Sobering Times. . .

This week has been sad and intense.  Persecution has begun. And it ain't the same as what we are use to in the States. Have we, as bible teachers, done our part in preparing the students for what lies ahead?  That is a sobering thought.  Only time will tell. Please pray for wisdom - for us, for the students. 

Funny thing, I attended the BSCC graduation here on Sunday and the brother gave a talk on Isaiah 41:10, 13 "Do not be afraid." An hour earlier a study had text me that opposition was getting severe adding, "But I am ready now."  It was hard for me to focus during the talks, but I was all ears when this talk started. It was perfect! "Safety is not in the absence of danger, but in the presence of Jehovah," said the speaker, adding, "for every fear Jehovah provides a solution."  (Sarah said I should apply that point to myself in my fear of spiders.  But I was like, "that is totally different!"  and how wrong she is. . . . No comments please. . .(smirk))  

The speaker drove the point even further by telling us about a little boy, whose mum tells him a big storm is coming, but the little boy, looking up up up at his 6ft+ dad asks, "but the storm is not bigger than daddy is it?"  That is the question we need to ask when trials come, is it bigger than our Father.  All those wonderful gems I shared with the student.  It was spiritual food at the proper time indeed!  

On a brighter note: 

What on earth is going on here?  

Threading aka Torture :  yes, we are in service!
 This lady threads all the ladies in Baesa, so I thought why not. . .  Phil wants to try it too. 

In December I had to do a visa-exit-run (legally the PI only allows tourists to remain 16 months) so we ended up going to Taiwan and attending a graduation for BSCC.  And IT WAS STINKING COLD! We were not prepared and had to borrow coats and jackets and blankets.  I had forgotten what real cold feels like.   

Passion fruit - sour-fruity taste and slimy - interesting. It tasted like guava and kiwi.  

These are our friends from the USA who graduated at the BSCC in Taiwan.
  They are serving in Taiwan Tagalog group.
The sister, when she was a teen, was in our PJ group in CA, USA way back in 1997.
So weird eh, that now she is our neighbor on this side of the planet.     

Taiwan Airport has 3 prayer rooms.
Christian, Buddhist (I thought it was Hinduism, but no) , and Islam.  So we picked   (smirk)  neither . . .