Missionaries;

Alan & Janet Bgja^

rAK fiAicr

Lane

Hsin Sheng South Road, Section 1

Taipei 106, Taiwan R.O.C.

ctcaxAuml

Forwarding Agent:
Mrs, Linda Goerke
R. R. 2

King City, Mo. 6W3

January & February, 1977

Dear Friends,

Lately a couple of people have told me that they would like to

receive shorter newsletters from us more often.

Okay 1 I'll try

it. Your interest encourages us. I appreciaT^e this advice and

will
enjoy hearing any other suggestions.

We hear about the terrible winter you are having. It doesn't

j|||

seem possible that some parts of the country are running out of

|i

heating fuel and that people are forced-to only heat their houses |

to 50 degrees.

Of course 50 is as cold as it gets hexe but there i

is no heating in houses here at all (except the little electric

heater in Sarah's room.) We don't have snow here but we think

this constant rain is a nuisance. Wefve had about three hours of

,ji||

In our last newsletter we mentioned that Tom Love was coming to

I
*

He was recommended by Bill

McClure of Dallas Christian College.

Bill was here for about

a week last August and knew of the need here.

We started making

arrangements for Tom to come last October and he finally arrived

on January 18.

'

J>\ir
^

sunlight in the last three weeks.

help out with English Bus Tours.

' |

f; '

HHHHHBIHBiHHi

Tom has been a Christian for three years and a

student of Dallas Christian College for two. He is 25 and is a very

m ,

Compartment

energetic guy and has been a great encouragement to all of us. He had three weeks before he
really got into the work so he and I used this time to fix up his "apartment" which is in
the rear of the Church meeting place. Actually he calls it his "Compartment" since his
bedroom is taller than it is wide and necessitates putting the bed six feet up. There was no
hot water so we had to do quite a bit of plumbing besides carpentry. I am really thankful
that Tom is a "jack-of-all-trades."

Now he is pretty well settled in and is starting to work. He started teaching some English
Bible Classes on February 7th and has been on a Bus Tour and a week-end dinner, This week
end dinner is where about 25 Bus Tour members get
'*
together to have an evening meal with 5 Americans.

They all visit in English and after the meal there is

some singing and then a sermon preached in English

9^^ ^
and translated into Chinese. An invitation is given n i
and any interested are encouraged to linger and talk ,n i
personally about the Lord. Tom will become the

English Director of these activities as well as

teaching 18 hours

of English classes a week.

sM
J

ffSM-

He is

also in charge of a new English Correspondence course

^S||

>11

we are starting for the English Bus Tour members.

Even though his ministery is all in English he has

seen the need to study Chinese and so is taking 6

V %y

i-.

'

hours a week in Mandarin.

Janet and Sarah getting a little sun

Tom's coming is some-what of an experiment.

He has raised money for coming over here but

the Church here is providing him a place to live and his other expenses are taken care of
ly tuition paid for by students attending the English Bible classes he teaches. This will
also be enough to pay his fare back to America at the end of a year.

Tom just came back from taking the driver's test for a motor-cycle which, in his words,
"Blew my mind I" He especially liked the physical check-up where they checked his teeth
and nostrils. He passed the physical but flunked the road-test when he didn't stop at a
green light on the course. We still can't figure that one out but he can try it again in
15 more days.

Welcome to China 1!

BBMOSt

The RESTORATION BOOIffiTORE has now hired a secretary to work three days a week.

She is now

re-typing the cook-book, "Tips 'N Treats", for the printing of the 4th edition. This was
con5)iled by the missionary women here on the Island and published by us. It is sold to the
missionary community here missionaries, military, & business people. Chuck Johnston

comes to Taipei once or twice a week to work with Miss Chen (the secretary) on the corres
pondence course, the COMPASS OF TRUTH. Hiring Miss Chen would soon deplete bookstore funds
except for the fact that all the missionaries here have been putting in special contribu
tions from time to time besides the income from book sales.

Services for the blind have been down in number (around 8 each time) but they have been
good in quality. Three people made decisions "to be^baptised last week but still have not
carried through. Mr. Lee is planning to be baptised on Febcruary 14 and Miss Chen and Miss
Tsai are planning on March 7th. When Calvin and I went calling on these three to talk to
them personally about accepting Jesus the "girls" mentioned that there were three things

holding them back; (l) they were afraid of the water, (2) changing clothes in a strange
place was a problem for the blind, and (3) they were worried that if they became Christians
it would cause problems in the future should they have a proposal for marriage by a nonChristian. By the way, Sandi Kang was just telling us last night that this was one thing
that had kept her from becoming a Christian for a while but that it seemed like such a small
thing now. After settling these problems a suitable time was set. I prefers "the very hour
of the night" but this was their decision, not mine. In our Monday morning meeting for the
blind we have just started studying through the book of Romans.
Well, I thought I was going to write a short newsletter but it ended up about as long as
the last one.

At least it wasn't four pages long as it is sometimes.

I'll stop now and

write more later.

Yours In Jesus,

Alan, Be mo

M/M NORMAN MALM

2710 Huntington

NON-FROFIT

LAS CRUCES, N.M, 88001

ORGANIZATION

Return Requested

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IN

BEMO'S SOJOURNS
By faith they sojourned in the land
looking forward to a city which has foundations,
whose builder and maker is God. Heb.lh8-10

ALAN & JANET BEMO

Forwarding Agents

#5-1 Lane l6l

Hsin Sheng South Road,Section 1

R.R.

