Administrator: March 2005 Archives

Dear Friends,

Happy Ressurection Sunday! This day holds volumes of meaning for us as Christians and it's awesome to reflect on Jesus victory and ressurection!

Our team started the day out at 6:30am as we headed out to the joint sunrise service they hold on the island, after worshipping with our friends and having a "start the day out right" breakfast of soy milk and chix/egg/cucumber breakfast sandwiches we were blissfully content. Later that day we witnessed three new believers be baptized and some new friends came to Bible study! We are praising the Lord for His anwsers to prayers. On Thursday we prayed for encounters with people, specifically to witness. I marvelled this weekend as one after another my team shared with me the opportunities they had had! Thank you God for your prayerful saints, and thank you Lord for Your faithful anwsers! Many of us feel that our friends are reaching a better understanding of the Gospel little by little and there is no doubt at all that God is working here in hearts. Thank you for your continued prayers during this exciting time. Have a great day!

The Kinmen Team

Thought of the day: "My brethern count it ALL joy when you fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." Jam. 1:2-3 "Faithful is He who has called you who also will do it"! 1 Thess. 5:24

Question of the day: Do you like your chocolate chip 'cake' gooey or crisp??? ;)

Have you ever been asked to write many stories on a place you really don’t know much about it? Well, our team has. The Hualien Government has asked us to help them write about the Hualien County in English. They have asked that we write short stories that are only about a hundred and fifty words long and simply enough for Elementary students to read them and understand. We have about forty short stories to finish by the end of June. Each one of us is assigned a certain part of Hualien to write about, I was assigned the Coast Range and a Theme Park along with the little interesting stops close by.

The only catch to us writing these stories are we don’t really know a lot about Hualien County, so many of us went to our computers and brought up “Google Search.” I must tell you it is amazing what interesting info you can find on places and things you have never heard of. Still I did not know enough about my subject to write yet, so I decided that at school I would ask one of the teachers who loves to practice his English with me about the Hualien River. The main reason was because I had never really heard of it before I was to write about it. Thankfully, the teacher could help me remember that in fact I had seen it and it was one of those rivers, that is very wide with almost no water in it. That is all the info I ever found on the Hualien River, I finally gave up and decide I had to write it info or none. Thankfully, God gave me the wonderful idea of having my two characters I have to work with tell what they thought about the strangeness of the width of the River.

I am very grateful we have the opportunity to learn more about Hualien and the people we live with. If I had not been asked to write about these places I would never have learned about the many tribal people and the hard ships they have gone through. Please pray as we continue to go to our schools and be with the kids that they can see Christ in us.

Josephine Papp
Hualien County

Where do I begin on this update? That seems to be my opening line every time I write. I’ve been back in Taiwan now for about seven weeks now. Things have been radically different since coming back.

My time back at home was good to get rested and prepared for the new semester. (Well if you can call non stop travel a break) Since I’ve been back to Taiwan it’s been a non stop testing of my faith in every area of my life. God has been at work in ways I wish I could share with you all but for lack of time I won’t.

One of the things that God showed me was the importance of my team here in Hualien. I have to say last semester was a little rough. When you have 6 people living together all with different perspectives you tend to clash. Through a few people God has been really challenging me to change things. The amazing thing is that I don’t feel I’ve actually changed anything. It’s totally been the Lord and things are getting much better.

In fact there is nothing like pressure from the outside to bring everyone together. We’ve all faced a very hard situation over the last few weeks. In fact it hasn’t been easy at all. We really wondered on days or at least I did on how God was going to get us to school.

One of the things God has been showing me is why I’m here in Taiwan. It’s been a mystery to me and in fact it still is. I’ve been really trying to decide whether or not I’m going to stay here for another year. Although there is nothing definite yet He’s been showing me my heart in all of this and where my heart needs to be.

This semester things changed at my Wednesday school. Instead of only teaching 5th and 6th grade I’m now teaching 3rd thru 6th grade. This has been totally amazing as I really have gotten a new love for teaching. In fact these kids have really taken to me or I should say I’ve taken to them. This one girl in particular… Tina and Maggie they are just so sweet. In fact yesterday as I walked in the room I had about 20 kids jump from their seats to try and tackle me to the floor.

