(Display Name not set)October 2004 Archives

We’ve reached our 100th post. As we look back over these last four months it truly has been an exciting adventure for each and every one of us. First off we would like to thank each and every one of you who faithfully prays for us on a daily to weekly basis. Without your prayers the work here would all be in vain.

Please continue to pray for us. Pray that God would not only work in our hearts but that He would allow us to continue shining as lights of Jesus Christ to this nation of Taiwan. So really this 100th update is only possible because of your faithfulness in praying for us and God's working in each of our lives.

On behalf of the whole team here in Taiwan,

Daniel & Josh

It has been forever since I last updated something. I would love to be able to use some wonderful excuse, like being so busy with everything else that I just don't have enough time, or even better, I broke both of my arms while protecting little children from rabid dogs.
Alas I suppose that the true reason would have to be laziness, surprising I know but none the less true. The last time I blogged, I mentioned that there was a teacher that was kinda giving me problems, lately she has been surprisingly kind and very easy to work with, so that is a definite praise. The other day, I was riding a bus, when this Chinese guy asked me if I was an American. I'm not really sure what gave it away, I usually have no problems blending in here, but he must be extra sharp because he was able to see that I am an American pretty quickly.

Anyway we got to talking,and he turned out to be a very niceperson, and speaks a lot of english. At one point in the conversation, he said that he has a friend who is a hair stylist, told him that American hair is very soft. I'm sure you can guess what his next question was. Can I feel your hair? When I told him it was okay, he responded by saying, wow so soft, several times. He then asked if he could feel my nose, I thought it was a little wierd, gave him permission anyway. When he did he said,I can't believe it, it's real! Needless to say, he was an interesting fellow.

The next day, he called, and told me that his girlfriend had just broken up with him and never wanted to see him again. He was a little bit hard to understand, because he was crying so hard, poor guy. Anyway he lives in Taichung, and wants me to visit him on Saturday, so please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom on how to help him through his pain, and open up an opportunity to share the gospel with him.

This has gone on long enough, so I'll close for now.

Anthony Bender

Well, here is another update...

Today has been a very uneventful day, for a Sunday...This morning we had a short worship service, sang a bunch of songs, and prayed. I am really short of words right now, and don't know why...

Yesterday, we went out with some friends, and had a really good time. One of the Chinese guys we were with speaks very good English, has been to America, and has had a lot of Christian influence from the other teachers. Please pray for this friend, especially since he is really searching for the truth right now. We pray that he will respond to the promptings of God's spirit.

The other thing I would like to ask prayer for is that tonight and tomorrow another typhoon is going to hit Taiwan. Which could be good and/or bad. Just pray for safety for all the teams, as well as the Taiwanese people. The typhoons have done a lot of damage in the past...

I want to just thank you all who read our updates, for your prayers and support. It really means a lot to all of us. Thank you so much...

'Til next time,

Isaac Mazur
Ying Pan

Time has flown by it seems like just yesterday when I wrote my last update, but honestly it was about a month ago. By now I would have thought life would have become normal and boring, but I am fast learning normal and fair are not in God's vocabulary for my life.

Yes, Monday through Thursday I leave the dorm at 7:40 and head to the train station but after that everyday is just a little different. The wind sometimes blows so hard that no matter how hard I peddle the bike I can't seem to go very fast. When I finally arrive at the train station and buy my train ticket that does not mean life will be normal atfer that because sometimes the trains are late.

After arriving at the school if I am late then I come in the class room and there are fifteen kids bouncing off the walls telling me to say "Sorry I'm late, may I come in?" Or I might be in for a surprise when a different class walks in and tells me I am suppose to teach them now and not the other class, no big problem because they are all fifth grade it just sends me for a big surprise.

Then there are supposed to be nice quiet lunches were I rest and get ready for the afternoon classes, but having the principal showing up and wanting to talk or getting a phonecall or e-mail that sends me scurrying all over the school figuring out what needs to be done in order to answer the phonecall or email. After school is over we are supposed to go home and put up our feet and rest, right? The answer is no, where in the bible does it say we are to rest after working for five or six hours. We are to rest on the His day. Well, sometimes random things happen and I don't have time to put up my feet until bed time. A chinese teacher may come and teach us how to cook Taiwanese food or I may get another phone call asking me to correct some grammar before I go to bed that night.

