Lary is Home!

Lary is safely home from his three month time in Taiwan.  I'm sure he has many, many stories he'd love to share with you!  He probably has a few pictures too!  Thank you for your prayers for him while he was gone.  From the stories he's already shared, I know he got to see God move in some mighty ways.

Encouraging Taiwan Update

I will return home on May 25. Jeri, Connor, and I are doing very well. The English classes and the Drama clubs are going better than I could ever have imagined.  This week, at both schools, we have begun asking the students to share prayer requests with us in the classroom. Connor, Jeri's husband has an incredible testimony, which he has been able to share with most of the classes. At the end of each class the students fill out a questionnaire giving us blessing after blessing with most valuable feedback. This week on the questionnaire the students indicated that the most important thing to them in class was the time we pray the students.  The students love coming to English class and basically have to be told to leave the classroom to allow the next class to come in. They really don't want to leave. The way we are teaching is directly opposite from what they are used to doing here and that is why they can't wait to get to our class and don't want to leave.  God has put together a team of teachers/people dedicated to bringing honor and glory to God and having a positive impact on all the people we are allowed to touch in so many ways. We have already planted many seeds and continue to do so each day. We have some students who are moving closer to understanding what putting their faith and trust in Jesus is all about. It is just a matter of time before we start seeing some harvest. We keep thinking that today might be the day of salvation for some but we also want them to really know what making this decision is all about. We are not going to lead them in a prayer of salvation so they can repeat the prayer and not have clue as to what they are doing. We want to counsel with them one on one as much as possible.  Friday was a big day for us. Friday we are normally at Zhongzheng Junior High School.  Friday morning we first had to be at Ji-Sui Junior High School and each one of us spoke before all the students outside. The schools here have a day in which they celebrate their school history. Ji-Sui Junior High School had their day yesterday. It was quite an event. Every classroom marched around the track with banners and they all sat down in groups in front of a stage on the side of a big area that contained several basketball and volleyball courts. I spoke first and then Connor shared his incredible testimony with all the students and teachers listening. Then Jeri spoke about our English classes and the relationships we are building with students. There were Taiwan government people there as well as city government people there. Ji-Sui was celebrating 44 years in existence. There were students who received scholarships in honor of a teacher who had cancer. Their volleyball team was recognized with a big trophy for being champions in all of Taiwan.  There has only been one parent so far that has complained about what we are doing. Naomi, the teacher in charge of the Drama clubs, handled the complaint so well that they are now in support of what we are doing in the classroom. Michelle and Naomi, both a part of the team that God has put together, were expecting much spiritual warfare, in other words many more parents complaining.  I know that when people back home are praying, in regards to God intervening in all aspects of spiritual warfare here, that we have no doubt been witnessing God at work in answering those prayers. One example was the fact that the principal purchased as many Chinese/English Bibles as he could get his hands on and Connor at the end of his testimony told students they could get one when they went back to class. They handed out every one of the 300 Bibles in a short period of time and we're going to order many more to make sure every one who wanted one would get one. This is God answering prayer. I can only imagine what God is going to do through all the Bibles the students have received. The students in many of the homes are going to be in battle at home so they need prayer for protection from persecution at home.  Thanks for praying and doing battle on behalf of our team, each student, and their families. They are greatly appreciated and valued here. As soon as we were finished speaking we hurried to Zhongzheng Junior High School for the remainder of the day. We truly are blessed to have this opportunity and the blessings continue each day.  --Lary

Lary Leaving for the Village

I will leave shelter Tuesday morning, March 10 here, and go to Haulien. I will be staying in a hotel owned by a church member. The motel is about 10 minutes from the Mei Lin Baptist Church. I will have an electric scooter to use in getting from hotel to church if I feel comfortable doing that. I would love to be able to do that. An electric scooter does not require a Taiwan drivers license.. Pray for safety while traveling on scooter. It won't go very fast. I will share gospel with aboriginal people around there. May not have wifi while doing this. Should have wifi at hotel where I am staying and at the church. Not sure what else I will be doing while there. Rocked World performance at the church on Friday or Saturday night, not sure which. Mike C. will arrive I think Friday night so the performance is probably Saturday night. I will attend worship there and will come back with Mike to Taipei Sunday afternoon. I will worship at Bread of Life church this coming Sunday. Sarah and baby Joel are also going there to worship. Keep me in prayer as I begin teaching this coming week - March 17,18, 20 - with Jeri and Conner absent. I will be teaching at Ji-Sui Junior High School on Tuesday and Wednesday and New Taipei City Zhongzheng Junior High School on Friday. Whatever you can imagine I might need prayers for and then some is requested.

