親愛的禱伴主內平安：

　　這幾天多倫多的天氣旱有的炎熱達35度。衷心感激您忠心的代禱，讓　神帶領我們渡過了不容易之頭七個月之適應。有許多事情要感恩，我們仍然面臨屬靈的爭戰，撒但千方百計用許多事情不順利來使我們氣餒，我們遇到文化沖激和心靈的傷害，我們需要更倚靠主所給予之大能大力去勝過。像我們這一把年紀的人要忘記過去，一切大小事情均要從零開始去學習和適應，若非主的憐憫賜下謙卑的靈和智慧童心真難勝過。樹珠的掙扎似乎最大，回憶過去好不容易溶入非洲文化之長期宣教生涯，使自己成了“黑心”的人（非洲人）， 如今要連根拔起再進入忘懷了之陌生華人文化，其中之痛苦只有過來人之宣教士才能體會。有一天在差會遇見一位加拿大退休宣教士，她告訢我們，她二十多年非洲宣教生活，回到祖國用了七年漫長歲月才稍為適應好。樹珠聽了，深知還有一段相當遠的路要走才能溶回自己的文化。

（一）忠華：他靠主恩熬過了這段艱辛之學習路，最初三個月十分努力去追上學校之各科進度，六月下旬完成所有作業及考試，成為全校優秀學生，榮耀主名。謝謝您日夜代禱，他自己已完成申請大學的手續，最近已獲得三間大學的接納，現已決定去多倫多大學。七月第二週至八月底將去上暑期班，九月正式入學，滿心感謝　神! 他亦有學駕車之計劃，近來他似乎成熟多了，有忍耐和智慧處事！

（二）榮義：他喜歡門訓中國移民，他仍是每晚帶一群渴慕主道之弟兄姊妹查經，星期一晚之神學班他正在教“宣教神學”及“聖經與跨文化宣教”神的話讓他們靈命長進，生活有奇妙改變。還有兩位弟兄委身，九月便進入本地天道神學院受造就，心中喜樂難以筆墨形容。

　　　　　由於大陸每年有四萬移民到多倫多，來國語堂聚會的人很快的就增長到四百人，而每主日至少有18-28位是新朋友，所以深深感到有需開始延伸制神學教育，並與華基教牧同工及多市國語事工之教牧座談會，初步交談有關在多市成立國語T.E.E.課程之可能性，請代禱為日後的跟進事工，願主的手引導，按衪美旨成就，栽培中國移民信徒是當前急務。

（三）樹珠：靠主指引，更多禱告尋求　神開事奉之門路。

1.  個別關懷：為四月底差傳年會後，對有志踏上全時間事奉者做跟進事工，與各堂會差傳部同工計劃和推動教育差傳事工，常利用週末出外辦Mission Retreat 和繼續栽培他們的整年聚會安排，目的培養宣教心，不致泠淡。常常邀請他們來家晚飯交通禱告，引導他們接受裝備，預備好自己他日可上工場。

2.  差傳教育：　神給我機會對有志宣教者開辦主日學，從五月到八月分別在不同教會教差傳主日學“神的胸懷”，　神賜給我四十多位挑選過的弟兄姊妹。感謝主！教學相長，加上要自己編寫教材，用宣教的角度去研究聖經，有新的啟迪，自己得益良多。還有不少團契邀請我講呼召、委身、作門徒代價等之題目，以及本地福音群體事工等。我自己一面研究學習，一面教導，很享受被　神話語的激勵。

3.   文字事工：　神給我機會，使我不但在華基之家訊每月寫城市宣教之群體事工，並且有邀稿在不同教會雜誌中寫差傳文章，這是個很好的學習機會。

（四） 感恩代禱：

1.     感謝　神在全新的生活和事奉環境，需要　神格外的智慧和忍耐。

2.     再度學習駕駛，再跟師傅從頭學起，又上交通規則班，由於沒有車子，全靠賴師傅車子，十分花錢，幾次考試亦考不上，大失信心。求主賜不死的信心繼續努力。

3.     感謝　神看顧我們年老的父母：榮義父親在台由細女兒照顧，享孫輩之樂；樹珠母親在私家老人院安居，身體比從前好，每天向老人家傳福音作見證。

4.     請為忠華已選擇了最理想的多倫多大學感恩，亦記念他，每天通車上學之平安。求　神為他預備屬靈友伴同行，合適的大學團契

　　我們都十分懷念南非，那裡是我們的家，每次主內姊妹打電話來，樹珠都會哭，要忘記過去是一件非常不容易的事，有“死”隔絕的經歷。在這裡起居生活、事奉等都要從頭開始，氣餒的事每天面對，求主格外施恩勝過許多的無奈和無助。今日查經（創46章），　神對雅各的應許與他同在及同往埃及，重申衪是信實不變的主，掌管歷史的　神，吩咐他不要懼怕，讓我們去學習全心倚靠衪，每天面對新的困難與挑戰，在既無把握和尋索之事奉中，信實的　神每步開路，學習一天的難處一天擔當，不為明日憂慮。

