(the prayer letter that never was)

LOVE News
August 19, 2005 [though never sent out]
“Love never fails…” (1 Corinthians 13:8)

Dearly Beloved:
How are you? I hope & pray this letter finds you well, & that the holy love of Jesus transcends all that I know many of you are dealing with. Please let me know how you’re doing if I haven’t heard from you lately.

In case you need a reminder, TIME IS A’FLYIN!!!

Yes, it’s only been about 2 months since my last prayer letter, & no, I haven’t left the country just yet. It won’t be long before I head overseas though, so there’s lots to tell you! Wanna hear about it? Read on!

"WU FINDS TRUE LOVE!"
Love. People often talk about how hard it is to find, yet for some strange reason, I feel like lately I’ve been bombarded with it at every turn.

It’s not that I wasn’t looking for it. For those of you who know me best, you know that I’ve been looking a long time for love. Ever since junior high school & perhaps even earlier, I’ve thought about my future family – my future wife, my future children, & even my future grandchildren & great-great-grandchildren. I don’t think it was typical of boys at that age growing up, but I made my plans for future family & readied myself to romance a woman & win her heart.

And then I grew up. A few false starts, mistakes, & painful breakups forced me to rein in the passionate romance I longed to share, & God used these hard experiences to help me to see love – His love – with eyes of wisdom & integrity. Passion? Romance? Those had to be put on the back-burner for a time when it was clear that they could be shared with the holiness that God requires.

But in these last few months God has been kind of funny with me. In June while at a conference for giving spiritual care in the health setting (www.gomets.org), I bumped into Charles & Laura Abavare, a young couple working in the health field who desired to use their professions to God’s glory. Let me tell you: they have such a wild love story! Who would have thought that love would spring forth between a young Ghanaian man & a young white American nurse during her stint in Africa, just before he left for Germany? Who would believe that their love would be sustained as they were thousands of miles apart & decided for engagement by phone? Who could have known that their love would continue when Charles was back in Ghana & Laura back in America, despite their families’ mixed feelings? What about the international “prepaid calling card from God,” which lasted far beyond its advertised minutes for nearly a year, right up to the time they had arranged for Charles’ immigration to the U.S., & which worked ONLY when he called Laura’s number & not any other number? Who could fathom that???

Needless to say, as I sat there at our dinner table & listened to the Abavare’s soaring love story, my jaw dropped.

But the love stories didn’t end there. In these past two months I had the privilege of hearing several other wonderful love stories, especially as in July I attended another conference with one of my mission boards (Serving In Mission; SIM) in North Carolina. I got to hear the story of Daniel & Solene, whose romance years ago also spanned the Atlantic, but between the U.S. & France. Troy & Kim’s romance-by-correspondence spanned the Pacific between the U.S. & India. There was also Len & Jody Olson, whose rip-roaring romance took about two months between first date & engagement. Brad & Brenda Clark’s romance began when more than his welding torch started to spark when he came to fix her garage door! Tim & Cathi Emery’s romance evidently continues on strong, as they just had their 8th beautiful child about five months ago!

For someone who loves even the idea of love, these true love stories were wonderful to hear! I had found TRUE LOVE!

I hear you saying, “Hey Sid, stop messing around with these misleading titles! What about your own love story, anyway?”

You know, for a kid who started thinking about his future family over 15 years ago, I oftentimes wonder about it myself. But when I listen to others’ love stories, meditate on all the instances of God’s wondrous goodness toward me, & see God’s sovereign creativity with His children, I don’t worry about it.

In fact, when Charles Abavare finished recounting his & Laura’s love story and after my bugged-out eyes returned into my face & my open-mouthed incredulity waned, I slapped his back & loudly declared, “Charles, YOU GIVE ME HOPE!”

Yes, God in His greatness & goodness indeed gives me hope for my own love story. In fact, when I remember that God IS love (1 John 4:7), I realize that my own love story has already begun. Will there be a wife in this love story? I hope & pray that there will be, & I prayerfully prepare for the day when I meet her, when both the passion & wisdom of God’s brand of love would serve & woo (or is it “Wu”?) her. She would be a precious gift from the One who loves me more than any other, for there is no greater love than that Jesus died for me (John 15:13).

