Flip-flops

Cam and I are protesting winter by wearing flip-flops today. Join the revolution!

50 and sunny is never more beautiful in March than when it's in Minnesota! And you gotta have all the darn snow to appreciate when it all melts. You see, in most parts of the country, there is no real winter, so when spring comes, it's no real big deal. But when someone who has survived a Minnesota winter gets a taste of spring, they are drooling at the mouth for more.

I'm thankful because spring is a reminder of new birth, the dead coming back to life. It functions as a reminder of what Jesus has done for us. I'm getting geared up for an exciting Sunday where we are once again reminded of the Gospel - that Jesus has come, died in our place, and was raised so that we could experience new birth in Him. And specifically this Sunday, we're talking about the role of baptism in marking our new birth in Jesus. What a beautiful picture is painted for us in baptism - identifying with Jesus in His death and identifying with Jesus in His resurrection. We publicly say, "Hey everyone, this marks my dying to the old way of life and being risen to a new way of life."

So thank you Jesus for spring! Thanks for the reminder of your faithfulness. It's not always winter. the snow melts, the grass grows, the flowers bloom, the trees go from bare to full. You are a faithful good God.

Going to swing dance the night away...

Tonight I will swing dance for the first time in maybe 2 years?... It's been a while. It'll be a nice break. I'm sitting on the sermon for another night, but I think I got what I want, now it's just turning it over again and again in my head so that on Sunday it can flow like a story. What a privilege it is to preach on Easter Sunday! I gotta say, I'm excited.

I also gotta say I'm blessed to have the friendships I do. Friends are a huge blessing. It was beautiful this morning, but clouds rolled in and I heard an ugly rumor snow is going to rear its ugly head once again. But the snow sure helps me appreciate the spring. Soon it will be no more.

And that's all for now. Tomorrow I will awake at 6 in the AM to go to work at 7 to make coffee for all the students that aren't here on Spring Break, which means that hopefully my shift will be shorter and I will have an afternoon to spend in a coffeeshop that I'm not working in to finish prep for Sunday. I hope that going into this Easter season, you all can celebrate with me what Jesus has done!

Overflow Espresso

Here I sit at Overflow. It's been a while since I've been over this way. The beautiful weather has put me in a great mood. The big windows here give me the chance to look outside and enjoy it, and at the same time get some work done in preparation for Sunday.

If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith and mine is without a foundation, and without that foundation we are still guilty in our sins. We could never experience the joy of forgiveness, of communion with God, without God first becoming Jesus, dying on the cross as a consequence of our sin, satisfying His just wrath while at the same time demonstrating His extravagant love, and then defeating the consequence of our sin in His resurrection. Jesus has broken the chains of our sin that have held us and were once a barrier between us and Himself. We must put our faith in Jesus as our sin bearer, forgiver, life-giver, and life-leader.

I'm trying to process this beautiful mystery, knowing I'll never really get my mind around it. I'm asking God that in preparation for Sunday I will realize the weight of my sin, and then feel the weight of it being lifted. Because this is what Jesus is in the business of doing. Just a few thoughts...

Sunday's activities

What a fun day. We didn't have a Sunday Gathering this morning since its spring break, but man, its been 3 weeks since I was in Taiwan for the last 2, and I miss the Sunday Gatherings of Jacob's Well. But I got to hear John Piper speak this morning at Bethlehem Baptist. It was a treat. He spoke on 1 John 4 - love is from God and God is love. His main deal was this - the new birth is the connection between God's love for us and our love for each other. He fleshed it out, it was thorough, and it was good.

After a little JP action, I ate lunch, short nap, and an afternoon with the lady friend, which was good times. And then chillin with Cam and his sisters for a while, and now watchin' the Gophs play some postseason hockey. It has been a relaxing, good, chill, Sunday - the way a Sunday should be.

And that's all... nothing huge to write about, just felt like writing a little about my day. Spring is in the air and it makes me happy.

A few thoughts...

The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately sick—who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

So I watched To End All Wars, a movie about some prisoners of war in a Japanese prison camp in WWII the other night. A movie that begins a little slow eventually turns into this beautiful thought-provoking film filled with truth. I was struck by a quote at the end of the movie from the narrator, who said that when the war ended, he for the first time saw himself in the eyes of his enemies.

What a quote... the whole movie is about how this band of guys survived this POW camp admist tons of junk and mistreatment. But somehow, this guy didn't see himself as any better... he realize put under the right conditions, the right circumstances, he'd turn out just the same. He realized the truth of Jeremiah 17:9... that though there are some people who appear better than others, beyond appearances, beyond the actions, the lies the same desperately wicked heart in all of us.

So I've been thinking a lot about that, and I am so thankful I serve Jesus, the Life-Giver, the Life-Transformer. I serve the Jesus who is in the business of taking our desperately wicked hearts and exchanging them for His. He is in the business of removing hearts of stone and replacing them with hearts of clay. I'm thankful for a God that saves us from ourselves. We are so desperately sick and hopeless, in a mess we cannot get out of, but the Jesus, the Life-Giver, pulls us out of our mess and saves us.

