Blessed Ian (a follow-up letter from our 12/2005 cousins' trip to the Grand Canyon)

Dearest Cousins:

[As I write this, I want you guys first to know a few things. First I want you to know that I write out of my WEAKNESS; the things I share are lessons I am still learning. Those of you who joined us for the trip to the Grand Canyon know that I felt (& feel) least worthy of having organized & led the trip. Second, I want it to be clear that I don't write as if I was the person who most cared for Ian during our trip; Anna & Austin worked hardest by far to care him.]

It's not easy taking care of our cousin Ian, is it?

Why not just come out & say it? He doesn't like to bathe. He doesn't appreciate a lot of the things I enjoy doing (like playing group games or exercising). He gets "stuck" on certain things that I just don't understand (coins, travel brochures) & can throw tantrums when he doesn't get his way. Having him around keeps me from being able to do some things I otherwise would like to do. Caring for him adds extra, tangible burden to my life's plans.

"BLESSED IS IAN..."
What I've been learning in the last few years, though, is that God's economy isn't much like the world's economy. Our Lord Jesus' very life & death attest to that fact. He flips upside-down our innate value systems, perhaps best stated in His words from the mountain:
"Blessed are the poor... Blessed are those who mourn... Blessed are the meek... Blessed are those who hunger & thirst... Blessed are the merciful... Blessed are the pure in heart... Blessed are the peacemakers... Blessed are those who are persecuted..." (Matthew 5:1-12).
If Jesus is among us now in Spirit, does He not add, "Blessed is Ian"? (I'll tell you what I mean in a minute...)

I look at the list of what Jesus tells us signifies blessing, & I say to myself, "What??!!! Aren't these things typically the very things we try to AVOID?"

Perhaps my strong reaction is because of how Jesus challenges my own life, my own values. "What does that mean about ME? Am I blessed?"

Yes, dear cousins, I AM blessed... but how? My health? My being American/Canadian? My degree? My getting to live in a beautiful place? My Taiwanese heritage? My ability to communicate? My medical degree? A lot of people certainly have encouraged me to think that these are blessings... so are they right?

Maybe. It isn't that I'm not thankful for each or that they haven't benefited me. Each has helped me in one way or another. But if I recognize them to be something they're not (as if they make me more valuable or lovable), or if I don't let them "die" & then disciple them to be used for God's kingdom (Luke 9:23), they can end up... well, damning.

When I was in a position to preach & teach in churches (not now), I had the sneaking suspicion that some people would pay attention only because I was a doctor, a so-called "upstanding member of society." So did my being a doctor help people to hear the Gospel? I'd have to say "perhaps," if they saw me as someone wholly submitted to Jesus, who happened to live that out in the vocation of medicine. More often, I'm very afraid, my being a doctor might have instead distracted from the Gospel message. Would these people have listened more, or less, carefully if Jesus Himself was speaking? Isaiah 53:2 tells us of Jesus, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." Was I speaking from a life totally discipled to Christ, following in His willingness for self-sacrifice? Jesus spoke to many & was murdered on the cross!

So then, who's more blessed: Ian or I? I honestly don't have the answer to that, because I know God has greatly blessed me in saving my life from sin.

But I do know that Ian is remarkably blessed. He comes before God with only child-like faith (just as we can, if we're humble enough to recognize it). Ian must rely on the help of others (just as we must, when we're humble enough to realize it). He trusts implicitly that his needs (which he cannot meet on his own) will be met (just as we are called to in humility).

To be sure, Ian has a few needs we don't have. He can't safely go around a new area on his own. He needs reminders to keep himself clean. He might make some people uncomfortable at parties.

But he also has the ability to teach us, in ways we cannot teach ourselves, how to live a simple life. To learn from him, we must humble ourselves just as the pious Pharisees & powerful Roman soldiers needed to if they wanted to learn from the lowly carpenter's son Jesus (Matthew 23:12). Ian, too, teaches us from his blessedness.

We can be blessed by Ian not only by learning from him, but also in caring for him. When we care for Ian, we learn to serve Jesus in ways we could not otherwise learn. When I read Matthew 25:31-46, I am challenged to serve Jesus among "the least of these brothers of mine," & it involves remembering that these "least" are in fact the ones Jesus calls MOST blessed.

