May 2005 Archives

Taipei is one of my top five favorite cities in the world. It’s big, it’s fast, you can get where you need to be quickly, and they have almost everything a Shawn could want! So many things crammed into one small place. Not to mention it has the tallest building in the world (and the fastest elevator…*weee!*)

I was blessed to be able to “vacation” there this past weekend with a few other team members. Stayed with some very hospitable friends, got to meet up with some old friends, AND got to eat at both TGIF and Chili’s! Oh yeah, did I mention that I like night markets? Well, I do. It was fun haggling with the store owners, and even getting 50NT off a couple items because I told the shopkeeper that we should get a lower price because “We’re both (Samuel and I) shwai guhs.” After saying that, Samuel revealed a Chinese word for “handsome” that was recently painted on his arm. Not only did we get a better price, but the storeowner also got a good laugh out of it.

However, by the time Sunday rolled around, I was ready to go back “home.” Back home to Kinmen. I realized that even though I like the “big city,” I don’t think I could live there. Don’t get me wrong, I’m defiantly not a small town type person either, I think I’m a person who likes being near both. It was weird being out of Kinmen though. Things like people understanding English at 7-11, and not starring at us because we’re foreigners, or not even smiling as they walk by, just seemed strange. I hadn’t realized how much I had gotten used to Kinmen. I think the trip to Taiwan opened my eyes even more to how different Kinmen is and how unique it is and most of all, how special it is.

Four weeks are left of my stay here on Kinmen, and I am realizing that I need to work on “making the days count, and not counting the days.” I pray these last few weeks will be the best weeks of my stay here in Kinmen.

Shawn Searle

God has a weird sense of humor sometimes. Do you ever pray really sarcastically? Well, you’ve all heard the saying “be careful what you wish for!” but after today I think I will change that to “be careful what you pray for!” It’s been an interesting day.

This morning as I was tossing my books into my backpack, I flipped open the textbooks and noticed that we had finished most of the book in both fourth and sixth grade. All that was left were the holiday sections, which I taught at the end of last semester and it wasn’t my favorite thing in the world. I pitched the books into my backpack, prayed sarcastically, “Lord, please don’t make me teach holidays today,” grabbed my bag, and headed out the door.

A cup of coffee and ten minutes later, I arrived in the parking lot, looked for Jack, almost got into the wrong car, and then noticed Joanne walking towards her car. Joanne is the other English teacher at Hu Shan and we get along really well, although we haven’t really had the chance to talk much before. She saw me, waved, and walked over. “Are you surprised?” Uh, yeah… I hopped into her car and we headed off for school. I thought that probably Jack had a meeting or something and had sent Joanne to pick me up. WRONG. We started driving down the road and this was something like what our conversation went like…

Joanne: “This morning after our teachers meeting I almost forgot to come get you until Jack said YOU HAVE TO GO NOW! I’m glad I remembered, because I’d really forgotten that this was the first day.”

Christina’s Brain: “First Day? What the…?”

Christina’s Mouth: (laughs) “Yeah, I’m glad you remembered too! Um… first day of what?”

Joanne: (laughs) “Well since sixth grade will be finished with their books soon, we all decided to let you teach with me this month! But I almost forgot that this morning was the beginning of it.”

Christina’s Brain: “How sweet of you to not let me get bored watching movies with MY sixth graders that I’ve been teaching ALL YEAR!”

Christina’s Mouth: “Oh, cool! So I get to teach with you until the end of the semester?”

Joanne: “Yes!”

She then proceeded to tell me about her classes- second grade, third grade, and three fifth grade classes. I won’t tell you what my brain was saying at this point, but if you know me you can probably guess. Tina needed an attitude check. But even with the attitude check, God still chose to bless me with an awesome day. The kids were SO excited about having me teach them, even just for three weeks, that it was hard to not be excited about teaching them too. The last fifth grade class was especially fun- one girl is going to America this summer and I met her last month when I judged the kids competing to go to America. There was another kid from Japan who had great English, and this one kid had the girl going to America write on his book “My name is David and my English is really bad but I like your hair and I’m good at drawing.” I was cracking up when I read that one! Joanne kept cracking me up all day too- she kept forgetting what she had taught and what she hadn’t. It was really fun working with somebody so easygoing. We had a blast together and before the day was over she’d bought me watermelon juice and promised to take me sightseeing in a couple of weeks!

So… the moral of the story is… Be careful what you pray for, and even if the answers are different than you expect, God’s always got your best in mind!

Keep us in your prayers as we wrap up the semester here, and for some of us, wrap up our whole world and try to fit it into two suitcases. Two suitcases is not nearly big enough to take home all the hearts that have touched mine these two years, but maybe the pieces of me that will be left here will leave more room for an extra shirt or two.

Oh, needless to say, I didn’t have to teach about holidays today…

For Jesus and Nantou,
Tina Moody

This weekend I was able to spend some time with one of my favorite 6th grade students. This meant a lot to me since she will be graduating and starting Junior High school next semester. She came to Jin Cheng, where I live and we hung out...went shopping, bought drinks, talked, and just had fun together. The flip side of getting to know students better is that there are usually heartbreaks in store when I start finding out about their lives. Jessi is hardly 13 years old, and lives here in Kinmen with her Grandmother and older brother. There were no parents mentioned, and they do not seem to be in the picture at all. I asked her if anyone worries about her if she doesn't come home and she said her grandmother doesn't care, and her older brother (a highschool drop-out) just tells her to "remember to come home sometime."

