A pastor who is familiar with the Cultural Industry said, "After three years of the pandemic, Taiwan has entered a cultural drought with less people reading books. The market for hardcopy books has plummeted, and the sales of e-books have not improved either. Most people are only on Facebook and other social media apps, pursuing the little things in life and not wanting to spend time studying and reflecting.”

Chen, the head of a Christian publishing company, said, "Although several original texts were already translated, we still had to put the publishing on hold. Prepaid royalties and translation fees were regarded as money spent, thus the less books you publish, the less loss to deal with. Under such circumstances, why would you still want to publish books?"

Jane replied, “Because the content of this book is astonishing, with each word making my heart beat faster. And I understood why JOE HELLERMAN (author OF WHEN THE CHURCH WAS A FAMILY) said, ‘…I came away from Walt’s book at once both heartbroken and hopeful. I was heartbroken, as I reflected upon the myriads of saints who have never experienced their calling as gifted servants of Christ—all because of the institutional orientation of a big-box Christianity that relies on the gifts of a few to nurture a passive consumerism on the part of the many. I was hopeful, as well, however, because Walt’s book brought me back—through a careful examination of the Scriptures—to a biblical model of local church life that involves everyone in the joy of ministry…’”

“GROWING MINISTRY AROUND THE SHEEP, NOT JUST THE SHEPHERDS” The hermeneutics master, Walt Russell, Ph.D., pointed out that the only way for churches to be sustainable in society! Traditional patterns of unbalanced beliefs have existed for years, yet being able to fully follow the biblical belief is just as difficult. But one cannot back down just because it isn’t easy. Now that you have seen and heard it, you can't pretend that nothing is wrong. If it is a loss, so be it! I only hope that the Chinese Christians can also see and hear the earnest and sincere cry of Walt Russell.

Thanksgiving:
1.     On July 6th, the lecture on “The Stages of Grief” for the nurses at Shuanghe Hospital was held. Although less than ten people attended, it was very touching to see the nurses willing to come during their off-hours, dressed in the casual clothes versus their nurse’s uniform. When talking about the "Missing/Searching" stage, many attendees were in tears, while others felt a sense of sympathy and shared similar experiences. The event was filled with powerful interactions and gratitude.
2.     On July 14th, the talk on "Prevention of Children's Self-Harm” at Chung Dau K-12 School in Yilan county was held. There were about 20 teachers, including the principal and counselors, who participated and were all attentive during the session. The principle later mentioned that the school would like to invite Teacher Jane to come again and speak on related topics, and asked the Director of the Counseling Dept. to list Jane as one of their consulting resources.
3.     On August 9th, the talk on “Healing Depression for Life” at the Gospel Society of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held. There were 47 attendees, and the feedback was very good. The 10 minutes of Q&A were filled with interactions! Some people didn't want to leave after 13:30, while one attendee came to thank Jane because everything in the closing prayer was what she exactly what she needed. Several expressed the hope that Jane would be invited again. Afterwards, the helpers at the talk told Jane that the event was a full house, with people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Interior, the Mainland Affairs Council, the Bureau of International Trade of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Bureau of Standards and Inspection of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. It was amazing to have such a wonderful turnout!  

Prayer requests:
1.        Pray that God would open the eyes of the pastors of the churches in Yilan to see the significance and urgency of suicide prevention and be willing to give Jane opportunities to share messages in Sunday sermons to help church members become watchmen of suicide prevention.
2.        Pray that God would open the way so that principals of the schools in Yilan county can recognize the need for suicide prevention, and that the school office would be willing to cooperate with the counseling office to arrange a time for teachers to receive training, and invite Jane to teach on related topics.
3.        "Sustainable Church: Growing Ministry Around the Sheep, Not Just the Shepherds" traditional Chinese version will become a blessing to all Chinese churches.
4.        Pray that God will touch the hearts of the schools and churches in Yilan county which expressed willingness for future workshop collaborations to take actions and schedule exact timing.
5.        Pray that the Lord will greatly use the publications of Lifting Hands Network to enhance the relationship between Chinese people with God, with people, and with themselves.