And I'm thankful He is not finished with me, and that He who began a good work in me will carry it to completion. What a great God we serve, a God whose name is Jesus.

Sorry for the delay, I wrote this one Saturday night...

Here I sit, it’s 11:28PM CST, but 9:28PM San Fran time… what’s weird is we got on a plane in Kaohsiung at 8:30pm Saturday night and right now I’m sitting in San Fran at 9:30 on Saturday night. I gotta be honest, the trip was a blast, but I am pooped. I’m processed out trying to process everything… wish my brain had an off switch I could hit for a few hours and then turn it back on. Nevertheless, wi-fi is not free here, and there is no TV to drain my brain near by, so here I go, blogging away trying to write about the final details of our trip. I guess tomorrow’s daylight savings time too, which is interesting. Doesn’t it seem a bit early?

So Friday, we went back to Southern Taiwan University, where we had gone on Wednesday. This time we rode the train from Kaohsiung to Tainan, which was an experience. We met Amanda and Lawrence, who we had worked with on Wednesday, and went back to the same spot we sat then. This time it was over the lunch hour. People began talking right away, and I didn’t see anyone standing around, so I went on a mission to find the Starbucks on campus, which I found. All I did was say, “Starbucks?” to a group of passerbyers and they said, “Follow me” … kinda felt like a disciple… their English was very broken, so we engaged in very little conversation, while all of them spoek to each other, probably making fun of the guy with funny hair… anyways, I found Starbucks and enjoyed a double tall latte, which hit the spot and I was ready to go.

I got back to where everyone else was and started talking with 3 fellas. They did not understand a lot, but I called Mike over and he began to translate for me. Turns out, they had never heard the story of Jesus. So I shared the Gospel with them. Though they had some questions, I encouraged them to keep asking them and seeking. I also shared how knowing Jesus has helped me through school since these guys were freshmen. We gave them some info on some English bible studies and parted ways. Pray that God would grow the seeds that were planted.

Someone from Campus Crusade had brought a guitar for me, so after the conversation, I began playing, and people began coming, and our people talked with them about Jesus. My dad and Lawrence had a chance to share with a guy named Rex who put his faith in Jesus. And my dad and Mike later began talking with a Vietnamese woman who had just recently come to Taiwan to study. She had never heard the Gospel before, but when she heard it, and they asked if she wanted it, her response was basically, “Why wouldn’t I want this?” And she put her faith in Jesus.

Jess and Rebecca had an interesting encounter in the girls bathroom, running into a girl on campus who was a Christian. They were excited about that, and hopefully one of them will write more about that.

It was a very eventful afternoon. We hopped on the train back to Kaohsiung and it was packed. Since it was a Friday afternoon, I think a lot of students were going home for the weekend. We got back, took a little break, and then were off to a celebration dinner.

All the missionaries and people we had worked with throughout the week came to this place, we ate Chinese, and we shared what God had done this week. It was a great time of prayer for Taiwan, for encouragement, for prayer for Minnesota, for prayer that people would see the work of God’s kingdom is not just keeping church doors open on Sunday mornings, but the work of the church is that she is sent. Her posture is a missionary posture, and if it is not, she is not functioning as the church. We prayed for awakening in people’s hearts. We also heard that the flier we passed out earlier in the week for Jim and Brenda’s English classes went over well. Their first study met Thursday night, 20 people showed up, and 10 put faith in Jesus after hearing what He had done for them.

This blog does not do this trip justice, nor do the pictures, or the stories. The experience can never really be put into words, although I try my best. All I know is serving Jesus is the best way to live life, the only way to live life. And it has been a blessing to just have a glimpse of His work in another part of the world.

A post on Saturday night about Thursday in an airport in Kauhsiung with free wi-fi! How exciting!

So I’m writing about Thursday on Saturday night in the Kauhsiung airport where there is wireless internet, hoping to get another post up before I am without internet for a full day.

Thursday, we woke up and headed for the Kauhsiung University of Applied Sciences. What we did when we went to University campuses was set up camp around the meal times, which is when students are out, and find some picnic tables. I’d pull out my guitar, they’d see a whole bunch of white people, along with a white guy with a phohawk playing the guitar, and they just drift over our way. Unlike American culture where people would just walk by someone playing guitar, people stop in Taiwan. So when they stop, others on our team would engage them. Some spoke English, and others did not but we had translators for situations like that.

When we first got there, I did noy yet have my guitar out, and Mike was already talking with a group of girls. Mike called me over and said, “Nate, this girl has never heard the story of Jesus before. Would you like to tell her?” So I had the chance to share the Gospel with her for the first time. She did not put faith in Jesus, but we gave her contact info for English Bible Studies where she could practice more English and also contact if she had more questions.

Rebecca and Jess were going to town and at one time were talking with a group of 8 girls at once, sharing the Gospel with them as I played. I hope to get one of the girls to write about some of their conversations to post on the blog while they are on the plane.

My dad and I also met 2 fellas, a guy named Michael, who was a believer, and a guy named Frank, who also said he was a believer. We had some great conversation with them and had the chance to pray with both of them.

