December's Youth Outing

This is our latest outing with our youth group. The purpose of it was to pass out fliers for our Christmas program and to have a fun time of fellowship to follow. We were successful on all counts! :o) First we met at the church. The foreigners learned a phrase which would enable them to give the flier to someone and invite them to our program. Then we divided up into 4 teams, so each team could target a different area of town. Next we prayed and hit the road, excited to pass out our invitations. Each group did a wonderful job and passed out all the fliers that were given. We are so excited to see how the Lord will bless for our Christmas concert. If you think to pray for it, our program will be held Saturday the 22nd at 7:30pm (you can also pray for me - I'm singing in it in Chinese - YIKES!). After passing out the fliers we all gathered together again at the Delaney's home for a fun night of fellowship. We played games, made pizzas, the girls made cookies (sort of), and we had a great time to just hang out with each other. The Lord has blessed us with a great 6 months with our youth and are very excited to see growth in them!

Here are the girls making cookies - Stacie, Gloria, and Susannah


The other bunch of girls mixing up some cookies - Ruth, Teresa, and Esther


Here are the boys and their pizzas - Jay, Daniel, Tad, Jackie, and Josh


The girls (and Stanley) making thier pizzas - Gloria, Stanley, Teresa, Elizabeth, Julia, and Esther


Here was the most unique pizza of the night - topped with oranges - made by Leo


Here are the boys -
Bottom (left to right): Jackie, Daniel, Tad, and Leo
Middle: Jay, Josh, and Carl
Top: Harry


Here are the girls -
Back (left to right): Gloria, Susannah, me, Teresa, Stacie, and Esther
Front: Lydia, Lillian, Esther, Elizabeth, Julia, and Ruth

Wo de jia

Wo de jia ... our house. Let me take you around our new house. We are on the 3rd floor in a 12 story apartment building. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It is both nicer and bigger than our last home (the north wood trailer). :o) We have met a couple of our neighbors and have daily contact with our “guard lady”. We only live 2 blocks from the church – great walking distance! It takes about 5 minutes to get to the church and we take multiple trips there a day. We don’t have much of a view, but enjoy the occasional peek out the windows (particularly the bedroom). That is the ‘perch’ that I view the stray dogs that are always around, always barking, and always chasing each other around. We have been able to see construction process out the bedroom window and from the porch. I’m sure it will be pretty big scene changes for the Hanna’s. We are so thankful for the blessing it is to be here and to be so well provided for – especially in our lodging!

Thanksgiving Love Feast at Conerstone

We were finally able to experience our first Love Feast at Conerstone. I didn't have to spend the day in the Emergency room with Tad like the last scheduled Love Feast. :o) Just a quick explanation ... Love Feast is a direct Biblical translation(what 'good' Baptists call a Potluck). We had a great time of food, fellowship, and more food. It was a great time to spend with different members of the church just talking and having a good time. Nothing like having two Thanksgiving meals, one right after the other. :o) We look forward to our next Love Feast.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here in Taiwan (even though it was away from family). We had the opportunity to get together with 3 other missionary families, 2 single missionaries, and an American family here teaching English. There were 21 of us in all. We had an abundance of delicious food and a great time of praising the Lord together. We are so thankful and so blessed to have such wonderful, godly friends.

I'm so thankful for the little things that made it feel like Thanksgiving.



I loved the cute little name turkeys! :o)







After we ate, we had a time where we gather together to sing and give praise to God. It was really neat to sing as a group. There were also a few specials. We also had a Bible story reading done by Mark Lehman. Then we ended by giving testimonies of thanks.



After eating and singing, we broke up into a couple different groups. Most of the guys went to a nearby field and played flag football. They had a blast (and no one was hurt - too badly! :o) Then the ladies went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was beautiful and we had a great time chatting as we walked. We were able to meet a few of the neighbors. :o)



Then we got back together and played a few different group games. We ended the night with playing a huge group game of Balderdash.



But not before the food was busted out again and warmed back up for another snack.

Hong Kong - VISA travel

Due to our visa requirements, we must leave the country every 3 months. Our visa is a 60 day stay, and then (before that time expires) we go to the tourist office to get a 30 day extension. This allows us a 3 month stay, and hence, a longer time between travels and less expense. We praise the Lord for allowing us 2 smooth extensions thus far! We wish we didn't need to spend the money on travel, but we also enjoy the opportunity to see other places. Our first exit was to Hong Kong. It was one of the cheapest travel excursions we could find. We had a GREAT time! We were limited on our stay, but tried to pack as much into the short stay that we could. :o) We couldn't depart until after our Wednesday night prayer meeting and my speaking engagement at another church for a ladies meeting, and we needed to return for our Saturday night youth meeting. That meant we had from Thursday afternoon to Saturday afternoon to do as much as we could! :o) We packed as light as possible to make our short stay and our days out an easy travel (as we did most things on foot). We each took a half packed back-pack, so we could bring back anything we decided to buy there and so we could have a light pack to walk with Saturday after we had to check out of our hotel.

