DAY...trials and heartaches and so on!!!!

This week has been an interesting week. Last friday I received the news that my ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) in other words my resident visa in Taiwan is a little delayed. My organization applied around three months ago but there has been some "problems" in the renewal process.

For those who are not familiar, we are in the middle of chinese new year celebrations. That means that no government offices will open since last friday until next week monday, so that means my departure to Mongolia is delayed and we do not know for how long.

So prayers are urgently required. I've been preparing for three months to teach the book of Genesis in the Bible School that we will be teaching in the city of Edernet in Mongolia. Due to this impass, I had to swap teaching with a teammate and he will be teaching Genesis and I will have to teach Joshua. Obviously this was in God's providential and Sovereign master planning. However the process of struggling with all this last minutes "uncertainties" along the sinergy of a bunch of other complications make this days stressing. At the same time, God's glory make this things "grow dim".

As I watch a you tube video, of one of my favorite children hymns by a children group, my faith in encouraged. Every single, trial, difficulty and everything else, just grow dim. As I count my blessings, the surpass the sadness. As I contemplate the face of Jesus, His glory, His goodness, everything is worth it!

So as I also deal, with personal sickness, family challenges, my grandfather who I love dearly and is one of my most faithful supporters in prayers and finances, as my mom struggles with dealing with the emotional burden and possibility of losing her dear father, with two of her children in other countries, still, Jesus is worth it. Everything worth it.

so please keep praying for me, my mom, my family, my team. And may God's name alone be glorified as we bring His word, His revelation of his works, character and nature to the nations, in times and places and weather's that no one wants to go, we need His grace becuase He is worthy to be praised.

May the songs of the nations, for His Glory, be heard!

With love,

Jeanine

DAY 8: Visas and other things

For any person that has been in missions we know that all the logistics involved with a missions trip, despite the duration of travel. Visas, traveling, overlays, packing , weather changes, cultural changes, getting to process visas for a team of 8 people to be able to go to Mongolia. There are so many details to preview to prepare an outreach.

Yesterday I woke up at 6 am. Got ready, formal clothing, hair in a low bun and make up to be presentable as I was heading to a building where very well international firms and embassies, hold their offices. I head on the MRT (Taipei Metro System) to go to Taipei City Hall Station (about one hour ten minutes ride and station changes).

After getting there I took the bus 537. I got down at Taipei 101 station (the second tallest building in the world) and started walking. It was a mildly sunny day in Taipei and the temperature was about 15 Celsius degrees. Because it was about 10 minutes to 9 am. So I decided to call a taxi. And I got in. My taxi driver was a male taiwanese, maybe in his forties with very messy hair and very, very, very messy car. I showed him the written address and he nodded as he was pretty sure where he was going. I tried to double check in mandarin chinese that he got it. And he assented again.

Well...after 25 minutes looking for an address that I had the impression I should have been there in 5 minutes...I was starting to get nervous. He wanted to drop me off where it seemed to me very far from I should be. Then he changed his mind and said "oh now I know, is in the next block!". Well, when he parked in from of a high school old building and he wanted to drop me off there I told him: " This is section 2 not section 1. I am very far from my destiny!". So he decided to drive me back to the area where I was supposed to be, we got there in 15 more minutes and finally I got to my destiny. I had to overpay anyways for the longest time!

I got to the building and the lady at the Mongolian consulate was very nice. Although she asked me many questions and almost asked us to get another document, additionally from Mongolia, in the end she agreed to process all our visas except one that did no have residence in Taiwan, so we will have to send to that person's country of origin.

So after that, I walked to the MRT station where I got off first, and it just took a 15 minutes walk! Still had to stop for something quick to eat because I had forgotten breakfast and the had to run to come back on time for the teachers-in-training practice teachings of the Inductive Method Overview in Danshui.

Finally I got just on time for the fourth teacher in training finishing his practice presentation. I was so bumped!

After lunch we got to listen the last practice teaching. After that e verybody was much more relax and ready to go take a rest.

I had invited for dinner Karl and Ryan as that was the reward that I promised for the people that participated the most in my last monday class on the topic of the importance of Application in Bible teaching and how

DAY 3: Inductive Method Overview

This morning our speaker is Sandra Chang. Sandra is sharing a model lecture on how to teach the inductive study method. She is demonstrating this lecture as if her audience is a group of high schoolers and teenagers.

Please read "I don't read my Bible enough, from author Ron Smith" How many believers haven't read the whole Bible during their lives?  75%.

Why to read the Bible? What is the purpose? Beyond a mere religious practice because is on your check list or in your new year's resolutions, there is a higher reason. God has a purpose for man. He revealed himself to the first man and woman created. He abode with them in the garden. He walked with them. Just to reveal himself. However sin, entered the world and that changed man but did not change God. So he gave his word, first in a verbal form and second in written form during more than 1500 years, and that is what we have today.