Taipei 106, Taiwan

King City, Mo. 6+63

Mrs. Linda Goerke

2

R.O.C,

February & March, 1977

Dear Friends,

You will notice that our letterhead has been changed. I really hat
ed to do this because we have been using- the Hame FAR EAST CRUSADER
for a long time about 12 years. Actually, I've wanted to change
it for quite some time now because I think it sounds kind of corny.
Also I

don't feel like much of a "crusader" and we are not sure we

will always be in the "Far East," I will have to explain that last
part later. The reason we decided to just call our letter BEMO'S
SOJOURNS is that the longer we live the more we realise that life

'here does not have foundation and that we are only visitors here. We
just want to keep you informed as to how we are trying to live by
faith during our sojourn.
Abraham lived in temporary and movable dwellings during his sojourn
and search. We are still living in a cement apartment building but
we did go camping recently. During the first and second day of

Chinese (Lunar) New Year I took Beth, Becky, Jonnie, and Nathan
camping,

Janet wanted to go with Sarah but I wouldn't let her go

because it was a little chilly. It probably got down to ^ degrees

that night, which is not too bad except for the fact that Sarah is only 3 months old now, I pre
fer the winter for outings here since many kinds of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes are hiber
nating during this time. Also mosquitoes and other insects are absent too. We had a good time,
Nathan, now only 2j, and it being his first time, especially enjoyed himself. We cooked, hiked,
climbed trees, discovered stars, and almost started a forest fire, I am a hero for putting the
fire out. The singed hair on my arm was a battle scar that the kids brought their friends in to
see. In the afternoon, Beth and Becky made a club house while the boys and I took a nap in the
warm sun.

Do you remember Mr. Yu, the man crippled by cerebral palsy?

He has been having alot of trouble

lately. He had his younger sister call a couple of weeks ago to tell us he was vomiting blood.
We had just put him in the hospital a couple of weeks before that because he could not keep any
thing downeven water. We went to see him and consulted the doctor from his house by telephone.
It seemed that Mr, Yu was in a serious condition and he and his family wanted us to put him back
into the hospital. This certainly seemed the right thing to do but we were out of money I
personally, and the Church, We told them so and his blind mother said that she certainly could
not afford it. We went to the welfare office to get government help, but as they were investi
gating they found that Mrs. Yu is not poor she owns her own house and has money in the bank.

Our next stop was the police station to see if there was some way Mrs. Yu could be "encouraged"
to take care of her son. They said they knew that Mrs, Yu was an evil person but that there
was nothing they could do.

To us it seemed that Mr, Yu was dying in his little room out back

and his family and friends gambled (money flowed freely) in the front room. It was disheartening.

We have been doing all we can do praying and going to visit him with fruit juices.

He is

doing much better. Later we found out from a former blind neighbor of the Yus that Mrs. Yu
bought the house where they live now with money she got from selling her first daughter into
prostitution at the tender age of l6. Actually Mrs. Yu "adopted" (bought) three children and
the crippled Mr. Yu is the only child she actually gave birth to. I am wondering what is going
to happen to the youngest child a girl of 12.

Mrs. Yu is a most devout Buddhist I know.

see incense or "god money" burning almost every time I go there. Many times she is standing in
front of her wooden gods, which she cannot see anyway, and counting her prayer beads. I wonder
what good her worship does her? Her prayers are probably for money. Like all idolatry it is
tied up with the love of money and there is no end of every kind of evil practiced by those who
worship idols.

Don't think we stop with Mrs. Yu.

We all are in danger of this.

If we as indi

viduals or groups are spending money on buildings even in the name of our faith but are

not giving to the poor, hungry, naked, imprisoned, and unevangalized, we are putting our money
in earthly treasures and that is where our hearts are and that is idolatry. Churches which pour
all their money or even half of it into a building had better not invite me to come and speak they probably wouldn't like what I have to say.
This leads me to another problem. Before, the Brethren who met in our home spent nothing on a
meeting place and all their offerings went to help people, which was doing things to Jesus, Him

self (Matt. 25:^). Now, during the four months we have been in this budding, there has not
even been enough money to ^y the rent, let alone help people (Jesus). This deeply disturbs me.
I am happy that there were three people who came to^the meeting who expressed an interest in be
coming Christians. One girl who is crippled in both legs from polio stayed an hour after service
along with two other friends to ask questions about the Church and Jesus.

Janet and I have felt a lot of personal growth lately. We have been reading a book together call
ed RELEASE OF THE SPIRIT, by Watchman Nee, which speaks of the need of our outer man to be broken
so that God's Spirit can be released to work through us. I fully recommend this book.
We have been studying Jeremiah with the Chinese on Tuesday nightsand Ezekial with Americans on
Sunday nights. These studies have really added the burden on our hearts. It seems that the
world is following the sajne path as those in Israel and Jerusalem at the time of Jeremiah...
the path of idolatry and sin. I think God has not only given us His Word but also gives us ex

periences (such as Jeremiah and Ezekial) which make us "feel" the message and the burden.
On March 7th another young lady. Miss Chen, was baptized. There were to be two but Miss Tsai
backed out again. Please pray for her and for Miss Chen as the "massage parlor" where she works

(remember these are reputed to be reputable establishments here and that JESUS CAME TO SEEK AND
TO SAVE sinners), is on an infamous street in town where prostitutes sit out in front of their
"House of Love", "One Pleasure House", etc. Wouldn't it be nice to have enough money to buy her
out?'. It would be a better investment in God's kingdom than putting it in a building.

We are looking forward to writing to you again next month.

We would like to hear from you -

to know how your sojourn in faith is going. Continue to pray.

PROFIT

NON-FROFrr

ORGANIZATION

In Jesus,

U.S. Postage
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Alan D. Bemo and family

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M/M NORMAN MALM

2710 Huntington
LAS CRUCES, N.M. 88001

Return Requested

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88001

W.E.