We then went to eat, and then to visit a couple in the hospital. They are from Raliegh, NC and were here and the husband, Carl, was in a bad car accident and has been in a coma for 9 months, but is slowly getting better. Somehow the Miller’s got connected with them, and they often visit to pray for them. Neither are believers. Pray for pray for Lily and Carl. Pray that Carl would wake up, and that God would glorify Himself through this aweful event and bring people to Himself, including Carl and Lily.

After this, the girls had a Bible Study in the hospital and some of us guys played basketball. My dad and I played with several guys, 3 on 3. We won one and lost 2, but had a good time. Dad held his own.

We then frequented another night market, but this was a special night: this was stinky tofu night. Only those who have been to Taiwan or are familiar with Taiwan culture can truly appreciate this. Let me just say this – when you walk past a stinky tofu stand on the street, you smell like you’re driving past an Iowan pig farm. And when you eat it, which we all bravely did, it tastes like cow poop… not that I have tried cow poop, but if I had, that would be what I thought it tasted like.


So that was Thursday. I’m happy I just got to squeeze in another post before the plane ride. We would covet your prayers for safe travel and for the hearts of those that have put faith in Jesus or heard the Gospel this week, as well as for the missionaries and the work that continues even after we leave. God’s Spirit is moving in Taiwan.

There is still so much to write...

I have an ambition to have all the blog entries typed and posted before we get on the plane tomorrow at 8:30 PM, but I have a feeling that's not going to happen. So there will be a day or so where there will be no entries, but don't fret, the stories will still come even though we're back in the states soon. I am about written out to be honest though, and right now I feel much more like thinking about the week and relaxing, than processing it and writing. Know this - God's Spirit is at work in Taiwan and it is such a blessing He gave our team the opportunity to be a part of it and catch a glimpse. That's all for now. O ya, and I haven't shaved since last Wednesday, so I guess that's going on 9 days. But who needs to shave right?

What went down on Wednesday night... the story of a seeker with real honest raw questions....

On Wednesday night, we did the same thing we did on Tuesday in a different location. Most were students my age, but a few people were older. We sang some songs, and then broke off into groups. This time, we just wanted to have conversation in English. I told them the reason I was here was to learn about Taiwan culture, and then to tell people about Jesus and what he has done for me. I shared the Gospel with my group, always trying to speak in simple English so that they understand, and using the evangecube and it’s pictures for help. After I was done, I told them I wanted to know what they thought, and for them to be honest with me. I again (like the night before with my other group) told them I have friends who don’t believe, who are new believers, and friends that have believed for a long time, and began asking specific people in my group their thoughts. I think about half of my group were believers. My group probably had 10 people.

One guy, Argie, shared how he was raised to believe just science, only science, and that’s what he believed for a long time. But he wanted to practice his English, so he joined a free English class that used the bible to teach it, and through that, he became a Christ-follower. That was a great story for the group to hear.

Another guy, Elvis (these guys pick out the English name they want to be called, I thought it was funny he picked Elvis), said he has no religion.

But the guy I was struck by, the guy I’ll remember, was a guy named Jason. It was Jason’s first time. You could tell he was nervous to practice his English, but his English was very good. When I said, “What do you think Jason?” he said in frustration, “I just want God to show up in front of me and tell me he’s real! I just want him to show up right in front of me!” His response was so raw, so authentic, you could tell this was something he’d been wrestling with a while. So we began to talk. In my head, I thought of the passage of Scripture that talks about how people saw Jesus and still did not believe, and even if they saw more miracles, they wouldn’t believe. But I didn’t tell Jason that, I just thought it.

I began to talk to Jason about the credibility of the Gospel accounts, and how many put their lives on the line, saying Jesus was alive again, so alive they could touch him, feel him, see him, and they died saying this. I said I would not die for something I knew was a lie. I don’t think these guys made up the story about Jesus and then died. If they made it up, I would’ve thought, as they were going to get killed, they would have said, “Whoa! This has gone too far! I made it all up, please don’t kill me!”

I told Jason that it’s like a history book. When he reads his history book about history 300 years ago, he doesn’t say, “I don’t believe this because I didn’t see it.” I said he could trust the bible the way he trusts his history book.

He then wondered how we can know the Bible hasn’t changed through the years, and I talked about the manuscript evidence you can check with itself – you can line up manuscripts through the centuries next to each other, and see very little change, only discrepancies – not things that make big theological differences. So it’d be like one would say a horse, and the other a donkey – changes like that. Not changes like Jesus did or did not die on the cross. Things with big theological implications have remained unchanged.

I encouraged him to keep asking questions, keep searching for truth, and told him it was good he is so honest about his thoughts. I was worried that he may have felt a little cornered by some in our group, but I was praying for him. Mike Miller said he had the chance to talk to him afterwards (and Mike had no idea what went on in our group, he was not in it), and Jason said he liked it, still has lots of questions, but thinks he’ll keep coming. Pray for Jason. And pray for the others in our discussion group.

