"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and and my redeemer."
-Psalm 19:14

Am I... giving a sermon?

I think people tend to take some/many (and sometimes all) things for granted. For instance, we take speaking for granted... seriously, though it may be annoying listening to someone nag... to a boring lecture... or to someone voice their opinion (which may be contradictory to yours), your ability to speak is a gift. Think about all that your body amazingly has to do to make a word: air goes from the lungs through the vocal chords... which vibrate to create sounds... which is then articulated by your entire mouth to create sensible meaningful sounds (most of the time). And think of the thinking that goes behind those spoken words. But one thing that I realized that I started to take for granted was the person (and his words) preaching on Sundays... or at a conference (like I was at the past few days).

After Christmas, I attended the Grace Conference in Indiana... a conference that focuses on how short we fall of the glory of God yet how abundant God's grace is. This year, the speaker was from my home church! :D And all the messages he prepared (during the sessions as well as pre-devotional times) just showed how much he prepared (and how much he depended on God to speak through him). Along the same lines... the pastors at my "home church" in college do so much for the church AND prepare sermons for Sunday. ... ... and just thinking about that... it amazes me that they can do that.

Connecting to my experience in Taiwan, (last blog post... woot!) I had the opportunity to share my testimony/life story/ whatever I wanted to with a youth group while in Hsinchu. The youth pastor came up to me that morning (which was actually quite busy, since it was the end of a conference held at their church) and asked if I could say a little something about myself and to encourage them. I thought, "Oh gosh... me... a sophomore... giving these young people advice? encouragement? I feel so unworthy..." But still, I agreed. So I thought about it as much as I could during lunch, which I spent mostly talking to the different people there anyways :P... but by the time their Saturday night youth group meeting started, I was struggling to think of what to say... what I wanted to convey to them that was important to me... and how to say it. It was SOOOO stressful... especially since I basically had to say what I wanted to say... all in Chinese... merp.

I planned on saying so much... when I was semi-practicing, it was choppy but still relatively understandable. I wanted to talk about the stresses of academics relative to the Christian life, since after my sophomore year, I had really experienced the fruits of wholly trusting in God as a student (this is definitely not an easy thing). To talk about how difficult my 2nd semester sophomore year had been with all these super difficult theory and 400 level seminar classes. Throughout the course of the semester I gradually became more and more worried about my grades... and really believed that, at the rate I was going at, I would be receiving like 4 B's. At the finals period, I was writing so many papers and doing so many projects that I felt so overwhelmed. But while doing them, I really prayed that God would ultimately be glorified... even if I didn't get the grades I (or my parents) wanted. Leading up to the finals period (during that time where I felt like my GPA was going to plummet), I had already started to just fully give my grades/academics up to God. Not the kind of give where you just give up and let God take over... it was more of a give where I was holding onto this thing so tightly, but then I resigned it to the Lord, offering it up in faith- faith that He is still sovereign regardless of my grades. (Surprisingly, it's hard giving up your grades...because it's so seemingly connected to your future that you feel like you need to be in control and work as hard as you can... but it doesn't quite work like that.)

But yes... I was planning on talking about all of that in Chinese... and was freaking out. So after the youth pastor gave his mini-sermon, it was my turn. Gosh... you have no idea how nervous I was. The level of my Chinese dropped like multiple levels... I was barely speaking at a beginner's level. I kept messing up what I was saying... didn't know how to translate things I thought I could on the spot (since I typed the notes in English)... and jumbled things I was saying in the wrong order. And basically... at the end, they all thought that I couldn't speak Chinese well... it was quite embarrassing... I didn't even know if what I was saying had gotten across to them (talking with them afterwards, they were all surprised at my Chinese... since it was so bad when I was in front of everyone). I didn't know if my stuttering and inability to clearly communicate my message made them think that all American-born Chinese people were like that... or, even worse, if they thought that American Christians were like that. I felt like I had failed to encourage them... HOWEVER, one of the verses that I took from the Bible that really gave me peace was in Psalm 19 (above). It reminded me how in serving the Lord or living our daily lives, it is God who should be our center. Focusing on the Lord instead of trying to please man (myself included), God will provide the words to be spoken and will use you... despite the difficulties... mishaps... and unique circumstances presented.

And so... taking this verse into the new year (2013), may we pray that at every moment, our every utterance and thought and feeling and what not be pleasing to the Lord... and pray that each day at a time, we depend on Him as our immovable foundation.

PRAISE THE LORD TO FINISHING MY BLOG FROM THIS AWESOME 2012 SUMMER! AND PRAISE THE LORD FOR THE START TO 2013! GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME. ALL THE TIME... GOD IS GOOD! :D (And now there will be imaginary fireworks going off.)

"He answered, 'The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man...' "

Matthew 13:37

My Church History Savvy Uncle?!

It is now... the Christmas season, and I am still writing these posts (let's just say it's my end-of-the-year resolution to finish this blog). But during this holiday/winter break season, I'm really happy to be back in Chicago with friends and family. Yes, I do miss the Houston warmth... but there's sort of this exhilarating experience I miss from being in the cold. Spending all this time with my family, I started to think about my extended family in Taiwan... and this one uncle (one of my mom's brothers) that just blew me away this summer while I was talking to him about Christianity in Taiwan (... of course figuratively).