When we get our new glorified bodies on the other side of eternity, & the curse of autism (oh yes it is a curse; because of Redemption God simply forces it to become a blessing for His children; Romans 8:28) is lifted from Ian's being, perhaps he'll be able to articulate all the things we'll have yet to learn. And together, along with the rest of our family, may we cry out together, "Yes Jesus, You had it right all along. Thank You for blessing us in ways You knew were best for us, in ways we ourselves would never have imagined."

And thank you, Ian.

God's grace is too awesome for words, isn't it, Dear Cousins?

Love,
Stephen
PS: Again, I'm sorry for taking so long to write.

Important announcement

January 27, 2006

Dearest Praying Friends & Family:

How are you? I pray that this letter finds you joyfully learning the lessons God has for you, for His kingdom's sake. From some of you I've heard pretty tough news; may the Lord specially show you His great mercy & grace. From some of you I've heard very, very happy news; praises to God!

It has been about 7 months since I last wrote to you en-masse regarding missions, & many of you know that after many years of preparation I was planning to depart from the U.S. this year. Your support through the years was invaluable to me, & I could hardly have ever deserved it. At very strategic times when life was hard, God used many of you to encourage me. Thank you very, very much.

All of your goodness to me makes this important announcement all the more difficult to make: at the beginning of last month I made the decision to cancel my plans for overseas service.

The decision was not made lightly. I discussed it with some close brothers, some pastors, and the staff of my mission boards, & it was clear that this was the best path for me to take at this time. Cancelling my plans for overseas service now is not only the best for me, but also is the best way to honor the ministry of each mission board & to glorify our holy God. Serving In Mission (SIM) & Evangelical Formosan Church's Global Life Enrichment Center (EFC/GLEC), & Project MedSend, while extending their prayerful support, have accepted my resignations from mission appointment.

My prayer is that there is no misunderstanding about the reasons for this decision. It certainly was NOT that I felt under-supported; on the contrary many of you made clear to me that you were behind me 100%, & the different organizations I worked with also graciously gave me full support. It also is NOT because I no longer feel mission work is important; rather, I know that it is vital to God's kingdom... our world yet needs to hear about Christ!

Rather, the reason for my withdrawal is because of the unreadiness of my HEART. Even though my financial, occupational, cultural, physical, language, family, & organizational preparations were all "in place," I had failed to guard my HEART against idolatry. I had turned away from worshiping the one, true, wonderful God, to worship other things, including my own fears & my own plans for life. From these sinful roots sprang forth other problems which further clouded my ability to serve & lead effectively in God's kingdom, & disqualified my service as a church leader per 1 Timothy. For this reason I stepped down from leadership in my local church (EFC & Living Water Christian Fellowship) months ago. Sadly, I was the one who had failed to submit my life to the holy goodness of Christ.

My offense was most deeply against our loving God, of course. I have asked His forgiveness, & He has graciously granted it in Jesus. He also continues to love me through helping me understand the roots of my sin, helping me work through its effects, & giving me a close band of brothers to encourage & challenge me according to His holy standards. God's word assures me that this process is not punitive, but rather restorative. Even in the last month I have been blessed with opportunities to serve His kingdom in non-leadership roles in my local church, in my family, with friends, & at work. God has been too good to me.

Still, I know that I hurt others besides God. The boards I was working under invested a considerable amount of time & other resources into me, & I let them down. Several people gave me money before I ever formally asked for it; I returned or redirected their contributions according to their wishes. My family & my local church were all ready for my departure & were deeply praying for my readiness.

I hurt you, too, in taking your loving support lightly as I failed to stand strong for God's kingdom as your representative.

Please forgive me for so deeply wronging you.

Yours Truly,
Sidney Wu

LOVE News photo #8

Where in the world is Niger?

