location. Meditating in Isaiah this week, I am reminded that the understanding of the Lord is without measure (Isaiah 40:27-31). I can look back and see how our team, trusting in the Lord, had overwhelming peace about being redirected to Cambodia. 

Over the week we have become acquainted with the base here in Battambang. We've also met quite a few Khmer people and received a very warm welcome from the missionaries here. I can see why most people who have visited Cambodia speak so highly of the culture!

Our team will get to teach in a few different settings. This week, I am co-teaching the book of 1st Corinthians with my teammate Jon in a Bible School, which is like a Cambodian Seminary, and we will continue to teach books as they are assigned to us from our contact. We will also be sharing about leadership with Pastors who run an orphanage, and then bringing a weekly encouragement to an Assemblies of God board of church planters. There is so much opportunity, and our team is learning to rise to the occasion as we are presented with the need.

Please be praying for our team! 

We are up for the challenge of teaching, and we are trying our best to get acclimated to the weather. Apparently we have come at the hottest time of the year, with temperatures upwards of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. What a change from preparing for the icy cold weather of Ukraine. God has so much grace for us, and the drastic change has brought about a lot of laughter among our team. 

It feels like this has happened quite a bit in my life over the past few years - Making plans and then having plans change, but somehow I am never disappointed with the results. God's wisdom and grace are a wonderful blend to lean into, and I have never felt more secure.

May the Lord give you grace for the season ahead. If you have just begun a new season, are well into a longstanding season, or are looking for what is next, one thing I can confidently say is that God's grace is always available.

Blessings.