But whether or not I marry, I’ve already found Love. More accurately, Love has found me. He crossed far more than oceans to find me. He tells His people, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3).

Yes indeed, I have been drawn in by Love.

"NIGER: HERE I COME!"
Part of God’s lovingkindness to me has been His helping me to come to a decision on where I will be headed next summer. For nearly the last year I have been praying about the possibility of heading to Niger, primarily because of its spiritual & physical needs, & the presence of a residency training program at the mission hospital there. And last month, at the SIM conference mentioned earlier, I found out that there remains an opening for a physician there!

Let me tell you a little about Niger. The largest in West Africa, Niger is a country landlocked on the southern side of the Sahara Desert. About eleven million people of multiple ethnicities inhabit that dry land. Independent from French colonial rule in 1960, the nation is still fraught with problems. Recent droughts, locust infestations, & resulting starvation lately have brought Niger to news headlines. It is the second poorest country in the world, with at least 90% of people barely living hand-to-mouth. There are fewer than 1 physician for every 30,000 people. Infants die at a rate more than 18 times greater than in the U.S., and life expectancy was recorded before the famine at about 41 years. Besides physical poverty, spiritual poverty is rampant: while about 90% call themselves Muslim, fewer than 1% know and follow Jesus.

I have often asked that God would use me where there is the most need, & I believe you will agree that Niger certainly has needs of staggering magnitude. My hope & prayer is that God would use me to serve Him in Niger in the areas of health care, evangelism, & community development. My desire to stay in academic medicine is for the long-term purpose of training up other physicians to have God’s vision for the world, and to help train them to bring up generations of believers after them who will care for the physical & spiritual needs which surround the SIM Galmi Hospital.

Obviously there will be much preparation required before taking off for Niger. There will be continued cultural & theological training, financial preparations, keeping my medical skills up-to-date, physical preparation, spending time with family & friends, & of course the heart preparation of loving the One True God above all, & relying on Him to complete the great tasks He has before me.

"LOVE REQUESTS"
Let me assure you: the tasks before me are so great, they are indeed impossible for me to do at all without our loving Father. Embarking on this move will be unlike any mission trip I’ve ever experienced. Much of our good God’s love for me has come through each of you, in your prayers and supportive encouragement. Would you please continue to be instruments of God’s love to me as you pray for the following?
- wisdom with time management. In this year before going to fulltime language school next summer, I will be busy reading many important books on culture & theology, learning some French, traveling around to share God’s vision for mission, raising support, and spending meaningful time with friends & family. Please pray that I would love the Lord above all, & that my toil for His kingdom – even in sharing the Gospel & serving the poor here & now in my work, church, & community – would come from the quiet peace of knowing His love for me & His world.
- my team-building. My ministries have ALWAYS been possible only with the help of others, & this fact will continue in my ministry in Niger. While my greatest need by far is for your prayers, there is undoubted need for financial support as well. For my first 5-year term (summer 2006 onward), my monthly support need (including basic living costs, retirement, & medical insurance) comes to about US$2300 per month, & my one-time outgoing expenses amount to about US$25,000 (including travel, language school, medical supplies, & vehicle). Would you prayerfully consider joining me in God’s ministry to Niger with your prayer & financial support? If you’d like to chat more about my ministry or would like me to speak to your church group, I’d be happy to arrange that. My hope & prayer is that this mutual ministry of support & encouragement would continue both now & when I go overseas. My own home sending church, the Evangelical Formosan Church in Riverside, California, has me sharing about world mission every month, & in October I will preach (in Taiwanese!) about the Lordship of Christ for all believers. Certainly much prayer is needed for that!
- a ministry partner. For many years I have prayed for someone with whom I could go overseas together for ministry. Now that departure is just around the corner, I find myself thinking, “Wow, it’d sure be nice to pray & do all these preparations such as team-building, theological training, & learning French together with someone headed overseas with me.” Before you say, “Hey Sid, that sounds like a wife!,” let me inform you that my longstanding vision for this partner has been for a brother-in-Christ, & that perhaps we could go overseas together with our families. Recently at the SIM conference, I met others who are in a situation much like what I’ve prayed for. One pair of couples are college friends preparing to serve in Burkina Faso. Another pair of couples just returned from Ethiopia where the fruitfulness of their ministry was a result of how their gifts & talents complemented each other’s. When I met these couples, I was encouraged to pray more fervently for my own partner, & even to ask your help in praying for this person. Perhaps God is preparing one of you to join me! Or, perhaps I’ll only meet this person when I’m finally on the field in Niger. In any case, your prayer for this would be greatly appreciated! And if you insist on praying for my wife, I certainly won’t turn that down! (Many of you seem to pray & prod for this no matter whether I ask for it or not!) Ha!

