My latest Church Mission Society CMS Link Letter has just been published here…..

Also, the Diocese of Taiwan Friendship Magazine has just been published at this link: Friendship Magazine June 2024.

The top photo of this post features the flypast at the inauguration of the new President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-Te on May 20, which I mention in my link letter, and which I watched happening live above me. Thank you for your prayers for Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections in January, and the smooth transition of power from President Tsai Ing-Wen to President Lai Ching-Te last month. Unfortunately for him, President Lai does not have a legislative majority, and there have already been widespread protests as the different parties clashed over the passage of controversial bills aimed at legislative reform.

Elections are coming soon in the UK, and fortunately, UK law has changed this year, yes! British citizens living abroad, like me, can now register to vote in the upcoming UK General Election on July 4 – previously not possible for those of us who’ve been living overseas for over 15 years. Registration is surprisingly easy – and you don’t need a current UK address, you can register at the address where you were last registered to vote, even if you don’t live there now. Kudos to UK election officials, the process is also really efficient – and fast, you get a personal email reply very quickly, even at a weekend! It turns out that the last time I voted in a UK election was in Heighington, Co. Durham (Sedgefield Constituency) in 1987 when Tony Blair was the local MP, he hadn’t even yet become Prime Minster. Seven prime ministers later and the law has finally changed, so I’ve applied and been accepted for a proxy vote, also in Heighington – which, at this election, is about to become part of Darlington Constituency, whose current MP is Conservative – polls today are showing 50% Labour, 27% Conservative, 13% Reform, 5% Green, 2% Lib Dem. Every vote counts. The deadline for registering to vote is 11.59pm on Tuesday 18 June – so register now! In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

🐲 Happy Dragon Boat Festival on Monday, June 10! 🐲