MCGILVERY

RESEARCH DEPT.
P.O. BOX 177
KEMPTON, INO. 46049

BEMO'S SOJOURNS
By faith they sojourned in the land....

looking forward to a city which has foundations,

whose builder and maker is God. Heb.lhS lO

WflTf {/
f
^

Forwarding Agentj

ALAN & JANET BEMO

^5-1 Lane l6l
Hsin Sheng South Road,Section 1

Taipei 106, Taiwan R.O.C.

Mrs. Linda Goerke

2

R.R.

King City, Mo. 6kk63

March & April, 1977

I have had the rough draft of what I wanted, to. write to

you this month written up for a few days now but have
had trouble sitting down and doing the final work.

Just last niglji^soxaQthing else happened to delay-us a

little more ^_Natha^^as struck by a passing motor

cycle while Janet was buying vegetables at a road-side
stall. Last night he started vomiting and complaining
of a

headache, After a visit to the doctor we discovered

that he has a slight concussion and, though it is not

serious, he will have to be observed closely for the
next 2k hours.
I want to share fiomp hn-rrlpns and thoughts in this news-

letter but first

that have happened first.

you aboiit'a few things

Last year I was teaching one

i-oui

English Bible Glass a week. It grew to ^ each week,

which is the seating capacity of the meeting place, so I started a new class on Monday nights.
Now things have leveled out I guess and about 20 attend each class. We are studying through
Matthew on Monday nights and portions of C.S, Lewis' book MERE CHRISTIANITY on Thursday nights.
Three weeks ago we passed out silent roll-cards to people who attended Church service on Sunday
and the English Bible classes. Ten of them checked that they were very interested in becoming
Christians,
We have been to see five of these people personally so far and the response has
been very good. We have left them a Bible if they didn't already have one and gotten them
started reading on their own. Now when we see them they ask us about what they have been read
ing. One girl, Jane Wu, stayed after class on a Monday night to confess her belief that Jesus
had been raised by God after being dead for three days. The reason for her coming to this
belief??

She said that she had seen the loving actions of two Christians she knew and that she

knew that it was too great to have come from mere man.

She decided to be baptised even though

her father (a Taoist) objects very strongly. She'll be baptised on Thursday night after the
English Bible class and immediately after her rebirth

give

a testimony to the whole class.

I would like to make something more clear about Miss Chen of whom I spoke in our last letter.
She is
blind and that is the reason she is working in a massage parlor.
This is because she

can't find any other kind of work, I would say that this is the number one problem among the
blind here no jobs. After the blind service the other day I asked her if she had ever thought

about changing jobs. She said, "Oh yes, very often. I have pzayed about this and asked Jesus to
give me another job opportunity. Most of the customers who come in are okay but almost every day
some man comes in who is really bad," What can we do?

Will a letter to the editor of a news

paper urging people to hire blind people help? Can I approach people I know and try to encourage
them to think about the possibility of hiring a blind person? I think I will try this. But I
believe the most useful thing we can do is pray. I need to get rid of the "Messiah complex" and
stop praying,"Lord show me how I can help her." I need to remind God of her need, admit that I
can't do anything and ask God to touch the businessman in town who could help her and get them
together. Certainly this girl would see her help coming from the Lord rather than me. Too many
times it seems we want God to do something through us and otherwise we aren't too interested,

Three weeks ago I told one of the blind people that I didn't think I could preach any more for
the blind service on Monday mornings. I told them I was drained and that I was sure they were
not getting fed. I was so worried about these folks getting together and then not getting any
spiritual food going home empty and disappointed. It seemed that each week it was the same
story. Then as brother Lyou and I went to call on one lady who had missed a few meetings she
told us, "I'm not interested in going there any more I don't get a thing out of it. I'm
visiting other meetings on Sunday, hoping I can find a place that will give me some spiritual
food." It didn't make me feel bad at all because I had known it for a long time. Brother Lyou

called up a couple of other blind Christian men who are always at the meetings and we got toge
ther and had a discussion about this.

Now let me say that I will readily admit that I could

have prepared a lot more for my messages. I make no excuses for my teaching not meeting the
needs of the people. I admitted this to the three brothers at this little "business meeting"
too. The fact is that the job wasn't getting done and a change needed to take place. It was
decided that we would all take turns doing the main preaching at each meeting and that the

others would prayerfully support

the one who was speaking and get up and add to this message

if he felt so led. We have done this for three meetings and this next week it is my turn.

have a message on my heart and can hardly wait.

Those of you who have followed our work
might remember that this is an almost exact repeat of what happened with the Church service on

Sunday morning. It was about a year and a half ago that I felt I could not go on doing all the
preaching any more. Now there are five young nien doing the preaching on Sunday mornings. Last
Sunday-Tom Love preached and I translated. After the message six others did some very good
sharing on the same topic which was preached or; Gpd's strength in our weakness. It was a
great time of watering. I sometimes wonder about the way Churches in the States become so
upset because they have an ineffective preacher or have none at all. There is something wrong

\with a congregation which has from 5 "to 50

have been Christians for from 1 to
20 years and then feels they cannot function without a "preacher." It is time people started
Idoing their part at "encouraging one another, and so much the more as you see the day approachj
jiot trying to excuse my slothfulness but a "weak" minister or no minister is actu
ally your blessing. It is a chance to see the power of God in your weakness.

For many years I have wondered if I should be on the mission field.