Seriously though, I am thoroughly indebted to you for your love. Thank you so much for your support. Please let me know how I may be of support to you as well. May we live each day deeply knowing that God’s love has FOUND us, & may the world around us see it shine clearly through.

Constrained by His LOVE
(2 Corinthians 5:14), Sid Steve Wu

"SID'S KIDS"
-Patrick (13) explaining why he’s waiting until he gets married to have sex: "At my age it's, like, impossible to get a job."
-Tiffany (4) while pointing at my pimples: “Dr. Wu, you have a lot of ‘owies’ on your face"
-To the question “Why do you have a nose?,” Jarnell (3) replied: “For boogers.”

小吳新聞
“愛是永不止息。。。” （哥林多前書13：8）
2005年8月19日
Sidney.wu@sim.org (注意：我新的Email住址)

親愛的被愛的大家:
你們好嗎？我希望也祈禱收到信的你們一切安好，而主耶穌基督的愛能淩駕於你們所面對的種種。如果我最近都不曾聽到你的消息，請讓我知道你的近況。
萬一你需要一點提醒，時間飛逝！！！
是的，繼我上一封代禱信只過了兩個月。然而，我還沒有離開美國。
但是離我出國的日子已經不遠了，所以有很多是要告訴大家。想聽嗎？那就往下看吧。

小吳找到了真愛！
愛。有些人說它如何難以找尋，然而因爲某些奇異的原因，我覺得自己最近在生命的每一個轉角都被愛包圍。
並不是我自己沒有在尋求它。對那些最瞭解我的人來講，你們知道我從很久前就開始尋求愛。從我上國中，甚至是更早之前，我就曾想象我未來的家庭 – 我未來的太太，我未來的孩子們，甚至是我未來的孫子孫女，曾孫子曾孫女。我想這在同齡的男孩中並不尋常，但是我已經規劃了我未來的家庭，也準備給一個女人浪漫，贏得她的心。
而後我長大了。一些過早的開始，其間的錯誤，與痛苦的分手強迫我從我一直向往的愛情中抽離, 而神也使用這些痛苦的經歷來幫助我看到愛 – 他的愛 – 透過充滿了智慧與正直的雙