During our time together on Friday, Jessi kept talking about a Junior High guy that she seemed rather infatuated with, but I didn't know the Chinese name, and she didn't know his English name. It's OK, because on Saturday night I found out who it is. Lucas and I were hanging out with some highschool friends at the track near our dorm when Jessi came roaring up on a moped sitting behind one of our worst students from the Kinmen team's infamous "drop-out" class. Suddenly, there was the whole gang, minus one or two that we taught last semester; Allen, Luke, Shawn, Ian, Jason, as well as some of their younger partners in mischief. My heart sank to see my sweet little girl with these guys...for a while I couldn't face them. I had to walk away and cry and pray for them. One of them was hurt so I went to gather some first aid stuff. These kids don't have a reputation for treating us well, but somehow there is a love in my heart for them that I can't explain. I wanted to show them how much Jesus loves them. I know He would have tenderly bound up their wounds, so I asked Him to use my hands to express His love to them.

That being taken care of, Lucas and I just sat and talked to them. Now...generally "talking" with these guys means putting up with a lot of dirty language and curses, in English, Chinese, and Taiwanese, which most of the time are directed right at us. But that night they seemed a bit calmer than usual. A couple of them especially got pretty serious and as they shared some of their struggles and fears, we were able to share with them Jesus love, the peace and freedom from fear that He can give, and how they can know Him for themselves. When they finally left, (at an extremely late hour) hopefully to go home, but most likely looking for more mischief, I watched them go and prayed that Jesus will draw these poor, shepherdless sheep to His side. What love, comfort, and joy they could find in Him! While it breaks my heart to see the situations of my students here, I rejoice at the amazing opportunity we have been given to tell them of One who can change their lives and bring hope to their longing hearts. Please keep praying for our team here, and for those to whom we are daily reaching out with Christ's love.

"...when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them because they were... as sheep having no shepherd..."
Matthew 9:36

Rebekah
~Phil. 1:20~
Kinmen

This last week at school was one of my hardest so far this year, and I think that the next few weeks will be even harder. It is not because I am having a hard time preparing lessons to teach, or that the kids are difficult to deal with. In fact, it is just the opposite. My kids were wonderful this last week, but I am having to face the reality that very soon I will be saying goodbye. There is the comfort that I may have some of them when I come back next semester to teach, but all of my totally sweet sixth graders will move on to junior high school and I may never see them again. Sniff. Also, there are some of the American teachers that will be going back to the States for good that I will really miss next semester. I have gotten to know most of them quite well, and my teammates here in Taiwan are such an encouragement to me. Changes, changes. Not always easy to take, not always fun to go through, but remembering that the Lord Jesus never changes, and that He will always remain the same, is quite a comfort. Anyway, all this to say that I will really miss a lot of very nice people after I go back home for the summer. If I was an emotional person, I might have shed a tear or two as I thought about having to say goodbye to hundreds of people during the next few weeks.

Remember that the Lord is always here all the time. Sometimes we only think about Him when times are hard and we really need His help, but we overlook all of the "small" things that He does for us each and every day. Praise Him for His greatness. I am so thankful that He has allowed me to serve here in Taiwan, and I pray that I may be found useful in His kingdom. This is my prayer for all, that we may be worthy to be called children of God, and that we will serve Him to the best of the abilities that He gives us.

From Nantou, in Christ,

Joel

What was supposed to be an evening out with my teacher turned into two hours of the most fun I’ve had in a long while.

Do you ever find yourself planning out your day or your evenings with the sole purpose of doing what you want to do only to have God change the whole thing around? Now sometimes when I’m not open to His leading or want to do things my way it can be a disappointment but this evening really was what I needed.

One of the teachers I work with really wanted me to visit her friend and her little pottery store. As I was looking around I was thinking of gift ideas and such when two little girls walked in. Now its not normal in Hualien for kids to just start talking to you in English but this girl walked right up and started talking to me. Before I knew it I found myself surrounded by at least 12 children upstairs where I got to read them a story.

During the story Vicky (who’s 9 ½ ) kept telling me all about what was going on even down to being told how I was saying certain words wrong. Thankfully I was right and she was wrong (this time).

After the story time was finished the children started to make these snails out of clay. I was going to go play with the adults but Debbie insisted that she see my art making skills. I sat down next to this small chubby little boy. From the moment I sat down he started calling me Guh guh (big brother). Vicky came over to talk and help me get through the whole snail making progress we even had fun talking about all she was learning at school and finding out that she likes being a “tomboy.”

Overall I haven’t had this much fun in such a long time. The time really flew by quickly. When I asked if I could come back in a few weeks to read another story I was told that she needed to think about it because the kids were so excited. As I left Debbie told me that she’d never seen me happier and that she saw something in me that she’d never seen before.

As my time comes to a close here in Taiwan I’ve been praying and asking that God would allow me to make the most of my time here. I’m really grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been getting to spend time with the kids and teachers. My weekends have been busy for the last few weeks and will remain full up until I leave. I’m going this weekend with a group of teachers from my Thursday school on a trip across Taiwan through the mountains. I’m really praying that God would give me a chance to share with them and really get to know them better.

Please continue to pray for us here in Taiwan. Pray that in the short time we have left that we would really shine as lights in the midst darkness. Pray that the Lord would give us more opportunities to share with others about Him. Pray for the lives and souls of the people here, pray against the principalities and powers that are at work and that most of all the name of Christ would be glorified.

Well I won’t bore you all further but really thank you for all your prayers we couldn’t do it without you all.

Blessings

Joshua Smith
Hualien

Well, golly gosh me…it’s been forever from the last time I wrote an update. Busy is as busy does I guess. (I think I just made that saying up) anyway, here goes nothing. Beware, it just might become that.