I think every missionary

goes through this at times during his ministry possibly every day. Probably he goes through
much agony trying to be sure if this is God's will for him to be a missionary or not. I think
this may cause him to force the issue a little and try to prove to himself and others that
what he is doing is the one and only will of God for him. I think this is possibly wrong.What
I am leading up to is that I have not really been happy with, my work for^a^Jj^
I have
not served the Lord with a cTear Conscience that I am doing all I should. I keep hoping I will

change but I don't see it. Anyway, I am thinking we should return to the States sometime in
the near future for a time of ^-evaluation. I hope you will pray about this with us. We

are continually seeking God's willT" What we plan is not necessarily what will happen. Two

years ago we tried to go to Thailand but couldn't go. Marsha &Margaret King's passing
19 months in Thailand has restirred interest there. Last yearwe even considered a possibility oi

going to New Guinea. We feel confident that God will lead but waaat you to know how we a^ think
ing. 'We are still praying about the work here and in Thailand but we want God's direction.
Now I am sure the reaction to this letter will not be too good. Some will say,

Oh, he is dis

couraged," This is not truej I^Ji simpjLy being honest with you. The work is going
we praise God for what He is doing~1i^e. ""l just think that perhaps it is time to go. And if
I am going to write a letter to you about our sojourns it might as well be an honest one.
In Jesus,

NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION

Alan D. Bemo & Family

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88001

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MCGILVERY

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0."

is#

BEMO'S SOJOURNS
By faith they sojourned in the land

looking forward to a city which has foundations,

whose builder and maker is God. Heb.lhS-lO
Alan & JanetBemo

Forwarding Agent:

2120 Hayes Street

Mrs.

Linda Goerke

Muskogee, Oklahoma 74401

P.R.

King City, Mo. 64463

juQe, 1977
Dear Brethren,
A CHANGE IN PLANS

Those of you who have been reading our newsletters know that we have expressed the idea that we
should be returning to the United States this summer. I wish I could talk to you in person about
this and perhaps in the not to far future I will be able to. As I have mentioned before, I have

just not felt right about what I have been doing. The work that is being done has been scriptural
and a good work and I have worked hard at it (although not always as hard as I could have). But
X think it all boils down to my thinking that I am not where the gifts God has given me can be
used the most. I feel like a square peg being hammered into a round hole, I have expressed feel

ings like this in the past, I know. Why do I have to mention them? I'm sure .1 could make a

better impression if I just skipped it, but I'm not concerned about impressions, I'm concerned about

the truth.

The truth is that even though I have felt this way I have been i^luctant to act on

those feelings because I did not want to do anything wrong. Another problem that has come up in
the last 6 months is that we have not had enough money to live on.

We have always had enough

money in the past to operate on but in these last few months we have had to quit renting an office,
quit paying a co-worker, and sell the motorcycle in order to pay the rent. I had to ask my dad
for money to pay our taxes here in March, Some may wonder if this happened because our faith is
lacking. But I don't think that my faith in God's power to supply has ever waned in the least,
though my faith that I should be here is nil. This financial shortage up against Jesus' promise
to give us all we need if we seek first His Kingdom seemed to say something to me. Because of
my feeling and the circumstances we prayed that God would give us a definite sign as to what He
wanted us to do by June 7th<, 10 days before our rent was up. No matter if we went to the States
or stayed here we would have to have more money. We could not afford to stay he^ even if we
moved to a cheaper house, we would have moving e:q)enses and the necessity of paying key money on
another apartment. We asked God for one amount if we were to stay here and for an even larger
amount if He wanted us to leave, because of the high cost of moving a family of seven. By June
6th A.M., we still had not heard that we had any amount of extra money come in. We have never
sent out any kind of appeal asking for financial aid but have let these needs be known to our
Heavenly Father who hears and rewards in secret. That way we could know that we were being sup

plied by Him and not by mere man or by our own ability to raise money. But, when I returned home

at noon on June 6th, I found that my father had been tiying to get a hold of me by telephone from
the U.S. and had left word that he would call back in an hour. On the phone he said, "Alan, I

thought you were coming home this summer?" "Yes, we're thinking seriously about it," I said,
"Well, what's keeping you?" he asked. "I.. ,uh....," I stammered, not wanting to tell him, "Is
it money?" he asked. "Dad, I don't want to talk to you about money." I said. "Now I can find
out how much it is going to be by myself if that's the way you are going to be.

Now, are you

going to tell me how much or notl?V he demanded. "Okayl" I told him how much^we owed, how much

taxes we would have to pay, and how much tickets and shipping would be. He said, I'll drop the
check in the mailbox tomorrow morning," This amounted to $4000, I know my dad does not have

this kind of money, I did not expect the money to come that way but seeing that it came just at
this time we accepted it as the Lord's will, I feel at peace about this decision. However some

thing else happened that day which disturbs me very much, Afew hours after the P^one call from

Dad, Eugene Morse arrived at the Taipei Intemational Airport, We knew he was coming but did not

know the exact date, I had a class that night

and had to help one of my students, Carl, find

a better place to live (the aunt he lives with

runs acall-girl service),^and so did not get ^

? I i'

gyi|||; ^JjjP^m I 4s , '

helping him understand the'gospel more clearly,

Eugene started talking to Janet and I about the

possibility of going to Thailand, He said that

every time he prayed about the need for Chinese
workers there, he thought of us.
even though he was in a hurry to
States and back to Thailand that
had to stop in Taipei on the way

He said that BHl

get to the
he felt like he
to talk to us

about this for as long as it would take.

He

|
\t
^

> 1 j|

jg

^M|

^ --4

|p,

iwl 1 iJWIihttllllyiiwiiwJ

was afraid he would find us deeply involved in New Sister^ in Christ. Jenny is '^rd from left,
the work here so that we would not be free, but instead he came to find us ready io leave. Sgain,
I do not want to go to Thailand,
at a moment's notice.

be from God,

A few years agoeven a few months ago, I would have been ready

Now I know that I am not the man for the job,

I knowno man isit must

Formerly I have looked at the great things God is doing through others and have said

"I wish I could be like him,

I wish I had his faith."

I wish I could speak five lan^ges.