LOVE News photo #7

Here I come Niger, with love!
尼日我來了，帶著愛！

LOVE News photo #6

Apparently Gabrielle, fluent in French & of 1/2-French descent, doesn’t much love my French acting. She heads to Niger this fall.
很顯然，講流利法文並有1/2法國血統的Gabrielle，不太喜歡我學的法國人。她今年秋季將出發去尼日。

LOVE News photo #5

Joking around with friends at church, a face only a mother could love
在教會同朋友們玩鬧，“只有媽媽才會愛”的臉。

LOVE News photo #4

A recent 5K race with friends
最近同朋友參加五公里長跑。

LOVE News photo #3

Receiving Love
Dale, a fellow missionary, prays for me after I shared my testimony in North Carolina
“接收愛” Dale, 一位傳教士弟兄, 在我於北卡羅來納州分享我的見證後爲我禱告。

LOVE News photo #2

Giving Love
At my high school alma mater helping to award a scholarship we started a few years ago
“給予愛” 在我以前的高中，幫助頒發我們幾年前開設的獎學金。

LOVE News photo #1

“Love is an ocean”
Laura and Charles Abavare, separated by an ‘ocean’ of love
“愛如海洋”Laura和Charles Abavare， 在愛的海洋的兩岸。

(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)

FIRST ENTRY: "TO ALL READERS..."

Hi there, Reader:

You must be either incredibly bored or incredibly gracious to be reading this blog. I still don't know what "blog" means or what it's etymology is, though I suspect it's short for "web log." Who knows? I'm starting this because a few friends have suggested it, especially that I would make my public prayer letters more accessible to people.

Yeah, I'm a missionary, at least I'm preparing to be one, & God has been very gracious with me in adopting me as His child & putting me in His kingdom's service.

My favorite Bible passage follows: "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 7,8). Yes, Christ died for me waaaaaaay before I ever repented or even knew He or I existed. His love for me precedes even my existence. And because of His love, I live.

Here's what I recently prayed when writing my latest prayer letter (2005 June 3):
"Dear God, please use this letter to be a blessing to Yourself & to all its readers. Guide me in writing it, & help my ideas to flow in a manner that clearly honors You. Above all I desire that its readers would be encouraged to find all of their satisfaction in You alone, & that You would be glorified not just in the words of this letter but even more so in the lives transformed by Your message of grace through me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."

That prayer also applies to this whole blogging thing. May Jesus be praised.

Humbly Yours,
Sidney Stephen Chiayee Wu

(All previous newsletters were subsequently uploaded)

Snap photo #7

Visiting the "Z" early February
Pastor Jim Ziervogel, a long-time missionary pastor & researcher of Chinese peoples, recently went to be with the Lord after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease 
二月初探望“Z” Jim Ziervogel牧師曾長時間致力與華人的傳教與研究。在長期與帕金森綜合症作戰後，最近歸回主裏。

Snap photo #6

Visiting old friends in Mexico late May
Our local church has had a relationship with Pastor Samuel & Ernestina Garcia in Ensenada since 1996 
五月底在墨西哥看望老朋友 我所在的教會從1996年開始，與在Ensenada的Samuel牧師和Ernestina Garcia(師母)一直有聯繫。

Snap photo #5

May GLEC Prayer meeting 
五月GLEC的禱告會

Snap photo #4

"Studying" with nephew Nathan 
跟外甥Nathan一起“學習”

Snap photo #3

Meet the family: Brother-in-law Eric, sister Ruth, father Paul holding nephew Nathan, & mother... Grace! 
我的家人 姐夫Eric, 姐姐Ruth, 父親Paul抱著外甥Nathan, 和母親 。。。Grace!

Snap photo #2

Band of Brothers: God has used this group of men to encourage and strengthen me countless times 
主內弟兄 上帝使用這些弟兄無數次的鼓勵堅定了我。

SNAP News 小吳新聞

June 3, 2005
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” Romans 16:19

Dear Reader:
What word would you use to describe the last six months of your life? “Uneventful?” “Roller-coaster?” “Chaotic?” “Smooth?” “A blur?” “Tragic?”

If I haven’t heard from you lately, I’d love to hear an update, & hear what word you’d use to describe your life in the last six months. From some of you I hear great and joyful news. Babies are being born, lovers are growing in their marriages, people are finding peace with God. To these people, I share in your joy. Praise the Lord for His goodness.