It’s through these kids that the Lord has been showing me why I’m here in Taiwan. In fact as I talk with them more and see the need that they have in there hearts I just melt. I really love my job. Yes even when I have to teach “If you’re happy and you know it” for 160 minutes. (BTW I don’t want to hear that song again)

The other thing that God has been teaching me is the importance of surrendering my will to His will. To be honest I don’t like his plan especially when He asks me to do something against what I’m thinking and wanting to do. Like I mean God I want this and I want it now. I don’t want to wait I don’t want to do it your way. Well Sunday night God reminded me that I decided about a year ago to follow Him and to give him my life to serve him in whatever way he chose. That obviously translated into serving here in Taiwan. A verse he gave me before coming here was from Luke 9 where Jesus says “… any man having put his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of heaven.” God reminded me that I told him I would give up my timing and direction for my life. In fact I told him I was willing to do anything and go anywhere. Well things changed and I found myself wanting to do something else. God told me that if I wanted to I could go back and turn from the plow. Yet he reminded me that if I did that I wouldn’t be fit for his kingdom.

Well where am I at right now… I’m still on that process of once again trusting Him for his timing in everything and you may wonder have I decided to do things my way… well the answer is no. I would rather have God with me then against me. After all He was with Joshua… "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Joshua Smith,
Hualien

A couple of days ago, somone asked me if Taiwan was like what I expected. I had to think about it before I answered. What did I expect when I came to Taiwan in the first place? What did I not expect when I came to Taiwan? I don't remember what I answered, but here are a few things that I could say, now that I 've thought about it for a couple of days!

When I first came came to Taiwan, I think that the only major expectation that I had was that I would be teaching English, somewhere, sometime, to someone. Because I didn't know that much about what I was getting into, there wasn't really opportunity for greater expectations to build up.

What I didn't expect would almost be a longer list. I never expected that God would ask me to be an English teacher! That was definately not on my list of things that I wanted to do! I also never expected that I would want to stay here another year. God hasn't asked me to do that either. Instead, I will have the opportunity to go home and have more character building experiences at home.

It is now time for me to go to school, so until next time, God bless!
Gracia Engle

Hello from a little isle at the end of the world...

Here at Ying Pan, we have had a great week, everything has been moving along very nicly, amazingly busy. This last Saturday was the biggest event for me in a while. For the second time, I attended a wedding at one of the Chinese churches I am good friends with. Actually, I was an usher in it this time! It was a moving experience, to see this couple take one of the biggest steps in their life. I don't know why, but there is something special about a wedding ceremony, even if I have to listen from the foyer...It brings out a longing in the hearts of the young people. Why? Why is it so hard to understand? Those older than us say, it is natural, they often say to just fill your mind with other things, keep busy 'til...til... But there is something special in that longing, because it is not just a instinct, it is a real need that we have been given by God. We open our hearts to Him, and cry out, "I want someone, I need someone, to be here with me, to share and hold, to be part of." He looks down, and replies, "Child, don't worry about it, I have already provided for you. I know just who you need, who is right for you. You may not see it now, but you will. Just trust me." I ask that you who are reading this would pray for the young people out here and there. As we seek to do God's will, pray that we would be filled with comfort and peace that God has already worked everything out, He is in complete control of the future.

In other news, our team will begin to teach in the junior high school next week, and that is going to be a challenge since it is the first time for all of us. Tomorrow we will head over there to do some planning, we'll see how that goes. It will be cool...

Til next time,
Isaac Mazur
Ying Pan

Here in Hualien we have been given a unique opportunity this semester. One of our classes is actually a meeting with English teachers from all over the county where we work on projects to improve English in Hualien. Our latest project is writing a book about Hualien that is simple enough for students to read, but which would enable them to be able to tell visitors about their homeland. It is a good idea, but one that will definitely involve work on all our parts in order to pull it off. For the Taiwanese English teachers it is just one more task added to their already full schedules, but for those of us on the team here it is a unique opportunity to research, and learn more about the area around us. The biggest problem I’m having so far is that of getting distracted as I come across interesting information that have nothing to do with the subject I’m supposed to be researching.