I wish I had his preserverance

My thought now is, "Lord, I don't care what I do as long as it is accord

ing to your will and the gifts you have given me,"

Some have said to me, "Good! the Lord has been

teaching youyou can stay in Taiwan or go to Thailand as a missionary now because you've gotten
your priorities straight," But I aspire to do nothing but know God and tell others of the wonder
ful knowledge wherever I may be, and whatever I may be doing. If God wants me to go to Thailand
He will direct me there it doesn't have to depend on my own power or intelligence,

do not want to go.

On the other hand if God wants me to go, I dare to go.

I truthfull

Therefore when we get

back to the States we will apply for a visa. We just read in the newspaper the other day that
Thailand is not accepting visa applications for those going as "missionaries". If God wants us to
go, it will be accepted anyway. If it is not accepted we do not want to make any permanent deci
sions or close any doors to future service as missionailes, but I will probably accept a manual
job in the Muskogee, Oklahoma area. By the way, we are scheduled to leave here on July i5th, and
after spending ^ days in the Los Angeles area, arrive in Muskogee on July 20th,
PHASING OUT

Now I want to spend some time telling about our phasing out of the work here. As I mentioned abov
we have been "closing down" for some time now and didn't even realize it. As financial responsi
bilities were not able to be kept we had to drop some of the things that we were doing. Also, be
cause of my weakness in the area of preaching, the preaching has been done by each young man in

the congregation for the last nine months.

last 6 months.
Praise God!

Actually I think I have preached about k times in the

As a matter of fact, everything in the Church has been done "ky everyone lately.

We will be involved in the work right up to the time of leaving though,

I ended ny

English Bible classes at the end of J\me, Jfa-ny students asked me, "Who will be taking over your
classes now?" My answer was that ly classes were never meant to last forever that they were
siii5)ly an introduction to Jesus Christ and that those who were interested could come to the Churc
services to find out more. As always, some have, Jenny was baptized on May 17th, She has been
in contact with the Gospel for about 10 months now through English Bus Tours and English Bible
classes. Just a few days after she was baptized she said, "Everybody in the Church has something

to do for the Lord but me. I've noticed that the Church paper has not been going out (it had to
be dropped when the co-worker was dropped), and I thought it was very good. Could I put it out?"
Now she does a better job, because she does it from love and not for the money. If anyone were
ever to come along and start trying to pay these people for the work they are doing it would be a

big mistake.

Originally there was another girl who wanted to be baptized at the same time Jenny

was but her parents strongly opposed it. Even so she has continued to study the Bible and attend
meetings. She also wanted to be used of the Lord in some way, Sandi had seen the stack of re

sponses from Mrs, Dittemore's ladio programs on my desk and suggested she send them a gospel por
tion and a personal letter offering any spiritual assistance and inviting them to come to Church

meetings.

Joy, another contact made through English Bus Tours was baptized on June 29th,

however, was mostly influenced by the testimony of Jenny's life in Jesus Christ,

girls were baptized by Tom Love as he has also worked with^both of them.

Joy,

Both these

BUSPHEMERS

Carl's story is an interesting one.

He used to be a blasphemer in class, scoffing each time we

discussed anything about spirits, Heaven, hell, the devil, or ghosts,

Later he became convicted

of sin and started having turmoil in his life because he Knew he was doing things that he should
not do.

After several months, even though he had not yet been baptized, he decided to do what
was right no matter what the consequences. The next time the boss told him to meet a certain
business man at the airport and get him fixed up with a hotel room and a girl, Carl said, "I*m
sorry, I can't do that, because every time I've done it in the past my conscience bothered me,"
The boss promptly told him that if he wouldn't do it he would find someone else who would and
that he could leave. After getting fired Carl felt the Lord had let him down. He had been coming
to morning devotions every morning from 6:30-700 here at the meeting place but now he stopped.
Three days later I called him up to see what had happened. He told me about losing his job and
said that God had let him down because Jesus had said, "Seek first God's Kingdom and His righteous
ness and all these things will be added unto you," He said that Jesus didn't keep His promise,
I told him that Jesus had kept His promise and that He did not want Carl to keep this job but
that He would provide a better one, Carl is again coming to morning devotions and has another job.
He still has not been baptized but believes in his heart and has confessed Jesus before us, I
believe that soon he will be baptized in the nqme of Jesus,
Another former blasphemer came to see me the other night. He had always laughed at anything super
natural and pretended to be so smart and have things figured out. Now he came privately saying,
"Where do I go now? What is life all about? I don't know where to go or what to do?" I told
him that Jesus was "the way, the truth and life," I think that those who are most unsure of life
scoff the loudest,
BODY LIFE

The brethren, though small in number, have, collectively, every spiritual gift they need to not
only survive but to thrive. They are the Body of Christ and the gates of hell cannot prevail
against it. They can teach each other, evangalize, care for the sick and blind among them, and
they do not have any financial problems. Still they and I are woarried. We lack faith in Jesus,
the Head of the Church, They keep saying, "What is going to happen after you leave?" I told
them that Jesus is going to lead them, "Who is going to take over? Tom Love? The new mission

aries arriving, the Jack Boyds?"

I answered that I had never "taken over" and no one else had to

when we left, I showed them that they had been God's instruments to lead the Church in the past
and that He would continue to use them. Outsiders especially preachers and missionaries said,
"We think you are all wrong
we think you are the only factor holding these people together and
as soon as you are gone, they will scatter. Your theory about this sounds very nice, but you will
find in this day and age that it just doesn't work that way," What this means to me is that people
don't believe that the Lord Jesus is the Head of His Church after all, Jesus has no power. It is

all religion and depends on man to keep it together, not God,

I do not agree with this.