I was staying at my uncle's house for a couple of nights before heading to Taipei. I had finished taking a shower and was on the couch watching TV/on the computer. My uncle was already sitting there and, after a while of silence (since he was reading the newspaper), started to ask me about my project. I thought, :D perfect opportunity to talk to my uncle about God... but little did I know that my uncle was already more knowledgeable than I in this field (much to my pleasant surprise). We started talking about what I've learned so far... and then HE started telling me about the history of Christians/churches in Taiwan. Once he started talking, I immediately pulled out a fresh word document on my computer and typed down everything he said (though I had to type it in English... since there was no way I could type Chinese that fast).

But still, it was crazy listening to him talk. Firstly, I had never known that my uncle liked history... since he was a construction/engineer kind of guy. No joke, he was spitting out historical information non-stop (and even answering my questions) for like an hour straight! ... THAT'S LIKE A LECTURE... ... I don't even think I could do that on any given topic as of now. Secondly, I was excited (just as a history-nerd) that I could get this historical narrative from a non-Christian but Taiwan-born person... which could give me more insight into what the relationship between the Christian community and the Taiwanese localities was. Not to mention, he talked about some interesting points that I've never thought of regarding European Christian and Taiwanese (aboriginal and migrants from China) interactions.

Yet although he knew all of these things regarding Christians and their influence on society, he still did not believe... for the reason that my whole extended family, and others in my grandmother's community, was against my mom believing in Christ: that he needed to carry on the Confucian morale of filial piety and folk tradition with 拜拜 (bai4 bai4), or the typical religious sacrifice to honor the ancestors with incense and foods. Although he recognized that now, it is more accepted if one converted, he still believed that it was even more his responsibility... since my mother wasn't going to carry out her part (in his mind). To me, this demonstrated more just how it's only Christ who can change a person's heart. My uncle may know all about the benefits and good things the Christians did and admire them... but not be at all concerned with becoming a Christian or understanding the Gospel. To him, it will just be a sort of educational thing. And so realizing that, I guess I just reminded myself of the power of prayer... and of God's sovereignty. Yes, it was wonderfully exciting that he knew all this history... but in the end, he still wasn't interested in what the Christians were living for.

So during this Christmas season, when people are thinking about Christ's birth and purpose on earth, remember to keep those who haven't believed in God in your prayers. In thinking of God's immense love for us, even sacrificing his own son... pray that His love will penetrate even the hearts of those who are indifferent to Him ('cause He still loves them dearly).

"[...] training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age [...]"

-Titus 2:12

An Unexpected Light in the Darkness

:D Yes, I am still writing on this blog (almost done though). When I created drafts for my blogs, I usually jot down some of the events that happened in Taiwan and then pick a verse from the Bible that is relevant to that/those events. I decided to pick this draft today because Titus 2:12 is actually pretty related to what we (the CCF girls living in the house) read last week in John 3 (which is so packed with delicious food/things to think about).

So in John 3: 19-21, it says this:

"19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

These verses reflect on the world's unbelief and sin... and people's tendencies to hide in guilt (of knowing that they're doings/thoughts were wicked). These verses come after John talks about how Jesus came to the world to live and then die... and then live for us because of his immense love for us. And he mentions that Jesus came to the world to save it... from itself and its sinful nature. So to have this set of verses following that message, it shows that even with Christ as the one who came to save us, people still refuse to choose God as ruler of their lives... instead of themselves as having the authority.

In Taiwan, when in Taipei, the most urban city in Taiwan (I think), there were many "developments" that made me realize the world gives itself so many things to think about... so many things to occupy itself with... anything but God. And while I was there, it was surprising to see some things. Going to the shopping areas around Taipei 101, there were ads/photos of provocatively dressed female figures... but more surprisingly was the fact that my friend had told me that during the day, which was when I went, the area looked relatively normal: couples/families/friends walking around window shopping, some talented individuals displaying their acts in the middle of the shopping plazas, and various higher end stores waiting for customers to enter their store... however, during the night, she said that the little entrances and spaces between the stores open up to night clubs in the basements. The nightlife was a popular scene, attracting who knows how many young people... seeking for something else... to fill a longing... to fill their emptiness... to fill their lonliness... to fill their boredom... or some other reason. It was just while I was walking past this area that I was able to coincidentally run into a group called IM (Inspiring Moments). 

This Christian group was very unique in that I saw that it was prioritizing the youth, and the problems concerning the youth, of Taipei. During the week days and weekends while the sun was up, they would have a tent trying to evangelize and spread the word about their Friday meetings. Basically on Fridays, they would start with a sort of high-energy concert (usually with some famous pop star like Vanness Wu and Nicky Lee) and then a personal testimony of the pop star or some message by the pastor/missionary. But it was truly amazing to see that they were boldly "renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions" in order "to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age" (Titus). It was pretty cool because there was apparently a famous female singer who was there and my friends and I got to hear her sing some Christian songs in Chinese, while this Christian TV station was recording. Just to know that there are different groups of Christians reaching out to people of different ages, backgrounds, and tendencies both with more traditional styles to even modern methods was amazing to tangibly see.

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."
-Romans5:6

Life... So precious <3

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... clearly it has been a while since I last posted. And even though my summer is over,:
1. I am continuously thinking about it... since it has affected my life so much
and 2. I WANT TO FINISH THIS BLOG!!! (partially since I promised my housemates that I would start a tumblr after I finish this... and I just want to finish what I've started... even though it won't be a complete picture of my whole summer... ) But I basically have many posts that are in the drafts folder... and now I'm finishing them up. So here it goes...