Please pray for us as we work on this project. That we will be able to do our best and that we would be a living testimony of Christ to those we work with.

May the word of God dwell in you richly by faith and may you, “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18

Christina Furrow
Sincheng, Hualien

Friday was a beautiful day! Warm, sunny, and hardly any wind, such a great blessing after weeks of windy, cold, and wet weather.

I had just gotten back from the post office with Christine, with a few minutes to prepare. “Prepare for what” you may be thinking (or not thinking). I am talking about preparing for an adventure of great proportions, intrigue, and full of wonder! Well… maybe it’s not that exciting, but it was for me! It was a trip to the beach with Megan, Christine, and Samuel.

Now you need to remember; it’s been cold and wet here, and I’m also a full-blooded Californian, so the beach was really appealing to me. We jumped on our bikes and road a few miles to the nice beach (different from the one that’s a 2 minute walk from our dorm). It was awesome! Christine and Megan goofed off in the freezing water, Samuel went around and took pictures, and I did the tedious task of keeping the blanket and gear secure… Ok, so I was laying on the blanket with my head propped up on the backpack listening to music and reading a book. I truly enjoyed myself.

After an hour or so, it began to get windy and cloudy, so we packed up and left on our bikes. We didn’t get more than five minutes away before my left pedal fell off! My first thought was, “I think I’m going to need that” (brilliant, I know). I looked at it for awhile, and found out how to fix it, yet lacked the tools to do it. Therefore, I called upon my great creativity and used my fingers to tighten the bolt. Then Megan offered to ride my bike while I rode a different bike, because she was lighter and probably wouldn’t knock the pedal off as easy. Unfortunately, my fingers lack the capacity to tighten bolts to the fullest extent and the pedal fell off again a few minutes later. So I once again called upon my ingenuity and creativity and used two keys to tighten the stubborn bolt! That also didn’t work too well… I had to put the pedal back on at least three times on the way back home. However, we DID get home, and that’s what is important. We also had a good time, even though the pedal wanted to stay at the beach and not on my bike.

I guess God was trying to teach me that even though little (or big) things happen in life that may get me down; I shouldn’t dwell on them and forget the many blessings I’ve had. When you look at the glass that is half full, remember the taste and blessing of drinking the first half, and be glad you still have a whole half of a cup left to drink!

Shawn Searle
Kinmen Island

Here on Kinmen there are very few things that can be a distraction, mainly because there is not much to do. I have learned to entertain myself through books, singing, being with other team members, and walking around. Another thing that I have been using to occupy my time, is a scrapbook. I am putting it together for my friends and family when I go home so they can all see what I've been doing right away. It’s been really fun putting it together and thinking of ideas to put into it. On Wednesday the sun was shinning, and we happen to have a beach very close to our dorms. Armed with my camera, I headed out to take some artistic pictures of the beach. It was so peaceful, taking pictures of the simple things I take for granted.

I have been reading a book called "Safely Home". Its about a business man who only cares about earthly success and money, he goes to China to visit his old roommate (a Chinese Christian). The whole book is mainly about how the Christians in China were (and maybe are) persecuted for their faith in God, this man's discovery of that, and his own lost faith. It’s really good! The man is a picture to me of how I can become when I see worshipping God as a routine instead of a privilege and freedom I might not always have. I hate the idea of getting stagnant in my faith in God, no longer getting excited about the things that I discover in my walk with him.

God is really teaching me to "fall in love with Him". The other day I was thinking about how young love acts. (You know, the girl that has stars in her eyes and can't stop talking about the man of her dreams.) I realized, that sometimes my focus gets on other things, not only guys, but school, music, church even. I start putting my time into things that seem more important then spending time with God. I asked Him "God, how do I get to the point that I can just simply focus on you?" He answered "Christine, you need to fall in love with me. A girl that has a man in her life, that's all she can think about, She is totally focused on him. Once you fall in love with me, I will be all that fills your mind, I will be all you can think about." I have known God as Jesus the Savior, God the Father, even the Holy Spirit, but I have never experienced God as my "lover". I guess I never thought it was possible to fall in love with someone so untouchable. Yet, That is exactly what He wants me to do. He has already "fallen in love" with me, and now He is in the process of wooing me. For example, the other day I was in the bookstore. I was at the register, and the two women behind the counter said something about me to each other (I don't know what it was cause I'm not very good at Chinese yet) But then one of them said in English "you are so beautiful". I felt like that was God's small way of telling me I am beautiful. That is just one example of how God has been showing His love for me as "His girl". I'm not there yet, I still have a long way to go, but I am excited about the journey with my God and newfound lover.

Today we celebrated Bonnie Jean's birthday! even though it is not until Saturday. We had some "cake" that tasted kind of umm, bland. It was ok though, because she was surprised and we had a wonderful time as a team. We also got a song together to sing at church this Sunday. I'm really excited, because I really like to sing, and its nice to be able to prepare something every month.

well I think that's everything!

Christine Jefferies, Kinmen Team ~James 1:2-5

I love Taiwan!!! Where else would you see a bummer sticker that says "NO KISS" on the back of it! Which means please don't crash into my car. Or here a 5th grade student tells you that he is "7-ll years old"! I think he must have gone to one to many of those convenient stores! Where else would you wake up and know that even if you decided to be grumpy all day, something funny would happen or some cute Taiwanese child would make you smile or laugh. Therefore ruining your decision!

In my personal devotion time I've been reading through the book Of Genesis. Our Pastor is doing a study on it for church so I though that it might be a good idea to refresh my memory. It's amazing how you can read the same passage of scripture over and over again and learn something new from it! I was reading the story of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9 NKJV) when I suddenly dawned on me how much it's in human nature to want to stick together. (vs.4) I thought it was interesting being as in couple chapters before God had just commanded that Noah and his family to fill the earth. ( Genesis 9:1)

Then it got me thinking about myself. I'm a person who likes to stick close to home or where ever my small comfort zone lies at the time. Even here in Taiwan I've created my own comfort zones in different ways once again, and sometimes fight against the thought of God expanding my horizons. Isn't the whole reason for being here in Taiwan to let the Lord use me as much as He wants to? To be an open vessel for Him to take anywhere at anytime? I know I'm giving a ton of time, and energy to the Lord for everything that He has given to me so far, but is it possible that I can give more than what I am? Of course I can!! God is my strength and I'm His tool and I know He's not going to break any of His tools! I know some people think that it's a waste of my time and youth to be here in Taiwan teaching and not striving for a college degree in something or other. But when you do step out of your comfort zone, and let God use you to give to those around you He blesses your life in ways you couldn't imagine. So as a Challenge for you today, ask yourself…

Are you in comfort zone that you need to get out of? (They come in many shapes and sizes.)

Are you truly letting God expand your" horizons"? (Are you letting the Lord stretch you to more then you thought you could be?)

Are you giving more then everything (to what God has given to you) and not expecting anything in return?

I know that I'm challenging myself as I write this! (LOL I feel like Pastor Chuck!)
Speaking of letting God stretching out our horizons...Those of us in Nantou (Ying Pan team ) will be starting to teach at a junior high school next Wednesday. Talk about comfort zones!! I've only been teaching at elementary schools! I'm looking forward to the days to come and willing to face any challenges with Joy of the Lord as my Strength!!

Please pray for us as we start teaching at the junior high school. We are all excited about the opportunity we will have to build friendships with the students. Please pray that the Lord would give us wisdom, creativity, and favor in their eyes as we teach and minister to them.

Thank you so much for all your prayer support! We love receiving your notes of encouragement and hope that you won't stop sending them! May the Lord bless you as you serve Him today.

Mai Lewis
Ying Pan, Nantou

Pulchritude is Merely Epidermal” and other famous Sayings

We use them all the time, little English phrases or parables like the one used in the title, dropped causally into everyday conversations to make a point or to indirectly communicate an idea we don’t dare directly state. One of the phrases which has been useful for life here in Taiwan has been “tenets of transparent abodes should abstain from hurling granite fragments.” If right now you have the same look my third grade class has when I ask them “how old are you” don’t worry. I didn’t make up some new proverb, you just probably know this saying as “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

It takes a little while to use to living in a glasses house, after all as an American I have a RIGHT TO PRIVACY. A hard lesson to learn is that my right to privacy ended at the cross. From children who are fascinated by endlessly touching my arm hair, to school leaders who make the investigation of my love life (or lack their of) the topic of meetings, privacy is something which I had to leave in LA.

Why I am writing about this after being in this county for more than eight months? Because like the title says beauty is only skin deep, so after all the press conferences and people telling you your nose is beautiful, you have to get down to the work loving the people, and it is easy to say you love them, but your life has backs up what you say, they see straight into our little glass lives.

Join with us in praying that as we would live up to the high standard of excellence that the Taiwanese have for us, and if you are about to hurl a granite fragment, remember I am not the only person who lives in a glass house.

Ben Jacob

Well, the semester has been going for a couple weeks now, and it has gone very well. The children at all my schools seem to be much warmer, and see me as more of a friend than just a teacher, they are more eager to speak with me and in general to just want to hang around me more. For me, this is probably the best part about teaching, the chance to spend time with the kids and try to invest in their lives is something I thoroughly enjoy.

In the beginning of the year, the time to go home seemed so far away, and at times almost unattainable, but now as the end of the year continues to get closer and closer. It's kinda weird, as much as I will be glad to get home and to see and be with family and friends, I am actually dreading having to leave Taiwan, to be perfectly honest, I will not miss teaching at all, although the time I spent teaching was very enjoyable, the things that I will miss the most are the people.
Walking down the street here in Jiji, we are constantly met with eager Hello's various other greetings and even the occasional hug. It seems strange to me that after spending just a year in this country, how attached to the people I have become.

As time goes by, the days are starting to get a little longer and the weather is getting warmer(something I am grateful for, but will probably regret once may rolls around) This afternoon a few of us walked up a little ways into the mountains, the view was beautiful, and it was very nice to breathe the fresh air.

Near the top of the mountain, there is a little place that sells popsicles, and is known for having many different flavors. They were really good.

Hope this post didn't bore you too much, have a great week.

Anthony
Jiji

The big 200 is not something you normally celebrate on any given day. Can you remember the last time you celebrated 200? I know that in life it’s considered to be a great achievement making it to the age of 100. So why the big push in celebrating 200? Well if you want to find out you’ll have to keep reading. Please bear with us as we take you on a roller-coaster of an update. We hope that you’ll take the time to stay with us till the end.

"Here we go again … another update. Oh, wait- this is the 200th one. Wow. Three cheers for all of the people that keep up with us- you've made it this far!! See, my job is easy. I just have to live my life here, while everybody else has to sit and read about it. No offense, but I think I get the better end.

To sum up life in the past eight months, there are simply no words. Strange thing is, even if there were words, I don't know if I'd be able to remember the English word, much less know it in Chinese. I know you guys are thinking, "Man! These guys are English teachers! They should have the best English." Please remember, we live in a foreign country, and teaching English changes the way you think. You get used to depending on simple words for people who don't know English very well (which is almost everybody you deal with on a regular basis), and using very simple Chinese, because that's all you can speak.

My thinking has really changed. Not so much that my mind has been transformed into a different person, although in some ways, yes. Just in the things that every day demands from my brain, I've learned to think in ways like never before. From rolling tortilla shells out with water bottles to constructing a change in lesson plan as I'm opening my books (or my mouth) to teach, to knowing exactly what I'm ordering at a restaurant and not knowing the English name for it...to automatically knowing what to talk about with a kid because I know the words they just learned.