This week has been fun, relaxing and surprisingly not all that crazy. First time for everything eh? I think this has been the first week I’ve had in over 2 months where I didn’t get some earth shattering piece of news. No bad news, no good news, nothing. Just plain normal week, thank God.

I sit here listening to some Chinese music still slightly in awe over what this country has done to me. How it’s changed me for both the good and the bad. Mostly good I think, but like any situation you do make mistakes. That in and of itself is a bad thing but when put together with God’s amazing love and faithfulness is a wondrous thing. The things he can teach us through our own weakness should confound our human reasoning. At least they do mine.

You see, these past few weeks have been some of those “bang Daniel over the head with a holy 2x4” weeks for God. The kind of weeks where I think he wants to see just how much I’ve really learned about giving up to him and letting him be in charge. So he tosses things at us and watches how they bounce. Or maybe, how we bounce. Either way, this has been one of those times. Without going into a lot of details I’ll just say that God has both taken some things from me and given some things to me these past few months that have left me totally incompetent in myself and relying on him for just the basic strength to keep on keeping on. That’s where he wants me I’m sure. I hate every second of that in my flesh, because I’m the kind of guy who likes to rely on himself for things. That’s not why I’m here and that’s not what I should be learning. So, as much as I don’t’ like it I know it’s a good thing that the Lord is teaching me these things.

So, as an encouragement to you I’ll just say this. No matter how frustrating things may get you can be sure that God knows what’s going on before you even get frustrated. He loves you and is caring for you more than anyone else could. He wants to bless you and be with you forever, and would never do anything to hurt you. He can only help. So trust him, ride out the wave, wait for the sunrise, it’s going to be alright.

With God it’s alright…

Alright.

Daniel
Ji Ji

One of the highlights of the past couple days was a trip I took to Jimen Island with Joel and Daniel. Jimen is a small island not too far off the coast of China. It is primarily a military base, and it wasn't opened to the public till not too many years ago. One of our teams of teachers here works on the island, and so Joel, Daniel, and I flew out to see them.

The three of us left Friday after school, and made it to the dorm where the team lives about 7:30 in the evening. They had dinner (pizza) waiting for us when we got there, so we had a good time talking and eating. Later, we played volleyball and basketball till about 11. Saturday the team took us to another island called "Little Jimen". We spent the morning and early afternoon playing on the beach, and swimming in the ocean. That was a blast! I had a great time. I also was able to climb a tower/monument there, and pick out some mountains and buildings on mainland China. It was pretty hazy that day, so I couldn't see a lot, but I did see a few things. That was my first glimpse of the mainland, and although it wasn't much, I can now say I have seen China :).

Saturday night all of us went to a basketball game that was being played. A Christian college from Colorado was there to play a team from Taiwan, and a pretty good crowd showed up to watch, including us. It was satisfying to see the Americans win :), especially after seeing how the Taiwanese team digressed to playing pretty dirty by the end of the game. But overall it was fun to watch. Sunday, we went to church, and ate lunch there. Then we grabbed some coffee (iced, it was pretty warm today) before heading back to the dorm. Our flight back to the main island left at 4:20, and I was home at Ying Pan by 8:30.

Now another week has nearly passed. I only have 4 more weeks of teaching at my schools. 6th grade graduates a week or two before the others, so I have even less time left with them. It is amazing to think of how close the end of the semester is, and of going home.

So, with those thoughts, please keep us in your prayers as we finish out our semester here.

From Ying Pan,
Chase Hiebsch

One month, four days and counting...

The year is winding up. Ninth grade has it's highschool entrance exam this weekend (it'll be on Saturday and Sunday- drop a prayer for our kids!). Sixth grade has but two weeks left of school.

I guess this is where I'm supposed to talk about all that's happened and all I've learned in the past year. Just know it's a LOT. I'm so grateful that God has been with me, walked into every class with me, gave me words and lesson plans on many spurs of the moment, and that most of all...He wanted us to succeed.

When my dad came to visit, he told me, "Ginger, you guys give so much here..but the neatest thing is that you're getting even more back." I don't think any of us meant for that to happen. In fact, I think most of us can honestly say that the "giving" going on here has been a privilege and a pleasure. Yes, it's hard, and lessons of selfishness and love are learned constantly.

Sometimes the lessons on love are suprises. For me, the playground was a way to invest time with my kids. There was something about spending time with them, though- and I didn't realize this until later on- like it would banish all sense of loneliness I'd been mentioning to God the night before. Or you get tackled by your third graders...how did they need you needed a hug? Haha. So that sounds sentimental, I know. Little things like that taught me more about God's love, and that it can come in ways you don't expect.

All that to say, I came here to give..give God's love. And through all I've done I've learned more about how much He loves me than anything.

What would you do without God's love? I wouldn't recommend being without it.

Ginger Jernigan
Kinmen

As I flipped open my cell phone this morning to shut the alarm off I was trying to remember why I had set it in the first place. All I could remember in those few seconds in my state of fresh awakening was that it was the weekend and I didn't have to teach. Then it hit me... SUNDAY! Yup, it was Sunday morning! I glanced over to see my sleeping beauty of a roommate start to arouse from her deep slumber and I blurted out "Hey do you want to go to Taichung?" Funny... I didn't know my voice sounded like that in the morning or that it could be so loud! She just gave me her typical morning look of "huh? Did you say something? What did you say?" So I asked her again. We finally came to the conclusion that if we did go we'd have to leave RIGHT NOW and be late.