(REWIND TO THE END OF MAY... unfortunately I don't remember the exact day... possibly May 29 o_O)

I was with Ruth and we were coming back from the grocery market... or swimming pool, and Ruth parked her car. I was waiting for Ruth at the entrance of her apartment main entrance... we walked in... and I was in front of Ruth... and I turned the corner. I saw a few things:
-the security guard at the door
-an old man (in his 80s-90s) half lying on the ground
-... and blood

I was in shock after I turned the corner, but Ruth immediately gave me her stuff, which I took and went to help him. After recovering from seeing blood, I quickly put down the bags and got tissues, got a trash can/bin... and started praying like none before. I didn't know how to best help, so I did what I was told. Ruth took over for the security guard as he went to call 119 (the emergency number in Taiwan), and she took the tissues/towels I gave her and she started pressing down on his head. What I saw saddened me so much. Basically, this sweet old Taiwanese man had a gash in his head that was like a centimeter deep and like 3 centimeters wide... it was so... sooooo big. Not to mention, there was a lot of blood flowing from his head... this was probably the first time I've seen THAT much blood come from someone else's body. He was so helpless. So tired looking... so innocent. Ruth was trying to speak Chinese to him, but he wasn't answering... the security guard was trying to speak to him, but again, he wasn't responding. He was only looking at our lips... I was so scared... I was praying that he be alright... that God save this man... that he stay awake and alive until the ambulance came. We also were helpless... we could only do so much to save him. While waiting for the ambulance, we kept trying to talk to him to keep him awake... kept pressing the wound with a towel to keep the blood from coming... and we tried to figure out how in the world he got hurt.  It was so strange... there was a trail of blood drops, but there was no spot where he could have hit his head. We could only come up with the theory that he had been grocery shopping (since he had a bag of taro bread in his hand) and came back... walking to the other side of the complex, he tripped over this small bump protruding from the ground that prevents rain from spilling over and going into the elevator (Hannah found out... it's called a THRESHOLD!), and he fell. Falling, he hit his head on this small corner on the lining of the side of a wood closet... but we're not sure exactly how he lost so much blood... yet how the blood splurt out in a line... it was so 搞不懂 (gao3 bu4 dong3)... I just can't understand it. But basically, the ambulance came and we all tried to help him onto the cot, but it seemed like he was in IMMENSE pain... remember, he's like late 80s-90s... and it was just so sad. We tried asking him where his ID was so we could get him into the hospital... and possibly find his family. IT WAS EXTREMELY SAD, because he was living by himself... and so we couldn't contact anyone... anyone to be with him... to be with him in his time of fear and desperation. (However, we found a neighbor that did know him semi-well, and she went with him.)

So after he was taken away, Ruth and I started to clean up the blood... and asked the security guard to keep us updated on how he was doing. When we went up to the room, we put our stuff down and just kind of sat... and then Ruth suggested we pray. So we prayed for him... and his physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. After, that, we just started talking about what we did during our day, and then she got a phone call. She sounded super concerned and started talking about ways to help someone. I looked at her as she finished her conversation, and she sighed. She told me that her husband called her to tell her that there was this homeless guy in front of Morrison Academy in Taizhong, a Christian private K-12 school, saying that he was going to commit suicide. Shocked, I asked her what Mark, her husband, was doing there... and she said that the school had called SEND to come and talk to him... because apparently, he was asking for prayer too. Confused, I kept listening. She said that he was staying in front of the building causing some sort of ruckus. We talked about how he probably wasn't going to hurt himself, but he was seeking the attention of others... and the love of Christ. So we just continued to talk and pray, and then she got a phone call around 30 minutes later. Basically Mark talked to him about what he was going through, shared the gospel/parts of the Bible with him, and prayed with him. And then he gave the man some money to go back to Kaoshiung or something... and Mark had a suspicion that he just wanted money. I mean he did see him get on the bus and make sure he was okay when he left... but I don't know what his true intentions were. And I guess that's never for us to know... but I do seriously admire Mark and the patience, care, and generosity that he showed to the stranger. In the desperation of a man looking/longing for more, he encountered a person who could truly demonstrate God's love... addressing not only his physical needs but, more importantly his spiritual needs through Jesus.

I remember when I went back that day, I kept thinking how weak and helpless we are as humans. And it's not just physically weak, but it's morally weak (like it says in the latter part of the verse, we're also "ungodly"...) because of our sin, we are so in need of our God who is just so loving and perfect in every way.  And so Christ died for us... and how gracious is He who gave us something that we don't deserve at all. After seeing the old man who got so badly hurt and the man who said he would commit suicide, I realized 1. how precious life is and that it should not be taken for granted on any day, and 2. we need Christ... always. And luckily for us, in His death, we have gained "eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5: 21).

"that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, amont whom you shine as lights in the world[...]"
-Philippians 2:15

SHINE-Y EXCITEMENT!

So before I end up writing this after the conference, here's a short post on SHINE 2012!!! :D Here's the story of how I found it:

On Monday, I was desperately looking for churches to attend while in Tainan because I hadn't settled on any so far. I had a "safety" church that I could attend the first Sunday I would be there (7/1), which was a church that my mom was familiar with, Dong1 Men2 Shen1 Church (東門聖教會). But I also wanted to see other ones. Typing in "churches in Tainan" in Google, and found a few churches after some digging... Living Water Christian Church (I found it amusing because I attended a church called Living Water Evangelical Church) and Dayspring Church. I went to the LWCC website and started browsing around. That was Monday... then that night I lived at my grandmother's house and didn't have internet, so I just waited until Tuesday to do more research on the church. THEN on Tuesday when I looked at their website more closely, I found that they had this youth conference basically the exact time I'd be in Tainan. The conference was 7/3-7/6 and I was there from 6/30-7/8... how amazing is that. So I looked for the phone number and I called the church and asked them if it was still possible to sign up. Remember, this is 1 week before the conference... and it's no small conference.

Before I move on, here's a little video for SHINE 2011 as an example: http://blip.tv/lwcc-tainan/shine-2011-4390907 (I don't know if the speaker will be in English this time also... though that'd be nice :D) And here's a little blurb about this SHINE conference (and apparently it's a movement too): http://www.lwcc.org.tw/index.php/student-project/shine
ISN'T THIS SUCH A SUPER AWESOME CHANCE TO PARTAKE IN A CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE IN TAIWAN?! It'll be my first experience like this... I get to praise and worship God amongst a large... no a MASSIVE group of Taiwanese people!

Anyways, so after I called, they asked a little about me/my background and told me that they might put me in a small group depending on if they had space... and during that day, I really prayed and hoped that I'd get to be part of this conference. And I waited like 2 days before I called back and told this new lady that I was hoping to attend the conference, but she told me that they were all booked... though she said that it was possible for me to attend all the night sessions which were available to the public. But I asked her again because I wanted to confirm with the guy I talked to before. So she said she'd call him to confirm. After a few minutes, she called back and told me THAT HE HAD ALREADY PUT ME IN A SMALL GROUP! I  was overjoyed I started sweating... or maybe that was because it was just hot... but I was excited ahahaha. After "registering" over the phone, she told me a little about the conference and that there was an orientation on Saturday night (luckily I was going to Tainan Saturday afternoon, so I could make it).

But basically I arrived in Tainan at like 4 and then after a quick dinner with a family friend and his daughter, I went to the orientation. Imagine this:
-There are people hanging outside the church doorway.
-People are also walking in and out... it's bustling with people.
-There are people registering/checking into the orientation.
-I walk into the church for the first time and people are greeting me with smiles and a girl hands me a pamphlet for the night's events.
-Some girls at a desk ask me if I'm going to attend SHINE. After replying with the affirmative, they ask me who my small group leader is. I don't know, so they start looking for my Chinese name on a list that spans like 12 pages spread out across a desk.
-They find it (sigh of relief) and they give me a name tag and tell me to go to the 10th floor.
-(elevator music... kidding, there was none) The doors open and there are a whole lot of young people walking around and chatting... and this one guy asks me who my small group leader is... and I don't know... still. He finds my name on a sheet with everyone's name on it and looks for my group's leaders.
-He finds her and points in some direction (mind you, I have no idea what she looks like or what her name is)... then all of a sudden this really happy and smiley girl comes over to me and excitedly greets me, warmly patting/grabbing my shoulder to lead me to where our group was sitting.

But seriously, that room where their youth service was held was really packed with people from high school and college (not sure if there was middle school). First there was a time of worship, which was actually really powerful, which makes me even more excited for SHINE. They were all very passionately singing every song... people were clapping, raising their hands, closing their eyes, praying, and really enjoying the worship that they were singing. It was pretty interesting since there were English and Chinese lyrics, so I would switch between the two (singing Chinese when I knew the words ahaha). But the penultimate song we sang was actually Hillsong's Majesty, and that was really sweet; since I knew that song, it was enjoyable to sing beside my Taiwanese brothers and sisters. Afterwards, there was a speaker, the pastor's wife, who spoke about the focus of SHINE: Jesus: the Ultimate Fascination. She was talking about how the young people in Taiwan are fascinated by so many other things that catch their attention... but Jesus is our ultimate fascination. :D Excited to hear more these next few days... afterwards, there was a lot of prayer and a time of offering and then we split into our small groups. In the small groups we introduced ourselves, AND I LOVE MY GROUP... they... definitely have their own personalities... ahaha in a good way. I think I will laugh a lot these next few days. :D

Ultimately, besides the fact that I should sleep now so I have energy for the first day of the conference, I feel really blessed to be able to have this opportunity to see how these young people worship our God... and learn about how precious and amazing He is... and, like Philippians 2:15 says above, become a blemish-less children of God that SHINE as lights in this world despite the messed up things that happen around us in our societies. :) PTL for these next few days and I pray that I get to make lasting friendships with these girls I will be spending lots of time with...and that the Holy Spirit move mightily amongst the youth in this conference...and that great things will happen... and that we worship Him in our daily actions... and that everyone stay safe! :D Can't wait to post about it after the conference!

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."
-2 Corinthians 2:15

THE REAL AROMA CAFE

Now I am back in Taizhong... yes, it has been a long time since I've updated, and for that I am very sorry. But while in Taipei, I actually had the chance of getting to visit the REAL Aroma Cafe... not once but TWICE! :D On Friday, June 15, Mary Ann and I went to visit the Aroma Cafe.