I feel used to life here now. Things don’t faze me anymore. Yet still I can't seem to grasp a complete understanding of the people and things here. Right now everything seems strange. It's like what was so foreign to me earlier is familiar now. But what was familiar then, is fading into what we call a "normal life," and that's far away. Knowing I won't be returning to it for a while, I just settle into life here and let myself get absorbed into the change and adventures I experience every day.

As I just told my roommate, I don't really worry about the future now. That's all I can do at the moment anyway. The future will become "now" soon enough.

"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away." James 4:14

Thanks again for investing thoughts and prayers into our team and our time here. I can say for all of us that it really means a lot to know you go before God on our behalf. Please know we appreciate you, and we hope you continue to enjoy reading about our life here in Taiwan!!!"

Really our time here in the long scheme of things is just a short chapter in our lives. Many of us are still amazed that we are approaching our 8th month and that the end of our journey together for most of us will be coming to an end in just a few short months…

"As I contemplate the past 8 months here, I'm not sure what to think. At times everything here seems normal, because it is normal and I'm a part of it. At other times though, I realize how different I really am from people and culture here. I think it is good though, it helps to keep my perspective in the right place.

If I had to sum up my time here, I think it would have to be "God takes care of His children." Every day there are events and happenings that can only be explained as the hand of God. These things range from conversations at school, to people we meet, to protection, to providing for a need we didn't know existed. He knows our needs, and he takes care of us.

If you don't remember anything else from reading this, please remember that God is sufficient."

There are days and nights when the path seems stormy when we feel like throwing in the towel yet God truly has been sufficient for each of us. All of us can give you example after example of His hand moving in our lives. The most amazing part is that He’s never late - in fact, He’s right on time…

"Yeah right, you got to be kidding me God; you want me to do what? God, are you sure you want me to sleep on that thing they call a bed God it’s a piece of wood! I wish my obligations to be obedient to the Lord and suffering for Christ would’ve just ended there and then. In fact that was just the beginning of the many things God would ask me to give up or I should say give back to Him.

These last eight months have taught me so many things not only about myself and others but more importantly about God and His love for people. Each and every day God reminds me of why I’m here in Taiwan. I wish each of you could come along with us on our day and see the children. I wish you could look into their eyes and see the hunger for not only truth but also for love.

The nation of Taiwan is bound by fear, lies, and spiritual oppression. We haven’t been asked to solve the worlds hunger problems or bring the world peace. No, God hasn’t asked us to do those things he just asked us to as it were give a cup of cold water in His name. Truly the opportunities that we have to reach the children of Taiwan are incredible.

Yet with that incredible responsibility also brings its challenges. People tend to think that their involvement isn’t important- after all, praying doesn’t put them on the front lines. Yet really when you are fighting a war you realize that you’re unable make it one day without the supplies and support from back home. That’s exactly where each and every one of you comes in your support and encouragement through prayer, giving us the strength to carry on. The times when we’ve been down in the dirt and are in our greatest need is when your support comes in. Truly each and every one of you makes a difference in the lives of all us here in Taiwan each and every day."

These updates that you read each and every day are not just updates. In fact, they’re much more then that. Anyone can write about their lives they can talk about the good and bad things… if that’s was the case you would be reading everything you see here off of Xanga. Yet what you see and read here is not us boasting in our achievements, or our great teaching skills. What you see here is 200 testimonies, 200 day’s of God grace, glory, and love. Each and every day we have here is really to the glory of God. We’re nothing special in fact none of us are qualified to be representing Christ yet He has chosen us to run this race…

"Once upon a time there were a bunch of runners running a marathon. They were all running towards the same goal but each of them had started at different times, were running at different speeds, and would reach their goal at different times. Sometimes they would run alone, sometimes by two’s and threes, and sometimes in even larger groups. One day several of these runners saw a sign labeled “Teach English in Taiwan! It’s rough but the rewards are beyond your wildest imaginations. Turn here.” They decided to give it a shot and, after waving goodbye to their fellow runners, they turned and began running down a small winding trail. Some were excited, some were pacing themselves, some were even a little wary of what the trail might hold for them. More than a few of the runners found themselves glancing back, hoping for a glimpse of their former running mates. These twenty-five runners came from different roads but for one year they all ran together. Through deserts and jungles, over steep mountains and through streams and even rivers, at times it seemed as if they would never reach the finish line. There were days when the only thing that kept them going was the voice of their Master encouraging them along. When one would trip over a rock their teammates were often right there to help them back on their feet and offer a word of hope. The sign was right- the trail was hard, in different ways for each runner. But when they were all hot and tired and ready to give up, there were not many things more encouraging than the people cheering by the sidelines.

