Ken Liao (Liao Chia Hsien), 2018, Taiwan
Upon graduating from the School of Theology in 2018, I went back to Taipei and continued leading a cell group in my church. Among my cell group members is a couple from Luo Dong, which is part of Yilan County (an hour drive from Taipei). Every Saturday, they would travel to Taipei for church service, and for the rest of the week, they lived, worked and even “fought” in Luo Dong. We’ve often had to go down to Luo Dong personally just to counsel them. My senior pastor, Pastor Zijun suggested that I start a ministry in Luo Dong. However, I struggled with this as I had just been away in SOT for seven months and I did not want to be separated from my wife and kids so soon after. So, I started a weekly online prayer meeting with them instead, and this went on till 2019.
One day, during a missions meeting, I came across the testimony of a family that was sent by my church to Nepal for missions. They brought their kids (who were about the same age as mine) to a foreign land to preach the gospel. I felt the Lord spoke to me saying, “You said that you were willing to go to the mission field for Me. Will you now step out in faith to go to Luo Dong in Yilan?”
I surrendered myself before the Lord and the following week, I went to Luo Dong and started a cell group there. Initially, it was just me and the other couple. The three of us started to pray and praise the Lord for moving mightily in Luo Dong. We prophesied that God will build His church, start a youth ministry here, and have the best children ministry. We proclaimed that Luo Dong belonged to Jesus Christ!
In the last 3 years, God was indeed faithful. Another couple joined us and they opened their beautiful house for our use at no cost. So we started a cell group and God began to do a miraculous work among us. This couple was totally transformed by God—the husband quit his smoking and gaming addiction, and the Lord delivered the wife from depression. From three people, the cell group grew to 12 adults and 5 children. We began to live stream our weekend services in 2020, and also started a children’s ministry. We went into the campuses to reach out to other elementary school students and high school students.
Ken Liao (far left) and his church members in Luo Dong
At the beginning of 2020, the pandemic hit Luo Dong and it was a huge challenge for us. My wife had to return to Cheng Du to look after her mother, so I looked after our children who had to travel with me to Luo Dong. They spent a lot of time in the car, especially when the one hour drive dragged to two hours because of the jam. It was really tiring, but not once did I think of giving up.
One day, we drove past a place of worship in Luo Dong, and my kids asked me, “Why are the people here still praying to idols?” I took the opportunity to explain our mission in Luo Dong—to preach the gospel to the people here, so that their lives will be transformed by God’s love. As soon as the words left my mouth, it hit me that this was the reason why I obeyed the call of God to start a work in Luo Dong. These words affirmed my determination and fueled my passion for the work in Luo Dong.
The group that started with three members in July 2019 has now grown to 25 adults and 15 children attending church service and children’s Sunday school weekly. Glory to Jesus! To accommodate our growth, we have found a new meeting venue and have now officially completed the construction of a church in Luo Dong City. My family has since settled in Luo Dong and we are continuing with our outreach in the community and campuses to spread the gospel of salvation. For this, I am grateful that SOT has given us a lot of resources and outreach tools.
There is one statement that Pastor Bobby repeated throughout my time in SOT, and that is “soli deo Gloria, all glory to God!” Even though the ministry in Luo Dong was never in my plans, but when the calling comes, and we must try our very best to obey and glorify God through it. In the face of my obstacles, I constantly remind myself of this statement. Whether in season or out of season, everything we do should be for the glory of God. Amen! To God be all the glory!
Watch Ken Liao’s recorded testimony here: