(Display Name not set)October 2004 Archives

"Why are you in Kinmen?”

Numbly staring out the van window on my way home from school a couple weeks ago, I was startled by this English sentence on a huge banner in front of the local “Cultural Center.” Everything else on the banner was in Chinese, so I had no idea what it was for – but the question felt like it was directed right at me and gave me quite a jolt.

Why are we in Kinmen? Each of us on this team has been asked that so many times. Last semester it was a very simple question for me to answer. I was in Kinmen because I was assigned here by my organization, and I was with the organization because I believed that God had told me to go teach English with them. I had never even heard of Kinmen before being assigned here. (And, of course, I would always add to my answer that I was so glad they assigned me to Kinmen because I love it here. ) Now this semester, I have the additional reasons- that I have so many good friends here to come back to, that I want to continue learning Chinese, that I was hoping to teach again at the same schools, that I have a wonderful church home here, and that there were so many relationships I wanted to continue in the hopes of seeing fruit. Really, though, it boils down once again to the fact that I believe God told me to come here. When I had to decide last semester about whether to come back for another year, I knew that I loved the situation at that time and would personally like to stay for another year in the same situation. I also knew though, that the situation wouldn’t be exactly the same again, and that it could possibly be totally different. I had to listen to God for direction, and not rely on my feelings for my decision.

As I was sitting and thinking in that van, though, it made me wonder why I was in Kinmen on that particular day. I was feeling so tired and so lonely for my family, and I had just finished teaching at my most difficult school. It reminded me that God’s purpose wasn’t to just generally point me in the direction of Kinmen, and then leave me to myself for the whole year. He must have a purpose and goals for each day that I’m here. If I’m letting myself get distracted, though, and not staying close to Him each day, I can’t hear His direction.

Then it struck me just how stupid it is for me to ever fall away in my walk with the Lord after getting the initial direction to come here. It really defeats the whole purpose of having followed the first command when I just go and wander around afterwards! It’s like sending a soldier into another country on a long mission, but then having that soldier basically disappear. He hardly ever checks in, he’s distracted when he does check in, and you can’t ever get a hold of him when you need to tell him something. It doesn’t matter that he followed your first command – he’s useless if he doesn’t listen to and follow the rest of your commands.

Of course, it’s one thing to realize something, and something else entirely to actually apply it. I always covet your prayers, and I’m sure all the others on our teams do, too. Please pray for our spiritual walks and for protection from the attacks of the enemy. Please pray, too, that God will open paths and hearts before us, and that we’ll be rivers of His love flowing out to all those around us.

May we each be an elite level soldier in this battle!

~BJ, on the island of Kinmen

Coco, Momo, Jr. Highers, and Hangman

I doubt there is another job on this earth as exciting and adventurous, as an elementary school teacher. Add to that a foreign English teacher in Taiwan, and you have more than just "adventurous."
On Monday morning, I invented a brand new game to introduce to my 6th grade class that very morning. Twenty minutes later, when I arrived at the school, I realized I had left all the aids for the game back at the dorm (whoops!). We ended up playing the all time favorite, "Hangman"...so much for being creative. On Tuesday morning, I finalized the lesson plan that I had so carefully planned the evening before on vocab and sentence structure. Thirty minutes later, I found out I wasn't teaching vocab and sentence structure that day after all. On Wednesday, I left for school feeling like I couldn't possibly be any more LESS prepared. Twenty minutes later, I was enjoying one of my best English classes yet(hmmm....imagine the irony of that). Tomorrow is Thursday. The week is but half over...and who knows what tomorrow will hold!

Last Sunday evening, I sent out a frantic email to many people requesting prayer for a special class we teach at our Jr. High School for "potential dropout" students. The past few weeks we have had no control over the classroom whatsoever, and there are only 8 students!! Also, our communication with the students' teacher had been really bad and we just didn't know what to do! To say the least, the first few classes were "rough." As a team, we decided to really lift this class up in prayer. Monday night came, and the Lord answered our prayer (and yours!) in 2 very specific ways:

1.) We were able to talk with the teacher (through translation) and get her feedback on what she really wanted us to do. She asked us to LOVE the students and to not be frustrated with them. She also asked us to PRAY for them.

2.) As the class started, two new students came walking in, and I just about went RUNNING OUT! They were two guys that I had known from playing basketball. Let's just say, they have a reputation for being... ummm..."special!" However, as the class went on, both boys did really well. This was the first time for both of the boys. The teacher had been asking them for 5 weeks to come. We did 1 on 1 tutoring with them, and the teacher was VERY pleased. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!

