Tentmaker Times - July 5, 2007

Hello!

Greetings from Tropical Taipei, Taiwan! This is an update from John, Bryan, and Matt.



Bryan

Bryan has been very sick for the last few days. He is experiencing both dull and sharp abdominal pain and is taking medication that makes it so that he can't really go out or exercise. As a result, he hasn't been able to go to class or do anything besides read and rest for the last 2 days. It's even hard for him to sleep because of the pain in his body. Please pray to God, the healer of all diseases, that He would have compassion on our brother and heal him in His right timing. We also know that the Lord is using this trial to boost Bryan's perseverance, proven character, and hope :)



Not only is his stomach experiencing affliction, but also other parts of his vessel as well. Look at Bryan's beautiful bug-bitten feet! "Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!' " (Rom 10:15b). Through Bryan's suffering, we have all learned lessons of preparation, perseverance, and patience. What's really cool is that Bryan got almost all of these bites while sharing the gospel with a guy in NTU. There are a lot of mosquitoes on campus and Bryan is especially attractive to them (I was right next to him and got no bites). I think this is special because it shows the price Jesus' disciples are willing to joyfully pay in order to share the gospel. Please pray for that Jesus Christ would be magnified in Bryan's sufferings, and that he would count it all joy!



John

John wants everyone to know that Matthew Lui is a crazy laughing maniac. That's all.




Matthew

I'm going to have to fly to Hong Kong sometime within the next couple of weeks in order to get a visa. My dad is a little worried because it's very dangerous there and I'll be all by myself. Please pray that God would use this to grow our faith in and dependence on Him, and for safety for me as I go to acquire the necessary documentation in Hong Kong. I had another interview yesterday and I got to demo with a class of kindergarteners. The teacher asked me to teach them a song and I taught them "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know." Surprisingly, the teachers in the room didn't seem to care, but even joined along in the singing! What?! Hahahaha!!! Praise the Lord for the freedom we have to talk about Him in the classrooms of this country. Unfortunately, a lot of schools here, including the one I interviewed at, are kind of shady and regularly break the laws in hiring foreign teachers. It will be hard to find a legit job that I qualify for, but I am confident that the Lord will provide for me, so keep praying with me for a job!

Please also pray for reconciliation between my mom and I. I hope I will be able to talk to her soon. The Lord is greatly sanctifying me through these troubling circumstances and there is so much more for me to learn in terms of how to intensely love the sinner and hate the sin. Thank you for your prayers for us.


Miscellaneous

Last week we saw the beginnings of a budding fondness between John Tang and Matt Lui. This week we see the blossoming friendship....

It all started when I asked John and Bryan for a good "date place" near Wan Fu (to take out EBCT brothers of course). Before we knew it, we were slurping up the remains of a mango-strawberry shaved ice dish. Shortly thereafter, this photo was taken:




In other news, Sanny baked her first pizza last night. It was a smashing success. Its crust was as thin as a thumbnail and as crisp as a cracker. Its insides were as soft and chewy as a soft-baked cookie. Here is a picture of one of the slices of pizza perfection, just seconds before it was devoured by a hungry Matt Lui:




Love,




Oh, and happy 4th of July to all you Americans out there!