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.