Every Friday night, they have this coffee house where people can just come in and join in on a conversation-mixer question, which involves everyone there. When we walked in, it was very welcoming... and very American. It was interesting to see an American style cafe with relatively Westernized food in Taiwan. But it is REALLY interesting and awesome that the founders chose food as their field of ministry. I knew that you can take whatever you have and give it to God, but for some reason I didn't think that ministry could be done with food. Although I guess I never thought about it before, but shopping/selling clothes can be made into one's ministry... like how Forever 21's founders/owners put John 3:16 on the bottom of their unmistakable, brightly yellow colored shopping bags.


One of the founders of Aroma told me about their calling to start a church in Ximen. He said that him and his wife, Chris and Jamie respectively ahaha, had been to Ximen on a short-term mission and knew of the need in Ximen for churches. Then a few years later, after they graduated college, they moved to Ximen in hopes of starting a long-term ministry...which developed into a cafe, since it would be hard to support a church in the shopping, entertainment, youth-populated area like Ximen. But I think I just found it so amazing that they, the owners and people working there, have this vision that combines "3 separate, but intertwined ministries: the church, the coffee shop, and short-term teams from the states as well as interns that come periodically throughout the year" (from Chris' email).


It made me realize that you don't have to be a seminary graduate or a missionary or a pastor to have a God-relating ministry... anything you do, if given up to God for God's purpose and will, can become a ministry that can help lead others to Christ. And I think I've been realizing that more and more as I travel Taiwan.


(Really quick, there is another story of these two accountants that were married in the states from 2 other Asian countries, Hong Kong and Vietnam or Singapore...I think, that immigrated to America. They really didn't want to leave America, since they worked so hard to get there; but upon listening to God's surprising and seemingly random calling to go to Taiwan, they ended up working for a missions organization and a Christian school... with their accountant skills. I know, right? You would never think accounting could be brought back to God, but they told me that accounting/dealing with money is one of the areas that missions organizations are lacking the most... which makes sense, because they all want to go to like... Goldman Sachs or something of the like.)


Anyways, I thought that I should share a little bit of what I'm learning here, and I think that the cafe was a sweet (literally and figuratively) reminder that we are the aroma of Christ, and we need to spread the gospel and God's love to those around us. :D

"I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

-Psalm 9:2

Aroma Cafe?

SO… I am finally in Taipei (and I am extremely apologetic that I have not been keeping up, but I will make up for that by finishing all my drafts by the end of this week). And I praise the Lord that I was able to get around by myself and the public transportation, aka the MRT, is actually extremely tourist/foreigner/non-Taipei person friendly.

But yesterday night, I looked at the clock and decided it was time to eat dinner. I had no idea where to eat, but I remembered there was a Mos Burger while exploring the area. Since I’ve never eaten Mos Burger before, I made that my backup. Strolling down the street with only my phone, keys, and 400 NT$ in my pocket (for some reason I thought I’d eat quickly and go back to the room), I saw a cute cafe… and read the sign: Aroma Beans Cafe.

Before I continue, there is a little pre-story that must be told. Basically Ruth (from Taizhong) told me of this one cafe in Taipei that was started by a few Christians that wanted to reach out to the city through their stomachs… giving them nourishment of the body and spirit. :D So I decided to visit it while up here in Taipei. A few days ago, I looked up the address of the cafe to see how far it’d be from the place I was staying at. AND TO MY SURPRISE, it was LITERALLY right around the corner… like it would take 2 minutes to walk to. At the time, I was really worried about getting places in Taipei because this is only my 2^nd time here (my first was when I was in middle school). Being nervous about transportation in this busy city, it was a HUGE relief that one of the places I wanted to visit was right around the corner! So I was really happy and praising the Lord.

Now back to yesterday, I saw the cafe and got really excited, because I forgot that the cafe was right around the corner. So I looked inside, but was slightly confused since the store didn’t quite look like it did in its facebook picture. But I decided to go in anyways. The waiter seated me, and I started looking at the menu. After seeing the menu, I became slightly skeptical that this was THE AROMA CAFE… those dang “beans” tricked me into thinking that this was the right one… just kidding. But even though it was the wrong cafe, the food was still pretty good and cute :D. I actually ate dok (Korean rice cake) with curry… that was a new mix.

After coming back, I looked up the Aroma Cafe again and realized that it was actually in a different part of Taipei. But STILL! Praise the Lord, because now I DO know how to use the MRT here AND I’m going to go with Mary Ann on Friday night when they have their Friday Night Coffee House, which is when they open up their place for a relaxed environment of talking about the gospel and getting to know other people and their testimony. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! So I’m super excited to be able to go with one of my cell group members there! It’s like we brought part of our cell group to Taipei! :D I praise the Lord that I’ve learned to praise Him in ANY situation… and that alone has made my life so much more joyful. 

"Take the world, but give me Jesus.

All its joys are but a name; 

but His love abideth ever, 

through eternal years the same.

Take the world, but give me Jesus.

Sweetest comfort of my soul;

with my Savior watching o'er me,

I can sing though billows roll.

Take the world, but give me Jesus.

Let me view His constant smile;

then throughout my pilgrim journey,

Light will cheer me all the while.

Take the world, but give me Jesus.

