Today was a very special day. Last night one of my students spent the night with me and then this morning she went to Church with us. After Church we went for a walk and saw a procession for a god. It was like a lot of the others that I have seen. After watching for a little while we decided it was time to grab some lunch so we went to eat. After eating we came back here and played some games and hung out. About 3 my friend went home and after a little while we decided to go for a walk. We saw the procession, and since Anthony wanted some pics, we decided to go get his camera and then go find the procession.
As we walked down the road we met some friends and we asked if the procession would be coming by the temple close to our house. They said it would, so we waited at their house for a few minutes. The procession began to pass the house and we watched from the front steps for a few minutes until we decided to go down by the temple. The procession became more of a show when it passed in front of the temple. The things I saw today were very sobering. (It is easy to go through the motions of things here in Taiwan and forget the real needs that are here.)
In the procession there was the usual things like, the beating of drums and clashing of symbols, people dressed up as gods, wooden carts burning incense and carry miniature statues of the gods, people carrying and waving long branches, traditional dragon costumes etc. But the thing that hit home the most were the young men, who were probably younger than me, that beat themselves until they bled. It was a sight that brought tears to my eyes. To think that their religion requires this type of thing of them broke my heart. As I watched the procession I began to think of many of my students who were lost. (I saw quite a few of them watching the procession.) It reminded me of the need to be in prayer for my students and the people of Taiwan. Though I can’t always share the gospel with others, I can do my part and play with my students, and show them that they are loved. I can reach out to those around me, by smiling, inviting them to my house or just returning a “hello.”
It is a blessing to be here in Taiwan, but I need to remember that things are not all grand and wonderful. There are many people around me that are lost and don’t know where they will go when they die. It is amazing how quickly the Lord can readjust ones focus. Although it was hard to watch parts of the procession, I hope that the things I saw will help me to remember the reason I am here.
God Bless,
Holly
JiJi, Taiwan
