Taiwan Prayer walk - May 2007
Additional information about the trip:
In the field, the harvest is ripe
Snap shot 1: We were walking down the street, suddenly the rain poured. Nearby there was a plastic top covered playground. As we hid under it, my eyes were lightened by forty pre-school children. They sat in rows expectantly waiting for the idol-carrier procession to pass. Three girls in our team immediately caught the opportunity to initiate "Jesus singings" and "Jesus stories". While all the kids were singing "Jesus Loves me…", two of the girls went praying for the teacher. 15 minutes later, the teacher said: "it's time for the nap" every kid had to go inside of the building. The lead girl asked them "Does anyone know who loves you the most?" A unified, loud voice from all the children said "Jesus loves us the most." Wow! What a turn for those little ones compare to just a moment ago while they were waiting for "Matsu" (the idol)!
Snap shot 2: A man sat on the back of a pickup truck waved hand to me. I went closer asked him what did he want, noticing that there were six children on the truck, plus a pregnant woman sitting on a stool. The man said to me: "please come and bless all my children and my wife." I explained to them that I am praying in the name of Jesus and He will bless each one of them in His way. The man bowed his head, so started from him I laid hand on each one of the family. When it came to the pregnant wife, I asked her "when is the baby due? Do you know if it's a boy or girl?" many cheerfully answered, "it will be a girl." Gently I asked, "is it okay if I give her an English name?" She and the husband said "of course, that would be great." So I named this baby girl in the womb "Sarah" and blessed the baby to be the seed of a nation belong to the true God. The whole family thanked me as I went on into the crowd.
Where are the workers?
THIS IS THE SEVENTH YEAR that we have been prayer walking in the west coast of Taiwan among the idol worshipers. Messages have delivered time after time that it is OUR (God's) land and we need to go out and rule with Him. I can tell story after story, about how people on the streets from town to town were actually open to be prayed for, even willing to hear the Gospel. Majority of people are simply seeking for peace and blessings for themselves and their families. However, they have nowhere to turn and no one to ask but this seemingly active false goddess.
So, God has opened the gates of cities, prepared the heart of people who don’t even know Him, IT IS READY! The harvest is plentiful. But WHERE ARE THE WORKERS? I cried. Where is the mobilization of churches in the region?
As I raised the question in a prayer meeting in one of the evenings, a few pastors responded that God has brought connections between the churches in the region. Pastors started praying together regularly, joining of youth activities are much more frequent… Two of the pastors shared about what's in their hearts that might be God's next strategic moves in the region.
"The soil has been prepared, I am about to do the new thing" the Lord says.
Another evening, when a team from the north joined in, during worship, the Holy Spirit prompt me to write down seven words: "Dig, Till, Break, Sort, Fertilize, Water, Mix." Immediately, I knew God was giving me an answer for the past seven years of prayer walking in the same region. The seven words represent seven steps of preparing a hard ground into a good soil. This seventh year is the year of Mix. The age-long divided people groups are mixing and coming into one. And the Church is the agent of such grand reconciliation.
Right after I jotted down what the Lord revealed to me, Pastor Mike Jih started leading the whole people into an hour long reconciliation prayer and symbolic actions. I stood up and shared the message just given, to interpret what the Lord was doing while identification repentance went on.
"I am the Lord of Wisdom and Strategy…"
The Lord put an impression in my heart that I needed to go talk to a church in Taichung. Five days after the prayer walk I went. Sitting in the pastor's office I shared my burden to him about regarding the four counties in the west coast of Taiwan. He looked at me with awe, and following was what he shared with me: just a few months ago, Taichung pastors' ministerial fellowship decided to divide cell groups for the convenience of fellowship and coaching among the pastors. And in his group are 7 pastors from churches in the west coast… Wow!!
To summarize, after the seven years of preparing the ground, God has opened the doors, prepared the hearts, removed the dividing walls, called out churches, motivate His own people, for the coming work in the Harvest Field.