"I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the people, I will sing unto Thee among the nations!" (Psalm 57:7-10)

Lucas

Hello everybody!

Ok, today I just want to say a big "THANKS!!!" to the people that were in Kinmen last year. The way they handled the life here- both personal and public- has made the biggest impact on the way things are now. From the investments and choices they made to the the love they showed and the work done through prayer, a road was paved. Although it's not an easy one, it's a road with sure footing and Something at the end that makes even the blind curves and grueling hills scream, "It's worth every footstep."

I thought about this as I listened to a fourth grade class sing. It was at a particularly hard school- one that is tougher for me to prepare for. The girl that taught there last year as shared some advice for working there, and suggested singing. She said to get them to teach me their version of "Rain, rain go away." I'd never heard the class be so loud (they're usually very quiet). They sang their hearts out. Why? No doubt they had been taught to sing like that- with all of their heart.

It just made me think. Such an impact was made. In big things, little things..it's still being made. There's still evidence of it, even months after they left. Now it's me in that spot. WoW.

Choices..people watching...kids learning from me...teachers trusting me...principles offering me coffee... friendships... relationships... people investments...time with God...His purpose for each day..So much to think about!

So what am I going to do about it?

SOMETHING.

"Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.." Heb.12:1-2

~Ginger Jernigan
Kinmen, Taiwan

“Be still and know that I am God…” (Ps.46:10). It is so good, yet so difficult, for me to keep this command. There are times when I would rather be doing my own thing instead, yet when I have quieted myself before the King, He has blessed me by revealing many unanswered questions that I have had in the past.

Here’s one:

About four or so years ago, I was at the ATI Knoxville Conference. From what I remember, I believe I got a prayer card from one of the booths in the Stokely building. It was about a new ATI outreach that I really didn’t know much about, and it had five prayer requests with a scripture verse below each request. Though I really wasn’t too interested in going to that place mentioned on the prayer card, I decided to take it home anyway, so I could pray over requests mentioned on the card. It was around that time that I started to take prayer much more seriously, and since it was apart of ATI, I thought it must be pretty important! So I put it in my room, and for the next couple of years I consistently prayed over those five requests, until I unconsciously had them memorized along with the verses! However, when I came here I left the prayer card home and soon forgot about it. About two weeks ago God reminded about that list, and for the first time since I came here I remembered what the prayer card was for. Taiwan.

Though I had no desire or burden forever coming to this precious country, God did. These past couple of months have been absolutely wonderful, and any of my wildest dreams for my future (and I did have some doozies) cannot even compare to living on a little Island called Kinmen, a place I had never heard of before. Since then God has answered so many requests, including two huge one’s that I had from last semester, that I am ashamed at for my unbelief.

As a word of encouragement, please take time to know that God is God. He has purpose, and it is that all things will work together for good to them that love Him (Romans 8:28).

Remember to pray for us (with thanksgiving and praise). Phil.4:6,7

Happy birthday R.O.C. ! That's right, Oct. 10th marks the day of independance for Taiwan. As we think of this nation and their fight for freedom both politically and Spiritually,let's pray that God will loose the things that are bound, restore the years that the canker worm has eaten, and bring peace and revival to this small land.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Author of life, thank You that You have placed Your hand on Taiwan as evidenced by the prayer warriors that have arisen, crying out to you for this land. Please heed our prayer Lord, we are weak but You are strong. We stand in the gap for these wonderful people that You have created and pray right now that You would, as YOU alone can, turn their hearts toward You! In Jesus' name, amen.

Thank you once again for your prayers!

Megan Jefferies~ Kinmen

Thought of the day: "Do I spend more time chasing the world's idea of happiness or resting in God's idea of joyfulness?" Oswald Chambers

Question of the day: On any given leisurely walk, how many smells do YOU encounter? If you live in Taiwan the anwser is "a new one about every 5 steps!

As I try to collect my thoughts for yet another update it seems my mind keeps coming back to the same theme again and again; that is the incredible need of the people I meet every day. Whether it is the little girl in my class who is desperate for my attention and affection, the shopkeepers who nightly burn their incense and paper money, the junior high kids who have such hopeless looks in their eyes, or the teachers we work with who are so driven to succeed… They all have one thing in common - they need Jesus in their lives.

The startling truth is that we may be the only expression of Him that they will ever see. They may never leave this island and may never meet another follower of Jesus in their lives. It is up to us, as we allow the Savior to live His life through us, to be a demonstration of His love to them; a beacon of light shining in this dark corner of the world that will guide these misguided, blinded people to the One Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! The alternative is not a pleasant one, but its truth is equally as convicting.