Hmm... thoughts started to pop in my head and I started to think of alternatives for the situation. If we stayed home we could go to the Chinese church, but then I figured I'd probably end up nodding off now and then, and walk away without having any idea of what the Pastor had been saying. That didn't sound very encouraging. We could stay at home, sing some songs, and listen to a sermon online, but that would make me feel like I had, in some way, cheated my way out of attendance. I had also told my mother the night before that I would probably go to church, and at the end of the conversation she said to go to church and remember to read my Bible and pray. How many times have I heard that over and over again, but today it seemed to stand out more in my memory.

That was it, it wasn't a choice of whether or not I wanted to go, I was going, even though I knew I'd probably be late. No more excuses. I knew God was going to encourage me today but for this encouragement I need to make an effort to be there, even if it seem rather inconvenient and hard to get to. So Christina and I hurried and got ready to go, and were on our way.

"If you make excuses you'll be making excuses for the rest of your life." I heard this statement years ago but it still comes to mind whenever the word "excuse" comes across my path. It's so easy to give excuses for not doing something that we know God is prompting us to do, or things we know we should do. Even though our excuses may be truthful and full of good intentions it's still just an excuse if God has asked something of us that we don't want to or aren't going to do.

I've been thinking about excuses a lot lately, especially knowing that we're going to be returning to the states in just a few short months. What am I going to make time for in the upcoming days? Will they be things that God is wanting me to take time to invest in or will it be something that I just want to do? How sold out for Christ do I really want to be each day? So that's the daily challenge that I'm taking on. It's one thing to know what to do, it's another thing to do it. Just some thoughts from my brain to yours!

Mai Lewis

"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe."

:)

Things are going great here! My students never cease to surprise and entertain. Recently my students and I amused ourselves during a break by playing "rock, scissors, paper"- (look the other way). This is a game that can entertain for hours, it's great! While we were playing we had fun communicating. My kids (often times we refer to our students this way :) are speaking more English and becoming more comfortable with it, which is very cool to see.

God is good and we have much to praise Him for!

Thank you for your prayers, please continue to pray!

This is Megan, from Kinmen

Thought of the day: "Seek Jesus and learn to love Him more fully than you did yesterday"
Question of the day: Have you heard of "They" ?

I’m visiting the team here in Kinmen this weekend along with Chase, Daniel and Joel. It was really nice eating dinner all together and realizing that more then half the team was together in one place.

After dinner we went out to play some volleyball and a few guys played basketball after that. Once most of us got back to the dorm last night the guys got into playing Counter Strike till 2:30 in the morning. It’s always amazing how fast time flies when you’re having fun or shooting something.

As I’ve had a chance to see parts of Kinmen I have to say I really like it here. One of the amazing things is the relationships that the Kinmen team has developed with the local children here on the Island. As they walk by they’re all yelling out there teachers names and very eager to strike up conversations. All of them here in Kinmen are really working hard to build relationships with the people of Kinmen.

One of the things I was thinking about here the last number of days and especially last night is how God delights not in our “sacrifice” or good deeds, but He delights in our Obedience. I’m still trying to piece it all together but even in what I’m doing yes at times I’ve sacrificed privileges that we would take for granted every day and I’ve made sacrifices on the things I can eat and all of my “comforts: yet I’m seeing with all these things if I’m not obedient to the Lord in even the smallest things its of no value. All of our sacrifices in life or the things we do mean nothing if we aren’t obedient to God and what He’s telling us to do.

As I’m nearing the end of my stay here in Taiwan and realize that my time with the children and the people of Taiwan is short and coming to a close I can’t help but wish that time would slow down. I wish I would’ve studied Chinese harder, I wish I would’ve taken that extra few minutes playing with the kids over break rather then taking a nap. I wish I would’ve been more obedient to God and much less prideful in doing the things that I want to do.

I guess in all of this please pray for us especially as some of us come to the end of our stay here. We’re leaving behind what we’ve come to love and what’s become home for many of us. We really covet your prayers and are so grateful for all you do in praying for us.

If you get a chance please write us, we do love to hear from you. You have no idea how much it makes our day.

Blessings

Joshua Smith,
Kinmen

Well here I am, two days late for my update. I’ve been thinking for the past two days about what I should write in my update. Well, okay, so I haven’t been thinking the whole time about that but it might have crossed my mind once or possibly twice. Anyway there was something I was thinking about today. Actually I was thinking about a lot of things today, but I’ll spare you all the ones relating to food, wardrobe, and other items of lesser significance. Although I must say that dinner was really good… Right- my point.

You know, being here in Taiwan, one of the major things we learn over here (other than how to pick up two peanuts side by side with chopsticks) is the Chinese language. Something I’ve noticed recently is the wide range of “understandability” among Chinese people. There are the ones that I can understand most of what they’re saying, and then there are the times when I wonder if I know any Chinese at all. Take today, for example. We were in the Principal’s office of Fu Guei Elementary School waiting for classes to begin. The Principal had made some remark and I answered him without waiting for our translator to tell us what he said. That got an odd look from the English teacher, so I said something like “He said he’ll take us sightseeing after class if we want to, or he can drive us straight home, right?” The principal and English teacher looked at each other, rather shocked I think. I just sat there feeling rather pleased with myself. Well, remember that verse that says “pride comes before a fall”? Yeah.