I believe

that His Church will go on no matter what and that if the "Church" depends on me alone it had
better stop. During these weeks of planning after a definate date was set for departure, we have
really seen people take hold and lean upon the everlasting arms of Jesus Christ, We will miss
the fellowship of these precious brethren, but are looking forward to reports from them of the
work which continues to go on here. We hope to be sharing this news with you. Now, beloved

Brethren, let us not forget to hold these Brothers here before the Throne daily. If we do go to
Thailand we plan on stopping through here on the way to and fro to encourage the Brethren,
Though we are not sure what the next few months will bring, we do hope to have an opportunity
to share personally with you the things which have been done here. If you would like for us
to share with you in a church service, please let us know. Our address in the U.S. will be:
2120 Hayes, Muskogee, Okla, 7^l^lf or else contact Linda Goerke, our forwarding agent. We
will try to make some speaking tours to see those of you who have been our faithful supporters.
Please pray for us too, that God will lead us in what He wants us to do.
Yours in Jesus,

Alan Bemo

1 BEMO'S SOJOURNS
By faith ihcy sojourned in the land

looking forward to a city which has foundations,

whose builder and maker is God. Heb.lhS lO
Alan & Janet Bemo

Forwarding Agent:

2120 Hayes Street

Muskogee, Oklahoma 7^+^l

Mrs. Linda Goerke

P.P. 2

King City, Mo. 6kU63

July - September, 1977

Dear Brethren,

Greetings, in the Name of the. Lord I

We left Taipei on July 15th with a group

of over thirty of our precious Chinese brethren at the airport to see us off 'with
songs, a prayer circle, gifts and tears.

As you could tell from our last news

letter, we left Taiwan with the assurance that the Church would continue - in God's
Hands, We continue to receive the wonderful church paper which Jenny Fen sends
out to about 50 Christians all over the world, and it assures us that the Brethren

are continueing to work together. In the last one we read of how they have just
rented a new meeting place (as the lease on the old one ran out) . Personal letters
from various brethren reveal their faith and their love for the Lord,
even sent birthday gifts for us.

They have

How precious are these dear brethren and they

are ever with us in our prayers every day.

Our last few weeks in Taipei were rather hectic and a little rough on .the

family. We had to sell our furniture and belongings and move out of our apart
ment three weeks before we left so we wouldn't have to pay another 6 months rent.
This meant we spent this time sleeping on the floor in the church meeting place
and at the end in the Hazlewood's apartment.

We had to rush Jonnie to the emer

gency room for 3 stitches in his cheeck and an examination after being hit by a

motorcycle ( by the way, Nathan had a speedy recovery from his similar accident).

Janet stuck her hand through a glass door and had to take all the kids with her
(1 wasn't there) to the hospital,
where she got a total of 11 stitches.

Then two weeks before we left, a fare

well dinner was given for the Hazle-

S" >'

woods, Jane Thomas and us by the Church,

Here, Nathan fell into a 5 foot deep

fishpond and was seen only by Jonnie,

who jumped in and tried to pull him out

and when he couldn't he started screamIng and got Greg Skiles attention, who

pulled him out.

We almost lost him

^
ma

litjTrf?
,

-^^2^ r> ^

" "-

^I

-la
We arrived at the L.A,

Interna

tional Airport at 9=30 P.M. on July

15th and were met by Leona Skiles,

(Ted Skiles mother) and her daughter,

and Mr, & Mrs. Hudson, who had been

throughTaiwan and helped all the miss
ionaries by doing various odd jobs just
a

few months earlier.

The Hudsons

'*

too^ care of onr suitcases (8 blp ones) and Mrs. Sklles took wonderful care of
us for two days. Then we stayed three precious days with the Floyd Jones of East
Anaheim Christian Church. While there we shared the Word with the . Anaheim Church,
rested, went to Disneyland, and made a trip to L.A. to the Royal Thai Embassy to
see about visas. The Consul there told us that visas to Thailand would be no prob

lem.

This was something we had asked the Lord to work through to reveal His will

about us going to Thailand.

We arrived In Tulsa by air on July 20th for a joyous reunion with ray folks,

Janet's mother, Russel Morse, and other friends. Since then we have really enJoyed frequent fellowship with our parents. We have moved Into our house In Muskogee and are still In the process of making minor repairs and painting.
Several times, J. Russel, Robert, Eugene, and Tom Morse have come to our
home, anxious to encourage us to go to Thailand. With such men of Faith encourag
ing and signs being answered to the positive about visas and Eugene coming through

Taiwan when he did, lt_se_ems the^.Lord Is leading us forward^to ThailandSo we

are making planning t(r*this end, unless Godr starts closing dooVs. We are planning
to^_gUheit summer, IF GOD WILLS.

Some think we ought to go much sooner - like

^last week - but we feel this time here Is very Important.

7

I still felt the very

Strong need to do manual labor for the time we .>rerei_Jiere so I started looking for
a Job right away.

I^ am now working at Ozark Murserle^ learning everything there

Is to know about growing fruit trees.

This^could come In very handy In Thailand

where the Christians In the mountain villages need an alternative cash crop to

oplura.

Peaches have already been successfully Introduced there.

My pay Is not the greatest - I started at $2,30 an hour and am now making

$2,50 an hour.

With a 5-0 hour week this adds up to $100 a week minus several

taxes. We are using $60,00 a week from missionary offerings too,to make ends
meet, and hopefully the rest can be adding up to pay for travel funds back to
Thailand, a Jeep which we'll need to have to get up Into the mountains there,
and all the primary expenese there are to settling In a new place.
We Just thank
the Lord, for your continued support both financially and prayerfully and In the

wonderful letters we have been receiving

" we're so glad we are a part of

the Family of God" .

