Administrator: November 2004 Archives

Where can I begin in listing the many things I’m grateful for? This week has truly been one of excitement and just a great time together as a whole team. We’ve had the chance to meet each other, build new friendships and deepen others as well.

Thanksgiving Day for all of us here in Jiji started off with a bang. We headed to McDonalds to get our thanksgiving breakfast. Then we met with the rest of the team in Nantou and started right into our speech competition. After that was finished most of us guys headed to the field to throw the pig skin around. Now I’m not one for football but I have to say it’s a blast. We all came back a little sore and tired but hey it was worth after all scars heal, glory fades, and all that's left are all the memories made. Pain hurts, but only for a minute, life is short so go ahead and live it.

We then got into the turkey. It felt so amazing to sit down with all our friends and share thanksgiving together. The food was perfect, the mounds of pies yes even pumpkin pie was present. I wish some of you could understand how much of a treat it is to even have potatoes let alone salad turkey pie, and stuffing. It took a lot of people and a lot of time to find all the things needed. After all that we moved back upstairs for some skits and songs which provided our drama or I should say entertainment for the evening.

The day was totally awesome and God has just been so good. As I look over this year in his amazing grace bringing me and to Taiwan the way he’s been changing my heart. Bring and giving me a greater love for family and friends.

Well that’s all from us here in Taiwan,

Thank you for all your prayers and letters of encouragement. We are grateful for the time you invest into our lives.

Joshua Smith
Jiji, Taiwan

“Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Rom. 5:20

Can you imagine an explosion of God’s grace? We all have experience the first part of this verse, “were sin abounded.” Sadly we have all seen sin exploded in over lives with such vile intensity. We cringe at the filthy snow balls of sin which seems constantly to roll over us and those we love.

Can you imagine an explosion of God’s grace? The verse states “where sin abounded grace did much more abound.” If you think the power of sin is dominate in your life just imagine the power of grace. If you think sin has exploded in your life, imagine an explosion of grace!

The whole Taiwan TESOL team is vacationing in Nantou this week. It will be a wonderful week of team building, rest, focusing and processing of the events of the last semester. This is the first time we have all been together as a team. We have been working on clarifying the reasons why we are here realizing what we are doing here in Taiwan.

We are hoping for an explosion of God’s grace. That in the same way sin has abounded here in Taiwan for centuries, God’s grace would exploded and sweep Taiwan like the earth quakes and Typhoons which have brought devastation in the past. We’re learning that the explosion we are praying for will only come through suffering, so pray that we would endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ!

Blessings,
Ben Jacob

Wow! Time is flying by so fast! I can't believe that this year is almost over!

This past weekend we had the Teacher's conference for the Nantou County English teachers. What more can I say then that God is ever faithful!! The conference went very smoothly...well I thought it did! Christina was a little on the nervous side at the beginning, but I think the peace of God calmed her nervous spirit!

I was in charge of doing the Easter session along with Sarah Deluca for it. This session was supposed to cover different aspects of Easter as well as some suggestions on how to teach it. Chase told the Easter Story and through that we were able to share a little bit about our faith in Christ. As he talked I looked around the room and noticed how the teachers were listening attentively to what he was sharing, so perhaps God has used that time in history to plant seeds in their hearts! AMEN to that! I also played an egg tossing game with the teachers. They seemed to enjoy that part of the class. I think we all did! I hard boiled 50 eggs the night before the conference! I'll just say it's a good thing I boiled so many! * giggle*

We were also able to share the Christmas Story with teachers through our “Impromptu" Christmas play that took place at our Christmas party session. Okay...... so the play was a little unusual, but good!

This week we'll be spending time with all the teachers here in Ying Pan! So far it's been fun and encouraging to hear how God is moving all in different parts of Taiwan! The Lord has been so good to us! I know it has blessed my heart to hear the many testimonies from the other teachers. I'm looking forward to the rest of the week!

