Taichung STM

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  Hebrews 12: 1-3 " It's not over yet!! " Cherry and I squealed, shattering the solemn atmosphere outside the restaurant. We had all believed that Sunday night would be our last evening with the Taiwanese youth, but, as we were clearly not ready to say goodbye, Kevin organized for some of the youth to accompany us to the airport on Monday. Although we had different departure times, ranging from 11 am to 7 pm, the Taiwanese youth generously agreed to spend the enti...

    "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyous assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new convenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."'                                                                - Hebrews 12:22-24     Each time we come to Taiwan, I feel as if we come close to Mount Zion, closer to God than is the "Mountain of Fear". Hopefully, we can all strive to ensure both ourselves and the kids understand and not only now, but into the future.      As everyone's been saying, this...

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:3-4 It was well past sunset. We drove to the outer limits of Taichung and parked at the bottom of a hill. Climbing upwards, the city of Taichung emerged inch by inch over the hill, shining bright in the foreground of the dark night. Reaching the peak, we all paused. Silence. The view was breathtaking. The Picture does't do it Justice As I peered out at this massive city in all its magnificence with its towering buildings and the countless tiny lights moving about along the freeway, I felt so small, so overwhelmed by the grandeur of it all. My tiny life pales in comparison to the grandiosity of the rest of creation. Yet so often we look at our surroundings, including God, from afar, like tiny skyscrapers in a skyline. In place of true glory, we lift ourselves up. Too often, we m...

"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." - Luke 15:7 Joy, grace, love, and uplifting hardship. Our week here at Taiwan has seen us through a rollercoaster of emotions - an uphill battle in overcoming obstacles but simultaneously a ride full of pure happiness. I am genuinely relieved at the thought that our VBS has successfully concluded, but we are so sad to see it all go. Tears were shed, hugs were given, and even in the painful effort to control my own emotions, I barely managed to say goodbye to some of the kids that I taught throughout the week. Seeing other people so emotional and sentimental over the relationships we were able to form just lifts up my heart to another level - a level that brings me ever so closer to God. God has shown the team and me not only His true grace and power, but also His methods in using our s...

" Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."                                                     - Ephesians 4:2             Why is 1+1 equal to two? God's grand world arises from simple mathematical statements like these, and they're so basic that we, normal people, have long since stopped trying to prove them. If we think back many, many years, however, some of us might remember times when we wondered why exactly two ones make a two. The kids we're trying to teach are , in effect, those long-faded children of our memories. Full of energy and curiosity and contrariness, 1+1 might well equal three and might even be better that way. When confronted with such attitudes, it can be hard to bear with their owners (thinkers...?) in love and far easier to simply unleash a bout of temper, but with ...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 It's so crazy that we're already more than halfway through our camp! This week has been such a blessing so far. Despite it being my third year, I feel a certain aura around camp that I haven't felt before; a shared sense of joy, peace, and comfort. I'm so incredibly thankful for this year's team and the Taiwanese youth. There's a type of love that's unexplainable, one united in Christ, that you just feel so deeply and tacitly. Year after year we become more like family, strengthening this type of love that binds us all together despite the brevity and infrequency of our reunions.  R...