Later this afternoon, Mai and I caught the 4:15 bus into Nantou and had been talking for a few minutes when the bus driver started talking to us. I had to ask him twice what he said, and then I answered him. He laughed and said “No, no, that’s not what I was asking. I said, where are you FROM, not where are you GOING!” I slunched down in my seat, wishing I could disappear. After a few minutes of sitting there with my eyes scrunched shut, chanting “go away go away”, I realized that I was not going anywhere that the bus was not, and sheepishly told the bus driver that we were both from America. Visions were dancing through my head of my various friends laughing at Tina, who didn’t catch the simple question “where are you from?” That wasn’t even the worst. The entire ride to Nantou went on in the same horrifying pattern. I told him we taught at elementary schools and he thought I said we wanted to get off. Talk about embarrassing.

Do you ever feel like that in your walk with God? I know I do. One minute I can’t believe how much I’ve learned and how much God is working and how wonderful everything is, and the next minute I wonder if God is even around. If you know me very well, you know I love music and I have certain songs that mean a lot to me at certain times. Well, one of “my” songs this year is a song called “Bow the Knee”. I sang it in my church’s octet before I came to Taiwan and I’ve loved it ever since. The words have a lot to do with what God’s been showing me today, so I’d like to share some of them with you.

“There are moments on our journey following the Lord,

When God illumines every step we take.

There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,

As we try to understand each move He makes.

But when the path grows dim, and our questions have no answers turn to Him.

Bow the knee, trust the heart of your Father

When the answer goes beyond what you can see

Bow the knee, lift your eyes toward heaven

And believe the One who holds eternity.

And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,

In the presence of your King,

Bow the Knee

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall

The cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow.

And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel

We are tempted to believe God does not know

When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.”

Don’t forget we live by faith, and not by sight. I don’t know about you, but this is something I forget on a regular basis. The minute those cold and lonely winds start picking up, I forget. I forget how God is always there. I forget how He knows what He’s doing- ALL the time! I forget that I don’t NEED to know why He’s doing what He’s doing- all He asks of me is that I trust Him, that I bow the knee to my King and believe the One who holds eternity.

So whether I’m excited after having a great conversation with one of my teachers, or if I’m discouraged because nothing seems to be “happening” that I can see, God is always working. Even if I can’t see it. God chose to drive this home today, too. Mai and I made it into town and after I left my pride on the bus, we went shopping. We were turning a corner to head for Working House when I heard excited little squeals behind me. I turned around and there, standing behind a little guava stand with her mother, was my precious little Mandy. Mandy is one of the deaf kindergarten students at one of the schools I teach at. Mai and I went over, bought some guava, and after standing there dancing around and telling her mother over and over that I was “her” teacher (which I’m really not), Mandy went into the shop and pulled out her uncle to introduce him to me. It was totally the cutest thing. We waved goodbye and I was just in awe of what God has done as I thought of what those kids were like two years ago. Mandy used to be quiet, shy, and kind of sullen, especially around me. It took me a month or so of playing with the kids every week to break through to the little boys in that class, but Mandy took even longer. Just when I thought I was finally her friend, she would have a bad day and wouldn’t want anything to do with me. Now, I try to sneak by their window so I don’t disturb their class, but it rarely works. Usually I’m greeted with every kid in there yelling for me- some of them can even say my name now. If I go inside their classroom, I’m mobbed- even by Mandy. It’s the greatest thing in the world. Kids who could barely say basic phrases in Chinese two years ago are now saying “goodbye” to me in English! It’s a great reminder to stand back and see how much God has done- all the little things do add up and I know He is working in my friends hearts as well, in ways I will never know.

This update is getting really long and I’m still not sure I’ve pinpointed what God has been showing me. Well, I just hope this update has encouraged you in some small way. Always remember that God is working and He knows exactly what He’s doing- even if you don’t. Trust Him- He is so worthy of our trust. Keep us in your prayers and drop us a line if you get a chance!

For the Ying Pan team,

Tina Moody

You guys are English teachers!? I'm sure this is a very common question by those of you who read these updates. Nearly everyone I have talked to about our website has repeated this question. Now, after hearing all these comments, what do I do? I find myself actually reading the updates and looking for grammar and spelling mistakes!

WELL.......... I would like to use this update, to address such a issue. Just so all of u know: We really R Englishe teachers.

U see, from the rising of the son, each morning, we get out of our beds and rush to our sckools. Every morning we wrack our minds bear of ideas for teaching. Not 1 day goes by, with out us being stretching beyond what we can bear. Of course, only have the day is teaching; the other have is filled with many more challenging things. We have to look every where to find our diner. And what is there to have for desert? Can we find apple pye or Ice cream? NO. These delicacies are only for the luckie.
So.....? Have u red this update? Do you understand are dilemma? Yes, thru all our busyness it is often difficult to control our piece and stay focused. But, if you get a peace of what I am addressing in this update, I'm sure you will be able to once again rest in peas.

In Kinmen,
Lucas

Truth with Hands

He had worked for months skillfully carving the beautiful statute of his Goddess. Hour upon hour he slaved away crafting a shape which was to be the epitome of human beauty. The face eyes which seemed almost blue, hair that seemed to catch and blow in the wind. Chest, arms and legs all breathtaking.

Finally the artist was ready to show his completed work to world, eager to see Goddess who was suppose to be the epitome of human beauty a man rush to see it. At first he was awe struck, but he left weeping crying “she has no hands, SHE HAS NO HANDS.”

Paul tells us to follow his example as he follows the example of Christ. Dose Christ have hands? If you doubt our Lord has hands see Him as he stretches them forth to comfort Thomas. “See from his head his hands and his feet sorrow and love flow mingled down... Love so amazing so divine demands my soul, my life my all.” When my soul aches, and my spiritual heart pounds in my chest as I complete this last leg of the race, as I wonder if my time hear has been successful, I remember that love which demands my all, and the hands of the master who said “go and do likewise.”