眼。那激情呢？那浪漫哪？當它們在與神所要求的聖潔不相融是，它們就必須要被擺在後面。
但在過去的幾個月中，上帝對我有些詼諧。在六月，一個關於在醫療領域給予靈性關懷的討論會中(www.gomets.org)，我認識了Charles和Laura Abavare, 一對在醫療領域工作，並渴望用他們的專業來服侍神的年輕夫婦。讓我來告訴你: 他們的愛的故事是如此的瘋狂。誰會想到，愛會在一個年輕迦納男人跟一個年輕的美國白人女護士間，在她在非洲做短暫工作停留，而他卻剛要離開去德國時萌芽？誰會相信他們的愛經歷了幾千英里的阻隔，電話中決定的婚約而得以維繫。誰又會知道他們的愛會在Charles回到迦納，Laura回到美國，雙方家人持混雜意見的時候繼續。還有那張“從神來的預付電話卡，”在超過了使用時間後還持續了將近一年，直到Charles移民來美國爲止，而且只在Charles撥打Laura的號碼是才能使用。這些誰又能瞭解呢？？？
不必說，當我座在晚餐桌前聽著Abavare不尋常的愛的故事時，我的下巴都合不攏了。
但愛的故事並沒有到此結束。在過去的兩個月中我有幸聽到了其他幾個美好的愛的故事。特別是在七月我跟我的福音傳教會之一（Serving in Mission; SIM）到北卡羅來納州參加另一個討論會。我聽到了Daniel與Solene，在幾年前同樣跨越了大西洋，美國與法國間的浪漫。Troy與Kim相應的跨越了太平洋，美國與印度間的浪漫。還有Len和Jody Olson,他們閃電式的愛讓他們從第一次約會到定婚只經歷了兩個月的時間。Brad在幫Brenda Clark修理車庫門的時候，蹦出火花的不只是他的熔接槍，他們的愛情也開始了。Tim與Cathi Emery間的愛顯然穩固的持續著，因爲他們五個月前剛生下了他們第八個美麗的孩子。
對一個連愛的概念都愛的人來說，能聽到這些真實的愛情故事是如此的美好！我找到了真愛。
我聽到你在講，“嘿加怡, 不要總是用這種題目來誤導我們！那你自己的愛情故事呢？“
要知道，對一個早在超過15年前就開始想象他未來家庭的孩子來說，我自己也常常這樣想。但當我聽到別人的愛情故事，默想上帝臨在我身上的奇妙美好，看到神在他孩子身上全然的創造力，我就不爲此擔心。
事實上，當Charles Abavare 講完他與Laura的愛的故事，而我突出的眼球回到眼眶，那令我合不攏嘴的驚訝也漸漸退卻，我拍著他的背大聲宣告, “Charles, 你給了我希望！”
是的，神的偉大與美好的的確確給了我對自己愛的故事的希望。事實上，當我想起神就是愛（約翰一書1：7），我瞭解到我的故事早已開始了。在我的故事裏會有一位太太嗎？我希望也祈禱會有這麽的一天，我爲了遇見她的那一天用禱告來預備我自己，當上帝的愛中來的熱誠與智慧讓我能夠服侍她，追求她。她會是從比任何人都愛我的神那裏來的珍貴禮物，因爲世間沒有比耶穌爲我死更偉大的愛（約翰福音15：13）。
無論我將來是否結婚, 我已經找到了愛。更確切地說，是愛找到了我。他穿越了比海洋更遙遠的距離找到了我。他告訴我們，“我已永遠的愛，愛你，因此我以慈愛吸引你”。
是的，我已經的的確確被愛所吸引。

尼日：我來了！
上帝的慈愛幫助我決定了我明年夏天要去的地方。我去年幾乎一整年都在爲去尼日的可能性禱告，主要因爲那裏靈性與物質的需要，以及當地福音醫院所提供的住院醫師的培訓課程。上個月，在我剛剛提到過的SIM討論會上，我獲悉那裏有一個醫生的空缺。
讓我來告訴你一些關於尼日的事。作爲西非最大的國家，尼日地處內陸，位於撒哈拉沙漠的南部。這片乾燥的大地上居住了一千一百萬不同族裔的人。最近發生的乾旱，蝗蟲的侵襲所導致的饑荒，使尼日在近來的新聞頭條上出現。它是全世界第二窮困的國家，90%的人民過著勉強溫飽的生活。平均每三萬民衆才有不到一個醫生。嬰孩的死亡率比美國高18倍，此次饑荒前統計的預期平均壽命是41歲。除了物質的窮困，屬靈的匱乏也廣泛的蔓延：90%的人稱他們自己是回教徒，只有不到1%的人知道並跟隨主耶穌。
我常常向主祈求他會將我使用在最需要的地方，我相信你也會同意尼日的確是有著難以衡量的需要。我的盼望與祈求是主會在尼日在醫療，福音，以及社區建設各方面使用我。我之所以選擇醫學學術研究，是希望可以長期致力於爲主造就其他有負擔的醫生，幫助他們來造就下一代的信徒，繼他們之後會繼續關懷SIM駐Galmi醫院的物質與精神的需求。
在去尼日前顯然還有許多準備的工作。我將會繼續進行文化以及神學方面的課程，經濟上的籌備，我也需要保持自己醫療技術的現時性，做身體上的準備，找時間與家人和朋友相處，當然更要預備我的心來愛唯一的真神，要靠著他來完成他擺在我前面的衆多的工作。