A different perspective - my dad about Southern Taiwan University

On Wednesday we went to the college campus in Tainan. We met with Amanda and Lawrence, Campus Crusade workers, went with us as we talked to students. I talked to Maggie and Wanda and they invited Christ into their lives. Later, they came to where Nathan was playing music and met our group. As we were singing, we met Lawrence, an adjunct college professor and retired college president, who lived near Mike and Carolyn and wanted to meet with them later. He lives here and teaches, his wife lives in New Zealand, one son lives in Australia, and one son in New Zealand with his mom. Mike and Carolyn tell me that this is very common in Taiwan. I thought that this would make a very lonely life. Later, Jessica was praying and singing and a young man was sitting on the bench close to her. I started talking to him and found out his English name was Steve. He told me he liked being around Christians because he felt peace. I asked him if he had peace and he said, “Sometimes.” He knew some Christians from his college and liked being around them. I shared the gospel with him and how he can have peace and Steve invited Christ into his life.

Some of Wednesday's events...

Today we were off to Tainan, a city 45 minutes away from Kaosiung, and I was excited! I had made email contact with Charlie, but had not talked with him on the phone. As we were driving to Tainan, I was holding Charlie’s business card in my hand and praying as we were just talking in the car. And Charlie called Mike! So we ended up meeting with Charlie for lunch, and it was the best and most exotic meal I’ve had since I’ve been in Taiwan. It was an 8-10 course meal! Started with rice, did some sushi, oysters, noodles, lamb, some egg squid soup thing, some wonderful tofu… as I’m typing this, I’m realizing I can just post a picture and it will do most of the explaining.















So anyways, Charlie brought his two sisters along. We didn’t get a chance to talk a lot about Jesus, but we shared in good conversation. Pray that Charlie and his sisters want to do with English classes with Mike and Carolyn, and that God will use that to bring Charlie and his family to Himself.

After a long, wonderful, exotic lunch (we sat at that table for an hour, chowing down), we went talked to Southern Taiwan University in Tainan. The fields are ripe for harvest at STU. I don’t want to spoil the fun, so I’m going to let my dad, my sister, and Rebecca tell you the stories from their perspectives, but here is mine. Can I just say I was blessed because I had the chance to share with someone who was Hakka. Dave, my real good friend, roommate last year, love him to death – he was a missionary’s kid over here in Taiwan and his parents were missionaries to the Hakka people, and I see myself not only as an ambassador of Jesus here , but an extension of Dave, and want to represent him here. I miss and love you brother if you are reading this.

Anyways, I was talking with an teacher and her student (who is Hakka), and her student spoke English well. We were just having small talk about culture, Taiwan religion, why we’re here, but I had an evangecube in my hand and he asked what it was. I had the chance to present the story of Jesus to him. After it was all done, I asked him if he’d heard the story before and he said he had many times. I was surprised he said many times. He explained he’d seen movies, read about it, heard about from people, and I asked if he believed, and he said his family would be very mad if he became a Christian. So pray for this fellow. I don’t know his name, but we gave him some info on free English classes.

I was talking with Mike, and I just wonder, does this guy already believe? But the deal is faith, and faith equals belief and trust. But Mike said that this guy just has to get in a small group and he has dealt with situations similar to this many times with people who worry about hurting their family and want to respect them. Mike told me he explains that he believes faith in Jesus will make people better sons/daughters, better fathers/mothers, and better husbands/wives. And so for my new friend, pray he goes to the English classes and makes contact with them, but pray also that God would continue to cross his path with the Gospel over and over and over again.

We think we are going to go back to Tainan to again visit the campus later this week. Pray for us. God’s Holy Spirit is doing an exciting work at Southern Taiwan University!

Tuesday's happenings for the world to read...

Tuesday morning started bright and early – 8:15 in the AM and we had to be ready to go. We took off for McDonald’s, started the day with a latte – yep, that’s right, a latte – from McDonald’s, and then went for a hike. We met Nicole, a believer, who was going to show us the ropes. We went hiking in this beautiful mountain. Words cannot really describe what was experienced – maybe this will help – karoke on the mountain – for real, I’m not talking about hiking and people singing, I’m talking about people singing with karoke machines set up as you hiked along. It was awesome and funny. Pictures may help explain this one a little better. Jess got a facial? or something like it on the mountain.















On our hike, we met a guy who we later named Luke. We started talking, thanks to Nicole our translator, and soon dad moved the conversation to Jesus. We had given him a copy of the book of Luke, and a flier with our story in Taiwanese on it, and he asked for another copy of the book of Luke for his friend, who’s a Christian. Dad asked if he had ever heard the story of Jesus before, and he said no. It broke my heart that he has a friend who is a Christian, but had never heard the Gospel. But how often does this happen even in the US?

The man did not put faith in Jesus, and said he did not believe in God, but he was attentive and listened as dad shared the Gospel.

We had a short break, but it was not much of a break for me. I prepared some music for the night, where we were going to a college campus to help in a class that uses the Bible to help people with their English. Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences was the name of the college.