As I look around me I am constantly reminded that many of these people I see every day will end up in Hell. What a sobering and saddening thought. It is heart breaking for me to consider this and yet I cannot allow myself to forget. I must live each day with eternity’s values in view; considering with each thought, word, and action whether they will count for Christ and His kingdom’s sake. Am I laying up the treasures in Heaven? Or will the things on which I spend my time and energy amount only to wood, hay, and stubble?

I pray that as I live and work here on Kinmen Island the Holy Spirit will so conform me to His Image that I will be a living, breathing picture of Christ to those I meet every day…that they will see me and be drawn to a love, a peace, a joy that they have not known, but that they so desperately need. Pray for me, and for the whole team here, that the Lord will grant these deepest desires of our hearts as we continue to serve Him in Taiwan!

Rebekah Gilley,
Kinmen, Taiwan

The weeks are rocketing by here in Kinmen! We just have so many opportunities to minister; it can be overwhelming when I stop to think about it. We would appreciate any prayers for guidance as we each have to choose which opportunities to invest in.

One opportunity that has come our way this weekend is a visit by two young women from Taipei. I believe their father is some sort of doctor, and they’re involved with some sort of association called IBLP or some such strange name. I’m afraid we’re not really going to able to help them, though, and we’ll probably just have to send them back to Taipei on Monday. You can pray that God will bring someone else across their path over there. ;-P

Okay, just to clarify, the previous paragraph was a joke -- we are having a lovely and encouraging visit from Karen and Faith Chen this weekend! :-D They’ve been able to visit with an English teacher, two college students, and a salon owner that they’ve had previous opportunities to witness to, (Ted, Tammy, Emily, and Lucy, respectively). Our team has regular contact with all four of these people, and we would love to see them saved! I believe Emily is already saved, but please pray for each of them.

For a little more than the past week, we’ve also had kids playing cards with us to rather late hours whenever there’s no school the next day. It’s mostly Jr. High students, but also a few elementary and Sr. High students, living here at the dorm. We’re all in the same boat – living away from our families – so it’s nice to do things together in the evenings. There are a couple big differences in our boats, though: first, we’re a lot older, and second, we have our Heavenly Father right here with us. We’re praying that we’ll be channels of His love to them.

There are also some students, almost all Jr. High, from local families that have been joining us in the evenings. Most of their parents will eventually call them to come home, but it’s sad that some of them don’t seem to have any kind of curfew. Please pray for little Allen. He was in one of Lucas’ 3rd grade classes last semester, and now he’s in one of Megan’s 4th grades. He’ll come over all by himself and hang around ‘til we finally have to tell him that he needs to go home and sleep. Every time we ask if his parents know that he’s here or what time he’s supposed to be home, and he just says that they don’t care. It seems to be true…they never come looking for him. Last night at 11:30, Lucas finally walked him downstairs and helped him get his little bike over the fence (the school gates were already locked). :-( It sure makes me grateful for my parents.

This past Monday, we started doing a class with 8 potential drop-outs that attend this Jr. High. We’ll be working with them on English for two hours every Monday evening, and they have other classes the other weeknights and activities on the weekend. It’s a new program that’s just started, and I believe it’s mostly taught by their homeroom teacher and volunteer college students. They had a meeting last week to start things off, and all the students’ parents were supposed to come with them, but only one mother came. As soon as they saw a chance during the meeting, the boys ran outside to smoke. We therefore only gave them a 5-min. bathroom break during our class on Monday, but that was still plenty of time for them to run out and smoke. We’re working on a better plan of action for keeping them from doing that. :-) One of the boys at the meeting had what looked like a huge cat-claw scratch on his neck, and he told Rebekah that he got in a fight with his older brother. A couple days later, Lucas thought he saw one of the boys hiding by a tree near our dorm during class-time, doing something with a knife to his arm. Sure enough, on Monday, the boy had slice marks all down his forearm. We haven’t met all of the students yet, but I think there are two girls and six boys. Praise God, our first class went well, and we were able to break the ice with the five students that came. One of them was our old friend Bill/Jerry, (his English name was Bill last semester, but now it’s Jerry). For a while last semester, he came over to the dorm almost every day. It’s good for us to have a chance to work with him again. Please keep the class, students, and teachers in your prayers.

May God bless each of you, and know that we’re praying for all of you, too!

~BJ, for the Kinmen Team