21.12.27 Happy Christmas and a Joyous New Year
Looking back over the last few months since our last communication in September, God continues to be good! I pray that this year has also been a year in which you have grown closer to Father in Heaven.
Thanksgiving items from life and work.
(1) The education Ministry of Taiwan approved my one year Sabbatical in Canada, So I will not only continue to receive my salary but also some additional funds. I have been told that this is very unusual for them to approve funding for more than a few months. Our family hopes to arrive in Oakville/Hamilton McMaster at the end of January — various members are looking forward to the time with varyious degrees of enthusiasm. I am hopeful that this year in Canada will help the children's English to improve.
(2) My wife searched for her Taiwan identity card last Saturday and Sunday without success. We prayed on Monday morning and within 5' she had found it — in a place she had already looked.
(3) Two new graduate students have just gotten out of quarantine — one from Nepal and the other from The Gambia -- I am sure they each have a unique role to play in our laboratory.
(4) Thank God that for quarantine when I came back to Taiwan that gave me time to finish writing a paper on our lighting system that was published in November. Thank God it has been published as 2 similar papers have appeared in the last few months— one in Nature Scientific Reports.
(5) COVID-19 booster shot. I got a Moderna booster last week. After some difficulties, last Monday th school nurse helped me to call places to see where could get vaccinated — most places said they were not giving boosters. The Taoyuan Hospital website and newspapers said they would start giving boosters on Friday. Our nurse called but Friday was full -- however staff said the newspaper was wrong — one could get the booster on Monday. Immediately I went to hospital. Only 1 person was sitting in the large room full of chairs and 3 nurses were waiting to give boosters. Thank God. The schools to high-school and junior school students will get 2nd shot of BNT on January 7 — 2 weeks before our scheduled for departure. Praise God.
More Thanksgivings...
Last week was YZU Teachers fellowship's Christmas Evangelistic Party 
. I was so happy to see ~22 faculty and staff of YZU attend — many who I did not know or did not realize were Christian! One friend prayed to receive Christ. This meeting after a long dark period gives me much hope. It seems that God is going to make dead bones rise again.
The university class which I am helping to facilitate with Prof Chung, (the relevance of the teachings and life of Moses, Jesus, Plato/Socrates on Western thinking) had a record number of students this semester (~44 at end of course). A few weeks ago, one teacher had the opportunity to pray with a student to receive Jesus. Great Joy. Praise God.
Our Home Christmas party in which we talk about the meaning of Christmas did not go as well as would be hoped. However, my 5 international students all randomly choose Grace cards (cards with Scripture related messaged) that were related to issues in their life. Thank God.
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Prayer Requests: (1) wisdom in helping my family deal with the attraction of the smart phone and various applications -- this is a big inroads for Satan. (2) completing applications for research funding for next August and beyond by January 4 (3) guiding my graduate students. (4) time in Canada. (5) students being introduced to Jesus for the first time in YZU class. (5) Challenges ahead for our family.
Thank you very much and a Happy Christmas,
Jonathon for our family.
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