On our arrival, we headed to our first stop. It wasn't our hotel room, but to Victoria's Peak. This was an amazing over-look of the city of Hong Kong. Then we found our hotel and checked in. The next morning we got up early to get ready and to get to our first destination. We headed to Repulse Bay. We jumped a bus and were on our way. We enjoyed our time looking around and admiring the beautiful (and relaxing) scenery. Then we went over to a nearby temple, which is always very sad to see a religion and gods that offer no hope. We walked around the area for a while, went to a nearby market, ate lunch, and hopped back on a bus for our return trip. The rest of the evening and the following day were seeing the sites of the surrounding area and going to more markets. We were able to work on our bargaining skills while we were there. :o) We had hoped to visit other ministries when we traveled, but this came upon us so quickly and we had no contact information for anyone there. If we are able to return we now have a contact there. We hope to visit another ministry the next time we have to leave. We thank you again for all those praying on our behalf!

Hotpockets :o)

To those out there that were wondering if Taiwan had Hotpockets ... you know who you are. :o) Here are a couple pictures of the Taiwanese Hotpocket (actually called Beef or Chicken Bakes). No, they are not microwaved too hot – b/c Tad isn’t the one heating them up. Haha!! They are VERY good and we have made a quick meal of them a couple times now.

Tainan

Having sun after 3 weeks of rain is wonderful. It’s even better when you’re able to go out and enjoy it. That’s exactly what we did. We had one beautiful sunny day two days before the third typhoon was predicted to hit, so we went out site seeing. Sam, our translator from church, had a free day and asked if we would go to lunch with him. He said he’d take us site seeing along the way. We were able to go to Tainan, although we were going to go somewhere else, but accidentally took a wrong turn. We went to a very nice, unique restaurant for lunch. Then he took us to a couple fort remains in the area. He was a great “tour guide”, as his specialty is history. ;o) His degrees are in Taiwanese/ Chinese history and Politics. It was a very enjoyable day out in the sun. :o)

Small Blessings from the Lord

The other day, after going to the fresh market, we came out to a beautiful double rainbow. Everyone looked at us weird until they realized we were looking at a rainbow, and then they too would stop, take pictures, and admire the site. The next night, we talked with some people at Wednesday night prayer meeting about the wonderful promise the Lord made to us (Gen 9: 12-17). We were saying how thankful we are for that promise even though the world is so wicked and undeserving of being preserved.

Mountaintop Baptist Church Youth Rally

A couple weekends ago, we were able to attend a neighboring church’s 2 day youth rally. Only one of our teens, Teresa, was able to go with us, but we had a great time! At least, that is, when we finally got there! :o) The first day we had a bit of a struggle with directions. We arrived about a hour and a half late. :o( The second day we had no problems! :o) It was a great couple of days. There was a good attendance and the gospel was clearly presented. Many were church kids, but some were not. Both Tad and I were able to make a couple new friends. Tad was able to bond with Neil, the MK, and I was able to befriend Amy, one of the teen girls. We played many fun and interesting games, had a couple skits, a cook out, and A LOT of fun!!! Tad and I have really enjoyed getting to know this fellow laboring missionary family, the Cullers. Continue to pray for the youth here in Taiwan!

One of the games was feeling what the frog ate with a blind-fold on

One of the teens feeling

A group game for the guys ... standing together without linking arms (the girls did this as well)

Another game ... eating a donut off a stick

Tad going at it with Neil Cullers as his partner

Me getting involved too with Teresa (our teen) as my partener

We also had a cookout with everyone the last day

Of course they do everything with chopsticks ;o)

The girl in the red shirt is Amy. I was able to talk with her and get to know her. She is burdened for her unsaved grandma. Please pray that she would be able to talk with her grandma and share the gospel with her.