In His cross my trust shall be;

'Till with clearer, brighter vision,

Face to face my Lord I see.

Take the world, but give me Jesus. (x4)

Oh, the height and depth of mercy! 

Oh, the length and breadth of love!

Oh, the fullness of redemption!

Pledge of endless life above!
(x2)


Take the world, but give me Jesus. (repeated many times)"

-Take the World, But Give Me Jesus, Ascend the Hill


Instead of a verse, I think this song is the best remedy of reminding me how much the world needs Jesus. It's so crazy how messed up the world can be... the other day, some newly-made friends, Hannah, and I went out to eat in Hsinchu... and that was super awesome (yay for the first time at TGIF!!!). But after, I think I saw the saddest, most depressing, and heavy movie... EVER. It wasn't sad like the typical drama movie where something happens to someone and the atmosphere turns into this dreary, rainy day with everyone really solemn. No. This movie was really sad in the sense that, after watching the movie, I felt so burdened and heavy-hearted. I had like 1% of an idea of what the movie would be about, but I had no idea it would've been anything like I saw... I think Hannah and I only looked at the screen like half the time. This movie will remain title-less for the sake of... humanity.


To summarize, the movie was about a few kids who wanted to have this crazy part to prove that they weren't losers. So, when it was his parents anniversary, the main character's friend, who is possibly the worst person and friend ever, convinced him to host a big party... and people kept inviting people who invited people who invited people, and by the time of the party and hence forth, they realized that there were WAY too many people (by the end, there were around 1500 people). Throughout the whole movie, there's just a lot of profanity, drugs, alcohol, violence, many derogatory terms/images, and just about every worldly thing... all in 1 movie... all in, basically, 1 party (the whole movie technically only spans around 3-4 days). From the beginning, you see these kids that are still in high school following what the world thinks is cool... though not even. It's what the world sees as a false outlet, planning to leave the stresses of their lives but actually being held bondage by those exact things. As they start this path, the viewers can just plainly and very obviously see the mistakes that are happening and how INCREDIBLY MUCH it's going to hurt them down the road. It's not even the way-in-the-distance-later-in-life "far down the road" that they're getting hurt physically and emotionally.. it's like 2 steps down the road. I think a lot of us, walking away from that movie, were thinking: "Was it worth it? Was that one night of absolute craziness and drunkenness and highness and complete stupidity worth it? Was it worth everything that your parents owned (since everything got burned down or broken), the safety of SO MANY PEOPLE, the health of everyone there (I'm pretty sure their one of their livers had to have died), and your future/education/reputation/personal life story? Do you think people will remember you after graduation?" Sigh, couldn't they have used all that money to buy or do things that last and are fun too (i.e. board games... or go to a theme park, etc.)? 


Rawr, that movie just bothered me a lot... it was just very disturbing 1. in what they were doing, 2. in the terrible ending, where their punishment should have been so much more severe, and 3. that someone would make a movie like this. But all those distressing things put together made me just want to run to God and just pour myself out to him: thanking Him for loving people so messed up as us sinners... thanking Him that he not only loved us from Heaven, but came down to the people who hated and despised him (and were considered his enemies because of the sin that we have)... thanking Him for the death that he didn't deserve, which he took in our stead... and praising Him that He overcame death and sin and all the things that bound us to the world. And just through Christ can we be cleansed as white as snow... and so much more. 


:D Take the world... but give me Jesus. Just read the lyrics of the song again. How much more amazing and lasting and comforting and enjoyable and worthy is it to pursue after God... and love Him because He first loved us? For everything I praise the Lord... including the increasing realization of how much sin is in the world and in myself. Through that continual realization can I be able to continue to desire to surrender myself to God because:

"Oh, the height and depth of mercy! 

Oh, the length and breadth of love!

Oh, the fullness of redemption!

Pledge of endless life above!"

"Again, Jesus spoke to them saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"
John 8:12

Revisiting 中科 (zhong1 ke1)... technically Church #1

It seems like it's already been forever since I've been in Taiwan, but it's only been half a week... this is a good thing. :D But I'm glad to finally be able to meet up with a church in Taiwan, even though I've already been here before. 3 years ago, I visited 中科 for a VBS (Vacation Bible Study) type thing with local kids in 台中 (Taizhong) that was also largely to teach them English. But I made a lot of good memories there along with a lot of lasting and deep friendships; so, I was pretty excited to go back (though I had a feeling not a lot of people I knew back then would be there since most of them were probably now in college somewhere else). But even though I was "going back," it was still a new experience for me.

I don't know if it was because I told them that I would be coming or not, but they projected the lyrics, both in Chinese and English, of the songs we were singing on the wall. I thought it was super sweet that they would do that, because I doubt anyone else in the room would be singing in English. (If they were, then... well I'll be darned.) But an exciting thing I realized was that I could actually sing some of the songs in Chinese, which meant that I have hope for being able to communicate the gospel/Christianity to others during my trip. Yay! There is hope! :D During worship, I think one of the most exciting moments was when we were singing this song: 唯有耶穌. The English lyrics are as such:

Jesus, You can make the blind see.
Jesus, You can heal broken hearts.
Jesus, You can set captives free.
You make all things possible.

You reign on high in heaven and on earth.
You are the One who calms the raging seas.
You turn water into wine. You do miracles in life.
Jesus, no one compares to You.

