Here is a BONUS DOWNLOAD wallpaper from one of my favorite pictures I took while in Taiwan.To download, just click on the picture to bring it up and either save it to your hard drive or right-click and click on "Set As Background"
Enjoy!
Bonus Download
Here is a BONUS DOWNLOAD wallpaper from one of my favorite pictures I took while in Taiwan.
Intro
I wish to thank you for viewing my blog and please let me know what you think or if there are any questions, e-mail me at zacruble@yahoo.com. Also be sure to check out Harvester Baptist Church's website about the trip at http://www.fbch.com/missions/Asia/Taiwan/2006/index2006.html. Also visit http://www.hakkaharvest.com/ for info on the Hakka people in Taiwan. This has been a wonderful experience and I wanted to share it with everyone. God bless each of you!
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Taiwan – the place where everything (supposedly) is made. It’s a good-sized island 1,100 miles off of the coast of China and really is quite a beautiful place filled with beautiful people. Meinong, where we resided and taught, is surrounded by gorgeous mountains, immaculate temples, fields of rice, palm trees, and mopeders (word invented on the trip for those who ride mopeds).
Why Taiwan? That’s what I kept asking myself the entire time I was there. Why come to a land I know little to nothing about? Taipei, Taiwan is approximately 7,589 miles from my home in Saint Louis, MO. I felt every mile during our flights … and then a few. Our journey getting to Taiwan consisted of four flights instead of the normal three –
1) St. Louis to Atlanta, GA
2) Atlanta to Los Angeles, CA
3) LA to Taipei, Taiwan
4) Taipei to Kaushiung, Taiwan.
The number three flight was by far the longest. Thirteen hours, one flight, and an hour bus ride later, we met our gracious hosts at the airport which was made up of three missionary couples and then viewed one of the most beautiful sights in all of Taiwan – our beds. Well, it was at the time anyways.
The team: Rex Alexander, Don Akers, Megan Bernard, Jean Brandon, Doug Carrington, Melvin and Katie Graham, Ilda Kennon, Wendy Lee, Kristina and Rob Simmons, Megan Taylorson, and Heather Wood.
The missionaries: Wes and Danette (with kids Autumn and Trey), Dana and Karen, Norm and Teri, and Jon and Jen.
Typical days in Taiwan were spent teaching both children and adults Bible stories using English (yes in this order, not vice versa) and prayer walking in the Hakka villages.
What follows is a sort-of “journal experience" of being in Taiwan.
Thursday June 29/Friday June 30, 2006
5:30 in the morning. I don’t care who you are, that’s early (and I work nights). That was our meeting time at Lindbergh Airport in St. Louis on this Thursday morning. Let me warn you: if you have fears of flying, don’t watch a movie that involves a plane crash in it before you go. I wasn’t scared of flying having previously flown to Israel in 2001, but I did find it funny that I had watched the new Superman movie the day before I left and it involved a 20 minute sequence with a plane.
We checked in at STL, boarded our plane, and arrived in Atlanta, GA about an hour and a half later. After a short layover, we took flight again to Los Angles, California. We landed in time for a quick bite and off on yet another flight to Taiwan aboard China Airlines. This was a doozey of a flight at 13 hours long. It was nice that we had our own little media sets to watch movies and play film critic (which I did a few times with Ilda, an amazing world traveler – Kenya, China, etc.), but trust me – it’s long. Once we finally reached the island landing in the capital Taipei, we boarded yet another plane for a city in the southern part called Kau-shiung. Once there, we boarded on a bus which took us for an hour long ride to the city where we would be staying – Meinong. Let’s say that everyone was slightly tired and glad to see our beds.
Our rooms consisted of 2 box mattresses on top of each other and featured air conditioning. Praise the Lord for AC! My roommate was Rex, our fearless leader who planned the trip, and he mentioned that a family many times will rent a room with several sleeping on the same mattress. Sorry Rex and no offense, but I’m glad we didn’t have to do that.
A Joyful Meeting
Here the Grahams met up with some friends upon reaching our the end of our last flight in Taiwan.
Saturday July 1, 2006
We began the day, like each of the following days, with individual quiet times and breakfast at a small little restaurant called Beautiful and Breakfast, which is a restaurant chain in Taiwan. They don’t serve up “American” food – unless you count fried eggs. Probably the favorite dish or at least the one I heard called out most was “French toast.” Once again, much different than that of the US (is French toast American?). This concoction contains a soft breading, ham, and cheese fried around egg mix – very yummy.
After breakfast, we journeyed together to one of Taiwan’s many temples. In the city we were staying in alone, there are estimated to be about 2,000 temples. 50,000 reside here. That’s kind of like having a Quick Trip station or Walgreen’s around every corner here in St. Louis. Sacrifices are made at all of these temples to try to appease the many “gods” and to keep promises. They also visit these temples in hopes of “saving” their ancestors in the afterlife. Our lead missionary Wes gave this example: a couple may wish to have a son. So, they come to the temple and ask that a certain god will give them a son. In the chance that they have a son, in return, a chicken would be given once a month for years to come. Other examples could include sickness, crops, etc. So, on the off-chance that these things happen, they must continually bring these sacrifices. Sounds a bit monotonous, no? That’s why I’m so thankful that I have a God that I can ask for things, but a Sacrifice was already made for me.
Our next stop after our “temple tour” was a Christian kindergarten/ church. This is a quaint-little segment of buildings with a shrimp farm located to the side, the view hidden from the road. Inside, we congregated on wooden pews, sang praises led by Wes’ guitar, and planned out our week of teaching and praying. One of the cutest (I’m not sure if this is the appropriate term for this or not) items located at the church was (forgive me) the toilets. Since it was designed for a kindergarten, the toilets were super-small. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the greatest thing in the world, but it sure was funny to see the ever-wisecracking Doug sit down on one. Priceless
It’s pretty clear and immediately noticeable that traffic in Taiwan is a little nutty… and you need to be a little nutty to drive in it. Traffic lights serve as nice decorations as many of the drivers seem to forget that red isn’t the color for go. Though there are many vehicles passing each other on two way streets with a no passing line in the middle, there are equally many (if not more) riders of mopeds and bikes. And these modes of transportation also serve as a free-for-all in the mess of Taiwanese traffic.
The rest of the day was spent unpacking and visiting local areas. One little grocery store close by was Veggie Boy. At this quaint little shop were such items as chicken or seaweed flavored Pringles®, dried fish and peanuts, fresh-grown fruit, etc. Also a team “favorite” was the internet café were for about a US dollar you could use the internet for a half hour – and have a complementary Coke product. It was mysteriously closed mid-week, however, to the dismay of many who were communicating with family in the States.
Oh Beautiful For My Own Eyes
Here is the spectacular view that Rex and I had from our room in the hotel - what a scene!First Temple Visit
This is a local temple and the first one that we visited in Taiwan. It was located a few blocks away from our hotel and right in the middle of a group of homes. Quite different than temples in America.Our Sanctuary
Here is the church/kindergarten that we visited to have worship and to plan for the week on our first dayGot a Song to Sing
Wes and his guitar led us in worship at the church on Saturday afternoon. Thanks Wes - you did a great job in worship and leadership
The Karate Kid
Jon tries to pick a fight with Dana but doesn't know what he's in for. Dana picked him up, put him on the table and spinned him around, and proceeded to toss him into the food on the table. Actually, they called a draw. Well, okay, they were just playing around at dinner time. Sounded good, thoughSunday July 2, 2006
After our morning routine, we found ourselves traveling to “Lion Mountain,” a large mountain, on top of which we had our Sunday morning worship. No, there weren’t any lions – well, not real ones anyways. The name comes from the shape of the mountain – that of a lion (I suppose) – and that it looks like it is crouched, viewing the city. The mountain provided us a stunning view of the area that we had come to, displaying rice fields, temples, buildings, and, of course, the mountains that one cannot (thankfully) escape from while being in Taiwan. From this viewing, we prayed that God would move mightily in the area and that it His spirit would descend.
After our morning session, we (naturally) went back to our vehicles. Megan B, the college student from Columbia, MO, and I briefly met a woman who had been working on the side of the mountain. She gave us (we think) some tea leaves to chew, which I did as a kind gesture, and remain alive to this day to speak of it. Which is a good thing. Because we’re not completely sure that it was tea leaves, though it is very probable that it was tea. Still breathing – gasp. Not….breath….ing… Just kidding.
The school in which we would be teaching was our next spot to stop. This is a middle/high school located on the edge of the “city” part of the city and a pretty good sized one at that. Each of the classrooms is filled with wooden desks, wooden chairs, and a traditional chalkboard – and no AC. And if I haven’t mentioned this minor detail before, let me state it here: Taiwan is a hot place. I don't sweat much in America – some say it’s because I have no body fat to sweat with. I did, however, sweat very much on the island. Which means that you have to drink lots and lots of bottled water – don’t drink the water out of the faucet - not good. Okay, back to the story. With no air conditioning, there are ceiling fans that help circulate air through the room. Supplies for crafts were supplied, plans on teaching were planned, and all was prepared for the following day. Before leaving the school, we prayer walked each classroom, asking the Almighty for guidance and peace for the week.
School prep being done, we went to what is part of our groups favorite place in all of Taiwan – “the slushy place.” I’m not sure if it had a real name or not, but by golly, this was a pivotal place for many in our group (especially true for Kristina – wife of “Cubs” Rob. This stuff is like what oxygen is for most humans). A “slushy” usually consists of half slushy yogurt and half of a slush flavor. The favors to choose from consisted of grape, green bean (yes, green bean – think of a watery frozen Gerber baby food green bean paste), and the coveted passion-fruit.That evening, I was on the front porch of the hotel working on my picture video with Megan Talyorson, the teenage girl on the trip (later nicknamed Bambi), when a late teenage Taiwanese male named Victor pulled up on a motorbike. He asked if we were friends of the head missionary, Wes, and had a very pleasant conversation ranging from Meinong to US baseball, including Albert Pujols, or as he referred to him as, “The Man” of baseball. I was pleasantly surprised that someone from the city would come up to talk for a while instead of giving inquisitive stares. And I have to agree with his assertment.
After our morning session, we (naturally) went back to our vehicles. Megan B, the college student from Columbia, MO, and I briefly met a woman who had been working on the side of the mountain. She gave us (we think) some tea leaves to chew, which I did as a kind gesture, and remain alive to this day to speak of it. Which is a good thing. Because we’re not completely sure that it was tea leaves, though it is very probable that it was tea. Still breathing – gasp. Not….breath….ing… Just kidding.
The school in which we would be teaching was our next spot to stop. This is a middle/high school located on the edge of the “city” part of the city and a pretty good sized one at that. Each of the classrooms is filled with wooden desks, wooden chairs, and a traditional chalkboard – and no AC. And if I haven’t mentioned this minor detail before, let me state it here: Taiwan is a hot place. I don't sweat much in America – some say it’s because I have no body fat to sweat with. I did, however, sweat very much on the island. Which means that you have to drink lots and lots of bottled water – don’t drink the water out of the faucet - not good. Okay, back to the story. With no air conditioning, there are ceiling fans that help circulate air through the room. Supplies for crafts were supplied, plans on teaching were planned, and all was prepared for the following day. Before leaving the school, we prayer walked each classroom, asking the Almighty for guidance and peace for the week.
School prep being done, we went to what is part of our groups favorite place in all of Taiwan – “the slushy place.” I’m not sure if it had a real name or not, but by golly, this was a pivotal place for many in our group (especially true for Kristina – wife of “Cubs” Rob. This stuff is like what oxygen is for most humans). A “slushy” usually consists of half slushy yogurt and half of a slush flavor. The favors to choose from consisted of grape, green bean (yes, green bean – think of a watery frozen Gerber baby food green bean paste), and the coveted passion-fruit.That evening, I was on the front porch of the hotel working on my picture video with Megan Talyorson, the teenage girl on the trip (later nicknamed Bambi), when a late teenage Taiwanese male named Victor pulled up on a motorbike. He asked if we were friends of the head missionary, Wes, and had a very pleasant conversation ranging from Meinong to US baseball, including Albert Pujols, or as he referred to him as, “The Man” of baseball. I was pleasantly surprised that someone from the city would come up to talk for a while instead of giving inquisitive stares. And I have to agree with his assertment.
On a Bicycle Built for One
Here is one of my favorite pictures that I took in Taiwan. It's simply a woman on her bike in front of a field. I took the picture because Jon was gracious enough to stop... and we had to wait on another vehicle to catch up with us anyways. At least it felt like he stopped just for me.
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Statue of a lion guarding the path up the mountain on Lion Mountain. At least he didn't growl at us.
Tea? We hope...
This is the woman who had been working on the side of the mountain while we had worship. I asked her for her picture which she accepted and then she gave Megan (left) and I some leaves of tea - we think. I tried one, and so far I'm okay. (What do you mean that's a matter of opinion?)
At the School
It was awesome that we could be able to use the public school to teach our Bible English camp and here's a look at the building that we taught out of.Monday July 3, 2006
The trip in Taiwan reached new heights as we began our English camp this morning. Before each day would really begin, we met together to sing, pray, read, laugh, cry, voice concerns, and prepare for our day at mission.
For the actual school, each morning began with a “pep rally” led by Wes which led to taking the students to our classes. The camp contained seven teaching groups – 2 to 3 leading each group. My partner was the somewhat quiet, but always funny (and tall) Don Akers. 16 students occupied our classroom with nearly each of them being 12 years old and speaking very little English – except one. One girl was actually from California, in Taiwan for vacation, and was at the class to “help out” – sort of.
Our schedule was comprised of teaching, crafts, review, and recreation in a 2 ½ hour span. In teaching, we would have the students read a story from the Bible in Mandarin (a dialect of Chinese), repeat the same story in English, and then practice repeating English out loud using sentences on the board. Each time that a sentence was repeated, pictures of what was being said or described would also appear on the board.
Crafts usually paralleled the story that was taught in hopes of teaching a little more than just English to the students. On this particular day the Creation of the world and man was taught so each student made a sort of “flip book” that displayed what events happened on each day of Creation. And recreation, led by the young summer missionary couple Jon and Jen, and assisted by Trey, son of missionary Wes, was a great way to get the kids active and to “loosen up” a little.
The kids seemed to enjoy the school overall, but still do not know what to think of Don and me – me especially. They are used to teachers giving lessons very straightforward and minimal enjoyment. We, on the other hand, tried to make it an enjoyable experience. A few are ready to be friends, though many give very confused looks. I did make a couple of friends, though. There was one boy that knew the opening music for the original “Mario Bros.” video game. He would sing out the opening notes and rely on me to shout out the last note accompanied with a kick or punch into the air. Quite funny.
Following a lunch at school and an early afternoon rest, we headed about a half hour to an area where Hakka live for prayer walking. Part of the purpose of this exercise (excuse the exercising of this pun) was to – duh – pray while we walked. The other side to this was to invite both children and adults to an English camp that would be coming in that area within the next few weeks. During this prayer walking experience, I got to meet three different sets of kids.
The first bunch was some teenagers playing basketball. We (I was walking with another missionary couple – the ever funny Norm and his sweet wife Teri) stopped and I displayed my fantastic skills of looking like an idiot at playing basketball. As we further walked along, a group of brothers who were playing in the mud (or least it looked like mud) ginned for a couple of photos and we went on. One of them, however, decided to follow us several houses down. When we met back at our original meeting spot, there was a group of five young children with an older man, presumably their grandfather, who I had the privilege to play with and get a great group photo with.
The evening consisted of an adult class (which I did not attend until Wednesday night) wherein Hakka adults were taught the Bible using English. The class was held at the school where we had taught earlier. The remainder of the group rested at the hotel or went to the internet café.
I would now like to share a funny little story that I experienced sitting on the porch of the hotel with Norm. We (Norm, his wife Teri, and I) had a conversation about movies and old TV shows when we discussed “Superman.” The old 50’s “Adventures of Superman” with George Reeves became a subject piece when Norm made a keen observation. Why is it that Superman can take all those bullets in the chest but when the bad guys throw their gun at him, he ducks out of the way? I laughed all night long and woke up laughing the next morning.
For the actual school, each morning began with a “pep rally” led by Wes which led to taking the students to our classes. The camp contained seven teaching groups – 2 to 3 leading each group. My partner was the somewhat quiet, but always funny (and tall) Don Akers. 16 students occupied our classroom with nearly each of them being 12 years old and speaking very little English – except one. One girl was actually from California, in Taiwan for vacation, and was at the class to “help out” – sort of.
Our schedule was comprised of teaching, crafts, review, and recreation in a 2 ½ hour span. In teaching, we would have the students read a story from the Bible in Mandarin (a dialect of Chinese), repeat the same story in English, and then practice repeating English out loud using sentences on the board. Each time that a sentence was repeated, pictures of what was being said or described would also appear on the board.
Crafts usually paralleled the story that was taught in hopes of teaching a little more than just English to the students. On this particular day the Creation of the world and man was taught so each student made a sort of “flip book” that displayed what events happened on each day of Creation. And recreation, led by the young summer missionary couple Jon and Jen, and assisted by Trey, son of missionary Wes, was a great way to get the kids active and to “loosen up” a little.
The kids seemed to enjoy the school overall, but still do not know what to think of Don and me – me especially. They are used to teachers giving lessons very straightforward and minimal enjoyment. We, on the other hand, tried to make it an enjoyable experience. A few are ready to be friends, though many give very confused looks. I did make a couple of friends, though. There was one boy that knew the opening music for the original “Mario Bros.” video game. He would sing out the opening notes and rely on me to shout out the last note accompanied with a kick or punch into the air. Quite funny.
Following a lunch at school and an early afternoon rest, we headed about a half hour to an area where Hakka live for prayer walking. Part of the purpose of this exercise (excuse the exercising of this pun) was to – duh – pray while we walked. The other side to this was to invite both children and adults to an English camp that would be coming in that area within the next few weeks. During this prayer walking experience, I got to meet three different sets of kids.
The first bunch was some teenagers playing basketball. We (I was walking with another missionary couple – the ever funny Norm and his sweet wife Teri) stopped and I displayed my fantastic skills of looking like an idiot at playing basketball. As we further walked along, a group of brothers who were playing in the mud (or least it looked like mud) ginned for a couple of photos and we went on. One of them, however, decided to follow us several houses down. When we met back at our original meeting spot, there was a group of five young children with an older man, presumably their grandfather, who I had the privilege to play with and get a great group photo with.
The evening consisted of an adult class (which I did not attend until Wednesday night) wherein Hakka adults were taught the Bible using English. The class was held at the school where we had taught earlier. The remainder of the group rested at the hotel or went to the internet café.
I would now like to share a funny little story that I experienced sitting on the porch of the hotel with Norm. We (Norm, his wife Teri, and I) had a conversation about movies and old TV shows when we discussed “Superman.” The old 50’s “Adventures of Superman” with George Reeves became a subject piece when Norm made a keen observation. Why is it that Superman can take all those bullets in the chest but when the bad guys throw their gun at him, he ducks out of the way? I laughed all night long and woke up laughing the next morning.
A House in the Field of Rice
Here is a house/temple in front of our hotel with a rice field in front and the mountains in back.Teaching Plan
Here is an example of the teaching style in class. Don would read the sentence strip and put it on the board while I would draw or put the picture of what he said on the board.
It's a Race!
One of the games we played was a race to see who could put the story in order on the board the quickest. This team had a slight advantage over the others. Michelle, lower left, is from California!
Run, Run, Run as Fast as You Can
Having fun during recreation on Monday (this is one of my "accident" shots where I was taking pictures and running and playing at the same time)Tuesday July 4, 2006
Happy Fourth of July! Quick question: does Taiwan have a fourth of July? Of course, every country does – but not because of our American holiday. The 4th follows the 5th on the calendar. Today did not feel like our American 4th but rather any other day. Breakfast followed by our group meeting started the day. We then began our classes with much of the same schedule. Don and I decided to try a new tactic today by taking the kids outside of the classroom and letting them repeat phases as we walked. The fall of man was the subject of our lesson today. A bit of fun for me were various sentences that the youth would repeat that had an exclamation point punctuating the end. For example, one phase was “God said: Do not eat the fruit!” It was my task to yell out these phases in hopes of having the children shout it out with me. It didn’t really do its job. Many times I would get looks like I had just spoken to them in another language and they couldn’t understand me. Um, scratch that thought.
For lunch today, we received a special trip to McDonalds® in a city about 15 minutes away. They serve many of the same foods offered in America, though there are a few dissimilarities. Take, for example, the shrimp burger. This is a patty with shrimp and a sort of “shrimp-paste,” if you will, with lettuce and a strange tangy sauce, sandwiched in-between rice patties (of actual rice). I must say that it was quite good (though they could have stood to dress it down a little in condiments). Other different selections include fried chicken, Sprite® with lemon and cherry Jell-O® chunks, as well as other items that I couldn’t quite figure out. It was, however, a very nice treat.
After our afternoon rest, we set out for another session in prayer walking. Today I had the honor of meeting Dora and her family. She has a daughter named Lisa, who is in high school, and a son, Peter, who is 15. Peter, it was decided, would prayer walk with Heather and myself (Heather, who is also quite funny – especially in some pictures – had the misfortune of sitting next to me on many of the flights to and from Taiwan. I’m not quite sure why it was a dastardly misfortune, but it bears telling).
