Taiwan: July 17, 2016

After visiting The Carpenter's Caring House I was really pumped that I had already seen a way God was working in Taoyuan. Last summer I was in Taiwan for a mission trip so the focus was largely on telling others about Jesus. This summer that aspect of being in Taiwan isn't as clear and I have to look for opportunities to have fruitful conversations, to be open with others about my faith, and to look for ways to serve. In my first few hours of being here this summer one of my Pitt State Taiwanese friends pointed out a church on this Christian campus and asked if I would go there on Sunday. She reminded me without realizing that my goal here was to live life as a Christian in a different culture and to be intentional with the short time that I have here. Idols are still prevalent in Taiwan and will probably remain until Jesus returns, therefore the mission remains each time I am here. Our job as Christians is to live out the gospel wherever we go, so this isn't simply a study abroad trip focused on business but it is also a chance to encourage believers in Taiwan and to tell non-Christians in Taiwan about the God who loves them. Please continue to pray for Taiwan, that God would send more Christians to preach the truth, that Taiwanese Christians would continue to pursue their own people and that more Taiwanese would acknowledge Jesus as Lord.

Sunday

On Sunday I decided that I would attend the church that my friend had pointed out to me. Two American students here and my professor, Dr. Jih, also came with me. The church is called Grace and Mercy Baptist Church. To be honest, I didn't even know there were baptists in Taiwan and before coming here I didn't know if I would have a church to go to on Sunday. But I am really happy that I do because going to church on Sundays always  motivates me and encourages me throughout the week. Now, this church wasn't the same as my church at home. For one, the service was in Chinese and we needed our professor to translate the entire sermon for us. Two, the music was a little different and seemed more traditional than the contemporary style at home although the songs were in Chinese so who knows. But despite the cultural difference, the message was the same. Christians in Taiwan are being encouraged and admonished for the same things that Christians in America are being encouraged and admonished for. The Gospel is relevant to each culture and that is something to be excited about! We also met a girl who became a Christian in the US while studying abroad and she was so excited to Americans at her church, she was very sweet!

 After church, some of our CYCU classmates decided to take us on an adventure. Our first stop was a gold museum that gave us a glimpse into the history of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. The views from the museum were beautiful!

The large statue in the distance is the top of a temple. We walked down this cute tree covered path to get to the temple!

The gold museum and the temple were close to a small old street called Jioufen which holds many stores and food vendors. This element of Taiwan is one of my favorite things because while Taiwan is full of large cities and tall buildings it also has old world charm. 

Yes, that is my sweaty head! 

After we did a little shopping in Jioufen we traveled to Pingxi by train to release a large lantern into the sky. When I pictured that moment in my head, I pictured something like this....

I learned quickly that the kind of lantern I was going to put in the air couldn't be set off with the tip of my finger, instead our whole group had to work to get it right side up and it was hot!! 

Sunday was a really fun day and we raced back to the dorm to make it back by 11 pm! It was a fun and tiring first weekend in Taiwan and I was ready for a rest on Monday.