From others, I hear news of despair and sadness. Churches are stagnant, relationships are strained, loved ones are ill or dying. To these, please know I share in your sorrow. More importantly, please know that God Himself tells us that He is especially near to you (Psalm 34:18). I pray you will know His comfort and strength.

You’ll find out soon what word I use to describe my own last six months of life (and it’s not “snap”). I pray that from this newsletter you’ll be encouraged, challenged, and blessed to the glory of our very good God!

“Local Doctor Learns to SNAP!!!”
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the word “snap” as “to break suddenly with a sharp sound.” Several months ago as I sat in my clinic examining room with my 18-year-old patient Douglas, I learned a new definition to the word “snap”: an exclamation of surprised discovery. This young man taught me this new definition as I explained some of marijuana’s terrible side-effects in order to encourage him to stop using it. Apparently, Douglas never knew that marijuana interferes with the body’s sex hormones and can cause gynecomastia and testicular atrophy.

“Douglas, did you know that marijuana can make you grow breasts?”

“SNAP!!!” he exclaimed with bugged-out eyes of disbelief. “You serious??!!! Nawwww, man. I gotta stop, man.”

“And did you know that marijuana can make your balls shrink?”

“SNAP!!!” he sputtered, again with bugged-out eyes, “What??!!! Aww, man, I don’t want that! No more, man… No more…”

On the outside, Douglas was a hard young man recently released from juvenile hall after serving a 3-year sentence. He had made some very bad decisions in life, and already he was the father of a young child. Though he wanted life to be different, he continued to make bad decisions, and it was hurting him. I was thankful for his honesty with me and his openness to my advice that day.

That day, Douglas not only welcomed the truth about his body and the important health decisions he needed to make. After I got his permission to share it, Douglas also welcomed the truth about the God who created him and died for him so that he could live a joy-filled, meaningful life. Though Douglas had grown up in a religious home, he knew that his life was not yielded to God’s authority. Before our short but joyful appointment was over, we prayed together for God’s strength and wisdom, that we would trust in the power of the Cross to make the right decisions.

A few months later Douglas returned to my clinic for a minor, unrelated problem. We quickly addressed that problem, and as I wrote out my prescription I asked him how he was doing in general.

With a smile, he answered, “I’m learning to trust God more.”

Snap!!! This time MY eyes bugged out (with joy)!

I asked him what he meant by “trusting God more,” and he responded that he was praying often and experiencing answers to prayer. He was no longer smoking marijuana, and was now employed at an uncle’s business. When I asked him if he was reading God’s Word to learn more about the God he was praying to, he replied that he found it too hard to understand though he had tried several times. I assured him that even the Bible says that nobody can understand it except by God’s help. Before he left for the day, we prayed again, thanking God for His faithfulness and asking for His help in understanding His Word. I encouraged Douglas to continue praying, to start reading the Gospel of John, & to find a trusted mentor to help him understand what he was reading.

Dear Reader, who do you think left these encounters more blessed, Douglas or I? I don’t know how heaven’s accounting department might answer that question, but I can tell you that I was unbelievably blessed by these encounters. Douglas himself deeply blessed me for his openness and evident joy. Even more, God blessed me with the opportunity to see His awesome life-changing power at work, and He gave me the grace of being used to help a younger brother in the faith. God’s grace is awesome!