愛的委託
我向你們保證：擺在我面前的工作是艱巨的，是我絕對不可能離開我們慈愛的天父全部單獨完成的。著手與這一決定跟我之前經歷的福音短宣不同。我們天父對我的愛，很多都是通過你們的禱告與鼓勵傳達給我。是否可以請你們繼續作上帝愛的器皿，繼續爲我爲以下事項禱告呢？
- 時間管理的智慧。今年，在下個暑期全職進入語言學校前，我將會忙於閱讀很多有關文化以及神學方面的重要書籍，學習法文，去各地分享上帝傳播福音的意象，徵召援助，與家人跟朋友有意義的分享時間。請禱告我會愛神勝過一切，爲了他的國度辛勞 – 即使是此時此地，在我的工作，教會，即所在的社區中傳播福音，爲貧困的人服務 – 這一切都會是來自於知道了他對我的愛，他的國度而得來的平安。
- 我的團隊建設。我的服侍一直以來都是因爲大家的幫助才得以成就，這個事實在我在尼日的服侍中也不會改變。我最最需要的是你們的禱告，但毫無疑問的我也需要經濟上的援助。在最初的五年的任期裏(從2006暑期開始)，我每月的需要（這包括了基本的生活所需，退休金，醫療保險）總計約兩千三百美金，以及一次性所需（包括旅行，語言學校，醫療器材，當地的交通工具）兩萬五千美金。請你是否能禱告考慮給與我禱告與經濟上的支援，同我一起參與上帝的事工？如果你想跟我討論我的事工，或是要我去你的教會演說，我會很樂意做出安排。我的希望與禱告是想要這相互支援及鼓勵的事工在現在直至我出國之後一直持續下去。差遣我的教會, 臺灣福音教會恩聯分會，每月都由我分享全球福音傳播的資訊，我將在十月（用台語）傳講主耶穌基督于所有信徒的主權。非常需要你們爲此禱告。
- 一位共同服侍的同伴。多年來我一直爲一位可以共同出國服侍的同伴禱告。現在離開的日子就在眼前，我發現自己會想，“哦，如果可以跟一位要共同出國服侍的同伴一起禱告，並作其他如神學及法文課程的準備工作那會多好。”在你要說，“嘿加怡，聽起來像是位太太”前，讓我先告訴你，我多年來希望的同伴是一位主內的弟兄，而我們可以帶我們的家庭一起出國。最近在SIM候選人的討論會上，我遇見了與我禱告類似的情況。有兩對夫婦是大學時的朋友，正在一起準備去Burkina Faso服侍。另外兩對剛從衣索比亞回來的夫婦，他們的服侍在那裏，因著他們天賦和才能的互補，結出了豐盛的屬靈果實。看到這些夫婦，激勵我爲服侍的同伴更熱心的禱告，甚至也請你們爲著那個人禱告。也許上帝正預備你們中的某一個人來參與我的事工！也許我將在到了尼日之後才會遇到這位同伴。無論怎麽樣，我會很感激你們可以爲此禱告！如果你一定堅持要爲著我將來的太太禱告，我當然也不會拒絕！（無論我是否要求，你們中的很多人都在禱告或催促此事！）哈！
不過，認真地講，你們的愛讓我虧欠良多。非常感謝你們的支援。也請告訴我，我可以如何成爲你們的支援。願我們在活著的每一天裏，深深知道是神的愛尋到了我們，也願我們身邊的世界能看到這愛明白的顯現。
爲他的愛所激勵（歌林多後書5：14）！
吳加怡

小吳小孩（一）
Patrick (13)在解釋爲什麽他要等到婚後才進行性行爲時說：“在我的年紀，是，好像，不可能找得到工作的”。
小吳小孩（二）
Tiffany (4) 指著我的青春痘說，“吳醫生，你的臉上有好多‘痛痛’”。
小吳小孩（三）
在被問到“爲什麽你有鼻子”時，Jarnell (3) 答：“給鼻屎用的。”

如果你們需要我之前的代禱信：
www.sidneywu.blogspot.com
(由張簡頁翻譯)