HAPPY WEDNESDAY
Ministry in Taiwan
By Thaddaeus Ristow, Summer 2018
Communications Intern
An OMS missionary couple, with more
than 25 years of ministry experience in Taiwan,
is witnessing God work in the hearts of bicyclists
through their fellowship ministry called “Happy
Wednesday.”
It all started three years ago when Don and
Marla Bettinger were walking their beagle, Buttercup,
by the Hualien Harbor. The couple noticed the bicyclists
sitting outside the gate of the restaurant where they often meet for breakfast.
Don and Marla asked the bicyclists if they could bring them coffee the following
week. They agreed to this, and the couple has been meeting with the bikers ever
since. The Bettingers’ motivation for doing this was to get to know them and
have the opportunity to share Christ through their fellowship over coffee.
Every Wednesday morning, Don and Marla make a large thermos of coffee
and prepare a small breakfast snack to take to this bicycle club. The Taiwanese
bikers have named this day Happy Wednesday because they enjoy fellowship
with the couple and learn more about Jesus Christ.
“We continue to meet with them near the Hualien Harbor,” Don said. “Around
6:30 a.m., when the weather cooperates, we pack our car with coffee and
homemade snacks, as well as a folding table, a few stools, and my guitar to
meet these mostly older bikers, ranging in age from 55 to 86 years old, for a
time of good fellowship.”
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