Before I left the States, HCC's English Service was starting a new series called Signs, Statements and Sayings from the Gospel John (which starts from April 15). Since our pastors talked extensively and AWESOMELY about the significance of Jesus calming the raging seas, turning water into wine, and making the blind man see (which I have to listen to still), I felt like the lyrics made so much more of an impact. Knowing that, for instance, Jesus' calming of the sea signified his dominance over the turmoil in our lives and nature (as in ancient times, the sea was meant to signify "unmanageable chaos, uncontrollable power, and unstoppable destruction"), singing that line made me want to praise Him so much more. :D (Praise the Lord for HCC English Services! <3)

The sermon today was given by a retired pastor, and he focused on what it meant to be a Christian (and at one point focusing on God in Asia). He posed many questions, like "Do we consider Jesus our biggest blessing?", "How are we changed/different when we believe in God?", "How does this seemingly 'Western' God have to do with Asians?". He definitely had a lot of things to say... and a lot of stories to go with his points... and a lot of verses to go with those points, which means I took a lot of notes ahaha. But one simple thing he noted was regarding our reflections on our Christian lives. Like the verse says above, we should be following Jesus because he is our bright light in the darkness/sin of this world. He said that when we get ready in the morning, we look in the mirror and make sure we look presentable to the world when we step outside. The same goes with our spiritual lives: during the day, we need to look in our spiritual mirrors, which is the Bible, that reflects what we/our hearts look like (as sinners)... and how we need to fix ourselves (through Jesus... through praying, reading the Bible, continually preaching the gospel to ourselves, and so on).

I was super excited that on of my aunts came with me to church today, though I did see her nodding off a few times... but that happens to people :D not going to lie. AND there were actually people who recognized me from when I was there for the VBS 3 years ago... INCLUDING these 2 cute girls that were in the VBS. I was so overly happy to the point of internal tears that they remembered who I was... waaahhhh it encourages me to want to continue to be a Sunday School teacher at HCC (and a teacher in general).

PS-Sorry that this post is like a week late (technically this was supposed to be for May 20th), I've been wonderfully busy since I got to the SEND mission center. Thanks for reading (and caring) about what's happening with me in Taiwan anyways!

"Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance..."
Proverbs 1:5


My Rookie Mistake :P

Squeaka-squeaka-squeaka-squeaka-squeaka

That, my friends, is the sound of those classic blue asian slippers that everyone wears in some fashion here in Taiwan. I was putting away my swimsuit and towel in my bag, and I heard that sound... looking up in curiosity of who was squeaking, it was a cute obasan (elderly grandmother figure) waddling over to a shower.

On Tuesday (May 22), I went to the public/community swimming pool with one of the missionaries, Ruth, here at SEND (International Missions). It was an enjoyable and interesting experience. I haven't been swimming in quite a long time, so getting in the pool and swimming a few laps and sitting in the 溫泉 (wen1 quan2) was nice. But... in the beginning, I was so ignorant. Since I had some important stuff in my purse, like my wallet, journal, and other things, I wanted to lock my purse up in a locker. The only lockers that were available were the ones where you pay 20 元 (yuan2), and I thought it was better to spend 20 元 than lose like a lot of money and my notes. So, I opened the door, put in my purse, put in the coins, and turned the key to get it out... not realizing that you couldn't turn it back. So, the bolt of the lock was set in place, but I hadn't shut the door. All that happened in the split second that Ruth, who was standing next to me, wasn't paying attention; by the time she realized what had happened, it was too late (and she told me then that you can't get the money back either).

Pfahaha, we stood there kind of amazed at ourselves for being such foreigners after I just kind of donated 20 NT$ to the pool facility. But determined to get it right the second time, I took out money again... and we made sure to do it right (and we did the second time)... so embarrassing. But good thing no one else was there to witness it, so we kind of just giggled to ourselves. :D

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Today we were going to go swimming again in the afternoon. So this time, I resolved to not make the same mistake that I had the first time with the lockers. After changing, we walked over to the lockers, and I put my stuff in (locker 193 to be exact... not that it matters :D). With Ruth watching my every movement, I put the coins in, closed the door, and turned the key to lock it... only to find out that the key wouldn't turn. (-_-) In a panic, we started taking turns trying to turn the key... but it really did not want to turn. At this point, I'm starting to think I simply just have terrible luck with swimming pool lockers. We kept trying to turn the key, but I think if we kept pushing, we'd have broken the key and the lock. I was about to switch my purse out to another locker, but Ruth said that if we told the front desk, they would give us the 20 NT$ to put in another one. Still trying to turn the key, now in any direction to see if it would just move, I was, again, amazed at how I still had troubles with the lockers... even when specifically trying NOT to do what I did the other day. But one of the workers came up and fixed the lock and gave me the key... and Ruth and I giggled to ourselves again at how those lockers and I just did not go together.