Peter and I became good friends quickly and we conversed (or at least attempted to) about sports, weather, life in each of our countries, and prayer. Peter was a great help to us because he was able to help tell others about the upcoming English camp using Mandarin. Our encounters today began at an elementary school that moved to a Hakka village were we come upon a group of elderly people playing croquet, an elementary boy’s baseball team, and goats running down the road. And, naturally, a group of kids that wanted to play. Um, let me rephrase that – children wanted to play, not “kids” because “kids” might lead you to think it was the goats… Anyways, my newfound friend in Peter wanted me to play basketball concluding our time of prayer walking, but since he lived about a half hour from our hotel, we were (sadly) unable to.
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel (minus the adult teachers who, um, taught the adult class – makes sense, doesn’t it?) for relaxation and preparation for the next day. By the way, I did hear some fireworks tonight but it’s doubtful that they were for our American holiday. Many times fireworks will be set off for weddings or religious reasons. It was nice to at least hear a few on this day though…
For lunch today, we received a special trip to McDonalds® in a city about 15 minutes away. They serve many of the same foods offered in America, though there are a few dissimilarities. Take, for example, the shrimp burger. This is a patty with shrimp and a sort of “shrimp-paste,” if you will, with lettuce and a strange tangy sauce, sandwiched in-between rice patties (of actual rice). I must say that it was quite good (though they could have stood to dress it down a little in condiments). Other different selections include fried chicken, Sprite® with lemon and cherry Jell-O® chunks, as well as other items that I couldn’t quite figure out. It was, however, a very nice treat.
After our afternoon rest, we set out for another session in prayer walking. Today I had the honor of meeting Dora and her family. She has a daughter named Lisa, who is in high school, and a son, Peter, who is 15. Peter, it was decided, would prayer walk with Heather and myself (Heather, who is also quite funny – especially in some pictures – had the misfortune of sitting next to me on many of the flights to and from Taiwan. I’m not quite sure why it was a dastardly misfortune, but it bears telling).
Peter and I became good friends quickly and we conversed (or at least attempted to) about sports, weather, life in each of our countries, and prayer. Peter was a great help to us because he was able to help tell others about the upcoming English camp using Mandarin. Our encounters today began at an elementary school that moved to a Hakka village were we come upon a group of elderly people playing croquet, an elementary boy’s baseball team, and goats running down the road. And, naturally, a group of kids that wanted to play. Um, let me rephrase that – children wanted to play, not “kids” because “kids” might lead you to think it was the goats… Anyways, my newfound friend in Peter wanted me to play basketball concluding our time of prayer walking, but since he lived about a half hour from our hotel, we were (sadly) unable to.
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel (minus the adult teachers who, um, taught the adult class – makes sense, doesn’t it?) for relaxation and preparation for the next day. By the way, I did hear some fireworks tonight but it’s doubtful that they were for our American holiday. Many times fireworks will be set off for weddings or religious reasons. It was nice to at least hear a few on this day though…
Mario Mark
Mark was the one that would always sing the "Mario Bros." video game tune and then I would have to finish it for him. I'm not sure if I saw any other boy in Taiwan smile more than he - we had a great time learning from each other as I taught him English and he taught me Chinese (or at least tried to - I'm not a very good student). Such a joy.
My Friend Peter
Peter and I became good friends very quickly. This is the day that I met Peter and his family. We were prayer walking and we stopped because I wanted a picture of the small river that was underneath us (we were standing on a bridge and that's a side of it that Peter is leaned against) He didn't know that I took his picture until after the fact, much to his surprise. It was wonderful to meet this friendly and witty young man as well as being able to correspond with him via e-mail.
Mickey D's Across the Sea
Big Mac, anyone? This is the McDonalds that we visited a few times while in Taiwan and featured the highly interesting Sprite with Jell-O cubes and Shrimp "Burgers". I don't recall ever seeing a two-story McDonalds in the States. I did see one that was literally over the highway once though in OK...
The Rough, the Tough, and the Funny
These are the siblings of the girl below - and let me tell you, they were rough little kids! But we had a good time...Little Girl in a Pink Dress
This little girl did not want her picture taken but I got it before she ran away from me - meanwhile her brother and sisters became entertained by me and we roughly played for a few minutes. I say roughly because these kids were literally rough 'n tough!
Wednesday July 5, 2006
Much of the same ensued for the morning schedule. Breakfast at Beautiful and Breakfast. Devotion. School. The subject of teaching on this Wednesday was the birth of Jesus. From time to time during the week, Don and I would divide the group into two parts and have relays to see which team could put the story together fastest on the board using the pictures and sentence strips. One interesting turn of events that happened in class today were the students taking on the role of teacher – to me! A few of the kids began to try (and I do mean try) to teach me some Mandarin words, such as teacher and yes. It was a delight. Our recreation leader Jon (he’s a Phys. Ed. teacher in the States at 30 years of age) gave his touching testimony to our classes before play time. He explained how he originally was from Korea, in a children’s home there, adopted by a family in the States, and became a follower of Christ. Thanks for sharing your story, Jon.
During our rest time, I tagged along with Rob (a Missouri man who roots for the Chicago Cubs – he’s an okay guy, though. Nobody’s perfect) and Jon in their drive to the “McDonalds area” for a hat of some sort, but was a failed attempt.
Prayer walking was made more enjoyable since Peter decided to return to walk and pray with me. We had yet another semi-understandable conversation, this time delving deeper into our personal lives with favorite flavors of ice cream and soda. Our speaking became slightly enhanced due to the kids teaching me a few words in Chinese. Peter, who speaks a good deal of English, was happy with the progress and encouraged me to learn more. A trait that Peter, as well as many of the Taiwanese use, rubbed off on me. When struggling to find the word to say, either in Mandarin or English, one will unconsciously being to tap their head with their fist. It doesn’t really help much. Once again, kids on the side of the street were amazed with this crazy American saying “hello.”
Many of the villages that we visited consisted of many close, compact, and small homes that were fairly rundown. Some are just residences; others are part shops/ part homes. Most of the buildings have metal bars over the window areas – and not because crime is so high. The purpose behind these is for tropical storms. Taiwan is, after all, an island in the ocean. Also in the villages are temples, ranging in size from as big a US churches and small as doghouses. Crops of rice, bananas, or betelnut (a type of fruit/nut that is chewed and many Taiwanese find themselves addicted to – comparable to our “chew” in America. It turns your mouth funny colors, though) can surround a Hakka community as well. Shrimp farms are also popular among the Hakka communities.
