Missions Corner: News from the Longs in Asia

Happy Chinese New Year!
Thanks for your prayers for our time with the Taiwan TEAMers. We had some good times with them. We were greatly encouraged to hear reports of ways the Lord is working here and the direction and strategy being pursued in this ministry area to reach some of people in Taiwan for the Lord. We are quite impressed with the quality of some of the missionaries and hearing some new missionaries are in the “pipeline”.

On Monday we came by train to Taitung on the other coast of Taiwan. We worked at the Taitung Christian Hospital for 25 years and it is always like coming home to return here. We had supper the first night with Harold Lu and his wife and daughter and some Christian medical students presently at the hospital. We met with many other friends here in Taitung including lunch with some of our former hospital staff.

The hospital has continued to grow and thrive under Harold’s leadership. He has tapped the generosity of many in Taiwan who go out of their way to help the hospital financially. Also several very qualified Christian medical people have come to Taitung Christian Hospital to serve rather than serving at a big tertiary care hospital in Taitung, which is also known as a Christian Hospital.

Dr Frank Dennis, the hospital founder and director for many years, and his wife, both 83 years old, continue to return to the hospital and have a very busy meeting schedule while here. (Frank has had both his knees replaced and is still going strong. I will probably have a knee replacement in the fall when we can stay in Columbia long enough to recover, since my left knee is still quite painful at times, especially when climbing stairs.) In a recent Email Frank noted Harold and his staff have raised US$23,000,000 in Taiwan to enlarge, modernize and equip the hospital and also to fund MANY social projects in the entire county through the Grain of Wheat Foundation which was started after Dr Frank Dennis retired. The Foundation also operates the Canaan Retirement Home near the hospital where we stay when we are in Taitung.

The Foundation has been active in helping at a baby and infant center in Taitung and they have started a new department to eventually process adoptions of those babies who are adoptable. Some of the babies are placed in the home by the government because of home problems, and are not adoptable. They hope to have the license and approval to be able to process adoptions in Taiwan within the year, but it will take at least 3 years to be able to process international adoptions. We accompanied Harold Lu, and his wife Katherine (who is quite involved in the baby home as well as counseling) to the home this morning. We had the privilege of praying for each of the 15 babies presently in the home. This beautiful and friendly 6 month boy (who is not adoptable) would have been happy to have us take him home! We are always encouraged to return to Taitung and we have many chances to encourage the staff while here.

Tomorrow morning we fly to Taipei where we will spend Chinese New Year with our son Dan and his family.

We greatly appreciate your prayers for our preparation for the marriage conference and non-medical spouses programs in ChiangMai, Thailand starting February 19.

Thanks for being partners with us on this trip!

Bob and Judy Long