We did some music, and then we split into groups, and each of us on the mission team were given a lesson plan for some ideas to begin conversation. We were supposed to talk in the group for an hour. What seemed like a hard thing (an hour?!) went by so fast.

After small talk, talking about friends, hobbies, stuff like that, we focused on Proverbs 18:24, which says some friends are more loyal than brothers. We talked about what this means, and each of us leading groups, in our own ways, used this to bridge the conversation to Jesus. First, I told them about my brother, Seth, and how he is my best friend. After everyone shared, I told them I had a friend that was different than my other friends because I can’t see Him, can’t shake His hand, but His presence is with me, and told them He was Jesus. I asked if they were Christians, and none of them were (but my translator, Pei, was, and she was a huge blessing!). I then pulled out my evangecube and explained I used it to tell people about Jesus here in Taiwan because sometimes, since I don’t speak the native language and people are still learning English, pictures help my conversations.

I presented the story of Jesus to them, that He came to die for our wrongs, and if we have faith in Him, He can wipe away those wrongs because of His death on the cross, and His coming back to life. I asked them what they thought, and told them to be honest.

They seemed reserved to answer, and so I told them I was ok with hearing honest responses. I told them I pastured a church of students mostly their age, and talk with people, some who don’t believe, some who have just recently believed, and some who have believed for a long time. I told them I also lived with several guys, some who don’t believe, some who are kinda new believers, and some who have believed for a while, and I have honest conversations with them. After hearing this, I think they were more comfortable being honest. Karen (English name) told me she believed Jesus came, and she believers Jesus spirit can help us in life, but she finds it hard to believe in Jesus coming back to life. I told her that was a good question, and explained how many people wrote the bible, and those that wrote it said that they saw Jesus, that He was alive again, so alive they could touch and feel Him, and they later died saying this. I told them I don’t think they would die for something they knew was a lie. And so I believe Jesus came to life. I think they understood (thank you Pei for your translating!). And so, after this, Pei wanted to share her story of how she became a Christian. She spoke and I had no idea what she was saying, but every once in a while, she’d use an English phrase (bless her!) so that I would know where she was.

After all of this, I told them that if they believed this story, they should tell some other people who believe, but if they don’t believe, that’s okay too. I told them that I think they should keep asking questions and searching for truth, and I believe they will find that in Jesus, but sometimes that takes time. It ended fun, and we all got pictures together and exchanged emails because I told them I wanted friend in Taiwan and would love to keep in touch.

But here’s the kicker to this story. Song, the guy in our group, sent me an email, and in his email he said this:

Hi Nate,
I'm Song. Wellcome to Taiwan.
Taiwan is a good place, I wish you will love it.
Thank you told me the story about Jesus today.
Now I don’t believe it, but maybe I do in the future.
You are good looking man and your guitar play very good!
Nice to meet you!”

I think part of my mission, part of what I desire to do, is to provoke people to search for more. Pray for Song. Pray that one day he has faith in Jesus to wash away his wrongs. And pray for Karen, Lisa, and Carol, the other people in my group. Pray the Holy Spirit will open their eyes to His truth. I’m thankful I serve the God who says, “light shall shine out of darkness.”



After the meeting was over, some of the people, though none from my group, went out to eat and had a good time just hanging out. And I’d like to add that Eddie, one of the guys in my dad’s group, told me I was good with chopsticks! I must admit, it went to my head, but as soon as it did, I was leaning back in my chair and fell down! Haha! I believe in a literal translation of Scripture – prideth cometh beforeth the falleth… haha…

The events of Monday... not enough time to type up today's yet...

Non-stop – that’s the word. I’m losing track of my days. It’s hard to find time to slow down and write, but I must because there’s so much I must remember and record to look back on later.

Yesterday morning and early afternoon was spent with Jim and Brenda, a missionary couple here in Taiwan working with college students teaching English as a second language. I was so encouraged to meet with them, and to hear what they are doing with college students. As I was talking with them about what we are doing on the campus of the U of M with Jacob’s Well and the goal of equipping believers to be missionaries where God has placed them, I was so encouraged because I remembered how much of a blessing it is to be a part of a movement of Christ-followers figuring out what it looks like to be missionaries in their settings. So blessed!

With Jim and Brenda, we simply passed out fliers to students about English classes. They were so grateful for our help. It was fun to interact with different students on campus. They are really eager to try out their English.

We took a short rest, and then went to Mike and Carolyn’s place, and ate Pizza Hut pizza. Yep, that’s right, we’ve been eating exotic, we’ll continue to eat exotic (and very good!) food, but I guess there are those who just need to eat pizza every once in a while.

After pizza, the girls left to go do an English class and share, and the guys ended up just hanging out at Mike’s and Tony came over. Quickly, small talked turned into serious conversation, and after a very lengthy conversation, Tony put his faith in Jesus’ death on the cross to save Him. It was great to watch, to be a part of. When asked what he thought about Jesus’ death for Him and his wrongs, he said he was relieved. I really don’t have a whole lot of time to go into detail about it, but it is amazing the things God puts in our paths to draw us to himself. It happened to be a TV special on a criminal who had done horrible things, raping women, killing people, got sentenced to death, sent to prison, and Jesus saved him in prison. One of the victims families forgave him publicly, and this TV special was about their visiting him and forgiving him, praying with him. Tony was wondering, as would many people, “how can someone find it in their hearts to forgive someone like that?” That question, along with long conversation, helped Tony put his faith in Jesus.