For dinner tonight, we ate at Red Gate restaurant (it’s about time I made a few comments on the food…). Many times when we would eat at a restaurant, the servers would bring several platters of food out for our group. And, oh, what food! Nearly every meal (minus breakfast, though you could probably get it if you wanted to) was served with rice, fried or steamed, vegetables, and some sort of meat. Many times it was multiple kinds of the latter two. Occasionally, our food would be looking back at us (as in the cases of most fish) or it would be too doughy that it was virtually un-chewable (as in the case of a blob of peanut-flavored/rolled doughy type thingamabob); but overall, the food was outstanding. One of my favorite dishes was shrimp that was still in its shell yet was cooked in a way that it became edible – yum. Fried rice, fresh pineapple from the street sellers (okay, so that was in the mornings, but – it was still great!) fish – all wonderful. Don’t come to Taiwan thinking about forks and spoons because you probably won’t see them much. Everything is used with chopsticks (except for maybe soup) and if don’t know how to use them, you will if you want to eat. One thing I wasn’t too fond of was an almond flavored Jell-O. And don’t worry – you won’t find your dog Fido on a flood platter – it’s illegal to eat dogs in Taiwan.
This evening served as a somewhat frustrating and slightly embarrassing one as I sat in on an adult class. All went well during the teaching part. After the session was complete, a short fellowship time ensued. As many know, and this testament can testify, I love to play with kids. It’s some kind of magnet that is inside of my body that attracts them and it creates adrenaline. Don’t ask why – I didn’t make me. Anyways, there were a group of children at the fellowship, children of some of the adult “students.” When I began to amuse them, two sisters began to get out of hand and would not listen to directives of “no” (I was saying it in Chinese which is pronounced “may” so they understood me). I was aggravated because I could not control them and I did not want for the adult group to be broken up because of this. My fear was that one who needed to hear about God’s love would miss it because I had to play with these kids. Finally the group dismissed and we went back to the hotel, me being rather disappointed in how the kids responded and how I could have distracted from the real purpose, which obviously was not my intention.
During our rest time, I tagged along with Rob (a Missouri man who roots for the Chicago Cubs – he’s an okay guy, though. Nobody’s perfect) and Jon in their drive to the “McDonalds area” for a hat of some sort, but was a failed attempt.
Prayer walking was made more enjoyable since Peter decided to return to walk and pray with me. We had yet another semi-understandable conversation, this time delving deeper into our personal lives with favorite flavors of ice cream and soda. Our speaking became slightly enhanced due to the kids teaching me a few words in Chinese. Peter, who speaks a good deal of English, was happy with the progress and encouraged me to learn more. A trait that Peter, as well as many of the Taiwanese use, rubbed off on me. When struggling to find the word to say, either in Mandarin or English, one will unconsciously being to tap their head with their fist. It doesn’t really help much. Once again, kids on the side of the street were amazed with this crazy American saying “hello.”
Many of the villages that we visited consisted of many close, compact, and small homes that were fairly rundown. Some are just residences; others are part shops/ part homes. Most of the buildings have metal bars over the window areas – and not because crime is so high. The purpose behind these is for tropical storms. Taiwan is, after all, an island in the ocean. Also in the villages are temples, ranging in size from as big a US churches and small as doghouses. Crops of rice, bananas, or betelnut (a type of fruit/nut that is chewed and many Taiwanese find themselves addicted to – comparable to our “chew” in America. It turns your mouth funny colors, though) can surround a Hakka community as well. Shrimp farms are also popular among the Hakka communities.
For dinner tonight, we ate at Red Gate restaurant (it’s about time I made a few comments on the food…). Many times when we would eat at a restaurant, the servers would bring several platters of food out for our group. And, oh, what food! Nearly every meal (minus breakfast, though you could probably get it if you wanted to) was served with rice, fried or steamed, vegetables, and some sort of meat. Many times it was multiple kinds of the latter two. Occasionally, our food would be looking back at us (as in the cases of most fish) or it would be too doughy that it was virtually un-chewable (as in the case of a blob of peanut-flavored/rolled doughy type thingamabob); but overall, the food was outstanding. One of my favorite dishes was shrimp that was still in its shell yet was cooked in a way that it became edible – yum. Fried rice, fresh pineapple from the street sellers (okay, so that was in the mornings, but – it was still great!) fish – all wonderful. Don’t come to Taiwan thinking about forks and spoons because you probably won’t see them much. Everything is used with chopsticks (except for maybe soup) and if don’t know how to use them, you will if you want to eat. One thing I wasn’t too fond of was an almond flavored Jell-O. And don’t worry – you won’t find your dog Fido on a flood platter – it’s illegal to eat dogs in Taiwan.
This evening served as a somewhat frustrating and slightly embarrassing one as I sat in on an adult class. All went well during the teaching part. After the session was complete, a short fellowship time ensued. As many know, and this testament can testify, I love to play with kids. It’s some kind of magnet that is inside of my body that attracts them and it creates adrenaline. Don’t ask why – I didn’t make me. Anyways, there were a group of children at the fellowship, children of some of the adult “students.” When I began to amuse them, two sisters began to get out of hand and would not listen to directives of “no” (I was saying it in Chinese which is pronounced “may” so they understood me). I was aggravated because I could not control them and I did not want for the adult group to be broken up because of this. My fear was that one who needed to hear about God’s love would miss it because I had to play with these kids. Finally the group dismissed and we went back to the hotel, me being rather disappointed in how the kids responded and how I could have distracted from the real purpose, which obviously was not my intention.
Class of Don and Zach - est. 2006
They don't look like their having much fun in this picture, but they did have a lot of fun throughout the week - I can remember their smiles and have a few captured with pictures. It was a great group of kids as we were able to share the Gospel through teaching and they in turn tried to teach me some Chinese. Notice the word try. Don is (obviously) the tall really guy on the left (and he towers over just about everyone, especially so in Taiwan).
Fried Rice, Steamed Rice, Rice Gumbo...
Here is an example of one of the many rice fields in Taiwan - there are a bunch.Hotel Taiwan
Here is a beautiful shot outside of our hotel (the hotel is located on the right and it's big)
Smile
Believe it or not, this is one of the girls that "terrorized" me Wednesday night. I thought this was such a good picture and it's not that she's bad - maybe just a little misguided or doesn't have much discipline - or maybe she's just a little girl. Great smile.
Thursday July 6, 2006
School today, unlike days before, began to feel a little more relaxed among the students. As we began to start the day with our morning rally, we decided to take our students on a short stroll before we journeyed to our classroom. Imagine my shock and, initially, disappointment when two new students arrived late – the two sisters that had not listened to me the previous night and were so wild! My heart sank. Our only problem all week long had been communication, and that was a minor issue. But guess what? Those two would hardly even talk, much less create trouble! I praised the Lord deep inside my heart.
Our lesson surrounded the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. After we had reviewed the story a few times, Tiffany, a young Hakka woman who teaches English in Meinong, came around to translate one teacher’s testimony for each individual class. I gave mine. Today was made entertaining further due to the fact that I was a “student” once again and learned a few more Mandarin words. By this time, most of the kids are participating in teaching me and playing with me or giving me hugs, not very Taiwanese-like.
I would like to share a rather funny story that happened during our devotion time before the classes began for the day. The night before, I had been talking with Ilda and Wendy (a wonderful Wendy at that – she originally lived in China for years and was able to help us immensely by translating Mandarin for us – and became a good friend) and somehow we came across marriage. I don’t know how but it did. Anyways, I said that it would have to be a call from God for me to be married, that He would have to smack me on the head to let me know. Low and behold, Wes gave his testimony in which he said he wasn’t going to be married and when God told him to get married, it felt like God smacked him on the back of his head with a frying pan. The two ladies merely kept looking at me, laughing silently.