As you pray for us pray that this week we would be Christ hands, to our teammates, teachers, students, and friends.

Blessings
Benjamin Jacob
Hualien, Taiwan

During the last several days my heart has been full of mixed emotions. I love Taiwan yet at the same time I love Texas. I never want to leave but I want to go home. I love my team but right now I just want a hug from my mommy. I enjoy learning Chinese yet at the same time I long to be able to express myself to those around me in my native tongue. I love my students, but I miss my niece and nephews (I might have two nieces but I do not know my sister is pregnant and I do not know what the baby will be yet). I have many wonderful memories from the past eight months but I have missed out on many events at home. I like Chinese food but sometimes it would be nice to eat a meal that does not have rice in it.

The number one lesson that God has taught me during my time here in Taiwan has been contentment. There have been many other lessons as well but contentment would defiantly be at the top of the list when it comes to lessons that I have learned while in Taiwan. A few months ago I called home and talked to my mom about some homesickness that I was experiencing. My sweet mom said "Seize the day". Wow! that phrase hit me like a ton of bricks. I had heard it hundreds of times before but for some reason I had not thought about it until she had reminded me.

I long for home. I don't think that that will ever change. There is not a day that passes without me thinking about my family and friends at home. At the same time I have taken My mothers advise to heart and have learned to enjoy every second of my life in Taiwan. I will be going home in a few months. I do not want to spend my last few remaining months left in Taiwan wishing them away. Likewise once I am at home I do not want to be discontent, and wish to be in Taiwan again.

I miss home so much. Sometimes I do not think that I can make it one more day without my family and church. Although it has been difficult to be so far away from home, the Lord has been with me every step of the way. I look back on the last eight months with fond memories. He has lead me in the way that I should go. He has been the Good Shepard. I will be content wherever He leads me.

Lydia Deluca
Ji Ji, Taiwan

"The heavens declare the glory of God..." (Psalm 19:1)

Stars of the Earth

"What time is it?"
"9:00."
"Are you serious? It feels like 11:00!"

Last Friday, I found myself joining the Hualien girls and some local teachers for a picnic at Carp Lake in Hualien. It was firefly season, and the government had blocked off a section of the road, so tourists could behold fireflies in all their glory.

I laughed. We who grew up with fireflies in our backyard would never hold a month-long "Firefly Festival." As my friends and I rode through town, our driver Daniel pointed out banners which heralded firefly season. He told us that fireflies have a very short life span. They come out specifically to find a mate, reproduce, and die—all within the space of seven to ten days.

That made me think. I couldn't help but wonder why God bothered to create fireflies. They were of no apparent benefit to mankind, except perhaps to the businesses who profited off the festival.

After another round of hot pot and tea, the teachers finally started packing up their picnic gear. That was when I overheard the auntie say, "We'll take you to Red Roof Village to have a look around."

What? It was already 10:30 and another hour's drive back. We were going to make another stop?

We followed the caravan up a narrow tree-lined road that wound up the mountain. I was looking for red roofs, when the cars in front of us stopped suddenly. Why were we stopping in the middle of nowhere? Someone climbed out and motioned for us to turn off our headlights.

I climbed out like everyone else, and the fun began. I watched in amusement as pinpoints of light appeared along the side of the road. Fireflies! So this is why we came. The teachers shouted gleefully as they collected fireflies in water bottles and bags in hopes of cultivating their own firefly colony back home. Our friend Shu-Ling gathered her niece and nephew and said, "Look! Stars of the earth!"

Stars of the earth. I looked up through the canopy of trees to the velvet sky above, where the stars declared the glory of God. Fireflies danced around us.

All of a sudden, I knew the answer to my question. Why did God create fireflies? Aside from scientific reasons, He made them simply for His glory and our pleasure. Shame crept into my heart as I began to realize how the non-Christian teachers enjoyed His creation more than I.

It was late when we arrived back in Xincheng, but that was OK. I had learned more about my Creator through the stars of the earth.

______________________________

Karen Chen
May 1, 2005
Taipei, Taiwan

Quote Highlights

"We're all hilarious, but not very memorable." - BJ Bavido on me asking what funny things we've said recently.

"Death does not concern us, death is not here. But when death comes, we are not here." - Famous person quoted by Samuel

"I didn't realize I was being oblivious!" - Joshua Bavido

"Are you two a couple?" - BJ talking to two 9th graders who wouldn't stop talking during class (completely embarrassing them)

"Look! They're gushy...like a teen romance." - Shawn Searle, talking about Sea Anemones

"The only thing that goes through their head is a draft" - Shawn Searle (talking about 2 famous pop-culture sisters)

"Shut the book. Shut the door. Shut your mouth. Shut-up." - "Qiwi" (One of Shawn's English Teachers)

"Lucas, you look like you could be a skater punk." - Christine Jefferies

"Lucas, you look like you could be a drummer...no...I know! You look like an electric bass player!" - Shawn Searle

"No, I think I look like I would play a cello. Although, I've never even touched one before." - Lucas Stewart

"Honey! Lai Luh!" - Megan Jefferies

"I've come out of my shell! *Pop noise* See??.......Ok, I'm going back in now." - Drew Stewart

"I'M NOT A TEDDY BEAR!" - *cough- looks innocent* SS

"Megan, if I could climb through the roof from the girls bathroom into your room...I sooo would have TPed your room! *laugh* you'd have a bunch of little square tissues all over your room." - Ginger Jernigan

"Ok, you're kinda scaring me. So... I'm going to go." - Christine Jefferies

Shawn Searle,
Kinmen

This year for me, has been one of many lessons that the lord has taught me, it’s really weird, you come to Taiwan to teach English and hopefully be salt and light to those that are around you, and instead the Lord uses it to show you many things in my life that he wanted to teach me.

