`Moon Festival
Friday was Moon Festival and Tuesday is Double 10 day so we had a five day weekend. At first I thought this would be a good time to rest up and recover a little from the initial plunge into this semester. Not to be; we have been going non-stop and having a lot of fun too.
Here in Taiwan, Moon Festival is a big deal and the legend behind it is rather interesting. Once there was a great Emperor who wanted to live for ever. Somehow he acquired a magic elixir that was supposed to accomplish his wish. However, before he could drink it, his wife, thinking that he had become too proud, stole the elixir. So now she is living forever on the moon with a little rabbit. There is a story about the rabbit, too, but the details are a little vague.
Moon festival is on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month when the moon is the biggest and brightest. It is celebrated with barbecues, fireworks, eating pamelos, and looking at the moon. On Friday, we went out with some friends and in the evening had a barbecue at their family’s house. It was the best barbecue I’ve had here. Afterwards, we set off fireworks and played monkey in the middle. Then on Saturday we had a barbecue at our house and had several friends over. Teaching them to play Dutch Blitz was a lot of fun. Sunday morning we were able to help with the music in the worship service. I pray that we were a blessing.
Although these last few days have been busy, spending time with our friends has been wonderful. The Lord continually blesses us with strength, joy, and an ever expanding ministry. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.
God bless,
Kristen
From Nantou
