rakoan Times

December 2001

Missionaries:

Chuck & Kathy Foreman

Hsin Gwo Rd. No. 4 San Min District

Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan

011-886-7-383-8400

cforeman@TeamExpansion.orQ Formosa Christian Mission v Team Expansion

7 am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the powerof Satan to God..." Acts26:28

Dearest F^rtners in the Gospel,

Merry Christmas! It's good to be 'home' for the holidays. We only get to do this once every 3 or 4 years, so this December is especially meaningful to us. However, it also means that the time to return to our other 'home' in Taiwan is drawing near. It will be good to get back to the life and work we've come to know and love, but the good-byes soon to be said make the eggnog and fruit cake of this season somewhat bittersweet.

I imagine the first Christmas somewhat bittersweet as well...God the only Son who was at the Father's side, left glory and being made in human likeness, experienced human birth in a stable. "Emmanuel"in a fallen world. The bitterness of life in this realm; the sweetness of its meaning God with us, here, living, suffering and dying to redeem us.
It's been great to see many of you at some point during the past 7 months. But as always, there never seems to be quite enough time to see
everyone and do everything that we'd

like to. We hope

you know how much you are appreciated.

We hope you
understand how the

Lord has used you

to further His

Kingdom in Taiwan. We hope you

believe that God will continue to build His

Church among the

Chuck, Kathy, Micah, Nick & Kurt Foreman

Taiwanese and that someday, because of your participation in this work, a host of your Chinese
brothers and sisters will stand

together with you in heaven in the greatest international worship service of all time!
If we were to put a descriptive label on the year 2001, I think it would have to be the year for "Growing Up". Due to our
absence for the last half of this

Visiting faithful supporter, Lenora Marsh, of Lewisville, Texas with Kurt.

year, our leadership and coworkers were thrust into more intensive leadership roles. The reports from the field have been most encouraging. We're seeing that through the struggle of assuming more personal responsibility for furthering the Kingdom of God and more accountability for their own spiritual walk, our people are indeed growing up! This spring in preparation for our absence, we began to recruit those in our church who were apt and willing to teach and preach. It was going to be a "sink or swim" proposition, but we felt it would stimulate our church to grow up if we didn't just look for outside, artificial help while we were gone. At our initial "preacher training" session, 1 could barely contain myself as 1 looked around the table at ten men, two of our American coworkers and eight of our Chinese men, ready and willing (although not without some fearful reservation) to give of themselves for their church in this way. They've shared the Sunday AM preaching responsibility for the past 7 months and have done a great job. It's incredible to think that we have such a depth of leadership now. God is providing leaders for His people and for the furthering of His Kingdom. Our main objective during this next term of service in Taiwan is to identify who among our Chinese leaders God is raising up to pastor this church. It may be someone He has yet to bring us, but we hope to see a Chinese with pastoral gifts growing into pastoral leadership in the near future. Until this year, our work of establishing and growing a Chinese church has been relatively conflict free. We've often thought how refreshing it is to work with people who have no traditional "church" background and who soak up all they're learning about God like a dry sponge. Well, we've discovered that any time you're in the people business, interpersonal

conflict is inevitable. This past summer it was brought to our attention that there were murmurings among a few in the church against our secretary. Some had been offended at her urgings to serve, feeling that she'd been too presumptuous and pushy. After much prayer on both sides of the Big Water, our co-workers called a meeting of all concerned for the purposes of reconciliation and putting an end to cancerous talk and ill feelings. The principles of Matthew 18 were laid before them as well as an exhortation to forgive. To our great joy, our people responded just as we had prayed and expected. They readily forgave each other and engaged in their first "foot washing ceremony". We wish we could have been there to see their contrition and humility as both offender and offended got down on hands and knees and in a new spirit of love, washed each other's feet. The offense has been washed away, both literally and figuratively. This conflict is behind us now. We're moving forward. We're growing up!
The first weekend in December marked our first anniversary in our new

building. The Kaohsiung Good News Christian Church still has room to grow though, in this 4000 square ft. facility. What a great day it will be when it's time to move again! We figure by then, we'll be ready to buy or
build.

The church has had one baptism while we've been away and is planning for two more before Christmas. This will make 7 conversions for this year. We'd like to see 7 people come to the Lord every week! But we're thankful for these precious souls, not content, but thankfulespecially when we remember that it was 6 years before we saw even one! Upon our return to Taiwan in January, we'll be looking for a house in which we can make a new home, getting Micah settled into High School in Taichung (about 3 hours north of Kaohsiunghe'll be home on weekends), settling Nick and Kurt into their old school, and returning to our life and work. We could use your prayers as we get back into the swing of Taiwanese life, adjust as a family to a new neighborhood and an absent child and older brother, and resume our ministry. Your prayers are our spiritual lifeline. May God bless you with all you need for experiencing his incomparable joy!
In Christ, Chuck, Kathy, Micah, Nick & Kurt Foreman

rakoarLX?mcs
Missionaries:

Before you move, please send the mailing label with a copy of your new address to
MISSION SERVICES ASSOCIATION, PO Box 13111, Knoxville, TN 37920-0111.

Mission Services Association PO Box 13111

Non Profit Org.

37950-9998

U.S. Postage Paid

Knoxville, TN
Permit #374

Knoxville, TN 37920-0111
Chuck & Kathy Foreman
Hsin Gwo Rd. No. 4 San Min District

Return Service Requested

Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan

011-886-7-383-8400

cforeman@TeamExpansion.orq
Forwardiinq Agent:
Jack Foreman

21335.103"'E.Ave.

Tulsa, OK 74129-4615 USA (918)622-3197

iw.foreman @ worldnet.att.net

Contributions payable to Team Expansion

Formosa Christian Mission

Team Expansion
7 am sendingyou to themto open theireyes and tum them from darlmess to light, and from thepowerofSatan to God...
Acts 26:28

December 2001