Thews (Taiwan) Update – January through March 2024

News from Missionary
Mindy Thews
Serving the Lord in Taiwan
2024 January-March Newsletter
Thank you for your support, prayers, and encouragement!
Mindy Thews 
Lutheran Education Coordinator
Asia Region – Chiayi City, Taiwan

Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over
the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:9 (ESV)

因 為 耶 和 華 在 那 裡 變 亂 天 下 人 的 言 語 ， 使 眾 人 分 散 在 全 地 上 ， 所 以 那 城 名 叫 巴 別 ( 就 是 變 亂 的 意 思 ) 。創 世 記 11:9 (CUV)

What’s a Picture Worth?

It’s not a surprise, the Asia region contains hundreds of languages. Some of them are official national languages, while others are local dialects. Just as the variety of languages confused tower construction at Babel, language can be a barrier in sharing the Gospel. Fortunately, a picture is worth 1000 words, and images have been my starting point to create Sunday school resources for the Asia region.

The past few months, I’ve been working to construct practical, cost-effective, interactive Sunday school materials useful for ages 5-12. The lessons highlight Lectionary Series B, providing tools for lesson introductions, conclusions, and instruction methods for the weekly Gospel reading. Typically, 2-3 introduction and conclusion games, activities, or crafts are included. These choices allow each teacher to tailor their lesson, preparing the activities best suited for their student ages, space constraints, and time allotment.

What’s the role of images? Pictures convey meaning efficiently. They’re the foundation for lesson instruction, crafts, and occasionally, activities. Most weeks, I choose free images from online sources. From there, I design the lesson and resource materials using the pictures. Finally, I upload the lessons to a cloud platform for the Asia region. My fellow missionaries and church partners can download the lessons, choose activities, translate them from English into the local heart language, and teach their children about God’s love and His plan for our salvation.

What’s the impact of the pictures? The lesson images continue telling the Bible story long after Sunday school. Crafts and coloring pages are tools for discussion. Students can easily share the day’s lesson with their families and neighbors. My prayer is for thousands of words, entire conversations, stemming from the Bible images and the Gospel lesson students learned that day. Yes, a picture is worth 1000 words and so much more!

January Highlights

The Asia missionaries and their families joined together for fellowship and fun at our regional retreat in Medan, Indonesia. We learned more about the Lutheran Church in Indonesia and enjoyed seeing one another again. Some of us hiked in the Sumatran jungle and even saw a Sumatran Orangutan! It was a beautiful time of reconnection and refreshment.

While in Medan, I had two opportunities to worship with the Indonesian Christian Lutheran Church (GKLI). A portion of their liturgy was new to me. It was so beautiful, I took an audio recording to share with you.

Click the button below to hear the Evangelium, the song of good news.

Evangelium (translation)
Christ Jesus my God who loves me, my joy’s constant well-spring
Who forgives my sin completely, all my guilt assauging
Love, grace, and mercy here given, His compassion through His signs
Even I am made one of love, for my neighbor and God above.
Evangelium, Evangelium
Give me the Gospel, remove my guilt and bring me joy!

February Highlights

Aimee Cima, LCMS missionary in Cambodia, shared the above pictures of the Asia region’s Sunday school resources in action.

During the past few months, I’ve been working to create Sunday school resources for the Asia region using free online images. Yes, it’s challenging, but it’s also great fun! I’ve enjoyed the creative process tremendously while learning new skills. It’s been exciting to share these resources with the Asia region.

Click the button below to see a 3 minute video featuring
additional resources I designed using free images.

March Highlights

In March, I had the opportunity to host Taiwan’s first “Shadow a Missionary” participant. Tabitha, a Lutheran school teacher, visited missionaries at Concordia Middle School and the regional headquarters in Chiayi City. She learned about our areas of ministry, community outreach, and the wide variety of jobs available in the mission field. During her visit, Tabitha discovered the food, transportation, and beauty of Taiwan. It was a delightful experience for everyone!

Upcoming Service Event

Do you have a heart for service?

Interested in serving in the mission field? Find current opportunities and download an application at lcms.org/service.
Click on “Service Opportunities.”

Would you like to personally experience the mission field?
Learn more about the “Shadow a Missionary” experience.
servenow.lcms.org/opp/shadow-a-missionary/

Mindy’s Address at the
Asia Regional Headquarters
(The English address works great!)