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.
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