I am eternally grateful to God that he has made my life so exciting and challenging, because without challenge there is no growth in my relationship with Him. Matthew 6:32 .. "for your heavely Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Everyday I wake up excited to see what new and challenging things God will do.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

Josephine Papp
From the Hualien team

Greetings from the little town of JiJi!

The past week and a half has been interesting! Well, not really interesting, more along the lines weird! The other day, I woke with pain in my back and by the end of the day, I was at the emergency room! They said that there was nothing wrong, but gave me some medicine to relax the muscles. (Or, at least that is what I think it was for) I spent the next 4 days taking it pretty easy and was able to catch up on some rest and also finish a book. I have been to the chiropractor/ Chinese medicine woman twice now and she has done alot to help my back. The special thing is that through this I have been able to get to know her. Even thought I don't understand alot of what she says, just being with her has been good. She is trying to learn English, so when I am there she likes to practice.

At times, I wonder why I am here. But, at the same time I am so content being here. I know God has me here for a reason, but at the same time, I don't see that what I am doing is having any eternal impact. I look around me and what do I see? I first of all see my team. I see Sarah and Lydia loving on all the little girls, and all of the little girls love them right back. I see Tony, wearing his Taiwan Baseball jersey and everyone staring. (He was followed around at the grocery store, and on the bus he was giving his autograph.) The other day as we were walking down the street, there were kids in a van. When we walked by, the van door opened and the kids started yelling Tony! Tony! Tony! and did not stop till we were out of sight. I see Daniel doing sitting on the floor playing UNO with the kids, or finding some way to make them laugh After looking at those closest to me, I look a little further and I see the kids at my school. The ones that always give me hugs and jump on my back. The 6th graders who after English class teach me how to "properly" pronounce the different counties in Taiwan. Then there is the 1st grader who pulls on my earing, rubs my arm, and sticks his finger in my ear. There are also all of the other 1st graders who want you to sit by them in English class. After class, you can plan on it taking you a few minutes to get out of the classroom. Today, I was just hugged and pulled on and few kids decided to take down my hair and completely mess it up. Rarely can we walk down the street and not hear one of our names. Because I teach here in JiJi, I am always getting to see my kids. After the kids in my schools, there are so many other people. People like Justin, Lisa, Sam, Linda, and the other Lisa. Justin, is a guy from South Africa who is lives here in JiJi and works as a Cram School teacher. Since our schedules are just opposite, we don't get to see him too often, but we try to have dinner occasionally. Lisa, is a girl I met my second week here. She became a Christian through a previous teacher over here. She has been a real blessing. Watching her has shown me what it is like to be a Christian in Taiwan. To see the struggles she has with different beliefs in her family, and trying to find Christians to fellowship with, all of this has not been easy for her! As for Sam and Linda, they are just two of our night market kids. Both Sam and Linda are faithful visitors to our house if we fail to show up at the night market, or they will come to hang out with us until we go to the night market. It is so special to have the kids that we do things with on a regular basis. Last but not least is the other Lisa. Lisa is a college student who is studying teaching. She works at one of my schools and has really been very kind to me. If she senses that something might be wrong, she will make sure and ask me. I was able to have her over about 2 weeks ago and it just thrilled me that I was able to spend time with her. She is one of the people that I really want to get to know while I am here. Can you believe that this is just the start of my list?!?! There are so many people that I have the blessing of coming in contact with every day! When thinking about all of this, there is one thing I can be sure of. I know that God has called me to love these people. Regardless age or language barrier, I have been put here to be a witness to them!

I want to say "Thank You" to those of you who pray for us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers! One thing that I would appreciate is if you would pray for us that we know how to balance our busyness and our time with Chinese friends. That we would not allow our schedule to get in the way of really getting to know the people God has placed around us!

