Sunday 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.