“CAUTION: G.R.A.C.E. AT WORK”
Yes, God’s grace is truly awesome. In fact, I think GRACE is the word that best describes the last six months of my life since the last newsletter from November. God’s grace has been incredibly evident not only in my encounters with Douglas and other patients at work but also in all other areas of my life. Would you please join me in praising God for some particularly important graces of the last six months?
- By God’s grace, I passed last October’s national pediatric board examination! Yipee! I don’t have to take it again for another 7 years! (The internal medicine board renewal takes place in 10 years.)
- By God’s grace, I’ve been awarded a grant with Project MedSend, a ministry which will help pay off my educational loans while I’m serving overseas. This obviously is a big blessing because it removes a huge barrier to overseas service. The target departure date remains July 2006.
- By God’s grace, I’ve been able to serve brothers and sisters in my local church (Evangelical Formosan Church of the Inland Empire), particularly by way of leading monthly Mission Focus Sundays and visits to a local convalescent home. Many have gained a wider perspective of God’s world as I share what I have learned about missions, various peoples, and such issues as racism, suffering, and the meaning of worship.
- By God’s grace, I was given the opportunity to serve alongside other staff in my church’s mission board Global Life Enrichment Center (GLEC) in teaching an adult Sunday School unit on missions at a southern California church about an hour from my home. Several students mentioned they were encouraged by what we shared.
- By God’s grace, I completed my first seminary class! Serving In Mission (SIM), the secondary mission board I’m applying to, recommended some Bible training, and the class (English Bible Survey) I took at Westminster Seminary California has helped me to gain a greater understanding of God’s awesome power and goodness (GRACE again!) throughout eternity.

The graces in my life are just too many to count! Even the simple events of spending time in relationship with family and friends, seeing beautiful landscapes, and watching my little nephew Nathan grow up before my eyes are graces in themselves.

What do I mean when I say “grace”? I mean that I don’t deserve even one small bit of any of these very good things, yet I still get them! It is a wondrous mystery to me why God would love me so much as to send His Son Jesus to live a perfect life (because I can’t) & die for my sin (so I wouldn’t have to), and then, to top it off, provide all kinds of good things through that already-supreme gift! Someone has said that G.R.A.C.E. stands for “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense,” and it describes a great truth: Christ’s life bought these good things for me. I can but only thank Him for His goodness.

“GRACE REQUESTS”
Dear Reader, I hope that you already know that I consider even my relationship with you to be an amazing grace. May I ask that YOU be an extra-special instrument of God’s grace to me specifically in the prayer items below?
- July 9-30 SIM conference in North Carolina. During that time it will be clarified what kind of overseas assignment I will take, where that assignment will be, when the assignment will start, and what kind of final preparations I will need to make. It appears that mission hospitals in Niger, Ethiopia, and Nigeria top the list of potential sites. Please pray specifically that there will be good coordination between my local church, my denominational mission board (GLEC), and my secondary mission board (SIM) to the glory of God.
- my family. 2006 is but a year away, and it will be here before we know it. Please pray that my time with both nuclear and extended family would be meaningful and fruitful in the time remaining with them.
- my heart. A few months ago during one of my lessons with GLEC on preparing to become a missionary, I shared that while occupational, financial, organizational, and physical preparation are very important, HEART preparation is far, far more important. Please pray, perhaps now more than ever, that my heart would be faithful to the Lord in all areas of my life. While I very seldom share what I write in my prayer journals, perhaps it would help you to understand what I’m asking if you read part of what I wrote March 6 (edited for clarity):

Jesus, though I mobilize hundreds for overseas missions service, yet not abide in You, I am but a misguided fool. Though I extend the health & lives of thousands yet not find my hope in You alone, I am but a broken & diseased invalid. Though I cause thousands of little children to laugh & play, yet not find my joy in You alone, I am but an object to be scorned in shame. Though I help thousands of old men & women to stand & walk straight with renewed dignity, yet not find my strength in You alone, I am no better than a dirty wet noodle fallen behind the oven. If I win the fame & acclaim of millions yet not know my meaning in You alone, I am to be pitied more than any other. And if I could understand all intricacies of Scripture & theology, yet not walk with You, I would know but nothing at all.

O Jesus, in You alone there is life. In You alone there is hope. In You alone exist true joy & strength. I can find meaning & understanding in You alone. Thank You for the gracious gifts, that perhaps as I depend on You alone You might use me to inspire another to serve You, that some might be restored to health. Some children may laugh; some old brother or sister may know their importance in this life. As I walk with You, perhaps You might find it to Your glory that I have the respect of some. Thank You, that in You there will be good fellowship with brothers & sisters. Perhaps You might even extend to me the grace of a loving wife! But forbid that I should ever set these gifts above the Giver! Help me, O Lord, to worship You alone!

Dear Reader, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for being God’s instruments of grace in my life. He is totally awesome, isn’t He? May we know intimately His goodness & share it always. Thank you so very much for your love & care. Please let me know how you are doing as well, & how I may be of service to you.