The Hanna Family - Missionaries to Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Ok, so I realize I’m doing things a little out of order; this post should have been our very first post on Taiwan. Oops! “Better late than never”, as the saying goes . . .
I’d like to quickly share with you the ‘story’ behind our decision of coming to Taiwan and to introduce you to the Hanna family, the missionaries we came here to help.
You may be wondering, how in the world did we get to Taiwan? A plane, of course!! :o) Alright, just kidding. Tad just finished his Master’s at NBBC this past year (May 2007), and we were seeking the Lord as to what His will would be for our next ‘page’ in life. We both have been lead towards missions, and within the last couple of years have been leaning towards the Asian part of the world. In 2004, when we were still in the dating stage, Tad went to China to teach English as a second language (ESL). After some consideration this past year, we decided to sign up with NBBC’s Team China to team-teach ESL for 6 weeks this summer. We put our names on the list and started attending meetings, not knowing the plans the Lord was yet to unveil. On a personal note, obviously we know the Lord’s timing is perfect and it truly is! Although Tad was excited about going (since he’s done it all before), I, on the other hand, was a bit nervous even hesitant. I had never done this before and therefore was stepping out into the ‘unknown’. Yet the Lord did give me a peace. Thanksgiving break came and we mentioned to our families what we were planning to do this coming summer, 2007. Once we returned from break, we knew we needed to start getting letters ready, passports in line and everything in order to finalize our plans for going to China to teach. About a week after returning, we were told of another ministry opportunity. Dr. Lamansky took a lunch hour with us to explain the need and the opportunity of going to Taiwan. We were almost immediately taken with the idea, but decided to go into a season of prayer before making a very big decision such as this. After talking with each other and spending time in prayer, we went to talk with Team China about the change and with Dr. Lamansky about the acceptance. I really believe that the Lord used the decision for Team China to prepare us (at least me) for this decision of going to Taiwan. Then the fun began! We had MUCH to do in a VERY short time! We had to apply with Baptist Mid Missions, send prayer letters, raise support, and have much contact with the Hanna’s to ask all the questions we had. The Lord’s hand in everything was SO evident. He was so comforting and gracious. He perfectly orchestrated everything. We took the month of May to go on deputation and visit churches (it was really the only time we had with Tad finishing school). Again, doors were opened and we were able to be at a different church nearly every Sunday and Wednesday as we traveled from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Texas. With the Lord bringing in all our finances, the day finally came that we had the ‘go ahead’ and were off for Taiwan. We left June 5th, arrived June 7th, and had exactly 7 days with the Hanna’s before they headed back to the US for furlough. Yikes! :o) We had a great 7 days with them. Yes, they were busy and packed with learning and being shown around, but it was a wonderful time getting to know these godly people. We both wish we had more time with them! We’ve been here about 3 months and have loved it. It’s been such a blessing to be a part of their ministry here in Taiwan!



Back row: Rose, Beth, Dolly Wong
Front row: Luke, Mr. Hanna, Mrs. Hanna

Ghost Month & Ghost Festival

Well, the month of August is considered Ghost month here in Taiwan. Therefore, it’s a month dedicated to ancestor worship. The Taiwanese believe that everyone at death becomes a ghost or spirit. These spirits become either ancestors or “hungry ghosts”, hence ghost month. The ghosts are those that have not been properly cared for by their living families and are therefore destined to haunt the living. The month’s “festivities” start on the first day of the seventh lunar month when 'Open Day' in hell is held. Supposedly, the gates to the underworld are opened and the spirits are allowed to cross over into the living world. During this month, ghosts are honored and appeased as they are treated as “guests”. Families regularly sacrifice throughout the year, but do more often during this month. You will see incense offered, food dedicated, and hell money burned. About halfway through the month a large banquet is prepared and offered as sacrifices. We didn’t really see this in action, but there was a lot of extra sacrificing going on. Thankfully, there was A LOT of rain this month so that cut back the sacrificing quite a bit. We were told by some of the church members that during this month those who participate and believe this have a list of do’s and don’ts. Many things are advised not to do, such as the following: weddings, giving birth, making special plans, traveling, business deals/ outings, purchasing things like cars, homes, etc. Some of the things I read not to do were things like – whistling (as it will attract dead spirits to you and your house), talking ill of the dead, swimming (as the spirits can easily drowned you), walking by riverbanks (spirits can easily steal living spirits there), and adding to the dead by burying the dead. There are many weird superstitions. Then, on the 30th of the month, on ‘Closing Day’, the gates of hell are closed again and the ghosts return to the other side.
It’s very sad to see the devotion to sacrificing and the rooted beliefs they have in this worship. It’s actually very interesting … there is a business right next to the church that regularly performs sacrifices. Many of the pictures below are that I took of them on Ghost Festival day (Monday). Pray for us that we may have an opportunity to witness to them. We cannot communicate well with them, due to the language barrier, but we hope to find a way – even a simple tract being given.