On the week-ends we have been speaking In Churches In this
area and want to continue to do this as long as I am working.
We will try to

speak to any churches In 3.E. Kansas, 3.W. Missouri, Oklahoma, and Western Ark,

If you live In this area and we can help In your fellowship please let us know and
we will be glad to come on a week-end.
assemblies and been very blessed.

So far we have spoken In seven different

The three older children are In school now and really loving It and Joining
soccer and Y.M.C.A. and anything there Is to Join Just for the sheer Joy of it.
Janet Is busy at home with the two little ones and trying to figure out this new
way of life. Hal

We hope to keep you, dear fellow-saints In the Lord, up to date on our so

journs.
We are Interested In knowing about yours.
Let us keep In touch and keep

praying for each other and God's Church In Taiwan and Thailand with thanksgiving
to our glorious Lord.
NON-PROFIT

In Jesus,

Alan D, Bemo & Family

ORGANIZATION

U.S. Postage
2.0c

M/M NORMAN MALM

2710 Huntington
LAS CRUCES.N.M, 88001

Return Requested

W.E, MCGILVERY
RESEARCH DEPT.
P.O. BOX 177

KEMPTONf

Paid

liks Cruces, N.

IND. 46049

'CT. p

Hex.

88001

Permit No. 2^7

BEMO'S SOJOURNS
By faith they sojourned in the land
looking forward to a city which has foundations,
whose builder and maker is God. Heb.lhS 10

Forwarding Agent:

Alan & Janet Bemo

^^12trH5yeb SU-ggl

Mrs. Linda Goerke

Muskogee, Oklahoma T^iiOl

R-R.

ftfl. 2 t

King City, Mo. 6kh63

October, November, & December, 1977

Dear Christian Friends,

Today is Christmas Eve.

This letter ought to be

getting to you today instead of

just being written. However, this is the first free day I have had in ages and I

enjoying just being

you.

able to sit down with

nothing else pressing me

am

and writing to

Lately I have been putting in iiO hours a week at the n\irsery and then going to

Churches on the weekend to speak.

I have had to work

two Saturdays lately,

too.

Each day at work I think "maybe tonight 1 will get the newsletter written but by the
time it takes me to shower, eat supper, and have a little time with the kids I am
too exhausted." Now I am sitting at the desk in Jonnie and Nathan's room i^rriting to
you as Jonnie sits next to me building a model airplane.

First, I would like to bring you a little news of Taiwan.

Right after we left, an
immediate problem for the Church was their meeting place.
Their rent was up at the
end of August and they had to find' a new place.
They decided to find a place not
too many blocks from where they had been which would not only be used to meet in,
but be shared with the Chen family.
The Chens and the Church share the rent. Last
we heard, one of the single young men of the church was also living there so it
sounds like quite a hospitable place. In Taiwan a deposit is always necessary before

you can rent an apartment.

This is insurance to the landlord that people will not
move out without notice, leaving the apartment in disrepair. When they moved out of
the former place there were problems.
The landlady said that some things were not
kept right and kept part of the money .for .compensation.
Maybe these don't sound
like very interes-ting news items to you-but to me they are very important.
When we
were there we had to do all the house shopping, no matter how much we tried to en

courage the brethren to do it.

That meant I signed the contract and when things
went wrong it was my fault and me that got the ulcers,
I shouldn't have worried
the Lord told us not to but I did anyway.

I am not saying I am glad these problems

belong to someone else now, but that I am praising the Lord at the way the brethren
there are becoming more and more responsible and growing in the Lord. Another prob
lem with moving was that the children who attended Sunday School at the old place
were disappointed. The place had been packed with kids every Sunday morning and now
they were complaining that they would have no more opportunity to hear Bible stories.
Sandi Kang, Keliy Tsai, Jenny Jen, and Larry Yang (those responsible for Sunday
School), decided that somehow the classes would go on.
They told the children they

would meet in the park across the street every Sunday morning at 8:00 A.M.,

weather

permitting. The last we have heard there hasn't been a rainy Sunday since and there
are much more than iiO (the seating capacity of the meeting place) at each meeting in
the park. Praise the Lord! About a month aao we received word from Sandi Kang that
they had started having a Sunday
afternoon meeting.
They con
tinue meeting together to en
courage one another and often
have

missionaries

with them

there

to teach

meet

and preach.

Just this week we received many

Christmas cards
from the breth

ren there.
In one, Mark Chen
told us the Church had prepared

an offering of N^T.$10,000 (U.S.

$260) to give as a Christmas
gift to the orphanage to Lo-Tung
where

the

Not only

Skiles

have we

are working.

heard news by

mail but by word of mouth.

In

September Mark Chen stopped over

in Tulsa on his way back to Tai

wan.
his

He had been sent here by

employer

for a

one

month

Alan, Mark, & Tom kept in stocks

by Nathan

at Ft. Gibson

training program. Mrs. DitteTxorc drove to Tulsa to pick him up and took him to Joplin to visit there and Ozark Bible College.
He told us he is thinking seriously
about coming to the U.S. to study at Ozark in preparation for the ministry.
After
being in Joplin^ he came to Muskogee by bus where we entertained him for a day and a

half.
We went target practicing (no one can own a gun in Taiwan)^ sightseeing (we
saw, among other things. Fort Gibson), apple picking (we paid $h a bushel where four
apples would cost tliat much in Taiwan), and to a meeting of Christian brethren in
one of their homes (much like the meeting in his.)
Tom Love had come back to the
States to marry Kathy, a girl he had met in Taiwan, and to raise support for going
back to Taiwan as a full time missionary. It so happened tliat Tom and Kathy dropped
by for a couple of days

to visit just as Mark was here.

good fellowship with brethren from Taiwan.

