20200513
Dear all,
May God’s Spirit enlighten you in everything you encounter.
各位代禱勇士，收信平安！
願神的靈在凡事上引導您。
Thank you for walking with me through your prayers. God’s Spirit hovered around the classroom while I was giving a speech to 120 prisoners last Wednesday. Through the message on cross-cultural mission, we all once again got to phantom the meaning of Emmanuel. Jesus is so sweet though the journey of life is at times rough. Emmanuel is such a wonderful plan of God and such a precious gift He grants.
感謝您以禱告與Sandy同行。上星期三Sandy在監獄演講時，聖靈運行在我們中間。我們再一次透過跨文化宣教的信息體會以馬內利的意義。雖然生命的旅途時有艱辛，耶穌卻是何等甜美。以馬內利真是神偉大的計劃，也是神所賜下美好無比的禮物。
Recently God taught me the lesson of “emptying” myself. Or we can say “denying” myself. I used to think denying myself meant to work hard to sacrifice. Well, the Chinese translation sounds like that. God changed my thinking through Genesis 32 and 33. As Jacob left his uncle and travelled back to the Promised Land, it came to the time for him to face his brother Esau who was the person Jacob would like to face the least. Jacob who had been full of his own plots now trembled very much and was led to struggle with God in a place named “Emptying”---Jabok. He won the wrestle but God made him crippled. Then it came to the time he saw his brother, Esau, coming up to him with 400 men. I wonder what if God hadn’t made Jacob crippled. Anyway he did become crippled. Perhaps it was his being crippled and having to throw himself onto the ground 7 times instead of his presents that made his brother abandon the determination of killing him. Well, as Christians, we at times become very “bossy” to God and would think we are so right that God “must” bless us with this and that. What if God cut off some or all of our strengths in order to save me from being swallowed by the enemy before I reach the Promised Land? Shall I identify with that?
最近神教導我「倒空自己」的功課，或者應該說是「捨己」。我以前認為捨己就是全然犧牲自己，中文的字面翻譯的確讓我這麼認為。神藉著創世記32和33章改變我的想法。當雅各離開他的舅舅回到應許之地之際，他得面對他最不想面對的人---他的哥哥以掃。過去一直都是滿腦子盤算的雅各這時怕得要死，在一個叫做「倒空」的地方(雅博)和神摔跤。神在那裡讓雅各的腿瘸了。我在想，如果神沒讓雅各的腿瘸了的話，結果會有甚麼不一樣？好吧…他瘸了，接下來他看見他的哥哥以掃帶著四百個人朝他走來。我又想，真正讓以掃打消殺雅各念頭的不是那些為數眾多的禮物。以掃應該是看到雅各腿瘸了還一連七次俯伏在地，就決定不殺雅各。我們基督徒常常認為神應該「聽取」我們的祈求，因為我們認為事情本來就應該照著我們想要的方向進行才是「對的」。如果神不使我凡事興盛，反而是挪去我部分或全部的強項，好使我不在進入應許之地之前就被仇敵吞吃了。我能認同嗎？
I have found it a big trial for a missionary to want everything to take place the way I suppose as I have “given up” so many other things. After the trees were cut down, the garden of my parents’ summer house were barren for two weeks. Now it is full of several kinds of wild vegetables that we did sow or plant. It must be the birds who did the seeding. God is so amazing. Harvesting these vegetables, I think I would be very silly if I would like everything to happen within my understanding.
我也發現這對宣教士是一個很大的試煉。因為我已經「放棄」很多，我常常會執著每件事照著我們的設想去進行。父母鄉間房舍花園裡的樹木被砍掉清除之後，花園有兩個星期顯得光禿禿的。現在花園已經長滿了數種不知哪裡來的野菜，我們沒有播種也沒有栽植。一定是小鳥從別處啣來的種子。神真是奇妙呀！採收這些蔬菜時，我在想，如果我用我的理解力來執著每件事，我就太愚蠢了。
Please continue participating in our ministry through your prayers.
1. In PNG, 8 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported. May God grant wisdom to the government and make appropriate policies be taken.
2. Kellen and I will be conducting a workshop on cross-cultural mission in a theological seminary on May 15th. May God’s will be revealed to everyone in the workshop.
3. I will be giving a sermon in a church in Tainan on May 24th. This is the 3rd sermon I give this church. May God Himself guide this on the journey of the cross-cultural mission.
4. May God be in control of the process of our work permit application in PNG.
敬請持續以您的禱告與我們同工：
一、 新幾內亞目前有8個新冠肺炎確診病例。願神賞賜給政府有智慧採取適當措施。
二、 五月十五日，Sandy和Kellen在一所神學院舉辦跨文化宣教工作坊。願神的旨意藉工作坊顯明在我們心中。
三、 五月24日，Sandy將在台南的一所教會講道。這是Sandy第三次在這所教會講道。願神親自引導這所教會在跨文化宣教的路程。
四、 願神在我們申請新幾內亞工作許可簽證的程序中掌權。
All for Him
願神得榮耀
主內末肢
In Christ
Sandy
202005013