By His Mighty Grace,
Sid Steve Wu

SID’S KIDS
-Daniel (age 9) while brother Paul (12) is getting some warts frozen off: “I like pain… I like to see my brother in pain.”
-Donshay (7), in response to the question, “Why do you have a belly?”: “So the food don't fall out!”
-Mother of Shane (2) as I closely examined a flaky scalp problem and asked how long it’d been there: “Oh that? A bird pooped on his head just as we were coming in from the parking lot!” SNAP!!!

For more information on these organizations, check out their websites:
Serving In Mission (SIM) www.sim.org
EFC’s Global Life Enrichment Center (GLEC) www.glecenter.org
Project MedSend www.medsend.org

“願我主耶穌基督的恩常和你們同在。”（羅馬書16：19）

親愛的讀者:
你會用什麽字來概括你最近六個月來的生活？ “無所事事”？ “動蕩起伏”？ “混亂”？ “平順”？ “謎盲”？ “悲哀”？
如果近來沒有聽到你的消息，我希望可以瞭解你的近況，聽聽你會用什麽字來描述你最近六個月來的生活。從有些朋友那裏傳來令人欣喜的消息。嬰孩的出生，相愛的人在婚姻中共同成長，人們從上帝中得來平安。對於你們，我真誠的分享你們的快樂。也讚美主的美好。
我也從有些朋友那裏聽到讓人焦慮傷痛的消息。教會的停滯不前，感情的破裂， 所愛的人患病甚至過世。對於你們，請記得我也希望能分擔你們的悲傷。更請記得，上帝親自應許我們此時他將更貼近我們（詩篇34：18）。我祈禱你們可以從他那裏得到安慰與力量。
你們將很快找出我用以描述我這六個月的詞（而那個字不是SNAP）。我禱告借著這份報導，我們上帝的榮耀將鼓勵，提醒，祝福每一位讀者。

“SNAP” – 當地醫生學習 “SNAP”
Merriam-Webster字典對“snap” 的注解如下：在刺耳的聲響中忽然斷裂。幾個月前，我在診所的診療室中，從一位十八歲的病人Douglas那裏學到了“snap” 的全新含義：用以抒發對某些發現驚訝情緒。爲了鼓勵這位年輕人停止使用大麻，我當時正在向他解釋大麻的副作用。與此同時，我也從他那裏學到了 “snap” 的新含義。Douglas顯然不瞭解大麻對人體性激素的影響，以至導致男子乳房發達和睾丸萎縮.
“Douglas, 你知道大麻會讓你長出胸部嗎？”
“SNAP!!!” 他瞪大了雙眼抒發他的難以置信。“你是說真的嗎？？！！！啊呀，我必須要停了它。”
“而且你知道大麻會讓你的蛋蛋縮小嗎？”
“SNAP！！！”他大喊，再次瞪大了雙眼，“什麽？！啊呀，我才不要這樣！夠了！夠了！”
從表面看來，Douglas是個缺乏情感的年輕人，他曾在少年監獄服刑三年，最近才被釋放。他一生中有過一些很 錯誤的決定，他甚至已經是一個孩子的父親。雖然他希望生命有所不同，他還是繼續作出錯誤的決定，而這些決定也繼續傷害著他。我爲他那日對我的誠懇，對我建議的坦然接受感恩。
當日，Douglas不僅願意接受關於他身體健康的事實。在征得他的同意後，Douglas也欣然接受了上帝。那位創造了他，爲他死，讓他的人生因此擁有喜樂與意義的神。雖然Douglas在有宗教背景的家庭長大，他知道自己的人生並未服從神的權柄。在我們短暫卻快樂的會面結束前，我們一起爲力量與智慧向上帝禱告，祈禱借著對十字架的信仰，我們會作出正確的決定。
幾個月後，因爲其他的小問題，Douglas 再次來到我的診所。問題很快就解決了，之後我一邊寫要給他的處方，一邊打聽他的近況。
他微笑著回答，“我在學習更加信任上帝。”
Snap!!!這次輪到我登大了雙眼（因爲喜樂）。
我詢問Douglas什麽是他所謂的“更信任上帝，”他回答說他常常禱告，也從禱告中尋到答案。他不再吸食大麻，也開始在叔叔的公司工作。當我問他是不是通過閱讀神的話語來更瞭解他禱告的對象。他說雖然有嘗試過幾次，但始終覺得有些困難。我安慰他說，即使是聖經本身也說離開了神的引導，沒有人能夠理解聖經。在他離開前，我們再次一起禱告。我們感謝神的信實，也祈求他幫助我們理解他的話語。我鼓勵Douglas繼續禱告，閱讀約翰福音，並且尋找值得信任的指導人幫助他理解他所閱讀的。
親愛的讀者，你認爲這次的會面使我們哪個得到更多益處，Douglas或是我？我不知道天堂的會計部會怎麽回答這個問題，但我可以說這件是對於我的祝福是難以置信的。Douglas以他的坦誠與喜樂深深的祝福了我。在此之上，上帝也以給我機會讓我看到他改變生命的大能的運行。他也使用我來幫助年輕弟兄的信仰。上帝的恩典是如此美妙。