--Lary

The Latest from Lary

The latest from Lary:

This morning went very well. Left shelter at 6:00 am rode the subway and then taxi the school. Arrived 30 minutes early. Saw more students go through the gate this morning than I had over my teaching career.. Waited on Jeri and Conner and Michelle and Naomi (the others on our team) to get there. We had to wait a little bit at the beginning because they were having a tornado drill to start with. Inside the gate in front of the school were several basketball courts in the space behind the gate to the front of the school. Instead of the 1000 7th graders meeting in an auditorium, they had them sit down ion the court in the area in front of the school. They were all dresses in Orange pants and jackets. The microphone was placed on the steps leading to the front of the school. Jeri spoke first, then Conner, then myself. God gave us each the words to speak. All of the words spoken by each one of us went together smoothly. I didn't know what Jeri and Conner were going to say but one of Conner's points fit perfectly with what God laid upon my heart to share. The students were well behaved, focused, and attentive. The 8th graders were identified with similar attire but the color was blue. The freshmen wore like pants and jackets which were a chartreuse color. After the students were dismissed they had to go past us in going to their classes. We had in hand sheets of paper that explained the process of what they needed to do in order to sign up for the drama club. All of us were empty handed when the students were all gone away. I know I had at least 20-25 sheets in my hand. I am not sure how many sheets were printed.

Tomorrow we will return to the same school ( same time) and meet with the 8th graders and do the same thing.  Tomorrow afternoon Jeri, Conner, and I will work on lesson plans for classes day1 and if we have time work on day 2.

Thank you for the prayers!  Keep praying please!

Prayers for Lary as He Goes

Lary leaves for Taiwan on Tuesday.  As he goes, he has asked that we, as his church family, pray the Prayer of Jabez daily for him.

The Prayer of Jabez

"Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request." 1 Chronicles 4:10

Please be in prayer as he leaves on Tuesday at 6:10 am.  Pray that God would be the 'pilot' of his plane.  He has some short layovers before connecting flights.  Please ask that the planes be on time or even early to these locations and that manuvering through what might be unfamiliar airports be smooth and simple.

He is scheduled to arrive in Taipei, Taiwan at 6:25 pm their time and 4:30 am Missouri time on February 25.  Additionally please ask that it is simple to go through customs and that the person who is picking him up is on time and easy to find.  Upon arrival begins the adjustment to their time zone, so please pray that he is able to sleep when he is supposed to and able to be alert and awake when he's supposed to.

Be looking for more updates and prayer requests from Lary in the coming days, weeks, and months.

Togo Winter Trip

We just returned from another trip to Togo and it was a great one!  On this trip we focused on two areas: 1) business development, and 2) researching the unreached Anii people of central Togo.  

Our main objective in Togo is to see people won to Christ.  Why then do we teach business classes? Because we believe that strong business create jobs and wealth, which in turn increases the resources necessary to plant new churches, which in turn win more people to Christ.  We partner with a church in Mision Tove, Togo in a church planting strategy that desperately needs resources to plant new churches.  While we as a church could simply send them money, that is not sustainable and is not the best method of church planting.  We really want the local church to spearhead these efforts with minimal funding coming from the US.  Most every missions agency agrees that the method with the greatest long term sustainability is to have active local involvement and buy-in.  

Therefore, we are trying to do what we can to get the resources necessary from within Togo to plant these new churches.  We believe that strong businesses owned by members of the church will do just that.  They already have a heart for that.  We have seen our partner church plant five churches on their own and we want to put more fuel on that fire. 

The team taught business classes in two villages, Mission Tove, and Atsave with 41 and 27 business owners attending, respectively, The topics taught were: How to analyze profitability, how to set yourself apart from the competition, and how to set up record keeping for management decisions.  The members asked a lot of great questions which we tried to answer thoroughly.  While this took a lot of time, many of the questions applied to everyone there so it was beneficial for almost everyone.  