Our Afternoon Out

Sorry that it's been so long since I've posted! We have been pretty busy, especially Tad, so I haven't had time or access to the computer. I hope to get a number of posts up soon because I have quite a few things to share - be patient with me!!
These pictures are about 2 weeks old. We needed to go the the grocery store and we were able to take an afternoon to drive around and do a little bit of site-seeing on the way. The first few pictures are just sights along the way to finding the Tuntex tower. You can see it from so far away, but it's a little difficult to find how to get up to it. Alas, we made it! :o) Although Tad hates heights, he went up with me to the 75th floor to see great scenes of Kaohsuing City. The expanse of the city is so incredible!! It's daunting to see the number of buildings, to imagine the thousands of people out there, and to grasp the truth that so many of them need the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ! We enjoyed looking out on the city and the harbor. After leaving the Tuntex tower we sat in a park across the road and watched a water fountain synchronized to music. I had a lot of fun watching it and wished I could go out and run through it! (It's SO hot and humid here - it's in the 90's and usually about 90% humidity!! yuck!) After we drove around a little more we passed a mall - the Dream Mall. We have had a couple ladies in the church mention the mall to us, so we decided to check it out. For you shoppers out there, this would be your dream!! It is a 9 story mall with countless stores. It was unbelievable!! We walked around a couple of the floors and then decided to go do what we started out to do - go grocery shopping at CostCo. We can share more pictures of the Dream Mall at a later date. We hope to go back sometime to walk around. We had a very enjoyable afternoon together. :o)

Hospital Visit and Doing Some Site-Seeing

Ok, just so no one gets alarmed, the visit wasn't for either one of us. Tad has not been taking anymore flying leaps out of any trees. :o) There are not many trees where we live, and most of the ones around us aren't very tall.
A few days ago Tad and I were able to make a hospital visit with one of the ladies, Jean, from the church. Jean is a college instructor at the nearby foreign language college. She teaches English. Her husband, Sam, translates the Sunday morning sermons for Tad. When I speak at the ladies group, Jean will be my translator. ;o) She has become a dear and close friend. She has been SO helpful and considerate to both Tad and I!!!
Anyway, we were able to go with her to visit one of her students that just went through surgery. From that trip we were able to meet a number of her students. We enjoyed our time talking with them. If you think to, you can pray for Edison (he had the surgery and is recovering very well), Brittany, Penny, Anabelle, Ann, Amy, and others. We would love to see them come out to church!
While we were out we did a little site-seeing. We went to a neighboring hotel from the hospital - the famous Grand Hotel. Tad and I had a lot of fun looking at things and fellowshipping with Jean. :o)

Youth Camp - Cornerstone Baptist Church, Taiwan

We had a real good week in central Taiwan at Youth Camp. The camp ground was located in Puli. We were able to bring 8 kids. Most of them were church kids, save one. I think most of them were saved, but there were three boys that we are a bit unsure of. You can pray for Jackie, Jay, and CP.
The preacher was Erik Sanders. He and his group traveled from Seattle to come and help for this camp. Their church supports one of the missionary families here in Taiwan and through them planned their missions trip. He did a great job at presenting and explaining the Gospel and preached through the story of Jonah about God's will for our life. He had only preached through a translator one other time, but did a real good job this week.
As you will see in the pictures, the grounds were absolutely beautiful! We played some games there and some at a nearby school. It was a bit difficult as the camp was built on the side of the mountain, so there wasn't much room for an open field. The camp was also across the street from a lake. Our group took a number of walks around it.
Now I grew up going to a "rustic" camp, but I do believe this one topped it. We had a number of "friends" visit us in our room. :o) The first night we found and killed 2 very large spiders. The next night it was a huge cockroach and a couple small ones, and the following night there were a number of small cockroaches (including one found on my pillow and one in my suitcase). Besides all the fun of the bugs and lizards and ruff lodging we had a very good time. There wasn't any AC and we were quite active outside with games, etc., so we stayed warm and sweaty all week. :o) It was great though.
I was able to take a couple walks with the girls around the lake and on the last night had a "noodle party" with them. Tad was able to take the group of guys out paddle boating and had a real fun time with them. We also sang a special in Chinese with our group, "People Need the Lord", in the last evening service. We had a great time meeting new people (a number of missionaries here on the island) and getting to know our group better. Please pray for us on Saturday morning (it will be in the evening here) as we have youth group and continue to teach and train our youth. We hope to help them grow closer to the Lord.