From the Tiny Town of JiJi,
Holly

Greetings, one and all!
I guess you could say I’m the “new kid on the block”- or at least, the new kid on the site. My name is Christina Moody and I’m from Simi Valley, California. This is my first update cause I was home for most of the summer after they set up this site and then I missed my first update….oops! I nearly missed this one due to our internet being down this weekend. Better late then never, I guess! Anyway, I’m honored to be here.
This week has been an awesome one for me. Ever since I’ve been back in Taiwan I’ve been struggling with being completely here, wanting to be home, and even being bored with teaching. This past week God has been reinforcing to me the importance of seeking Him for ALL that I need and that prayer is a very powerful thing. I spent some time praying, especially for last Wednesday. Wednesday mornings I teach 5 classes in a row, starting with 7:50. I teach with a guy that hasn’t been teaching English for that long and thus isn’t quite as organized as some of my teachers. J Some weeks I get there greeted with “So, do you have something you want to teach this morning?” and other weeks I sit on the corner of the platform and make faces at the kids for the whole class. Anyway, I was really praying for Neil, the teacher, and that we’d be able to work together really well. Last Wednesday we had an absolute blast teaching together! We told the story of the three billy goats. I told the story and then he introduced a game that went with it. It was great- we bounced off each other and helped each other out through the whole class. The morning flew by, and I know it was all God. Every day this past week I’ve noticed such a difference in my whole perspective as I start each day by thanking God for it, and simply asking Him to go with me and help me. It’s so simple, and yet it’s embarrassing to think of how many days I’ve let go by without stopping and giving the day to the Lord.

Keep Nantou in your prayers! Pray especially for:
Principal Liang, the principal of the school we live at;
The English teachers we work with, that the Lord will work in their hearts;
The 600+ kids each of us teach every week;

The upcoming teacher training conference we’re planning (November 19-20).
We covet your prayers- thanks for serving with us here in Taiwan. Remember, prayer is not the preparation for the work, prayer IS the work. God bless each of you!

Christina Moody
Nantou, Taiwan

Person 1: Ni jien tien hao me?

Person 2: Hao, ni na?

Person 1: Hao. Xie xie.

Or if I try it’s…
Daniel: Ni jien tien hao me?
Student: *blank stare*
Daniel: (Very slowly this time) Ni…jien…tien…hao…me?
Student: *blank stare*
Daniel: Ni ting da dong me?
Student: (shaking head) wo ting bu dong
Daniel: (in English) how was your day?
Student: (in English) good.

Sigh…my Chinese isn’t that bad.

Them: Today we will teach Moon Festival words. Like, barbeque, moon, moon cake, beef, pomello…
Me: Hold on…pomello? What’s pomello?
Them: It’s an English word. Don’t you know it?
Me: No that’s why I asked.
Them: It’s this fruit we eat.
Me: Oh..cool. How do you pronounce it?
Them: We were hoping you knew…
Me: Is it in the dictionary?
Them: No…
Me: Great…

Sometimes I get to learn English.

Them: I have something for you, Daniel.
Me: *starts thinking and panicking* …moon cakes…no…more…moon cakes…
Them: (they continue without me saying anything) I heard you talking about Mountain Dew the other day and how you liked it. I didn’t know what it was so I looked it up on the internet and then while I was in Taichung I picked up a can for you.
Me: Wow, thanks! You didn’t have to do that you know.
Them: You are a friend.
(let me now point out that a can of Mt. Dew in Taiwan runs about a buck)

These people are cool.

Housemate: (Said in a cheerful manner) Don’t you just feel like shooting yourself in the head sometimes?
Me and Anthony: (staring with wide eyes) Um…no I can’t say that I do…
Housemate: (Just as cheerful) Sometimes at the end of the day you just feel like shooting yourself!
Me: I’m trying to eat here…
Anthony: Uh…ok…
Me: here want some ice cream?
Anthony: Please…

I live with interesting people.

Other housemate: Doesn’t that guy ever put his shirt down?
Me: Hmm…doesn’t look like it.

There are interesting people around us.

Holly: Come on Justin! Click for us!
Justin: I can’t do it while smiling
Me: Hey, we had a deal. Smores for Clicks. We did our part of the deal.
Justin: Ok…

Justin is funny.

Alice: I love you teacher!
Me: I love you to, Alice.

There’s no better job than working with kids. Everyone should try it at least once.

Ready to sign up?

Daniel
Ji Ji

Have you ever wondered what God was up to and why when it rains it pours, and when it is good it is so good that you feel like jumping up and kicking your heals.