“注意：G.R.A.C.E. 恩典運行”
是的，上帝的恩典是如此美妙。其實，我覺得“恩典”最好的概括了我自十一月的報道之後六個月來的生活。上帝的恩典不只在我與Douglas及其他病人的會面中顯現，也在我生活的其他方面顯現。請你也與我一起來讚美主在這六個月來的恩典。
 應著上帝的恩典，我在十月通過了全國的小兒科測驗！吔！我有七年不用重考那個考試了！（美國內科協會要求每十年對證書進行更新。）
 應著上帝的恩典，我收到Project MedSend 的經濟補助。Project MedSend將在我在海外服侍其間幫我付清我的教育貸款。這顯然是一大祝福，因爲它解決了海外服侍的一大障礙。計劃離開的日子定在2006年七月。
 應著上帝的恩典，我能夠服侍我所在教會的弟兄姐妹（臺灣福音教會恩聯分會），特別是帶領每月的“宣教關注周”與拜訪附近的養老院。通過我對全球福音傳播，不同種族，以及種族歧視，受難，敬拜的意義的分享，很多人對上帝有了更廣意的瞭解。
 應著上帝的恩典，我有機會與我教會福音傳播會的會員，普世豐盛生命中心(Global Life Enrichment Center, GLEC) 一起服侍。在離家一小時的南加某教會，我在查經會上討論了福音傳播的問題。部分學員提到我們的分享讓他們的到了鼓勵。
 應著上帝的恩典，我完成了我第一堂神學院的課程！我申請的令一個福音傳播會，Serving In Mission (SIM) 推薦了一些聖經輔導。而我在Westminster Seminary California上的課程（English Bible Survey）幫助我更透徹的瞭解了上帝永恒的大能與美好（恩典再現！）。
我生命中的恩典真是難以記數！即使是簡單的與家人朋友相處，欣賞美麗的風景，或是看我的小外甥Nathan在我的眼前成長，每件事本身都是恩典。
我這裏提到的“恩典”究竟是什麽呢？我是指我不配得到這麽美好的事物，但我卻依然擁有了。上帝因爲如此愛我而賜下他的獨生子耶穌基督，在地上行了完美的一生（因爲我的不完美），爲我的罪而死（因此我可以不用爲我的罪而死），而且，在此如此了不起的禮物之上，還賜下其他美好的事物。對我來說，這一切始終是個偉大難解的迷題。有些人用“God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense,” 來注釋G.R.A.C.E.(恩典)。這描述了一個偉大的真理；耶穌基督的生命爲我換取了這一切美好。我只有爲他的美好感恩。