So we’ll stop there for now because I have to get ready for tonight. Hopefully soon, I can write about today’s events. Pray for Tony. Praise God for Tony! Pray that God would continue to reveal Himself to those we engage, and to us.

Forgot to post the squid-on-a-stick pictures... a post dedicated for a few pictures...

The posse, my new cheap sunglasses, squid on a stick, and sushi... dad was too much of a pansy to try the squid, give him a hard time when he gets back. It really wasn't that bad. I finished mine.

A different perspective - Rebecca on the ladies' encounter with Judy

While in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Mike and Carolyn Miller took us to a Taoist war-god temple. The eight of us all gathered in the parking lot and prayed before we went inside. We prayed for opportunities to share, and God was so faithful! Carolyn, Jessica, Stephen, and I walked around the temple for a while – Carolyn explained to us what different things stood for, what motions people were going through, etc. It hurt my heart to see these people; they were so hopeless. The Taiwanese people come in and rub a golden calf for good luck, buy incense to burn to offer prayers to the gods, buy paper money to burn and send to their ancestors, and offer food offerings/sacrifices. Parents bring in their young children and the children just follow their parents around, mimicking their movements and actions. It was terribly sad to see people kneel before these idols, hoping their prayers would be answered. It was so blatantly obvious to me that the gods were only statues – they have no ears to hear, how can they help?

The Lord blessed us ladies (and Stephen) with a very special opportunity while we were at the temple. As we were walking around, Jess and I noticed a Taiwanese woman walking around with burning incense. We made eye-contact with each other and smiled. Then we walked around a while and saw her again. We made eye-contact and smiled (this time bigger!). I felt like I should go over to her, but I wasn’t sure what to do or say. So we walked a ways, turned around, and saw her – she had come over to us! She said hello and we began conversing – she spoke very good English.

She asked Jess and I why we were in Taiwan. I told her we were here to learn about Taiwanese culture and tell others about the wonderful love of Jesus. We then began to talk more about her – what she does (she sells insurance), why she was at the temple (she comes every week to pray for her clients, her family, love), etc. We told her it was very nice of her to think of her clients and family. Carolyn asked if coming to the temple and praying worked. Judy, which is the woman’s English name, said sometimes it works.

After talking for a while, Judy, and her friend Joyce, offered to show us around the temple – she explained she had about 20 minutes to get through the whole temple before her incense burned out. We gladly accepted her offer!

As we were walking, Judy said she was very fortunate to have met us. She used to teach English to young children, but had not done so in a long time and was looking for a chance to practice her English. She said she had seen us in the parking lot, but wasn’t sure how to approach us. Praise God for bringing us together!

We gave Judy one of our testimony cards which had an invitation to English classes on the back. She seemed a little interested (certainly something to pray for – the English studies come from the Bible – it turns into a mini-Bible study). Mike and Carolyn both introduced themselves to Judy and Joyce. They all chatted quite a bit – some in Taiwanese and some in English. Judy brought up the idea of getting our picture taken together and I’m glad she did. She was really the first Taiwanese person I talked to – thank you Lord for boldness! I’m looking forward to hearing how God works in Judy’s life. A seed has been planted!

A different perspective - Bob (mi padre) on Tony

We went to the cultural center Saturday night and there I met Tony, and officer in Taiwan’s army who flew Cargo planes. Tony knows Mike and Carolyn and came to the cultural center just to see them. He is not a believer yet. Tony and I had a very good conversation about religion in Taiwan. He told me that his wife did not eat any pork because the fortuneteller told her that it would put obstacles in her path. Tony told me that his father had taken him to the fortuneteller to help him live a life of health and prosperity. But it was obvious God’s Spirit was working in Tony. I told him that I believed that God would not remove the obstacles from our lives but help us through each obstacle. We talked about the death of Mike Miller’s mom and about to how to get to heaven. We talked about the debt we owed to God because of our but how God had loved us and come in the person of Jesus to pay that debt for us. The analogy of us owing a debt we could not pay seemed to connect with him. Tony, Carolyn and I talked of maybe an hour and I told him I hoped I got to see him again before we left yesterday.

Monday morning (Sunday night CST)

Here’s a picture of a young child, 4 years old, maybe, praying to a god in the temple with his family close behind. And here’s another of a little guy with his dad, offering money to the gods to please them, hoping the gods will bless them because of this.









They start ‘em young here in Taiwan. And it breaks my heart. But we start ‘em young in the US of A too, don’t we. These presents, these cars, these toys, these this’s and that’s are worth it all, worship them, earn money to get more of them. We don’t necessarily teach it verbally verbatim like that, but what we don’t say with our mouths, though we do say same, we say with out actions. As tangible as the idolatry is over here in Taiwan, it’s just as bad as home and just manifests itself in less tangible ways. It scares me.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness” – He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

I am thankful I serve the God who says, "Light shall shine out of darkness."

