Blessed Journey

It has been three months since we began to slowly settle in a new state and a new city where we never dreamed, we would live. Then why are we here? We are here to be near our family, a joy we are unspeakably grateful for. We thank God for leading and preparing this relocation, and we happily anticipate using it for the Lord’s work. Though we are near the end of our mission service with International Ministries with retirement on March 1, 2022, for us who love our Lord, we serve Him wherever we are.

We are thankful for the Lord’s mercy and protection, allowing us to serve many countries and regions through different ministries during our eight-and-a-half-year service. What we thought would be a local ministry in Macau became an international one. The biggest challenges during this period were learning from different cultures, changes in the environment (including relocation), changes in overseas partners, and the adjustment of our physical health. However, God helped us overcome all of them. We were blessed to see those whom we served become encouraged and equipped to serve others. The spirit of partnership in the gospel was nourished. The effectiveness and impact of unity and collaboration among the Christian believers became more affirmed, especially under the challenge of the global Covid epidemic. We can only humbly say that we are grateful to have been used as God’s hands and feet, sharing His love and words in wherever He prepared the ministry for us to serve. Though the changes of culture, location and safety kept our tension high, we were deeply aware of God’s presence and leading all the time. We were being transformed by the Spirit, the greatest thing we cherish from our service. Yes! What a marvelous experience walking with God is!

Below is a summary/overview of our ministry. We thank you for all your faithful support in prayer, cards, emails and finance in the past years. As we write this overview, tons of names and faces are floating by as a great cloud of cheerleaders not only to us, but also as a great army for the work of God’s Kingdom. We are sincerely and indeed grateful for you.

1. Objective of Global Chinese Mission:
Mission Networking with the Global Chinese Churches and Chinese NGOs

2. Timeline:
a) Commissioned in 2013.9 with eight and half years of service
b) Two terms:
• 1st term (2013.9 – 2017.8)
U.S./P.R. assignment (2017.9 – 2018.8)
• 2nd term (2018.9 – 2021.8)
U.S./P.R. assignment (2021.7 – 2022.2)
c) Three bases – Mission stations
• Macau (2013.9 – 2015.11)
• Hong Kong (2015.12 – 2020.1)
U.S./P.R. assignment (2017.9 – 2018.8)
• Taiwan (2020.2 – 2021.6) – Relocation due to global Covid epidemic
U.S./P.R. assignment (2021.7 – 2022.2)

3. Places with Related Ministries:
Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Yunnan, Swatow, Bangkok, Sabah, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

4. Areas of Ministries:
a) Macau (Base) – God’s training school in the field
• Macau Bible Institute – Conducted campus relocation and helped the institute to upgrade academic programs with MDV degree as well as student spiritual formation program.
• ECF Macau Fellowship Orphanage – Preached at their Grace Chapel and taught Sunday School. More than a half dozen children were baptized in this ministry.
b) Hong Kong (Base) – The hub for mission
• Provided Christian training in Yunnan, China
• Interacted with local partners; majority are the Swatow Baptist churches
• Built mission network
• Reached out to other countries (Singapore – to reconnect to old friends and to make new friends)
c) Taiwan (Base) – New exploration
• Building mission network (2016 – 2019)
• Under COVID-19 (2020 – 2021.6)
+ Hakka ministry – Partnered with Christian Hakka Seminary and sponsored two intensive courses yearly; involved in a Hakka church planting and evaluation until the church was established in southern Taiwan.
+ Campus ministry – Partnered with the Research Center for Supporting Families of Children with Special Needs (RCSFCSN) of the Chung Yuan Christian University; provided administrative consultation, operational strategies, spiritual support, and discipleship for the staff, volunteer students, clients, and their families.
+ Oversee the remote ministry – Major Covid-19 relief ministries in Hong Kong.

We also thank you for supporting other IM global servants in many other ways in the past and present. We would encourage you to keep giving and praying for them and IM. Our work in Mainland China is impacted by the COVID pandemic as well as US-China relation. Please continue to pray for the pastors and churches in Mainland China, as we continue Chinese ministry of global settings.

Thank you and may the Lord bless you richly.

Emerson and Ivy