Over the weekend we were all given the deadline for when King Car needs to know if some of the teachers will be returning for another year to serve. That date is set for February 25th, 2005, so please keep us in your prayers as we follow and receive God's direction for our lives! Thank you so much for all your prayer support and encouraging emails they truly bless, strengthen us and encourage us!

Love from Ying Pan,
Mai

It has been an incredible weekend. We had a teachers conference this past weekend It lasted from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon. The teachers seemed to enjoy it. They said that they learned a lot from the sessions. The conference was a great success.

All twenty-three af the American teachers in Taiwan were there it was first time for many of us to meet each other. It was a busy weekend and I did not have a ton of time to talk to all of them, but I was able to talk to some of them for a short amount of time. It was encouraging to be with some fellow Christians who I could talk to about the joys and trials that accompany the Christian walk.

I was blessed to be able to hear them share their hearts and to be able to share my heart. It was good to know that we could both relate to each other. I heard about ways that the Lord was growing people in their walks with Him. and how He had shown Himself Faithful to them. I think that this weekend was a great success not only because the conference went well but because I was able to spent the weekend with Christians who loved the Lord. God is good to put these people in my life to grow me and to teach me more about Him.

Please pray about this next week, we all will have the week off. Pray that we will all be encouraged to love the Lord. Pray that we will seize upon this opportunity to be together as a group of people who love the Lord and who strive to serve Him.

Lydia Deluca

Well, I'm afraid all the updates are gonna sound an awful lot alike in the next few days since our whole team is spending the week in the same location! Hopefully we can try to make them interesting for our readers anyway.

The Kinmen team left the island on Thursday after school and headed for Nantou. It was harder than I thought it would be to leave the island for the first time! All our kids were sad to see us go and it was difficult to drive away and leave them. But I waved goodbye to George, Jilly, Susan, and Angel and told myself, "I will be returning in just a few days. I can make it!"

Our first stop when we arrived in Nantou was McDonald's. I'm sure you can all see from our updates that a trip to McDonald's is a cause for great rejoicing! I love Chinese food, but every now and then it is nice to have a taste of American food again! The Kinmen team, however, had an even greater motivation as we do not have McDonald's on the island. The only American food available is California Pizza which is really good, but you can only eat so much pizza!!!!

For the first time our entire team of 22 American teachers are together in one location. It has been fun to meet those I didn't know and reunite with those I worked with all summer in English Camps. God has given us an incredible team and each one has such a heart for Him and for the country of Taiwan. During our time of worship together we shared testimonies of things the Lord has been teaching us in our time here. It was incredible to see what He has been doing in our team as we have faced situations beyond our control and looked to Him for help and strength.

We are enjoying the chance to kick back and do nothing...something we rarely get to do in our teaching locations! As we approach Thanksgiving, we are so grateful for God's blessing on our lives and ministry here. You are such a big part of that ministry as you pray faithfully for us and our students, teachers, and friends. We cannot let this season go by without expressing our thanks for our family and friends who encourage us and help us to keep pressing on for Christ! Please keep it up! Drop us a line when you get a chance. It is always SUCH a blessing to hear from home!

Rebekah Gilley
Kinmen Team
~Representing the entire Taiwan Team in Nantou

As I sit here and wait for profound, informative, and encouraging thoughts to fight their way out through my fingers, I will tell you a bit about what has been happening in my life. It could be a while... First of all, teaching is going very well. Although I still feel very inexperienced, I am gaining a lot of insight on how to be a better teacher. The instructors that I work with are very good, as many of them have been teaching for a long time. I am learning so much from them as I teach along side of them, or watch how they handle the classroom, that I can’t help but improve my teaching style. With some of my classes, I am having a hard time keeping the students interest. Most of the students I work with are very sweet, and they listen to me and their other teachers. Sometimes I come across students, or classes, that are disruptive. I think some of the time they are just bored, and there are a few that just don't care. Over all, everything is going wonderful. I love all of my students (the Lord is helping me learn to love all of them as He does), my team is so great it is almost unfair, and the weather is sort of cooling down. I guess the winter here in Taiwan is not quite like I am used to.

