Free from fear
Mrs. Jian has been living in FenYuan Township for about the last five years. Through past poor choices she finds herself homeless again. Even though she has two children, she does not have a relationship with them; she is without a family support system to help her. She came to our church a few months ago with a keen interest in spiritual matters. It was obvious from the beginning that God was drawing her to know more about Jesus. Less than 0.4% of the residents of Fen Yuan believe in Jesus, with probably half that number attending church each week.
Mrs. Jian grew up in ChangHua County and was only able to finish her 6th grade education before she began working. She has been an active worshipper of the spirits, and is very fearful of them. After coming to our church, she indicated a desire to know the Lord. I started meeting with her weekly to help her understand the basics of the faith and prepare her for baptism.
During our weekly Bible study I learned about some of her struggles and worldview. One day when she was on her way home, she had motorcycle trouble and told her neighbor, a folk religion medium, about it. The neighbor said that her problems were twofold. First, she was being chased by the spirits of her two aborted children. They were trying to get revenge on her so she needed to offer a sacrifice to them. Second, she had sinned against the spirits of someone who had drowned in the local river where she had urinated. The medium said she would also need to offer a sacrifice to the spirit of the drowning victim to appease him.
She was sincerely afraid of these spirits that she believed she had sinned against. I was able to lead her in prayer to ask for forgiveness and confess her sins of aborting her children. She was relieved to know there is a biblical explanation for the things that scare her.
Mrs. Jian has been enthusiastic about sharing her new faith with others. She has no other Christian friends, except the few that she meets with weekly at church. Recently we encouraged the believers at our church to get training in using Bible stories to share with non-Christian friends and family. Mrs. Jian eagerly joined our Bible story training and came this week to learn the story of creation. When she left church that Wednesday afternoon, she immediately told this story to two other non-Christians. By Sunday, she had already told eight different people and had their signatures to show who they were! She is eager to grow and wants to be a faithful messenger of God’s story.
During our weekly Bible studies it became clear that Mrs. Jian was ready to follow the Lord in baptism. Her most significant experience of the Lord, she says, is that she no longer fears the spirits who tormented her before, and now has peace.
Pray that Mrs. Jian would be a growing disciple of the Lord and fruitful in her witness to others.
Would you consider whether God is calling you to join SEND International in Taiwan to help us reach many more people like Mrs. Jian in one of the 60 communities of Vision 119 ?
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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