English is everywhere here in Taiwan, everywhere. We don’t deserve this, but it’s certainly convenient. Yesterday we went to a non-denominational bi-lingual service at a church. We ate box lunches there, which are a common thing over here in Taiwan, and then came back to the apartment to change before heading out to get on a ferry to go to a nearby island where a lot of people hang out – tons of foot traffic. As we walked the streets, ate the food, shopped for souvenirs, and walked the beach, we were simply instructed to engage people, to be sensitive to those around us. Because English is everywhere, we do have translators, but I pray God will place English speakers in my path. I met a couple young guys on the beach. They said they were 15. We engaged in some small talk. They told Jess (a lot of the boys tell Jess), “She’s beautiful.” Part of what we are doing is handing out coloring books to families with young kids, and we say, “Sung-hol-I” which means “a gift for you.” Some people, like Charlie yesterday, said, “thank you” (spoke English back to us). So I began to talk with Charlie. He asked why we were here, I told him I was here to learn about the culture, and we began talking. He talked about how important it was for his kids to learn English. I tired asking about religion here, but he did not know the English word, so we kept talking, and later, I was able to introduce Mike to my new friend to serve as a translator, and Mike helped translate my questions about religion, which turned into questions about Buddhism. I found out Charlie is a Buddhist because his dad was a Buddhist. I was trying to think of more questions, but I was blanking. It’s alright though, because we gave Charlie a flier since we’re going to be near the town he lives on Wednesday, and we’re hoping to meet up with him for lunch. So pray for Charlie and that we do meet up with him for lunch. As I encounter people, I always leave thinking, “Ok, next time, I’ll do this,” or “next time, I’ll ask this question.” But I am learning, learning how to ask questions that lead to more questions that lead to more questions that lead to Jesus. Continue to pray for our team, that God will reveal Himself both to those we encounter, and to us, and that more and more seeds would be planted. Also, Mike and Carolyn have told us to pray that when people go to the temple to seek peace, they’ll be so unsatisfied, it will lead them to a search for more.

Sunday afternoon Taiwan (Very early Sunday morning/late Saturday night CST)

Yesterday, Mike told us his goal was to keep us up all day once we got here, and he did. We did a bit of orientation, learning about the culture. He just told us that it is also his goal to do the same thing today, so once we start going, it’s none stop again.

After that, we went to a Daoist temple. Mike and Carolyn, the missionaries here, prepped us before we went inside, praying that this would give us a glimpse to the darkness and idolatry all around us. It did. The longer I was there, the darker it felt. It was overwhelming seeing the idolatry, the people bowing to the statues of their gods, offering prayers, buying temple money with real money to throw in furnaces so that their ancestors have money for the afterlife, also buying temple money to burn in different furnaces to offer to their gods.

But I was more overwhelmed by the glimmer of light I saw, the places God is working, preparing the hearts of people. Can God work in the midst of an idolatrous temple here in Taiwan? Absolutely He can. Here’s the deal – many people come to these temples in search of answers. They are searching for something more.

That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it. John 1:5

We weren’t there 5 minutes and we met an English-speaking girl named Becky, who just got back to Taiwan 2 months ago after studying for 4 years in Manhatten, KS at Kansas State. Mike began talking with her. We initially asked her what was going on outside. The daoist monks were burning incense, chanting, and there was a new car parked out front with all its doors opened, and another man standing behind the monks in normal dress, holding incense. Becky informed us they were blessing the car. I guess you have to pay for this to be done. Becky started talking some more with Mike, and informed us she attended some sort of Bible Study for a few years while in the states. She is still very much seeking, though not a believer.



Part of the ministry the Miller’s have is that they start Bible Study/English classes for those who want to know more English, and also learn about the Bible. This is a huge ministry in Taiwan because everyone wants to know more English, plus Becky still wanted to learn more about Jesus. And so they exchanged information in the daoist Temple. Pray for Becky.

Currently, my dad and Rebekah are both writing up their encounters with Judy and Tony, respectively, and so you’ll get to read their perspective hopefully in the next day. Pray for Judy, who the girls met in the Daoist temple, and pray for Tony, who has a connection with Mike and who my dad shared a lengthy conversation with last night.

Last night I visited another Starbucks. One thing we are doing here is we have these 3x5 slips of paper that have our stories translated into the language of the people on one side, with information about free English classes that use the bible on the other. Steven, the Miller’s 6 foot 13 year old, and I were there and I asked Steven if the baristas spoke English. Turns out they did! And so I began talking with the girl at the register. I told her her English was good, asked if she’d been to the states before, and she asked why I was in Taiwan (a common question). I told her I was here to tell people how Jesus has changed my life, handed her a flier, talked for a little longer, and then left.