Stay tuned to hear more about the Anii people group!  Kevin Ginnings led that trip and we hope to hear more when he gets home from Togo in a few days.

We would love to answer any questions you may have about the trip, so please let us know!  Keep in mind, we have two more trips this year if you feel God calling you to serve internationally.  The dates will be July 12-23rd and October 2-15th.

--Dennis

Did You Know This about Taiwan?

So, you know Heart of Life does missions in Taiwan.  You may even know someone who has gone to Taiwan.  Maybe you yourself have even visited Taiwan.  But, how much do you really know about this little country??

To find out more about the country, the people, their religion, things that help share the Gospel there (referred to as "bridges"), and hindrances/barriers to sharing the Gospel, click the link below.  

Taiwan Country Profile

(The link is from the International Mission Board (IMB) who Heart of Life occasionally partners with and has had and continues to have a long-term missionary presence in Taiwan.)

Pray for Pastor Daniel's Family and Those Traveling to the Funeral

As many of you may have heard on Sunday, Pastor Daniel's wife, Comfort, passed away.  Pastor Daniel is one our main national partners in Togo.  Please remember to be in prayer for Pastor Daniel and thier four children:  John Mark, Emmanuel, Sunday, and Blessing.

Dennis R. and Kevin G. will be traveling to Togo on Thursday in order to be there for Comfort's funeral. Please be in prayer for them as they travel there and then travel back to Missouri following the funeral.

Peek in at Taiwan

Good News Mother Church--English camp has been going on

First scene of Judgement House.  Many lives have been changed.  They are doing a remarkable job.

WATCH out for that kid...!

Photo credit and quotes:  Scott L.

Friday Morning in Taiwan

Update from Lary:


This is the wrap up day for both English camps - Bethel and Good News.  We have Scott and Andy back with us today.  Pray that all children will be able to comprehend the importance of Easter and what Jesus did for us at the cross, the significance of the empty tomb.  Easter is the bible story focus for today.  Pray that every child who has not made the most important decision in their life to accept Jesus will do so today.  Doug, Robin, and I were the only ones who did not go to the Defense last night.  We will go tonight.  Scott commented that from beginning to end the performance was smooth, it clicked as well as it could.  There are professional actors, I know the guy in the suicide scene Is a professional actor.  I think we are going to hit a night market tonight as well.  Pray that the power of the Holy Spirit will move in each child's heart, that they be set apart, that God would bless them indeed, that they would confess and repent of their sin, that God would enlarge their territory, that God would keep them from evil, so that they would not cause pain to God, themselves, or anyone else.  Pray that God will use each one to bear much fruit for the the remainder of their days on earth.

Snapshots in Taiwan

We wear them out!

Photo credits: Scott L.

Togo Team is Finally Home

After many hours of delay, including a missed flight, and several more hours on stand-by, the Togo team finally all arrived home safe and sound late last night...except for those who took a side trip in Paris!  Praise The Lord!

Just a reminder, that the following are the people who went, so if you happen to see them on Sunday or before, you might want to ask them for some great stories of what God did during their time there!

Jennifer B.

Janel D.

Shawn G.

Audrey G.

Elizabeth G.

Hannah G.

Jacob G.

Gary J.

Lara J. 

Tony J. 

Mikki M. 

Jason R.

Karen R.

Dennis R. 

Howard S.

Thank you so much for your prayers while the team was there!  All the stories you heard and have yet to hear would not have been possible without you standing in the gap and interceding for them and the hearts of the Togolese people.

The Energizer Bunnies Just Keep Going in Taiwan

What a great week we have had so far! Pam and Don have almost 90 kids each day.  24 of them under 5 years of age.  The other team spent two days building the Judgement House for the rest of the week.  Wednesday we started the Good News Church VBS English camp.  The first day we had 38 children.  Very hot outside.  Spent most of the day inside then outside for football and kickball.  Lots of great worship.  God is still protecting us and our families.  Thanks!

Togo Team in the Air Now

Please be praying for the Togo team as they are traveling home.  Below is their travel schedule.  Thank you for your prayers.