This weekend, all twenty-two of the American teachers will be helping Christina, Chase, Mai, Isaac, and I do a teachers conference for the English teachers in Nantou County. It will be a lot of fun, and we also want it to be a time where we can share what we know about teaching and get lots of ideas from other teachers. The main goal is to have fun, of course! I will be teaching a class on Outdoor English. Please pray that I would at least look like I know what I am doing. :) We all would like your prayers for this conference that it would go well, and that it would meet the expectations of all who are involved.

After the teacher conference all of us will be spending the week here at Ying Pan for a vacation! It is going to be a blast, I'm sure. You should see all the fun stuff we have planned to do. We even have a Chinese competition sponsored by King Car, so you can also pray that I learn Chinese by next week Thursday :)

If you could be praying for the teachers conference this weekend, we would be very grateful. We know that it is only through the grace of Jesus Christ that we can do anything, and we want to bring glory to His name. Also pray for our vacation week that we would have a blessed time of fellowship and fun together. Remember those we work with, and our students. Please pray that we continue to shine the light of Christ into their lives.

Thank you so much for your encouragement and support of God’s work in Taiwan.God bless you as you seek His will for your life,
Joel

Ying Pan Elementary school, Nantou County, Taiwan.

Any given Tuesday

This is a unique update from the Hualien team designed to give you a glimpse into our daily life. This is a sampling of a random evening conversation on any given Tuesday night.

Setting: 10x10 room with lime curtains and salmon cabinets. The table is pulled out from the wall with a hot plate on it. The sink is out on the porch and along one wall is an electric fry pan, microwave, toaster oven etc. sitting on a makeshift counter. There are four people busily cooking inside. Katrina comes into the room just as the garbage truck passes by playing Fur Elise.

Gracia: (looking up from frying the chicken) says, “Hey, welcome home! So, how was your day today?”
Katrina: (setting her small back pack down in the bathroom): Well, this was the school that prepares all, so it was a pretty good day.
Ben: Good.
Gracia (to Jo): So, do you want these spaghetti noodles broken or unbroken.
Jo: Oh, I don’t care.
Gracia picks up the spaghetti noodles and prepares to break them…to a chorus of “Don’t do that!”
Jo: Do you always do that?
Ben: Actually I always break them at home.
Katrina: so do I
Jo: So do I
Gracia: So do I.
Christina: So do I. I think the only time you don’t is when you are eating Italian style with a fork and spoon.
Ben: Ok, so it is unanimous…we break the noodles.
Gracia breaks the noodles and stirs them in the water.
Gracia: Dinner will be ready as soon as the noodles are done.
Christina: Good I’m starved; they served tofu for lunch at my school today.
Jo: Yeah, I’m not sure what they served at mine…but it was pretty spicy.
Katrina: Actually I’m not that hungry, at my school they served some really good chicken over rice. I’m not sure exactly what it was, but it tasted wonderful. Then they kept giving me fruit…more than I could eat. The teachers kept offering me different Chinese snacks for me to try all morning and afternoon. Three of the teachers found out they’re my mother’s age and are fighting over who gets to be my Taiwanese mother.
Ben: Sweet.
Gracia (to Jo): What are you doing?
Jo (with a puzzled look): Throwing spaghetti against the wall.
Gracia: Why?
Jo: If it sticks there, it’s done.
Gracia: Since when?
Ben: Yeah, ….Right.
Jo: I guess we’ve always done it that way, never thought about when. How do you know when it’s done?
Gracia: Eat a piece.
Christina: So is it done then? Do you want me to set the table now?
Ben: You do that.
Now is the time for the daily news report because on any given Tuesday with Ben, we could get the latest IBLP news, Taiwan news, King Car news, US news and world report, or the ESPN.com report… Whatever Ben happens to just be interested in. Of course, it always starts just before dinner is done and as the table is being set for supper. Completely unencumbered by the facts Ben continues to expound theories while pacing around the room. Finally everything is set and everyone sits down.
Ben pauses in his conversation: Are you all waiting for something?
Everyone nods, “Uh huh”
Ben: Oh, lets pray.
Everyone sings: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost.”