This afternoon concluded our prayer walking outings in the Hakka villages. Peter thankfully rejoined us again. During this excursion, Jon joined Peter and me in our prayer walking. Of course, there was a group of kids, this time by a temple – I thought I’d go ahead and get that out of the way. This was one of the most enjoyable outings with Peter. We (Jon and I) took the opportunity to explain further what prayer was – how we can talk and call to God anytime, anywhere, for any reason. Somewhere later in the conversation, we began talking about karaoke. Peter wanted to know about me and Jon’s singing abilities, so we wound up singing some praise and worship tunes strolling past temples and rice fields.
We journeyed to another Hakka village following the first. It was here that Peter needed to use the restroom and the only one available was located by a temple. After he had finished his business, he came out running because he thought that he had heard steps inside, even though no one else was in the bathroom. He then explained that the temple made him nervous, as it does many Taiwanese (and I don’t say this to poke fun but to merely make an observation). He also explained some of the different symbols used for the different gods; that’s when I reminded him of the Only God that we serve and that there was nothing to fear since we had Christ in our hearts.
Since this was our last prayer walking time, our driver Dana (one of missionaries in Taiwan), knowing that I was a picture-takin’ fool, decided to drive out of the way to document some fabulously beautiful temples and locations. Those inescapable beautiful mountains… Sadly, this was my last meeting with Peter on the trip, though we did try to arrange another meeting and exchanged e-mails (We have been able to communicate through this blessed contraption).
The adult class this evening involved the entire mission team. While the teachers taught their adults students, the remainder prayer walked the school for God’s Spirit to descend and for understanding. Following the teaching, a fellowship was once again planned. Guess who was there? No, not the pope – the two girls that had created havoc (in my mind) and were peaceable during class. They tended to be on the havoc side. In order to compensate for lack of being able to communicate, I simply didn’t try to. This worked after a few minutes and when I tried to talk to them as a normal person to see if they had enjoyed the class, they just ran away. In any case, I was happy that I wasn’t creating an inadvertent problem by trying to see a smile.
Our lesson surrounded the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. After we had reviewed the story a few times, Tiffany, a young Hakka woman who teaches English in Meinong, came around to translate one teacher’s testimony for each individual class. I gave mine. Today was made entertaining further due to the fact that I was a “student” once again and learned a few more Mandarin words. By this time, most of the kids are participating in teaching me and playing with me or giving me hugs, not very Taiwanese-like.
I would like to share a rather funny story that happened during our devotion time before the classes began for the day. The night before, I had been talking with Ilda and Wendy (a wonderful Wendy at that – she originally lived in China for years and was able to help us immensely by translating Mandarin for us – and became a good friend) and somehow we came across marriage. I don’t know how but it did. Anyways, I said that it would have to be a call from God for me to be married, that He would have to smack me on the head to let me know. Low and behold, Wes gave his testimony in which he said he wasn’t going to be married and when God told him to get married, it felt like God smacked him on the back of his head with a frying pan. The two ladies merely kept looking at me, laughing silently.
This afternoon concluded our prayer walking outings in the Hakka villages. Peter thankfully rejoined us again. During this excursion, Jon joined Peter and me in our prayer walking. Of course, there was a group of kids, this time by a temple – I thought I’d go ahead and get that out of the way. This was one of the most enjoyable outings with Peter. We (Jon and I) took the opportunity to explain further what prayer was – how we can talk and call to God anytime, anywhere, for any reason. Somewhere later in the conversation, we began talking about karaoke. Peter wanted to know about me and Jon’s singing abilities, so we wound up singing some praise and worship tunes strolling past temples and rice fields.
We journeyed to another Hakka village following the first. It was here that Peter needed to use the restroom and the only one available was located by a temple. After he had finished his business, he came out running because he thought that he had heard steps inside, even though no one else was in the bathroom. He then explained that the temple made him nervous, as it does many Taiwanese (and I don’t say this to poke fun but to merely make an observation). He also explained some of the different symbols used for the different gods; that’s when I reminded him of the Only God that we serve and that there was nothing to fear since we had Christ in our hearts.
Since this was our last prayer walking time, our driver Dana (one of missionaries in Taiwan), knowing that I was a picture-takin’ fool, decided to drive out of the way to document some fabulously beautiful temples and locations. Those inescapable beautiful mountains… Sadly, this was my last meeting with Peter on the trip, though we did try to arrange another meeting and exchanged e-mails (We have been able to communicate through this blessed contraption).
The adult class this evening involved the entire mission team. While the teachers taught their adults students, the remainder prayer walked the school for God’s Spirit to descend and for understanding. Following the teaching, a fellowship was once again planned. Guess who was there? No, not the pope – the two girls that had created havoc (in my mind) and were peaceable during class. They tended to be on the havoc side. In order to compensate for lack of being able to communicate, I simply didn’t try to. This worked after a few minutes and when I tried to talk to them as a normal person to see if they had enjoyed the class, they just ran away. In any case, I was happy that I wasn’t creating an inadvertent problem by trying to see a smile.
Peter and Zach
Here I am with my friend Peter before we parted ways on Thursday. We became good friends quickly, even though we could only sometimes understand each other. He is a fine young man and a young Christian. Pray that God would make him bold and use Peter in mighty ways. You are a good friend Peter and I thank the Lord above that we met.
School's in Session
The English camp students are lining up and ready to learn + have fun as this shot indicates. There was a average of about 125 students each day.
Tiffany the Teacher
Tiffany is a sweet resident of Meinung and teaches an English school. She is also a Christian in a society that does not know much about Jesus. She came to our English camp to help translate for us (she was a HUGE help!) and to learn more about this Jesus. Please pray that God would strengthen her and help her school get underway again. Blessings to you Tiffany!
The Temples of Taiwan
One of the many temples in Taiwan. They range from really huge to small as a doghouse. Pray for the darkness that surrounds these temples to be dimmed by the Light of Christ.
Taiwanese Landscapes
Here is a shot of the beautiful, yet sometimes rough, landscapes of Taiwan. Can I ever say enough about those mountains?
Friday July 7, 2006
Our final day of our English camp was a sad one – at least for its teachers. Today served as a review day for the past week’s stories and crafts. Once again, we held a relay to see which team could post the entire week of stories on the blackboard the quickest. Don wanted to share his testimony with the class before we said goodbye. Having one of the Mandarin/English speakers translate his testimony, Don asked an all-telling question: How many within the class had heard any of the stories that had been taught during the week. Besides the American girl present, 2 out of 13 indicated that they had heard any of them. The revelation of the question truly put into perspective what we had been (hopefully) accomplishing with reaching an unreached people with the Gospel.
Since both the youth and adult classes had been wrapped up, we decided that an afternoon of sightseeing was in order. On the way back to the hotel, Dana, now my sight-seeing guide, drove once again out of the way to show me and the ever energetic Jean (who was a young 75 years old) a few spots. First was the Meinong East Gate Tower that sat alongside the beautiful Meinong Stream and has been at this site since 1736. We also traveled past a beautiful lake that we visited later in the day again. On the way back to the hotel, we had a brief stop at an “ancestor room” where each day the names of families’ ancestors are read and offerings are made in hopes of loved ones past making it to heaven.
