I have returned to Canada for a two weeks now and I feel like I should share with you what I have learned from being in Asia for the past 2 months. God has been gracious, He reminded me of many of my weaknesses but also revealed how He is always in the big picture. Let me warn you, this will be a very long e-mail, but I hope you will be blessed as much as I have. Thanks once again for partnering with me and the team!

I found that this trip to Asia was one where God wanted me to be humbled by people and a lesson on keeping my focus on Him.

In Hong Kong , as I was doing my practicum at the International Christian School, I was humbled to hear the stories of the teachers -- to see how God brought them to Hong Kong to serve children and also make a difference to bring children into His kingdom. Unlike the Christian schools in Toronto where families are predominantly Christian, I found that many of my students had come from non-Christian backgrounds. God really opened my eyes to see the harvest in front of me. The chances you have as a teacher to make a difference in your students' lives and also create relationships with the family. During morning devotions, there would be prayer requests for the families, sometimes for specific parents, for more opportunities to speak to them about God. In the three weeks I was there, I was shown true fellowship among the teachers and gained a deeper understanding of what it meant to bring Christianity into the classroom.
In my past recent visits to Hong Kong, I also felt burdened to the people there. In a city that is booming with busyness and life, I often wondered how difficult it was to keep your focus on God. As many of you remember, I wrote about the difficulty it was to find quiet time to spend with God. But God was gracious to me. He gave me the opportunity to go to 7 different churches in the short month I was there -- some were English speaking churches in Hong Kong, some were local congregations -- but God showed to me that He is as real as ever in Hong Kong.

Prior to departure for missions, my prayer requests were for team unity and protection. God truly answered our prayers by surprising us with two additional men to join our team in China: Micky Leung and Grady Pfahl. He also protected us as a team from any serious health issues, especially for Emily, and protection from danger. God was truly teaching me a lesson on what it means to trust in Him -- that He has everything in control!

As I entered China, it was a much different world from Hong Kong, but I was once again humbled by the people. I was humbled by two families who have moved from America recently to serve the factory and its workers from America. One family arrived a few weeks before we got to the factory and will be teaching English there for 2 years. Another family has been there for a few months and has been using his skills to make a difference in the factory with the workers. I see the way that God has called them here: the testimonies that they shared with us about God's calling for them, their obedience, their step of faith, their trust in God... all these things really showed me great faith in the Lord. I was humbled by the two local evangelists who are working as recreational leaders to get to know workers. I am humbled by their dedication to bring others to Christ, to lead morning prayer meetings, to bring people to church, even though this can be considered illegal. I am humbled by the worker I met who gave up her church ministry to work alongside factory workers AS a factory worker. I am humbled by the owner of the factory who has a heart for his workers. That despite dangers, he is willing to boldly spread the gospel to those who work in his company. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. (Let me know if you would like to pray for them by name.)
I was humbled by the stories of the workers themselves. As I have begun to share with many of you, I can only be reminded of the thirst of those we encountered. That although the gospel is spreading rapidly in China, there are still so many who have not yet heard. I am reminded by the words of Oswald J. Smith: "Why should anyone hear the gospel twice if not everyone has heard it once?" I was most humbled when a worker asked me to "see" a Bible as he has only "heard of such a thing". For someone who has grown up with Bibles around the house, my eyes welled up with tears to know that for something I have taken for granted is a treasured gift by another. I continue to give praises to the Lord for the praise reports of our students reading the New Testaments we were able to leave behind, for numbers of people joining in the morning prayer meetings and church services. God is truly reaping a harvest in my motherland!

It was different returning to the Christian Mountain Children's Home in Taiwan with a new set of faces. It has been three summers since I was last there and I didn't know what to expect. A lot of familiar children and workers had left the orphanage, there has been a lot of renovations and construction, I just wasn't sure what to expect. After such an encouraging and protected time in China, we were faced with a lot of personal challenges and inner struggles in Taiwan. Our experience in China was different and it took us some time to adjust to being in a new environment together. Eventually, we were able to share our struggles and concerns with each other, but most of us were able to look back and recognize the areas that we needed to change.
In addition to the encompassing lesson of being humbled, God reminded me of the power of prayer and the faith of the founders of the orphanage, Rev. and Mrs. Yang, also known as Grandpa and Grandma Yang. They, their family and their workers have faithfully served the children that enter the Children's Home. Many times, we could sense God's presence in the orphanage as He was truly amongst the children and the workers.
There were many differences in going to the orphanage again. Three years ago, Viv and I spent a lot of time trying to be useful because they were so hospitable. Now that they recognize me, they put us to work right away. We were gardening for several of the houses, teaching English lessons, planning group games, leading children's worship, etc. God also really blessed me by allowing me to see a lot of the friends that I have met in the past. Many of these children have actually left the Children's Home (due to joining the army, moving into the workforce, studying in a different city, etc.), but for some reason, in the short 2 weeks I was there, I was able to reunite with many of them. I was so thankful! Please continue to keep Grandpa Yang in your prayers as he spent a week in the hospital while we were there (he is 98 years old!)! The Children's Choir has just left Taiwan and has begun their tour performing in Shanghai, Toronto, and various cities in the Eastern States. They'll actually be in Toronto from July 19th - 23rd so it will be a wonderful opportunity to reunite with them so quickly! Please continue to keep the choir in your prayers as they are travelling to share the word of God through music and songs. Please also keep the rest of the children who remain in the Children's Home in your prayers as there are many added chores and work to be done with 40 people missing from the orphanage!

Although this is merely a glimpse of the things I've learned, I still have many stories to share. I'm really thankful that God has allowed me to experience Asia in such an eye-opening way and I pray that He will continue to keep my eyes focused on Him. I've been challenged in many ways about the way that I choose to live my life and I know that God will continue to use those lessons to remind me of His faithfulness to me. I would love to continue to share with you how God continues to work in my life. Thank you for walking alongside of me these past two months! May God bless you!