September 2006

The Lord is my refuge and strength

God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble. And so we need not fear even if the world blows up, and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam; let the mountains tremble!
Psalms 46:1-3

The end of May I went to the Taize Community in France with our 16 college ministry workers. We went there to learn the inner life of prayer. We often ask something to God, but we rarely wait to hear God’s voice. The community of Taize trains for it. Brother Roger Schutz (1905-2005) born in Switzerland and founded it in the village of Taize when he was 25 years old to offer hospitality to political refugees, mainly Jews. Now it becomes a pilgrimage site for young people from around the world. During summer time, there are about 6,000 college students each week. His vision is for Christian unity and our reconciliation between God and us, and among us.

I had an unforgettable experience in the village of Taize. The community of Taize emphasizes silent prayer and communal work, with three prayer times every day and also daily work. I washed utensils, dishes, and pans after each supper for a week. Another of my daily pleasures was to jog in the morning. A day before I left the place, I was jogging along the villages in the morning. When I passed a village, I saw a Chinese character, “主” on the roof of a house. It means “Lord”. I had passed the village before several times, but didn’t notice it. Strangely I saw it on that day. I couldn’t believe myself seeing it in a small village in France. Even I have never seen anything like this in Taiwan and Mainland China. I took a picture of it with my digital camera and showed it to my co-workers and they said to me that God wanted to give me a sign and pray about it. On that day when we had a noon prayer meeting, I heard a song, “the Lord is our refuge and strength.” At that time I remembered Psalms 46:1-3. Also suddenly my heart got warmed and I started to cry. Instantly I knew this was the meaning of the sign. I felt renewed by this passage. I was filled with joy and found peace in my heart as hearing, “The Lord is my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”

Before leaving for France, my heart was uneasy and impatient due to what is happing in Taiwan and in the world. The problems like typhoons, earthquakes, floods, wars, and terrorists are too big for me to handle and I didn’t know what to do. That made me frustrated and uncomfortable in my daily life. After hearing the voice from the singing and then the Psalms, I had peace. I shouldn’t fear even the world blows up and the mountains crumble into the sea. What a comfort I have! I have a renewed energy and strength within my heart.

As you see what is happening in the world, near your area and in your family, you might have the feeling I had. So I want to share my experience with you so that you may overcome your troubles and find peace from the sign as well.

I’d like to use this space to say thanks to those who sent letters and cards to Yen Hee for the death of her father. We truly felt the faith community where there is care and love. That helped her to overcome her grief. As you prayed for us to go to Korea for the funeral, we arrived in time and attended it. Out of this grief time, we have good news. We had prayed for Yen Hee’s mother to be a Christian for 30 years (we have (been) married for 30 years now). She refused to be a Christian. But during the funeral, she said to her husband as a farewell, “You go to heaven first and rest in peace. I will follow you.” She kept the word. The coming Sunday she went to the church that her husband had attended and the following day the pastor and elders visited her apartment. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Praise the Lord! We thank for God’s mercy and grace upon her.

For our mission work in Hualien, next week all the colleges will start fall semester and this week we are going to have officers’ training course in the mission center. We also start our College Worship Service on Sunday, along with group activities. On October 21, we will have our annual welcoming new students worship service and Party; on November 18-19, the college retreat; on December 2-3, a special praise night at the Ami tribe church, and on December 15, our Christmas party and election of new officers. Please pray for those programs.

Thanks for your faithful support and prayers. We will send you another mission report on our programs at the end of this year. Till then, God be with you all always!

Faithfully in mission,

Yen Hee and Choon Lim
from Hualien, Taiwan