February 1, 2021
Chinese New Year Full Blessing Prayer Booth
It was my first outreach experience with both pastor Jamie and with BBPN on January 30, 2021. We partnered with volunteer young adults of Taipei Truth Lutheran Church. Prior to the day, I did not know anyone apart from pastor Jamie and Risa as I attended a different church.
The event was held at the church lobby, organised by the local neighbourhood office leading up to Chinese New Year celebrations. Many visitors were 60 years and above, retired, with free time on their hands. They were attracted to the event because the local neighbourhood office and sponsors prepared many freebies and raffle prizes for them.
We worked in three groups of pairs at the prayer booth. Pastor Jamie and Risa were on standby to reinforce the team as needed.
The first group would welcome visitors to our booth to pick a red packet that contained scripture and a prayer card. Visitors are then directed to the second group who would help them read the message and at times pray with them. The visitors would be invited to receive more blessings from the third group.
The third group used “The Full Blessing” prayer booklet which lists seven blessings. The visitors were invited to choose the blessing they wanted most, for example “Family Harmony ” or “Inner Peace”. There was a corresponding prayer for each blessing that the third group prayed out loud with the visitors.
The prayers were short and powerful. I remember seeing one that was literally the prayer of repentance from sin and to receive Salvation. I have not seen the gospel message communicated in this way and in such a short time! We gifted them with “The Full Blessing” prayer booklet to take home, and invited them to leave their contact details if they would like to. Several people did.
Several legislators and Taipei City senators made a public presence or hosted the event. Some promote public safety and health awareness. Many of them visited our booth to check out the experience, and ended up receiving prayer from the team.
There was a group of 20 or so Buddhists with a stall that promoted “health and environmental sustainability”. I imagine many have not been inside the church before. Some of the members came around but refrained from going through the three steps. I also saw others that didn’t appear to know the Lord, but took their time to experience the three steps. It was beautiful to watch individuals open up and receive prayer, share which blessing they desired most, and to receive them.
I pray that those who received the love of Yeshua in their hearts that day will remember it and return for more, and share their experience with others!