We began our afternoon tour with a stop at one of the biggest and most articulate temples in Meinong. Standing three stories tall and completed in 1918, the Guangshan Temple offers a spectacular view of the city from its upper most story and a spacious area on grounds that includes graves and a turtle gazebo (I sound like a brochure, don’t I?). While we were there, we witnessed monks performing some of their rituals, as well as a young boy practicing to become a future monk. Of interesting note, peppering the bottom of the roofs of this temple are what appear to be Nazi swastikas. They are, in fact, an ancient sign in the Buddhist religion and Hitler felt like borrowing it for his own purposes.
Our next destination was a gorgeous body of water (called a lake) with a gazebo towards the middle of it. Coconut trees decorate the area accompanied by the ever majestic mountains; several fishermen (and fisherladies) usually come out in hopes of landing a catch. Our last stop before dinner took place on a small mountainside which was scattered with momentous monuments of graves. Many of these are huge and highly detailed and can contain either individuals or entire families. Also present in this cemetery are furnaces for burning “spirit money.” Spirit money is paper manufactured to look like money (obviously) and is burned in hopes of “pleasing the gods” so that a dead loved one may have a good afterlife. I’m so glad that I know that I couldn’t earn or buy my way to heaven – I couldn’t do it; but Jesus came to buy me with His sacrifice and that’s exceptionally incredible!
Each day at the English camp, we told the kids that Friday evening was going to be a celebration time. Quite a few children and adults showed for the event. And you’ll never guess it – I made more friends. I was the subject of entertainment for several teenagers for a few hours: taking pictures, trying to speak Chinese, acting silly. What do you mean, acting? We had a wonderful time of laughter that continued after we had finished at the celebration time.
Every Friday night in Meinong is a flea market type of event called “Night Market.” At the market, one can find an array of things to buy or play rather cheaply. And stinky dofu – oh, how it stinks. This is a small piece of breading that smells like the sewer. Not pleasant. Following our departure from the celebration at the school, we decided to go to Night Market – and my newfound friends came and were entertained for a few more hours! They were most kind to me for about every five minutes I was being offered this amazingly stinky food for free. I politely declined by saying “No way!”
As we departed ways, the teens asked if I was planning on returning to Taiwan. I replied saying that if God wanted me to return, He would let me know. I told them that they could pray as well by just saying “God, please let the crazy man come back to Taiwan.” And they did right there, saying those exact words. Then, one of the girls prayed, “And please let crazy man eat stinky dofu!” Needless to say, her prayer wasn’t answered - so far. And let's hope that it stays unanswered for my health's sake.
Since both the youth and adult classes had been wrapped up, we decided that an afternoon of sightseeing was in order. On the way back to the hotel, Dana, now my sight-seeing guide, drove once again out of the way to show me and the ever energetic Jean (who was a young 75 years old) a few spots. First was the Meinong East Gate Tower that sat alongside the beautiful Meinong Stream and has been at this site since 1736. We also traveled past a beautiful lake that we visited later in the day again. On the way back to the hotel, we had a brief stop at an “ancestor room” where each day the names of families’ ancestors are read and offerings are made in hopes of loved ones past making it to heaven.
We began our afternoon tour with a stop at one of the biggest and most articulate temples in Meinong. Standing three stories tall and completed in 1918, the Guangshan Temple offers a spectacular view of the city from its upper most story and a spacious area on grounds that includes graves and a turtle gazebo (I sound like a brochure, don’t I?). While we were there, we witnessed monks performing some of their rituals, as well as a young boy practicing to become a future monk. Of interesting note, peppering the bottom of the roofs of this temple are what appear to be Nazi swastikas. They are, in fact, an ancient sign in the Buddhist religion and Hitler felt like borrowing it for his own purposes.
Our next destination was a gorgeous body of water (called a lake) with a gazebo towards the middle of it. Coconut trees decorate the area accompanied by the ever majestic mountains; several fishermen (and fisherladies) usually come out in hopes of landing a catch. Our last stop before dinner took place on a small mountainside which was scattered with momentous monuments of graves. Many of these are huge and highly detailed and can contain either individuals or entire families. Also present in this cemetery are furnaces for burning “spirit money.” Spirit money is paper manufactured to look like money (obviously) and is burned in hopes of “pleasing the gods” so that a dead loved one may have a good afterlife. I’m so glad that I know that I couldn’t earn or buy my way to heaven – I couldn’t do it; but Jesus came to buy me with His sacrifice and that’s exceptionally incredible!
Each day at the English camp, we told the kids that Friday evening was going to be a celebration time. Quite a few children and adults showed for the event. And you’ll never guess it – I made more friends. I was the subject of entertainment for several teenagers for a few hours: taking pictures, trying to speak Chinese, acting silly. What do you mean, acting? We had a wonderful time of laughter that continued after we had finished at the celebration time.
Every Friday night in Meinong is a flea market type of event called “Night Market.” At the market, one can find an array of things to buy or play rather cheaply. And stinky dofu – oh, how it stinks. This is a small piece of breading that smells like the sewer. Not pleasant. Following our departure from the celebration at the school, we decided to go to Night Market – and my newfound friends came and were entertained for a few more hours! They were most kind to me for about every five minutes I was being offered this amazingly stinky food for free. I politely declined by saying “No way!”
As we departed ways, the teens asked if I was planning on returning to Taiwan. I replied saying that if God wanted me to return, He would let me know. I told them that they could pray as well by just saying “God, please let the crazy man come back to Taiwan.” And they did right there, saying those exact words. Then, one of the girls prayed, “And please let crazy man eat stinky dofu!” Needless to say, her prayer wasn’t answered - so far. And let's hope that it stays unanswered for my health's sake.
The East Gate
This is the ancient East Gate that I was able to visit on Friday. The steps are extremely steep getting to the top, but the view is certainly rewarding. A river is located directly in front of this monument (but you can't see that, can you?)
Night Market
Here is a scene from the famous "Friday Night Market" that's held a few buildings down from our hotel. It's like a big flea market with games and food. And the ever-famous, ever-stinky "stinky dofu" - it has the potential to burn the very hairs in your nose. *Whew*
Rock Star?
I got to be part of the (unintentional) entertainment to several on the Friday night celebration event and later on at night market. Here are some of the "following" while the rest are laughing behind their cameras. Me-oh-my.
Saturday July 8, 2006
When I was preparing for this mission trip, I looked at the weather forecast which said that it was supposed to rain all week long. The only day of rain that we had really gotten was about an hour each on Saturday and Sunday and remained sunny the rest of the week. That is, until today.
We began the day with an exciting hike on “Monkey Mountain.” As we began, we met a group of monks and Buddhists who were chanting and bowing on the ground. As we ascended further, we stopped at a monastery for a breather and climbed on. After a few minutes, we ran into a few of the creatures for which the mountain is nicknamed. Wild monkeys are known to be aggressive at times when offering them food, and although these were quite greedy, they took the bananas that we threw and took off to hide. Enter the rain. Half way up the mountain, it began to rain steady and grew harder as we progressed. After all had safely reached the top (including the spunky Jean), we began the trek back down and were relieved to reach the bottom without
anyone “riding” down on their own bottom.