Now I don’t know how people are cheering by the sidelines when it’s a marathon through deserts and jungles and our runners are on a little winding trail. Yeah so my analogy isn’t perfect- in fact, it stinks. But hopefully you get the idea of what I’m trying to say. Life here can be more exciting and rewarding than anything a lot of people have ever experienced, but it can also be draining and just plain hard at times. Whether the times are hard or not-so-hard, the only one we can truly turn to is Jesus- He is the only one who will always be there for us. But the encouragement and prayers of others often gives us the boost we need to face another day with a smile on our face.

This is our 200th update- hard to believe, isn’t it? 200 days of teaching…200 days of struggles and smiles…and 200 days filled with the prayers of so many faithful friends near and far. It’s March- for some of us, our journey has just begun. For some, we’ve just passed the halfway point. For others, we’re nearing the finish line. But regardless of where we are or how long we’re staying, we need your prayers. Pray that we would finish this race strong, that we would pour everything we have into the people of Taiwan and then turn to Jesus to be filled again. Thank you for your prayers- we are indebted to you.

And for those of you that are wondering, the story ends happily. Of course there are the fire swamps, UFOs (unidentifiable food objects, naturally), giant talking chopsticks, and encounters with ogres and giants, but what story is any good without all that?"

"Well, what can I say about this year? It’s been an amazing journey on which the Lord has brought us.

The people I’ve met…the places I’ve been…the friends I’ve gained… the things I’ve learned…we serve an awesome God.

It’s been a real treat to work on the desktop wallpaper. I’ve enjoyed going through all the pictures and remembering so many blessings. I cried more than once, it’s the truth.

So many children that are lost and yet, finding a small glimmer of light in their hard world here. That small spark of hope is retained by childhood innocence. It’s with that innocence I’ve fallen in love. Looking into a child’s bright gleaming eyes and seeing a smile that would put a sunrise to shame while you take just a brief glance further, taking a moment to look past those eyes into the heart of a child. Not speaking their language but still understanding. Knowing you’ve been there before and wishing you could go back. Wondering where you lost it…

Well guess what? I’m back…I’ve found it…And I’m loving every second of it…"

Chase, Christina, Daniel, Ginger and Joshua writing on behalf of the team would like to thank you for your faithful support and prayers for us each day. Without God and without you we would’ve never made it past day one.

You can download a Light 2 Taiwan Desktop image by clicking below.

Hello and welcome to central Taiwan, a frozen land surrounded by snow-covered mountains where the American English teachers resemble walking ice cubes. OK, slight exaggeration, but it has been cold and rainy, and I heard that some of the taller mountains did get some snow yesterday. I have also seen some rather cold looking Americans walking around with multiple layers on muttering something about wishing the computer would overheat and create some warmth... Really, we are alright, and some of us are rather enjoying this kind of weather.

School continues to be a wonderful challenge, with new and unexpected things happening every day. Last Friday, the team here in Ying Pan went to Pu Li Elementary school, which is the biggest one in Nantou County. It has around 2,800 students, and about 150 teachers all together. There were 11 to 12 classes for each grade with 30-35 students in each class, plus some kindergarten classes. Talk about massive! Each of us taught three classes by ourselves, which was different from what we normally do at a Friday school, but it worked out great. I taught 1st, 3rd, and 6th grade and had a blast doing it. After classes were over and we had finished eating lunch, we headed for the door of the dining hall and found it to be packed full of about 100 students who wanted us all to sign our names for them. Ahhh.... I think I got through about 40 of them before it was time to leave. This has happened at other schools as well, but sometimes they are small enough that we have time to sign our names for all of the students before we go. If you have never been mobbed before, you should come over and try it sometime. Its fun :) You have to love the kids, there is just no way around that.

