Dear Praying Friends,
At the time of writing, we have been back in Taiwan for two months. Today I finally was able to open the online account that allowed me to access our electronic mailing list for this letter. We had been unable to open several of our online accounts because they were linked with our US phone numbers. We found out the hard way, that our US cellular carrier would not allow us to roam in Taiwan. In the end, we had to physically mail our SIM cards back to family in the US to enable account access. We’re now back up and running with email and prayer letter capabilities.
We also are getting up and running in many other ways. We arrived in Taiwan on September 3 after an uneventful (and empty) trans-oceanic flight. The Lord had guided us to research and prepare adequately for our arrival (vis-à-vis Taiwan’s Covid entrance requirements), so we were able to move smoothly through the various airport checkpoints and procedures in Taipei without incident. After a short taxi ride to our quarantine hotel, Marla and I kissed goodbye at the door and entered our separate quarantine rooms. These were our homes for the next two weeks. Meals were placed at our doors three times a day. We exercised by pacing the floor. (It was seven steps from one wall to the other!) The internet connection was our lifeline that kept us connected with each other and with the outside world. At the end of our two weeks, a five-hour shuttle ride to Kaohsiung returned us to our home. For another week we “self-monitored,” during which time we had limited interaction with others. Since then, we have been in the process of getting up and running in Taiwan life and ministry.
After being gone for fourteen months, we feel a bit rusty in our ministry skills. Because we were concerned that we might have lost some language fluency, Marla began practicing daily drills in Chinese before our return and during the period of our quarantine; these drills have helped her to clear away some of the cobwebs. Matt has already preached a few times and found that his fluency is quickly returning. Cornerstone Baptist Church has been through many struggles and changes due to Covid since we left. We have been slowly getting accustomed to the new schedule and rhythms of ministry at the church.
For the immediate future we will be ministering in partnership with the Stewart family at Cornerstone. Long range plans are still in flux. Matt and Josh will be splitting the preaching, teaching, and ministry responsibilities. As Covid restrictions have been slowly rolled back, attendance at our worship service has resumed at near “normal” levels. Our mid-week prayer service is still sparsely attended, with some still choosing to “attend” online. We are beginning to think and look down the road for strategies to encourage the congregation to move forward.
Taiwan has been in the spotlight recently because of China’s increasingly aggressive and belligerent behavior toward our island nation. “Wars and rumors of wars” should not surprise us in these last days. Unfortunately, most people in Taiwan pay little attention to events beyond their own borders. Not even China’s threats against them make much of an impression. They are focused on pursuing wealth, protecting their health (from Covid), and enjoying the material benefits of modern society. But all of these things could be swept away suddenly. The realities of eternal life, coming judgment, and present opportunity are ignored by unbelievers and scarcely register with professing Christians. Pray that God would bring about a shaking and waking of the Taiwanese people, so that they might be alerted to their precarious spiritual condition and turn to the One True God through Jesus Christ His Son.
We wish each of you a thankful and thoughtful Thanksgiving! “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
In Christ,
the Hannas