One of Meinong’s famous attractions is handmade umbrellas – and the umbrella shop is where we found ourselves after we had changed into a little drier clothes (I say a little because it poured all day long. There are days where it will rain in feet). A visit to a mini strip-mall type shopping area followed as well as a visit to an art/pottery shop. One of the shops at the shopping area included a man making pottery which was pretty neat.
Rest, packing, and dinner followed our frenzy of a water-logged shopping day – and a visit to McDonalds®. Some had the urge to have ice cream, so we hopped on down to Mickey D’s for a late-night snack. Our way back used an alternate route through the mountains (literally), which was a nice way to travel back to the hotel.
We began the day with an exciting hike on “Monkey Mountain.” As we began, we met a group of monks and Buddhists who were chanting and bowing on the ground. As we ascended further, we stopped at a monastery for a breather and climbed on. After a few minutes, we ran into a few of the creatures for which the mountain is nicknamed. Wild monkeys are known to be aggressive at times when offering them food, and although these were quite greedy, they took the bananas that we threw and took off to hide. Enter the rain. Half way up the mountain, it began to rain steady and grew harder as we progressed. After all had safely reached the top (including the spunky Jean), we began the trek back down and were relieved to reach the bottom without
anyone “riding” down on their own bottom.
One of Meinong’s famous attractions is handmade umbrellas – and the umbrella shop is where we found ourselves after we had changed into a little drier clothes (I say a little because it poured all day long. There are days where it will rain in feet). A visit to a mini strip-mall type shopping area followed as well as a visit to an art/pottery shop. One of the shops at the shopping area included a man making pottery which was pretty neat.
Rest, packing, and dinner followed our frenzy of a water-logged shopping day – and a visit to McDonalds®. Some had the urge to have ice cream, so we hopped on down to Mickey D’s for a late-night snack. Our way back used an alternate route through the mountains (literally), which was a nice way to travel back to the hotel.
Born to be Wild - Moped Momma
I HAD to put this one on. This is Jean - a.k.a. Moped Momma. She hitched a ride from our hotel manager on his moped to breakfast on Saturday morning. Jean was a joy.
Temple - Inside Look
Here is how it looks inside of a typical temple in Taiwan. Lots of religious decor, incense burning, alters, etc.Mohawks Anyone?
Doug was sporting a new style after the torrential downpour of rain during our Saturday hike. He tried to get the style started in Taiwan but it didn't really catch on. Jean thought about the new hairstyle for herself, but reconsidered. Good choice, Jean.
A LIttle Monkey Business
Here is a picture (though hard to see) of a monkey on our mountain hike on Saturday. It was difficult to see them as they were very swift and, according to everyone on the island, pretty viscous if you got too close. Jon and Jen were giving them the bananas and I was trying to capture a couple of the monkeys in the process - digitally, of course.
Traffic - arrgh!
This picture does not do ANY justice to the current traffic situation in Taiwan. In this picture (taken from inside our moving vehicle) are three vehicles and a mopeder coming towards us - at the same time. This is very common - people pulling out right in front of you. I don't know how you do it Wes and the rest of you crazy, er, fearless drivers... you're brave people.
Sunday July 9, 2006
Our last day in Taiwan. On this sad day, we began the day with worship by the ancient East Gate and river. It was a time of reflection and looking forward. It also marked the debut of my picture video. We said our goodbyes to the missionaries and Taiwan, traveled to the hotel and packed up for our exhaustingly extensive flights.
It wasn’t so bad this time around – we only had 3 flights. Kaohsiung, Taiwan to Taipei, Taiwan to LA, California to STL, Missouri. I found that it was odd to be reading signs as I went down the airplane terminals in America and that I could read them because they weren’t in Chinese. And I also found that I really missed being in Taiwan, though having American food was nice (not that I didn’t like food in Taiwan – I very much did, but it was nice for a change). Working in a children’s home where kids are cussing you out and working for very long hours, I have found that I needed to shut down emotionally. As a result, I haven’t felt much emotionally for about a year or so and when I began to miss this, it was a really good feeling.
It wasn’t so bad this time around – we only had 3 flights. Kaohsiung, Taiwan to Taipei, Taiwan to LA, California to STL, Missouri. I found that it was odd to be reading signs as I went down the airplane terminals in America and that I could read them because they weren’t in Chinese. And I also found that I really missed being in Taiwan, though having American food was nice (not that I didn’t like food in Taiwan – I very much did, but it was nice for a change). Working in a children’s home where kids are cussing you out and working for very long hours, I have found that I needed to shut down emotionally. As a result, I haven’t felt much emotionally for about a year or so and when I began to miss this, it was a really good feeling.
Getting Back to USA
Life back in the States makes me long for the real fried rice, the mountains and the mountainous relationships that I found in the beautiful island of Taiwan. I’m busy – maybe too busy here in Saint Louis. I found that out on this trip. I get too busy for God sometimes and not letting God work through me.Okay, I have something to admit. And it's not easy to say. I’m not sure how I did it, but I fell in love during the trip. I wasn’t planning it – I suppose no one ever plans these things, but it happened. I love Taiwan. Okay, maybe it is a little hot and the traffic is nuts (and insane and crazy and…), but somehow I really love this place. Its people are, in many ways, fun to be around. Its locations are spectacularly beautiful. But many of its people subscribe to a traditional religion that is not fulfilling and leaves them empty.
It could be that I love people in general and care for them, though that sounds a bit conceited. I remember that there were several signs throughout the country with the slogan: “Taiwan: Touch Your Heart.” At first glance, I thought hmm. But now I can see that it has touched my heart. I would venture to say that it will continue to touch many who visit the island of Taiwan.
Special Thanks To...
Before I close this thing out, I want to thank a couple of people.First, I wish to thank everyone who prayed for our mission, safety, and return on this incredible journey – we could not have done it without those prayers.
Next, I wish to say a BIG thank you to Bob DeSha (my roommate and incredible man of God), Heather Hanson (who is a good friend and always finds me humorous), Sandy Adams (my night shift partner), my grandparents – Vernon, Betty, and Freda (for being so grand), and my mom (love ya) for providing financial support – even though I did not or plan to ask for any. My family for not being too worried. To Harvester Baptist Church for letting me tag along to help.
And most of all to Jesus for allowing me to serve Him by serving others. This was an incredible trip for me, especially being the first international mission trip that I served on and the land of Taiwan will continue to remain in my heart forever.
(Note: This picture was taken on Monday of prayer walking and the kids sitting to my left is acting like he's picking his nose, not putting his middle finger up. We all had a wonderful time playing together.)
The Quiet Life
Here's another view of one simply one of the most beautiful spots we visited in Taiwan.
There's no place like home
Here is a home that was typical of many that we would see when we went prayer walking. I took this looking down from the East Gate loft.
Beautiful, but deadly
Here is one of the most beautiful temples that I saw when I was in Taiwan. It is extremely ornate and highly detailed. Why deadly? Because it does not bear the Truth of Jesus - and that's quite deadly, if I do say so. And I do say so because I just did!
Idols here, idols there - everywhere idols!
Here is an example of an idol in Taiwan - they are everywhere. We saw them in houses, stores, and even in buses! This was taken on the side of the street when prayerwalking on July 4th.
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