Well, I began to think about my encounter with her, and realized if I could do it over again, I would have. First off, I took for granted the fact she knew something about Jesus, when she may have known nothing. Second, the conversation became about me really quickly, instead of her. This has really caused me to think about the rest of the conversations and encounters I will have with people throughout the week. I want it to be about them. If asked the question, “why are you in Taiwan?” again, I want to answer how I want to learn more about the culture, and I’m curious about the religious and spiritual practices here, and then from there look for redeemable elements in the conversation I can use to point them towards Jesus, the reason I am here, who offers life and forgiveness and hope.

Mike says the majority of people here have never heard the Gospel. Pray for us as we go out, pray that God would soften hearts, changes lives, and reveal Himself to those we encounter and to us. More to come soon.

7:20AM Mar 1 CST, 9:20PM Mar 1 Taiwan

I am wiped. I’ve been up over 21 hours. And it has been a great day with lots to say, and already stories to tell of how God is moving in Taiwan, but I am wiped, so I’ll write about Becky, Judy, and Tony, to name a few, tomorrow. And hopefully tomorrow I can put all these posts online so that you can all finally see them. We covet your prayers. Continue to check for updates.

9:45PM Feb 29 CST, 11:45AM Mar 1 Taiwan

We are hear, getting settled into our apartment for the week. We have a few minutes to spare, just freshly showered after not showering or brushing the teeth since we left Rochester yesterday at 2:30.

The weather is gorgeous, I’m wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and slowly, my body is figuring out that it’s almost afternoon. We’ve been to Cosco. If you’re unfamiliar with Cosco, think Sam’s Club. We’re going to the market later today to buy some fruit for the week. Mike’s using the first day or so to show us the ropes. And his driving is incredible. Squeezing past cars, through cars, around cars, around all the people on scooters… we only hit one pedestrian today… just kidding!

More to come from our adventure in Taiwan. Now that we’re here, I’m excited!

God, move in hearts, reveal Yourself both to the people we encounter this week and to us. You are God the Life-Transformer, that is Your business.

5:00PM CST Feb 29, 7:00AM Taiwan Mar 1

So here we sit, in the airport in Taipei, at a STARBUCKS!!! I think I’ve been brainwashed, because I don’t think I’m supposed to get as excited about Starbucks as I am right now.

One more flight, this time only an hour, from Taipei to Kaohsiung, and it leaves here at 8:30AM (6:30PM CST). I think I’m going to grab a short nap. Right now, my body has no idea what time it is. No clue what’s on the agenda once we get to Kaohsiung and meet the Miller’s.

I gotta say, I’m a little bitter. This is the only leap year for another 4 years, and I missed it. On Feb 28, a little after 11:45PM, I boarded the plane in San Fran to Taipei. On March 1, I walked off the plane in Taipei. And because of the the international dateline and all of that kinda stuff, I’m pretty sure I missed February 29. There’s a small chance I may have enjoyed Feb 29 for a whole 5 minutes, but either way, those of you that are still experiencing Feb29, enjoy it for me.

11:45AM CST (Feb 29), 1:45AM (the next day, March 1) Taiwan time

So yesterday we hopped on a plane in Rochester to Chicago, Chicago to San Fran, and now we’re still in the air on our plane that can seat roughly 700 people from San Fran to Taipei.

I just woke up and am trying to be a little productive. I’ve been reading a lot. It’s nice to have such a huge block of time to just read. It’s been kinda weird because our whole flight is “in the night.” There is no daylight because of where we are traveling, when we left, and when we arrive. I guess I’m not missing much more than a huge never ending sea of blue. We left San Fran at 2AM CST (12 San Fran time). We got a meal an hour and a half into the flight, which was pretty spectacular for a meal on a plane – Mandarin chicken with pineapple, a cole slaw with shrimp, a dinner role, some fresh fruit (not canned, fresh), and a little brownie. It did the job.

We all crashed out around 3:30 – 4ish AM CST, I’m not sure when the others woke up. I have a feeling Mike’s been up for a while. Jess is still sleeping right beside me. But check it out – all of us have an empty seat beside us – BONUS! And so that helped a little bit as far as sleeping goes. And I don’t get jealous of short people a lot, but right now I’m jealous of Jess because I am not short, and cannot sprawl out over the seat like she can. When I slept, I looked more like a discombobulated mess trying every 30 minutes to find a new position to get to sleep again.

I’m taking pictures for all to see when I get back.

I’ve been reading a few books. One quote from a book, Seeing God in the Ordinary: A Theology of the Everyday by Michael Frost hit me hard. It doesn’t have so much to do with our trip to Taiwan, as much as it has to do with the Christ-follower’s commissioning that “when you do this to the least of these, you have done it for me,” which does happen in Taiwan, but also across the street, across the yard, across the city, across the dorm hall.

Frost quotes a quote he heard:

“You only love God as much, and no more, than the person you love the least.”

I think this blog entry will suffice for now. That quote is so heavy, I don’t want to write anymore - I’m still thinking about its implications. But I think he’s right, and that scares me and reminds me so much of my sinfulness, the mess I find myself in, and reminds me how hopeless I am apart from the cross of Jesus.

I’ll keep you all in the know as the trip progresses.