The End,

The Team here in Hualien is finishing up our last week studying the book of Colossians. It has been an excellent study perfectly applying to the intense lives we live here. “Missions work” is full of conflict. In recent years much as been written about how to avoid conflict while serving the Lord. Through these past several months of study, however I have been learning that success is not the absence of conflict, rather it is the overcoming of it. The best musical pieces are full of conflict and resolution, the brightest sunrises coming after the darkest nights.

Over and over again in the Book of Colossians the Apostle Paul drives home the key success in life. Christ! There is no substitute, there is no other answer there is nothing else. “Christ is in all and in Him all things are held together.” From this study I have recently crafted a prayer:

“Father, help me live each day in light of my commitment to wholly follow you. How my flesh longs to find satisfaction in something other than thee. Purify my imaginations, cleans the libraries of my mind of any thought that does not begin with the Holiness of God. Oh, for my mind to wrestle with the Glory of the Almighty. For the eyes of my heart to be forever captivated by your glory. I know such a glory would blind me. But to be blinded by such a holy light. Father, blind me with this light. So that the last thing I see is the light of your Holy glory.”

Ben Jacob

Well, I’ve been teaching school for two months now. In a lot of ways that’s really hard to believe. I can be fairly certain of my daily routine. I’ve been able to work through most of the communication problems between me and my teachers. I’m gradually learning to know my 300+ students and they’re learning what to expect from me and what I expect from them. Of course there are always the days when I arrive and only half the sixth grade class is there because of a basketball tournament or I only have four kids in the fifth grade class because the rest went to Taipei for a two day adventure, or something came up and instead of teaching what I planned on teaching I need to teach something else. I always tell myself, “This is a great time to learn flexibility!”

Weekends tend to be a little more unpredictable though. We’ve had some interesting adventures. From spending three days hiking in Taroko National Park, to going to a big family BBQ of one of our dorm mates, to spending a day touring various aboriginal sites here in Hualien (we ate jumping shrimp that day). Even something as simple as shopping can turn into a big adventure if you’re trying to buy something that isn’t so common.

This weekend we packed a picnic lunch and went to Taroko for the day. We hiked along one of the rivers and enjoyed spending time seeing God’s creation. Sometimes it’s still hard for me to believe that I’m actually seeing some of these sights with my own eyes and that they’re not just pictures from a book or a postcard received from a friend. The beauty of the mountains can be breathtaking!

Saturday morning found us back in Taroko but for a different reason. They were holding the annual marathon as well as a mini marathon and a five km race. Several teachers from Josh and Ben’s schools signed up for the five km race and they decided to as well. Gracia and Christina both had students who were performing in their traditional dress and dances. So it was a good morning spent with some of our teachers and students. The afternoon was spent relaxing and preparing for this next week of teaching. In the evening we went to the big family BBQ of our dorm mate. They served us some really good food. In fact one of the uncles who did most of the cooking owns a restaurant in Taipei and said he’d give us a 20% discount if we ever came. We might have to take him up on his offer some time!

Today we had our own team church time and then went to the English Bible Class that we teach every Sunday afternoon. We reviewed the past six lessons and had a Jeopardy style game for them to play. We all had a lot of fun with that. We then went to Hualien and had dinner as well as picking up some food for our breakfast tomorrow. So the weekend was good and I think that after a good nights rest I’ll be ready for another week of teaching.

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Katrina Nisly

Singchen, Hualien County

What can I say other then this last week has been amazing! I spent last weekend in Nantou with the guys from Jiji and Ying Pan. I wish I could say we did something productive… and really it was in some small way but it was great to just get the chance to get together as guys and have fun. I was really sad when the weekend was over as I had an 8 hour journey back to Hualien but all boys fun with there toys must come to an end at some time.