So we have had a

lot of

TJow Mrs. Dittemore is scheduled to leave

the States for Taiwan this December 29th.

She will be making arrangements to put
her radio programs back on the air and encourage the brethren there. She is planning
on being there for only six weeks and we are looking forward to her return with

fresh reports on the situation there. She is here today as she is spending Christmas
with us.

These past few months for me have been taken up mostly in working at the nursery, as
I have mentioned. The work is very exhausting but very satisfying. . I am learning
a lot about growing fruit trees whichi think I will need to know In Thailand.

are still a few things like

grafting and propagation

begin preparations for Thailandsometime in February.

the cutest baby

Right now I am planning on quitting at the nursery

Sarah has become one year old, as of December 6th.

in the world and is really an expert at flirting,

busy taking care of us all and

There

I have yet to learn before we

She is

Janet is very

still finds time to teach some Chinese ladies a cou

ple of English classes a week.

We met these Chinese people when we went out to eat"
at the local Chinese restaurant, rtin by Taiwanese people who used to live in Taipei.
I am surprised how she continues to be able to squeeze in baking and candy making
for others during the holiday season.
She still loves me and puts up with me, too,
thank the Lord. By the way, I have been enjoying teaching the Wednesday night Bible
study at the East Point Christian Church and a youiig adult Sunday School class there
when we are home on the weekends.

The future contin';.es to be spoken of with an "If the Lord wills" at-the end. I plan
to be free for speaking dates further away from home during the months of March thru"
June.

Beth, Becky, and Jonnie are in school but

tle ones can go with me as much as possible.

I am hoping Janet and the two lit

We will probably apply for our visas

to Thailand in March and hope to l^vejbhe States around^Juj^ ijth,,-- exactly a year
from the time we left Taiwan,
We plan to spend a couple of weeks with the brethren
in Taiwan on our way to Thailand that we might be mutually encouraged (Romans 1:12).
If you would like for us to speak to your Chuxch or group during these four months
please let us know as soon as possible.

Please notice the change of return address on this newsletter,

c have greatly ap

preciated the Malms taking excellent care of this big and important project for the
past few years. My father will be handling it starting with this issue.

Our whole family want to send you Season Greetings during this time when people ev
erywhere are celebrating the birthday of the King of Kings,
We are really thankful
for His coming.
Otherwise we would not have been brought into fellowship with our
great God and would have no hope in this sick world.
In Jesus,

Alan D. Beiiio and Family

M/M Doug Bemo

I-PROFIT
ORJAWIZATION

527 Anthony Street

Muskogee, Oklahoma TljliOl

U. S. POSTAGE PAID

MUSKOGEE, OKLA.

Return Requested

PERjMIT

W .e. MCGILVERY
RESEARCH DEFT.
P.J. BOX 177

KEMPTON,

IND. 46C4S

INHERE ARE THE BEMOS SOJOURNING NOW?

Feb. 8, 1978

Dear Supporters,

V/e are still stationed in Huskogee, Oklahoma, getting ready

for Qur departure to Thailand in Iuly, 1978.

Even though this

off ye^the re"

i
enough things to keep us
plenty busy till then.
I resigned from my job at the nursery on January 25th so
we could get these things done.
The first thing we are trying to do is set up some speaking
dates for places further away from home. V/e have already spoken
at many places near in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas
on week-ends. Now we will have to be av/ay from home for several
weeks at a time to speak.
Folloiiring is a list, so far, of
places where we will be speaking and visiting.
is five moSn '

Preaching/Teaching Conv.
Faith Promise Rally

Feb. :2 1- 23
Feb. :2 5- 26
March 5 A.M
March 5 P.M
March 6
March 7
March 8
March 9
March 10
March 11 -12
March 13
March 14
March 15
March 16
March 17
March 18 -19
April 25 A.:
April 25 p.:
April 26
April 27 -29

Vifomen*s General Council

Antioch Christian Church
Central Christian Church
Sam Hazlewoods

April

Bible Study Club

30

1st Christian Church

Central Christian Church
Pleasant Hill Christian

Craig Woolseys
Pleasant Hills Christian

Jack Jessups
Bob Ammermans

Stronghurst Chr. Church

Bill Owens

Victor Maxeys
Camden Ave. Chr.
Bob Parrots
Mr.

Church

Lee

Raleigh Christian Church

O.B.C., Joplin, Mo
Carl Junction, Mo.
Troy, Kansas
St. Joseph, Mo.
King City, JIo.
Eldon. Ho.
Potosi, Mo.
Washington, Mo.
Florrisant,Mo.
Stronghurst, 111.
Hamilton, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Louisville, Ky.
Louisvilly, Ky.
Nashville, Tenn.
Memphis, Tenn.
Wichita, Kansas
Antioch, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas
Oberlin, Kansas
Sublette, Kansas

We still have trips to the Texas area to plan and after the
children are out of school at the end of Hay we hope to be all
packed and then make a long trip up to Canada and visit and speak
there and come down through Washington, Oregon and California and
fly out from there. Lord willing. If we can be of service to you
during the following months please let us know.
Meanwhile, we are trying to pack and put together several
hundred dollars worth of nursery equipment to ship to Thailand.
(Last xveek a Christian brother donated a chain-saw for that pur
pose and I i^gnxly cutmy^^le-ft thumb^ff the other day when trying

it out - I cut half-way througir''ffie' doI^ and had to have 14 stit

ches) .

I must buy hundreds of varieties of seeds.

Also, with some money provided by my loving father, Doug

Bemo, I am building a room onto our house and learning an awful
lot, as you can imagine- Hopefully then, upon our return in 4-S
years there will be enough room for our growing family.
We covet your prayers during this time and for safety in
travel.

IVe look forward to being mutually blessed !

1973