Friday afternoon, we were invited out for dinner with Mr. Sun who was visiting for the day. We were talking with him in the principles office when he asked us if any of us would be interested in possibly teaching some classes at a junior high school near here. Some of us were like, sure, that sounds interesting, and so he calls the principle of the junior high school and invites him to come to dinner with us right then to talk it over!!! I was sitting there in a state of "please slow down, this is all too fast for me" watching as two new classes were added to our weekly schedule. As far as I grasped, we will begin teaching at the junior high school in Jung Shing in two weeks. This is a great opportunity for us (I think), so please pray that we will have wisdom from the Lord in all that we say and do.

The life we live here, and the ministry we have is only possible through the power of Jesus Christ, and by the prayers of His children on our behalf. This month we ask prayer for the new classes we are teaching at the junior high school that everything would go well. Also pray for two teacher conferences that the Nantou teams will be teaching in the next few weeks. Those are always a challenge. Fun, but a challenge :) Health and our unity in Christ are also something that you can pray for, as well as all of our students, teachers, friends, neighbors, extended family, etc... The people are really what we are here for, so please pray for them. Thank you so much.

Wishing you the peace of Christ,
~Joel

Romans 12:9

Time flies when you’re having fun! The fourth week of the second semester is about to begin. The last few weeks have been very rewarding for me as I’ve begun to see the children really putting forth an effort to communicate with me in English. Even though we ask each other the same questions every week – “How’s the weather? What do you like? How old are you?” I can see that they’re becoming more and more confident in speaking to me. I’m going to miss these kids! They’ve become a part of my life. Even though we aren’t able to talk about a lot of things, we have been able to communicate to each other that we’re friends. And so when I leave the island of Taiwan in less than four months I’m going to be leaving over 400 small friends.

With as much as I love being with the kids teaching is still a lot of work and can be very tiring. That’s why weekends can be so nice! This weekend has been great so far. I’ve just experienced one day of it but it was relaxing and a lot of fun. Here’s a rundown of what I did today.

To begin with I didn’t set my alarm. It felt good to get up and feel rested rather than having the alarm wake me at 5:45. After I got up and got ready for the day I spent some time journaling and reading my Bible. I checked my e-mail and wrote some letters. By this time it was 11:00 and time to get something to eat. Most of the rest of my team had the same idea so over breakfast (or was it lunch) we discussed what we should do for the rest of the day. Josh, Jo and I decided to meet at 1:00 and go to Carrefore to buy groceries.

On the train Josh befriended a little guy that was about a year old. The two of them kept the two of us (as well as the other adults in the train car) entertained for the duration of our fifteen minute ride. The little guy was so cute and we have pictures to prove it! When we got off the train and were standing on the platform we could still see him smiling at us.

After buying our groceries we got something to drink and then Josh said we should try the massage chairs that they have for sale. I’d never tried them before. The next fifteen minutes were wonderful! Now I wish we had one of those chairs here in our dorm. I guess that’s why they let people try them. They know you’ll be hooked if you do.

Instead of taking the train home we took the bus. Buses are a little less predictable than trains but after waiting about half an hour our patience paid off and we were on our way home.

We got home at about 5:00, unpacked our backpacks full of food and started making dinner. We had a special Mexican supper. Cheese, beef, salsa, taco seasoning and tortillas are more difficult to find in Taiwan. We were able to find the cheese and beef today. We bought the salsa and tortillas in Taipei and the taco seasoning came in a package from home.

After we ate dinner we cleaned up and played games for the next three hours. I’ve played a lot of Rummikub before but rarely have I played the game with such intensity and competition! We definitely needed the two minute time limit per turn. Christina got a new game from her family for her birthday that we ended up trying as well. It’s called Swap and I have the feeling we’ll be playing it more often! It was a great evening spent with my team.

That pretty well sums up the day. Now it’s time for me to go and get some sleep!

Katrina Nisly

Hualien, Taiwan