Thinking back to this whole swimming situation, in simple terms, even though I figured out how that simple box worked, there were still things I had to learn from dealing with it: namely asking help from the workers there. In other terms, it's like how we're learning from the Bible. As in the verse above, even the wise man must also increase in learning, even from parables and instructions/proverbs that seem simple; there is always more to learn, especially and more so in the Bible. There's always something more we can learn from the verses we've read and memorized, which is why people read (books of) the Bible multiple times. But coming back to reality... I think my goal should be to continue to discipline myself to read the Bible on a regular basis. But just something I was thinking about... you never really know something unless you keep learning about it. (I was going to say "you never really know something unless you know something"... but that would be just plain silly. ;D)

"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving."
1 Timothy 4:4

The Most Abhorred Insect of All

It's only my third day here, and I have encountered evil in insect form- the mosquito. I say evil in a couple of senses: "evil" as in it is a nasty bug that flies and can cause you to be very itchy if stung, and "evil" as in one of those things that I feel like Satan uses to cause frustration and irritability within a person. I have around 12 mosquito bites (like 75% of them from just today) that are the most annoying things ever. About every half and hour, or whenever it starts itching again, I have to apply this medicine on it... to attempt to make it stop itching. With every new mosquito bite, I found myself so exasperated at the fact that I couldn't see/kill it in time, annoyed at the fact that I had yet another red itchy bump on my skin (make that a large bump since I'm allergic to some mosquito bites :P), and angry just at the general situation.

But I realized that something as little as a mosquito can be the most interesting thing to think about and, like all things, relates to the gospel. I realized that with something as small as the itchiness of a mosquito bite could turn one's mood from joyful and happy to frustrated. And how quickly the situation turns into thinking about myself, and how much suffering I'm going through in all this itchiness that doesn't seem to befall anyone else. But, with every desire to itch my skin or find some sort of way to alleviate the irritation, I am reminded that this is the price we pay for our sin... well, one of them. God created everything good; but with the sin that befell people, we were shown the weaknesses and limitations of our body. Our physical bodies became prone to disease and could now be negatively affected by his creations, which were intended for good. So, each time I am clenching my fists to keep myself from itching my mosquito bites, I'm reminded of the necessity to obey God.

Also, I also started thinking of how God really does use everything, good and bad. The mosquito, though a pain to humans, is actually the food of other animals and insects, which in turn affects the general food chain... including us. So even though I'm always like "WHY ON EARTH DID GOD CREATE MOSQUITOES?", I'm  realize that that's a pretty selfish question (even in just the sense that I can even question God). In fact, another way of saying that is: God, why did you make something that is so annoying to me and has seemingly has no benefit whatsoever in my life/people's lives? But in fact, it does... just not in an immediate fashion. The mosquito is the food of another animal/insect which would be the food of another animal... and later down the line, somehow, it would be a food source for us.

God really does love us. As humans we are so limited in our understanding and our physical beings that we sometimes forget to just think of how pitiful we are. For me, even if it's getting super annoyed at a mosquito bite that may be bigger than a key ring, I'm thankful that I can still understand God's love for me. And I praise the Lord for just being able to confide in Him and trust in His plan... and I am definitely always very thankful that none of the mosquitoes that have bitten me have carried West Nile Virus. :D

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in times of trouble; he takes care of those who trust in Him."Nahum 1:7


HAY (Hello All Y'all)!

Just as a heads up, this blog may be sort of an experiment (in the sense that I haven't written one before). I don't quite know how to write a blog, who to address it to, what I should include, how to make the most sense, etc. BUT, as long as I can get my thoughts across from this trip, I will have done the minimal service to those who allowed me to go to Taiwan to just travel around and explore how Christ has been working in the lives of the Taiwanese people.

The verse I posted above has been the verse I have held dear to my heart this past semester, which has given me so much peace in times of stress... and will probably continue to help me as I travel by myself, which will probably be one of the scariest things I will have to do thus far in my life. But God has been VERY gracious in taking care of me in allowing me to come to Taiwan.. and, not to mention, getting me here safely (luckily I only felt like I needed to puke once). During this past semester, God has shown me over and over and over and over... and over and over again really just how sweet it is to trust in Jesus and to take Him at His word (reference to the hymn "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus").

It is a super amazing and surreal feeling to be here in Taiwan, and I know that it is definitely all God's doing that I'm here right now. Every time I explain to my relatives of what I'm actually doing here, they can't believe that 1. I got money, 2. I got money to travel and learn, and that 3. I'm travelling around Taiwan going to churches, organizations, and seminaries learning about Christianity in Taiwan. I am SO extremely excited to experience all the different churches, though there are definitely a lot more that I am not visiting, and get a slight sense of how God has been working in Taiwan. I have no idea what will happen in this next 2 and a half months, but I already know I will be seeing/hearing/reading/etc. so many things, as I'm planning to go to Taizhong, Hsinchu, Taipei, Tainan, and Kaoshiung.

I pray for many things as I start this summer, including:
-the opportunity to share the gospel (and how it's affected my life) with others...which will help me continue to refine my definition of the gospel
-my safety for travelling around Taiwan, especially with taking public transportation by myself and living kind of by myself
-for many opportunities to serve alongside a church/organization if they need my help (and be able to learn humility, service, and many other things from it)
-for understanding and God's love (which are related in that we need to understand the immense love that God has so graciously given us and what He's saved us from to be able to show/tell about it), since I will be dealing with peoples of a different culture and background than mine
-to somehow take all of what I've learned and type it into a history "research paper"
-and many other things (that I'm slightly too tired to type out now)

But I know that in everything, I can always give the glory back to God... and like the verse says at the top, that God will take care of me as long as I keep trusting in Him. :D So let's see what this summer has to bring! Huzzah!