One of the main lessons has been in the area of how I view other people. It is very easy for me to see others in a light where I simply see them as just people and become blinded to their needs.

This year God has begun to show me to see people as individual souls, souls that are lost and need a saviour. Sometimes I look at my students and wonder where are you going to be in five or ten years. This especially has been on my heart in recent days, as my time here is drawing to a close.

It’s my prayer that even as I leave here, that the Lord will keep these things pressed onto my heart and that I will not forget them.

Anthony Bender
Jiji, Taiwan

Whoa, it feels like each day is going by in a whirlwind. It's the middle of May already, and I am working hard trying to prepare for the next few months.

I am like, what will happen then? God, can't you give me some sign?
I don't have an permanent plans, let me know what I am supposed to do.

This last Friday, I went to a school near Puli, and the kids were great. The class went well; the students listened to what I had to say... I never wanted to be a teacher, you know. But, God just speaks in His small still Voice, "I have plans for you. Don't worry." It's that simple.

I was reading in Ezra the other day, and I was amazed at the faith of the builders of the temple. They had received instructions to build, then someone would come up, and stop them, so they would just wait. Pretty soon, God would open the door, and they'd be working again, wholeheartedly and trusting Him to help them. I guess that as I work, travel on in life; I don't know what troubles I am going to face. But God does, and He will show me what to do.

"I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord." - Psalm 118:17

Isaac Mazur,
Yingpan Team

Hello! I have had an amazing two weeks. It will take me a while to tell you about it, but I will give it a shot so follow along.

On April 28th my team hosted an Ice Cream Social for our teachers. We invited over 50 people, and had about 20 people show up for an evening of games, talking, and of course, ice cream. I had a really good time, so did my team, and I think our teachers even enjoyed it . It was a lot of fun.

I left the next morning before 7 for Hualien County, to visit the team of teachers out there. Another friend from Taipei, Karen, was visiting that weekend also, which was fun. I spent Friday (4/29) with Josh, after arriving in Hualien about 1:30. Saturday I was able to go on a government sponsored tour of Hualien County along with the 6 members of the Hualien team, and Karen. That evening Josh, Karen, and I went to a cafe in Hualien city and had a good time talking, using the free wireless internet, and eating some good food.
Sunday was similar, after listening to a sermon on the internet I headed into town with Josh. We did some shopping, ate lunch, and had a good time wandering around looking at stuff. Later that afternoon we met up with the family of one of Josh's students, and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening with them.

Monday morning I left Hualien and traveled down the east coast of Taiwan on the train. I got off in Kaohsiung, where I met my team and Daniel Neu for our vacation to Ken-ting. We made it down to Ken-ting by 4, and spent the next two days near the ocean. I was able to go swimming in the ocean, bike to the southern tip of Taiwan, go shopping in a bunch of tourist places :), eat at some good restaurants, and generally have a really great time with my team. It was relaxing, fun, and a good adventure as well.

Wednesday we headed back up to Kaohsiung and spent the afternoon with my TA from winter camps, Amy. She took us to dinner that night, and then showed us around the town before we headed back to our hotel about 11.
Thursday was a lazy day, the 6 of us spent the day shopping and looking around Kaohsiung before catching our train back to Nantou about 3:30.

My fun wasn't over yet though. Joel, Daniel, and I caught a bus to Taipei Friday afternoon and made it in time to meet up with some more TA's for dinner. Ginger, (another) Amy, and Isis worked camps last summer right after I got here. We ate dinner with them, and then went to a night market for a little while.
Saturday was another good day. The Chen family was kind enough to let us stay with them in their apartments in Taipei, as well as inviting us to lunch with them on Saturday and Sunday. We ate at TGI Friday's on Saturday and a local cafe place on Sunday. The three of us, along with Karen, Tim, and another friend named James, were also able to go ice skating Saturday evening. That was a lot of fun, and although it was only the second time I have been ice skating, I didn't do too poorly.

I came back to Nantou on Sunday evening and have had a pretty good week back at school. It was a blast having last week off, but now I’m back in the teaching routine, which is also good.

As you pray, please remember those here who are planning summer camps. The summer camp blitz starts on July 3rd, and there is a lot of work to do to get ready. Also, pray that our vision for God’s work here would remain strong as we approach the end of the semester.

From Ying Pan in Nantou,
Chase

John 15:2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

I guess you could say that is how I would some up my last eight months in Taiwan. It seems like everything that I thought was good in me, God has stripped away. “He has taken away all of my pride in the things that I thought I could do well, and said These things are nothing to me”. “Sarah, I am more interested in your Holiness than you are, and I want to strip away everything that you lean on and look to as who you are”. “I want you to see who you are in me, and how I see you”. “I want you to see what I want to make you”. Sometimes I fell just like an onion with so many layers that God wants to peal back and discard. He wants to get to the good part of me, and discard all of the things that are not worth anything. Yet He is a kind Father who is willing to gently open my eyes to all that needs to be changed.

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? Romans 9 God has the right to tear me down in order to build me up in Him.