　　想念您，為您禱告！希望收到您的近況消息。

　　謹此敬祝

主賜平安 信靠順服

您的同工

江榮義、樹珠、忠華    敬上

2002年7月

Updated news : July 18,2002

Dear Prayer Partner:        

      Greetings from Toronto on a very hot summer day, reaching 35 degrees! Thank you for your faithful prayer support that the Lord has carried us through a most difficult adjustment period the first seven months in Toronto. We found that we are constantly in spiritual warfare at this mission field, Toronto. There are lots of cultural shock and many things did not turn out well as we had hoped, which we feel upset and discouraged. We are learning to adjust in everything; it is painful to try to forget what we left behind and start from “0” at our age. We need the grace of God and His humbling spirit to guide us through all the adjustment. Especially Grace, who has experienced and is still going through a lot of struggling. She has a “black heart” like an African and is having a hard time adjusting back to her Chinese culture. A poor missionary’s life in Africa has transformed her into the African culture, which she has adapted well for the past twenty years. Now it is a real struggle to reverse to her own Chinese culture. She heard a retired Canadian missionary said: “It took me seven years to adjust back to my own Canadian life after twenty years in Africa.” Grace has a long way to go yet! Please pray for her.

      We are also experiencing the struggles of being new immigrants in Toronto. We thank God for the Bible Study Groups that we lead and found great comfort and encouragement from them. Let us count the blessings of the Lord as follows:

1. Daniel----He has been studying very hard to catch up with all the school subjects. He has just completed his OAC final exam. a week ago. Thank you for your prayers for him. He has applied to several universities and has received confirmation of acceptance from three universities. After praying for God’s guidance, he has decided on the University of Toronto, which is one of the famous universities in Canada. He will join the University’s summer class in July and August. Daniel is more patient than us. He has grown more mature and is taking on more responsibilities regarding his schooling. We thank God for giving him the wisdom and all the other blessings.

2. Paul----He is busy with his ministry in the Mandarin church and discipline new believers. Praise the Lord, there are two brothers being called by God to full-time ministry and have applied to study in the Tyndale Bible College. Please uphold them in the Lord with your prayers. Paul has also started a class teaching “Theology of Missions” “Bible and Cross Cultural Mission” every Monday night.  

     Since we have moved to Toronto, we have realized that the immigrant population of Toronto is very large. Immigrants from mainland China to Toronto annually total 40 thousand, a total which represents a great increase over immigration from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Mainland China immigrants to Toronto cannot, however, find a Chinese Bible College in the Mandarin language. 

     We have therefore felt a burden to start a correspondence course in Mandarin under the Chinese Theological Seminary. Teaching will be done directly in Mandarin, since students originally from the mainland of China have difficulty with English and feel that language study takes too long. Our church in Toronto currently has about 400 members who have accepted Christ.  Many want to study the Bible and mission and bring the Gospel back to the Chinese underground church - and this is happening each year! Since they are from the mainland, they know their own culture and can be more effective than us as missionaries. Some others from the mainland may become pastors in Toronto.  Chinese theological education is, therefore, extremely important.

3. Grace---- She enjoys her Sunday School classes most, teaching Missions. This term she teaches in three different classes. Thank God for the 40 students she has. They are dedicated Christians and love the Lord. They are all involved in various ministries in their own church. Please pray for them.

“Writing Ministry” is another new task to Grace. She is writing her Sunday School teaching materials plus articles on Missions in our church’s monthly Newsletter as well as other magazines. She is also doing the follow-up work after the Church’s Missions Conference in April. She helps arranging weekend Missions Retreats for different churches, and also teaching on how to prepare yourself for full-time ministry. She puts this as the first priority in her ministry. There is a lot of personal contact and counseling involved. There is a couple who are ready to go to China for tent-maker ministry. It is a joy to guide them to look for the right missions agency.

4. In General

a)      We thank God for our new ministries here, which have been established, step-by-step, with His guidance. We need wisdom to plan and to guide those who are seeking and hunger for His Word.

b)      We are taking driving lessons, but it is not easy to change our old way of driving. We have not obtained our license yet, but we thank God who has already provided us a car. There are new traffic rules to memorize and to get used to. God provided us with an experienced driving instructor in July. We trust with the instructor’s help and by the grace of the Lord, we may overcome our weakness and renew our strength in driving and that we may get our license soon.

c)      Learning and progressing

In a big city as Toronto, there are lots to learn daily. We pray the Lord to give us a humbling spirit and a child’s attitude in learning and progressing day by day.

d)      Thank God for watching over our aged parents. Paul’s father is doing well in Taiwan. He enjoys staying with his younger daughter, especially with his grandchildren. Grace’s mum is doing well too in a private old aged home in Hong Kong. God has given her better health and she is always sharing the gospel and giving testimonies to the people around her. An old woman has accepted the Lord and is going to church. Praise the Lord for the joy she gained by witnessing for Christ actively.

e)      We miss all of you very much. When we remember you in our prayers, our hearts are filled with joy knowing how you are serving the Lord faithfully in your area. Nothing will separate us in the love of God. Prayer has no distance. Prayers join our hearts together.  May the love and the peace of the Lord be with you all.

Yours in His Service, 

Grace, Paul and Daniel Chiang    July 2002