Why is it that one minute you feel like crying your eyes out, and the next minute you feel like God could not pour out any more blessings on your life. No I am not talking about something that is only limited to females it is all about why God has the timing he does.

Why He allows things to happen as they do? Last weekend our team went to Taichung for church. When we arrived we had some time to shop for phone covers, and phone supplies. I was standing at the counter, and a man bumped into me. At that moment I knew that something had happened, I did not know exactly what it was that made me feel this way. I grabbed by back pack to go through it, and then I knew that my phone had just been stolen. Is God really in control of this crazy world, or do things happen by chance? God is Sovereign He rules the world. No good thing would he withhold from those who's walk is blameless Ps 84:11. As I sat through church last week wondering what was the thing that I was suppose to learn from this, or how I was to thank God for it. God gave me an insight on this. I was now able to pray for this man who I did not know. All I knew was that he need the Lord.

This morning I started off with a sad start, but when I walked into my classroom all of my third graders were hiding under the table. Now usually that could be a problem. How do you get those little kids out from under the table when you don't speak Chinese? As I walked to the front of the classroom they each started popping out from under the table with there mean growls and funny laughs. They all gathered around me, and laughed. It was at that moment that my heart was empted from my sadness, and filled with joy. This is why I am here. Yes God knows about my bad days, and my good days. He knows all about me, and every part my being. Yes my God cares for me.

Sarah Deluca,
Jiji

I have been in Taiwan for a little over one month now and the time has flown by fast. My team is quickly bonding together, and I enjoy the time that we spend together. It has taken some time to adjust to life here in Taiwan with all the strange surroundings. But I am finally settled.

There has been some kind of festival going on this past week.

*Admin's Note*
It's a Festival celebrating the anniversery of one of the Temples in Ji Ji
*end of Admin's note*

It has been quite the sight. There are booths up and down the street that I live on. They sell every thing that you can imagine. They are very noisy, but I can sleep through the noise so it is not too unbearable. Almost every night my team, and I have gone out to look at some of the booths. We have bought a lot of stuff and have been able to spend some time with some of the kids in Ji Ji. They are sweet kids, and they remind me of the kids in my home town. I want to reach out to them more but it is hard because there is such a language barrier. I have been able give some of them tracts and that was great, but I still want to be able to talk to them and share Christ love with them. I want to be able to answer their questions about God, and be a godly mentor to them.

I still miss home, but I am growing so much here. I am learning to depend on the Lord for all my needs, and He is so faithful to always be there for me.

Pray that I will keep my focus on the Lord as I face each new adventure, and that in each task that I take on I will have an eternal mind set.

Lydia DeLuca
JiJi Taiwan

Why am I here? This is the question that I spent all of last week asking myself. Yes I did know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord had called me here, and that he had even given me verses speaking to the fact that I should be here, but I was still struggling with why.

I have always been the kind of person who deeply desires and loves to be in and doing ministry, but when I would go to my schools and encounter problems and situations that are hard to deal with, such as teachers that seemed like they didn't want me there and the kids that seem like they aren't listening, and the list just goes on and on.

As I was thinking about these things, and yes I must confess maybe even feeling a little bit sorry for myself, I asked the Lord why he hadn't provided any ministry for me, after all that was my whole purpose for coming here right?

I realized that no that wasn't exactly the reason for my coming, the reason was actually serving the King car foundation as well as the government of Taiwan. I then began to complain inwardly and think, man if these are the only reasons, then I might as well go home right now. A little bit later, I went over to the school to hit some baseballs, thinking that perhaps the fact that I was hitting something might make me feel a little better.

Just as I was getting started, to little boys came up and asked if they could play with me, at least I think that's what they said judging from the fact that they took my bat away from me and handed me the ball. As we played together, I noticed how happy they seemed to be and also how content they were to be spending time the big American guy. As I watched the joy on the faces of those kids, the Lord seemed to be saying to me, this is why you're here, to play with them when they have nobody else to play with, to wave at them and say hi when they greet me on the street, to sit and wrestle with them when they come over to the house to visit. In other words to Love them, but not simply to love them, but to be a tool to lead them to the author of love.

So the next time someone asks me Why I am here, of course I will tell them to teach English, but I will also tell them about all these kids, and of the love that god has put in my heart for them.

That is the reason that I am here.

Anthony, in Jiji