One of the blessings this last weekend was being able to go to an English speaking church. It was an encouraging time of worship and praise to the Lord. After that we went to the mall for lunch and then parted our separate ways.

The rest of this week has been very tiring. A lot of us here in Hualien have been under the weather. In fact in two days from now Ben and I are supposed to run the Taroko Marathon… its only 5km but I’m out of shape and between the two of us not feeling well we haven’t gotten a chance to get out and fine tune these bodies of ours for the race.

A real blessing was found this morning… waking up to find that John Kerry admitted defeat to George W. Bush. I had spent most of the day yesterday after school to watch all the results coming in, seeing how close the race was I continued to pray. One thing that some of us committed to on Tuesday was fasting and praying for our President. I believe God answered our prayers and evidently we now have George W. Bush for another four years as our President.

As I traveled back from my school this evening in Si Paw (found in the middle of the Taroko Mountains)… I realized that after all the close encounters on a windy road its enough to make anyone pray. I’ve been blessed at my schools but I’m finding that I’m getting comfortable and relying on my strength. That has brought me to where I am tonight.

I was talking with one team member today about God working in our lives and asking the question is there still something that needs to be given surrendered to Him. Thinking everything is ok in my own life I find myself writing this update and realizing… I have something that’s been staring me dead in the face for the last 7 months. Is this something to let go of the answer of course is yes.

The verse the Lord gave me and a close friend from back home is for my time here in Taiwan and is new ventures in life is: “But Jesus said to him, No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." ~ Luke 9:62.

I am faced with the fact that I have looked back here in my first four months… I’ve looked back and instead of having my hands to the plow in my heart its back in the past. Taiwan is an amazing place and with that is also a challenge because all eyes are on us. Realizing that so many look to us, many are waiting to see how we will react brings me to the sobering thought I have things to change in my life.

With that said God once again has called me to a point of re focus. Once again turning from the world so to speak and putting my hand on the plow in this hidden area of my heart.

The amazing thing is that God is not finished with any of us here. God is one who is still in control. With that I find myself at his feet saying here Lord you take it… it’s yours every bit. You want my life… you don’t want me to look back well Lord here I am.

Please pray for each of us here. It’s not uncommon for many of us to be facing these things in our lives. I know it’s all of our desires to be fit for the master’s use. Pray that God would enables each of us to continue putting our hands to the plow and whatever selfishness maybe inside will be left behind to look ahead for the mark the high calling of Jesus Christ.

Reporting from Hualien

Joshua Smith

A quick note from Spurgeon that was a blessings to me today:

"For my strength is made perfect in weakness."
- 2 Corinthians 12:9

A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God's work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness. When God's warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, "I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory," defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for "it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."

They who go forth to fight, boasting of their prowess, shall return with their gay banners trailed in the dust, and their armour stained with disgrace. Those who serve God must serve him in his own way, and in his strength, or he will never accept their service. That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. The mere fruits of the earth he casteth away; he will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love.

God will empty out all that thou hast before he will put his own into thee; he will first clean out thy granaries before he will fill them with the finest of the wheat. The river of God is full of water; but not one drop of it flows from earthly springs. God will have no strength used in his battles but the strength which he himself imparts.

Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage, for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory.

Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.

"When I am weak then am I strong,
Grace is my shield and Christ my song."

Fast and Pray people
Let's act like we want it!!

There are 6 or 7 of us who have made the commitment to fast and pray on Tuesday's Election day. I'm asking if anyone wants to join us? It's only a day and is a day more important that the future of America? I don't think so.

Will you join us? Say it, commit to it, and we'll pray for each other too, as well as America. I look forward to going back to this and seeing how God has used our faithfulness to show his wonders!!!!

Will you join us?

Daniel Neu,
Jiji

We are going to leave this open for Prayer Request and Praises... please feel free to comment and leave any prayer requests that you may have so that we might be able to pray together.