Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the past two months, Jane has gained several new experiences that she has never had before.

From the questions raised by the teachers, it was evident that there is a prevalent issue of homosexuality in the school. It seems that every class has several same sex couples, and there have been incidents when students couldn’t cope with breaking up, thus, leading to unfortunate events. Male teachers find it challenging to counsel female students, struggling with how to establish appropriate boundaries.

The counseling director expressed deep gratitude for Lifting Hands Network for providing such an excellent workshop and for free! Several teachers told Jane that this is something they have wanted to learn for many years, and they thanked her for coming from afar to help them.

Jane was quite grateful as the teachers accepted her views on premarital sex. They understood how the Christian perspective can help heartbroken individuals find meaning in and through their past relationships. Recognizing that people and events in life become nourishment, enriching one's life, they nodded in agreement. Jane believes that the teachers who participated gained a basic understanding of Christianity.

On the way back to Taipei, Jane rested, feeling extremely tired. She has never felt this exhausted even when conducting intensive two-day courses and this was just a 2.5 hours workshop. The next day, she had mild cold symptoms that developed into a fever on September 3^rd. The fever escalated to 39.1°C on September 4, leading to a series of medical consultations from that point onward.

In the afternoon of September 19^th and the 26^th, Jane gave a "Grief Counseling" Workshop to social workers, nurses, and long-term care workers at the Eden Foundation in Sanxia. Initially attending with a mindset of this being a on job training, they were surprised to receive homework: applying the knowledge learned in class to reflect on their own pasts and organizing the timelines of their respective life losses. The second session focused on resolving their own losses. Later, Jane talked more about self-care for professionals. This seemed to both move and surprise them. They not only accepted the biblical references mentioned as part of the course, but also responded enthusiastically. Jane is most grateful to the Lord as those who came took a few more steps towards encountering God.

In October, on five evenings via Zoom, Jane conducted workshops on "Walk out of Grief" and "The Secrets of Psychological Body Armor" for Frontiers workers in the Taiwan-Hong Kong Mission. Considering the challenges faced by missionaries, Jane not only prepared specifically for their situation but also prayed for each one of them. Unexpectedly, the night before the lectures, she couldn't sleep well, feeling as though she was in a battle. She woke up with back pain and a sore waist. At 7pm that first night of the lecture, she suddenly felt extremely cold, despite wearing a suit. She turned off the air conditioning and fan, but was still cold, so she had to put on a coat. She started sweating profusely and had to change her clothes during the breaks, sometimes changing up to four times in one evening. Thankfully, the participants found the workshops highly beneficial.

It has been more than a month since August 30th, and Jane’s body has not fully recovered. Some people criticize her for not taking care of herself properly, citing her weak immune system. Others believe it's a spiritual battle. Two doctor friends mentioned that it takes a long time to recover from the colds that have been going around in recent months. The truth remains unknown, perhaps three perspectives hold some element of truth.

Thanksgiving:

1.        Due to the enthusiastic response from the audience, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gospel Society invited Jane again on September 13^th to discuss "Healing Depression for Life, Part II." Several new friends attended the event.

2.        On Sunday, September 10th, Jane shared suicide prevention information at Lingliang Church in Yilan. 60% of the attendees that day were students. After the talk, there was a responsive song, and Pastor Ann Chen requested each student to stand up. The surrounding adults prayed for them. Pastor Ann Chen also urged every church member to take on the responsibility of being a watchman where they are. Pastor Chen expressed deep gratitude to God for the blessings received through Lifting Hands Network and appreciated our voluntary contributions. Pastors Chen and Xiao will encourage various churches in Yilan to open their platforms at the Yilan Prayer Meeting, contributing together to the suicide prevention efforts in Yilan.

3.        Starting from September 20^th, the four articles on "Grief Counseling" published by Jane in the Christian Tribune received fantastic feedback from readers.

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.