                                                      Departure city       Arrival city          Dept. time  Arrival time

They will be back in Kansas City August 5 at 2:53 pm!!

Taiwan - Urgent Prayer Request

The following is from Lary:

"We need to have as many people as possible praying the scriptures contained in Romans 10:1-16.  No explanation needed.  Also keep the people working the Bethel church  English camp in prayer today and through Friday:  Don, Pam, Mike C., Scott, Andy, Gabe, Charis, and Daphne.  Also the interpreters there as well:  Jessie, WaWa, and an individual at this church.  They really need it as well.  And for Mike C. who is going to watch the youngest group of kids today."

Here is Romans 10:1-16:

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”

2nd Week In Taiwan - Monday

The English camp at Pastor Timothy's church was very popular today with more than 65 kids (25 under age 5!)  Please pray for the team as they make adjustments for tomorrow.  Mike, Andy and Scott will be joining that group along with a second translator, Wawa.  Please pray that our team is able to rest well tonight and be refreshed with unending patience and love tomorrow and that the children learn about the love of Jesus through the activities at the camp.

The construction team at the Defense had a successful day and is not expecting a full day tomorrow.  Please pray for all those taking part in the Defense this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and for God to prepare the hearts of those that are to view it.

Also, please remember to pray for those who chose to follow Jesus last week - pray that the word of God that they heard last week takes root in their hearts and that their faith continues to grow.

Togo Team Update with Pictures and Video

The women's ministry night was far greater than we ever expected. There were 50 women from the church and 50 unchurched. 13 of them were at church this morning!  Five of them prayed to receive Christ after being led to by the local ladies that invited them. New believers lead to Christ by locals is what we prayed for and God did it!

The church ladies we so excited by the end of the night. It was a huge success!  Thank you all for praying for this and the work we are attempting. God is good!

Today after the third church service we were lead by the church drummers and singers through the streets of Legbassito. The purpose was to share with the community that the church is alive and growing. Although I'm not sure how that would work in the USA it certainly seemed to draw attention here. Many people started the dance procession with us. It has been a great day!

--Dennis R.

Preparing for women's ministry night

Pastors Training Class

At church Sunday morning

Parading through the village after church

Updates from the Last Two Days in Togo

Saturday

Today we spent time at the two Compassion International projects and are about to meet with pastors.  Compassion continues to be an impressive program. All are well!

Sunday

Sitting in our third service today already at Pastor Daniel's church.  Mikki presented an award to graduating students at the church and Gary preached.  Later on today we will be going through the village doing some evangelism.  All are well.

Sunday a few hours later

Being  lead now after church through the streets like a parade led by the drums. What a memory! We will meet with pastors soon before ending the day.

--Togo team via text

Thank you for your prayers!  Please continue to pray!

Some Coming Home and Some Still Working in Taiwan

Well we finally all got to meet up in Hualian after a long week of English and VBS.  We had great meetings and talked about the great stories and things that GOD had done for us.  We figure somewhere around 80 salvations and a lot of seed planting.  Praise The Lord!  Some of the group will leave today for home.  

Robin, Doug, Larry, Andy and Scott will be constructing Judgement House on Monday and Tuesday with Pastor Jacob's church.  Then we will leave for the Good News home church and have English camp through Friday. Pam, Don, Gabe, Daphne, and Charis will start a new English camp at Bethel church Monday through Friday.  

It is very HOT here.  Please pray for us as we deal with the heat.  Continue to pray for salvations this week and for the children that will be coming.  Also pray for Pam H.'s knee.  It has been acting up a little.  Finally, please pray for those traveling home, that their travels are safe and easy.  Thanks for all your prayers for us and our families at home.  

--Scott L

Latest from Togo

Today, we held a banquet for the women in the village. Our men served 100 women dinner and our ladies taught Bible stories and did crafts with them. Fifty churched women attended and were asked to bring a non-believer. Then these women will follow up and invite them to church. It was very rewarding. 

Staying in the village has been very nice and has allowed us to form deeper relationships. The new accommodations are even better than we had predicted.

Dennis is meeting with his Pastor Training students tomorrow and Sunday. All are feeling well and eager for worship with Daniel's church on Sunday.

--Togo Team via text

Thank you for all the prayers!  Please keep them coming!