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.
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