Gibsons in Taiwan

A-kun
The phone rang for the third time late last night while I (Amy) was reading in bed and dozing off. By this third call, I was already pretty groggy and out of it. I couldn't quite recognize the voice on the other end. I knew I knew her, but couldn't quite put my finger on who it was. Then, she mentioned her husband, A-siang, and I knew it was A-kun. Why couldn't I recognize her voice? Because unlike times in the past, her voice was full of energy and joy! Such a marked difference as usually her voice is full of sadness and loneliness.

Some of you may remember the many prayer requests we have sent out on A-kun's behalf. Three years ago, she gave birth to a severely deformed son, Ka-un. He has required many surgeries and, it is obvious now, that he is also mentally delayed. Over the past couple of years, she has also seen the death of her grandmother, a close cousin, and the severe illness of her mother-in-law. She and her husband were also having severe financial difficulties and marital problems. Her life seemed rife with pain and suffering. My co-worker, Birgit and I, would talk to her about God's love and tried to initiate Bible studies with her, but she always refused. She also would get so depressed sometimes that she would binge drink, getting very drunk at times. But it was the illness of her mother-in-law that began to turn things around.

A-siang grew up in a church-going family. The mother in particular was very active in the church. A-siang, however, quit going to the church when he was younger and even began to participate with A-kun and her family in idol worship. One day, A-siang's mother had a severe asthma attack. Because of lack of oxygen to her brain, she is now in a vegetative state living in a full-care nursing home. Right after this happened, we met with A-siang and A-kun to encourage and pray with them. At that time, A-siang said he saw his mother's illness as a wake up call and that it was time to return to the Lord. But how? He didn't even know how to pray or what to pray for. Would God still accept him? We showed him some passages in the Bible about God's love and encouraged him to pray with us. Afterwards, he began to regularly attend the church of his childhood. A-kun followed him to church, not out of interest but only to be a dutiful wife. Although she struggled to understand the pastor's preaching, the people of the church loved that family, and it had a terrific impact on her.

Real change had also become more evident in A-siang's life. He quit drinking so heavily and began to spend more time with his family. He even had cable TV taken out of their home so that when he got home from work, he could interact with his family. They started putting the kids to bed at an earlier time so that they could spend time alone talking before going to bed. This really expressed to A-kun how much he cared for her. All the while, he gently shared with her what he was learning from the Bible.

Even just last spring, A-kun told me that, although she goes to church and participates in church activities, she is not a Christian and didn't know if she ever would be one. Coming from a very traditional idol and ancestor worshipping background, this was understandable. But, I think, the love of Christ was just too powerful to deny!

With joy in her voice, she told me that she was getting baptized at the church at Christmas time! She had finally opened up her heart to what she knew was true! Praise the Lord! Just over the phone, the change in her is so incredibly evident.

Please continue to keep this family in prayer and rejoice with us A-kun's salvation!

We have safely returned after visiting with all of you and sharing about what God is doing in Taiwan. Thanks so much for all the love and encouragement you gave us. Please pray for us now that we would be full of God's love and energy as we begin again to tell others His good news.