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Becky Bartelt’s August/September 2024 Newsletter
Serving the Lord in Taiwan/Asia
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Psalm 34:1-8
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
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English Bible Camp #2
English Bible Camp #2 was different from the one in Hsinchu and yet, the same good news was shared and received by the children. In Chiayi the majority of the students attending were from the after-school program where Mindy and I teach music and English once a week during the school year. The community leader who organizes this program decided that English Bible Camp would be a part of the summer program for these children, and so they were all there. Again we spent 5 days from 8:30-4 learning Bible stories and its related vocabulary, singing songs, playing games and making pop-up books—all centered around our theme, “Jesus Who Are You?”. We focused on the “I am” statements from John, I am…the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Door, the Vine and the Way, the Truth and the Life. My American co-worker got hepatitis A, so in addition to leading the singing, I taught English and games as well. I was so impressed by these children. They learned 10 songs and sang them well in one week! These were children with very little English and almost no Bible knowledge—some had no idea what a Bible was. This time we worked under the leadership of the local pastor, Pastor Wu, and his wife, Irene, who told the Bible story each day in Chinese with creativity and ingenuity. We also had several local volunteers who helped with crafts and leading small groups. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for the Gospel seed planted in these children’s hearts and that the Holy Spirit would cause it to grow! Also, give thanks to God that the local community leader has asked Mindy and me to continue teaching these children music and English this fall. We hope to involve them in a second Christmas event this December at Salvation Lutheran Church.
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Medication Challenges
September has been a rough month for me. My doctor in Chiayi had to substitute a new medicine for one I have taken for many years but is no longer available in Taiwan (or so the doctor thought!) The new medicine had some tough side effects on me including some fairly severe depression. I am very thankful to God for providing for me through the emergency health services that the Office of International Mission provides for your LCMS missionaries. I can text health professionals via an app on my phone or call them. They helped me figure out the situation, researched the possible solutions and found a supply of the former medication about 1 1/2 hours away by train in Kaohsiung, Taiwan! I also thank you for your support which enables me to have this health service. I know many of you also have challenges finding medication these days even in the USA. I ask that you continue to keep me in your prayers and if you’d like to share such a prayer request with me, I’d be happy to reciprocate!(Rebecca.Bartelt@lcms.org)
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Reformation Hymn Festival in Hsinchu
November 2nd is coming quickly! This is the date for our Reformation Hymn Festival in Hsinchu, a bit south of Taipei. Pastor Frank from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs, IA has arranged three Reformation hymns for choir. Recently I have been, with a lot of help from various people, adding the Chinese characters to the choral scores. The next challenge was to transform the Western notation into Jianpu as there are some Taiwan people who only read Jianpu. Jianpu is a number notation where the number refers to the scale degree and dots and dashes indicate rhythm. My friend and co-worker Julie Tsai found a Chinese app that would do this, but her friend in China had to buy it because they would only accept Chinese forms of payment, and we reimbursed her. I made rehearsal recordings of the parts for each choral piece. I turned them into videos and uploaded them to YouTube and sent the links to the CELC (China-Evangelical Lutheran Church—our partner synod in Taiwan) vice-president who is sending all of this out to the singers. Pastor Frank is busy preparing a lecture on Lutheran music and liturgy as well as a workshop for music people on arranging hymns for choir. It will be a long day for all of us, but I am praying it will be a day of encouragement, enrichment, growth and fellowship for CELC members and our guests alike.
***If you can’t tell, below is part of the Jianpu for Pastor Frank’s arrangement of “Thy Strong Word”.
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Missionary Work Groups
The first week of September was our Asia Region Missionary Work Group meeting. All the missionaries in Asia met in Chiayi to discuss, plan and learn. This time the regional director from Eurasia visited us as we read, discussed and applied the Augsburg Confession to our work in Asia.
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Culture Corner: 運動 (Exercise)
When I told my Aunt Lucy that I was going to Taiwan to serve as a missionary, she asked me to include some cultural tidbits in my newsletter, so here you go Aunt Lucy….
Every morning at around 6:30 my little dog Heitang and I go for a walk in the huge park that is only about a five-minute walk from our apartment. There we get to experience the Taiwan love of morning exercise—for all, but especially for older people. There is special stretching equipment all over the park. Some people exercise alone, some in small groups, some in large groups. Some just exercise or stretch and some play music. Some have a leader and some follow a video on their tablet. Below are some photos of a group that starts clapping to the music everyday about 6:45. Heitang and I look forward to it every morning!
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Printable Newsletter
If you’d like a printable copy of my newsletter, please email my father (stephenrbartelt@yahoo.com). He will be happy to send you a copy that is easier to print and post. Thanks!
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Please pray for…
continued perseverance in learning Chinese.
that God would bless the children who heard the Gospel this summer at the English Bible Camp with faith and the desire to learn more!
preparations for the Reformation Hymn Festival on November 2nd.
health and recovery from the medication issue
preparations for a Christmas event at Salvation Lutheran Church
connections with and witness to local people in our everyday lives.
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Please give thanks for…
a successful English Bible Camp in Chiayi
many upcoming opportunities for ministry.
the emergency health insurance provided by the Office of International Mission and an improved mood
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Please prayerfully continue or consider partnering with the LCMS to financially sustain the work of Becky Bartelt.
Please make checks payable to The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and write “Bartelt-Taiwan” on the memo line.
Mail to:
Mission Central
40178 Highway E16
Mapleton, IA 51034
You can also donate online:

There are many opportunities to serve as short-term or GEO (Globally Engaged in Outreach) missionaries. Check out the current list and download and application at lcms.org/service. Click on “Service Opportunities.”
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My mailing addresses are:
Becky Bartelt
5F-2 #167 Gongyuan Street
East District
Chiayi City, Taiwan 600044
866-903337255
Rebecca.Bartelt@lcms.org
Becky Bartelt
15005 Tibbles St.
Omaha, NE 68116
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