Illustration after illustration for the three steps of the IMO (Inductive Method Overview) model lecture: Observation, interpretation, application, Sandra has kept engaged all her hearers in a way that all the information has been received but much more awareness of the importance of studying God's word and doing it well , this challenged has been received by many hearts.

Amy has continued the teaching in how to illustrate the IM:

"The best teacher is the best thief"-Sean Ellis. Don't feel bad in using properly, but give credit to quotes, phrases and other references.

Although this is a model lecture, we have been graced with the way that Sandra has delivered it to us. I am challenged to teach like her. Wholeheartly. Caring her audience. And caring about God's character and heart being know by His people. For His glory alone.

DAY 2: GOOD MORNING TEACHERS!

Today we started our day led by Danika following our Titus Project journal meditations. Hebrews 11:1

Why do we feel nervous when teaching? What is it that we are more scared about? You can take a minute to think about this. 

Some of the answers we got were:

• Boring the people
• Missing the point
• Having no point
• Verbally processing during teaching and not make sense to the hearers
• Not to be able to answer the questions
• Losing control of time
• We are afraid of looking stupid
• We can be afraid of saying the wrong things
• Afraid of teaching heresy

God's word is to amazing and we are so little? Responsibility of teaching right God's word? Amy shares how is good to have a healthy fear of the Lord.

Steps of preparing an excellent lecture (not meaning a perfect one!) include: Consider your audience, choose a book or topic, study and collect resource material, set goals and objectives, mind-map your ideas, determine your lecture sessions, structure your lecture, illustrate your lecture, write your lecture.

A very important note is to give credit to your references, quotes, commentaries and other peoples ideas, thoughts and words. Honor them!

In Titus outreaches we have received these real questions from real church leaders and pastors:

• "If my wife gets old, can I get a younger one?"
• "What is wrong with having many?"
• "What is wrong with going to a witch doctor? I used to do that all the time before being a christian"
• "Can I pray for someone to be saved after they die?"
• "My culture says I can't eat pig and white ants ? Why can't I do that?"
• "How much money do we have to ay to get baptized? How much Jesus paid to get baptize?"
• "How do I teach and preach from the Bible?"

Would you pray, send us or go and teach these real people? God cares for them. And we are willing to go. I am willing to go.

In the meanwhile I am also in the process of worrying myself in my visa renewal to Taiwan which expires just by the time I have to leave for outreach (but I don't want to be homeless in Asia at my return, though that may be a good title for a new blog!)

Michael and Amy Stevens are the leaders and founder, respectively of Titus Project, a ministry of YWAM (Youth With A Mission). They have been in missions for more than 15  years and serving in Taiwan for more almost 10. Their 4 children are blond kids with perfect chinese language and culture within them

TITUS PROJECT has started!

During christmas season and new year celebrations we've been a little extra busy than only having fun. A small group of my missionary coworkers we' ve been cleaning the students dorms, the classroom, working and preparing our teachings and planning the outreaches that we will be leading. It means Titus Project was starting!

As I sit in the classroom, and Amy Stevens whole-heartly shares the testimony on how God called her as a 21 year old very shy girl, to be someone who takes God's word to some of the most needed places in the world, where people has no access to Bible training and pastors and leaders are hungry in understanding God's word to be able to shepherd the flock that God has entrusted in their hands.

I want to share the challenge right now to stop what you are doing, read the book of Titus and open your heart to what God might be calling you to do! Start with prayer!

If you want to help us take God's word to the nations, we are getting ready for outreach and we need your support in prayers, encouragement and finances to pay for plane tickets, bus and train transportation, food, lodging for two months, teaching materials for pastors and leaders where is needed! We need the body of Christ for this!

My goal is to keep a journal on this blog during this Titus project, so that you can feel part of this adventure. Who knows if God stirs up your heart to do the same. That is my prayer, that we may be presented complete before our Lord when we get to see Him face to face and that you may be found faithful in what he has called you to do.

2012

Definitivamente no creo que se va a acabar el mundo. Todo lo contrario, inicio este anio llena de esperanza, gozo y esperando lo mejor de la mano de Dios en mi vida. No quiere decir que no hayan retos, dificultades y obstaculos. Definitivamente ahora mismo tengo mas inciertos que certidumbre en mi vida. Pero una cosa se es que Dios es fiel y bueno!

Todo lo que venga de su mano, viene movido por su corazon de amor.

Asi que esta manana para iniciar este anio, Dios me ha hablado mucho a traves del libro de Eclesiastes. El tiempo de Dios. Y como el lo hace todo hermoso en SU tiempo.

Asi que, glorifico y reconozco a Dios como la maxima autoridad en mi vida. El es bueno. El pasado quedo a tras y me extiendo adelante, con Su gracia y gozo delante de mi.

Este anio quiero ser mas como El, reflejarle mas y mostrar al mundo lo grandioso y glorioso que es nuestro Dios!

Bendiciones y feliz anio nuevo!