This past week has been a vacation week for the English teachers here in Nantou county, but it was not a vacation for the Lord, and his leading (for that I am glad). The Lord is so faithful to show me where I sin, and where I need His forgiveness. It has been a growing time for me here in Taiwan. I just want to finish passing these test that the Lord has for me and finish strong. I am so thankful that God has placed me here in Taiwan to encourage me and to grow me.

Sarah Deluca
Jiji

A year ago when I was preparing for my time in Taiwan - July of 2005 seemed very far away. Three hundred and sixty-five days, fifty-two weeks, twelve months, they all sounded like a long time. I was excited though, to see what kind of experiences I would have during that period of time.

I spent my first two months in Taiwan traveling from place to place teaching English Summer Camps. That was great! I was able to see various parts of Taiwan since I taught in five different locations. I practiced working through a translator to teach the kids English as well as finding creative ways to communicate non-verbally. And although things were still strange and unfamiliar and I had only been here a short time – Taiwan and its people were beginning to find a place in my heart. I still had ten months left.

The beginning of September I moved to Hualien and a week later started teaching English in the Elementary Schools. The next few months went by in a blur as I tried to adjust to my new team members, my four schools and their different schedules, my 400 students, living in a different culture, etc. etc! I hardly had time to think about the passing days.

By December I had been in Taiwan for six months and I had experienced many new and exciting things. Taiwan was great but I was homesick and wanted to see my family. I knew my routine and another six months looked like a long way to go! I felt discouraged. However, I knew that spending all my time longing for home wasn’t going to make the time go any faster. It was just going to make me miserable. I kept reminding myself that I wouldn’t be able to work with “my kids” after July of 2005. This was my only chance with them and I needed to make every moment with them count. That was four months ago.

In two months I will leave Taiwan. I am now looking at a very small amount of time left here with the people that I have grown to love. Suddenly a year doesn’t seem like a long time. I don’t think I can squeeze all the things that I would like to do into the remaining eight weeks. I’m going to miss my life here in Taiwan. The period of time that seemed so long has almost come to an end and I’m feeling sad.

A friend sent me this quote yesterday: “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened!” So, I’m still going to try to make every moment count and I’ll smile as I do it!

Katrina Nisly

Hualien ~ Taiwan

Many exciting things have been happening over here. Opportunies to serve Christ and the Taiwanese (through the Bible study, High school, friends, etc.) are coming by the droves and, to be honest, I don't know what to expect next. Please continue to pray for us, and to praise God for the great things he has done. His Word is spreading.

Now, back to my monthly rutine.

Wednesday

5:30- Get up and have devotions, exercise, language study.

8:00- My driver (an older lady who patiently tries to communicate with me) picks me up and away we go to Gu-Cheng.

8:10- Eat breakfast. Usually soup and a fried bread stick.

8:30- Teach four classes, 3rd-6th. Gu-Cheng is one of my more active schools, probably due to the fact that most of them are boys. However, they can be a lot of fun!

11:50- Eat lunch with the 6th grade. Since their teacher last year was the schools english teacher, I really got to know these kids pretty well. One of my favorite things to do is hanging around these guys.

12:20- Go home

12:40- Nap time

2:00-4:00 Chinese class. Our chinese teacher is the pastor's wife. She is definitely one of a kind. I didn't think it was possible to have this much fun in a chinese class!

From 4:00-10:30 usually varies from week to week. Some of the things that I do is, eating out with my brother, going on a bike ride to one of my schools neighborhood, finishing up some "homework", and having a quiet time with God before bed.

Well, that's my Wednesdays. May God bless you.

Drew Stewart
(Matthew 11:28-30; Philippians 1:21)

This week is our week off! We have quite the week planned. We will be going to some famous tourist areas, and we will also get to go to a baseball game. Today, we went to the next town over and did some exploring. It was nice to get to walk and see some of the countryside and enjoy the fellowship. As we were walking back to town one of my directors saw us and stopped to drive us back to town. I was very grateful!

When we got back to town, I got dinner and then went to visit my friends again at the cram school! I love getting to visit them. Today I helped with some English, chatted with them and then played some games. Our conversations take a lot longer with us trying to understand each other, but it is worth it. I have only visited the cram school three times, but in those few visits, the girls there have come to mean a lot to me. I wish I could have met them sooner! I will definitely miss them when it comes time to leave!

It is amazing to think that my time here is coming to an end so quickly. In a little over 3 months I will be back in America. I am looking forward to that, but at the same time, I want to make the most of my time here, and finish strong.
Please keep us in your prayers as we come to the end of the school year and make preparations for summer camp.

God Bless,
Holly Polson

A lot has happened over the past few days, but I think I will just tell you about what happened today. We went to Church today, and the sermon was on love More specifically loving others the way that Jesus loves us. This commandment, I'm finding, is harder then I thought. Jesus paid the price for our sins. To love others the way that He loves us, is to be willing to take their punishment. Thankfully Jesus has already done this, but we still have to be willing to. To not be willing take that punishment, would be to say that we are better then Jesus. I find myself asking "would I be willing to pay the price for ANOTHER'S sins?" I still don't know the answer, I pray that I would.

Also today was a formal mother's day performance. The English team here on Kinmen was asked to sing. We were able to sing two Christian songs, one in English and one in Chinese. I pray that God would grow the seeds that have been planted. We have had so many opportunities to share God with our friends here. God answers prayers! We pray for Him to widen our borders, He does! We pray for Him to give us opportunities to share Him with our friends, He does! God is so GOOD!!!

God is continuing to show me what is truly important. I only have three more short months here, and there is so much to do. God, bring laborers for the harvest!

Christine ~ James 1:2-5
Kinmen Team