“祈求恩典”
親愛的讀者，我希望你已經瞭解，我們的關係，對我來說也是一種奇異的恩典。我是否能夠請你成爲上帝恩典的特別器皿，幫我爲以下的幾項禱告？
- 七月9-30日SIM的北卡羅來納州的交流會。我將會得到我海外服侍的具體內容，服侍的地點，開始的時間，我需要進行的準備工作。就情形看，在非洲尼日, 衣索比亞, 和奈及利亞的教會醫院的可能性最高。請禱告我的教會，主要宣教會（GLEC），跟我的次要宣教會（SIM）會做好協調，共同榮耀上帝。
- 我的家人。2006是分離的一年，它會在我們意識到之前到來。請爲我與血親與遠親相處的時間禱告，希望我們接下來不多的時間會有意義，會結出屬靈的果實。
- 我的心靈。幾個月前，當我在GLEC講解如何準備成爲傳教士，我分享了職業，經濟，團體，及身體狀況各方面的準備都非常重要。而心靈的預備卻又更爲重要。請禱告，特別是現在，在人生的各方面，我的心靈會對上帝全然的誠信。我極少分享我的禱告信，但我三月六日的部分記錄也許可以幫助你理解我的代禱內容（爲內容清晰，有變更）。
主耶穌，雖然我發起了數百人的海外宣教服侍，但若是不在你的裏面，我只是一個失去指引的愚人。雖然我爲上千人延續了生命與健康，若我沒有將你看成唯一的盼望，我只是個破碎，得病而不被接受的人。雖然我帶給上千名孩子歡笑，若我沒有將你看成唯一的喜樂，我只是個被鄙視的羞愧的物件。雖然我令上千位老先生和老太太以全新的尊嚴站立行走，若我沒有將你當成唯一的力量，我會與掉在烤箱後面又髒又濕的麵條一樣不值。若我在數十萬人中擁有名聲和喝彩，卻沒有從你那裏瞭解我唯一的意義，那我將比任何人都值得同情。若我可以理解聖經和神學的一切細節，卻沒有同你一同行走，我就只是一無所知。
耶穌啊，唯有在你裏面才有生命。唯有在你裏面才有盼望。唯有在你裏面才有真正的喜樂與力量。我只能從你那裏找到理解與意義。感謝你充滿恩典的禮物，讓我有可能以你爲唯一的支柱，爲你使用，啓發更多人來服侍你，讓更多人能活回健康的生命。讓孩子們可以歡笑，讓年老的弟兄姐妹知道他們人生的重要。當我與你行走，也許你可以被榮耀，因我從人那裏得來的尊重。感謝你，在你之中，弟兄姐妹可以有美好的交通。也許你會延伸你的恩典，讓我有個充滿愛心的太太！但是禁止我將這些禮物擺在送禮物的人之上！主啊，幫助我，使我會單單敬拜你。
親愛的讀者，感謝你，感謝你，感謝你成爲上帝的器皿，來到我的生命中。他是全然奇妙的，不是嗎？願我們能夠親密的瞭解他的美好，並常常將其分享。非常感謝你們的愛與關懷。請也讓我知道你們的近況，讓我瞭解我可以如何服侍你們。

應著神的偉大恩典，
Sid Steve Wu 吳加怡

小吳的小孩(一) Daniel （9歲）當他的哥哥Paul（12）在冷凍去除繭時說：“我喜歡痛痛…我喜歡看我哥哥痛痛。”
小吳的小孩(二) Donshay (7), 在回答問題“爲什麽你有肚子”時，說“那樣食物就不會掉出來了。”
小吳的小孩(三) 我邊檢查Shane (2) 頭皮屑的問題，邊向他的的母親詢問這種狀況持續了多久：“哦，那個？我們從停車場過來時，有只鳥剛好大便在他頭上。”…SNAP!

如果你想了解更多关于这些团体的信息…
请查询这些网站：
普世豐盛生命中心 (GLEC) www.glecenter.org
Serving In Mission (SIM) www.sim.org
Project MedSend www.medsend.org
(由張簡頁翻譯)

Snap photo #1

"Dr. Roo!" 3 sisters of half-Nigerian descent: Tangla (3 years), Lindsay (2 months), & Tiffany (4 years). Wu has suspicion 2 older sisters purposely mispronounce his name. 
“Roo醫生!” 三個有一半奈及利亞血統的姐妹：Tangla (3歲), Lindsay（2個月）, Tiffany（4 歲）。吳懷疑她們一直都念錯他的名字。