Taichung STM

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.      Psalm 106:1                 I woke up, groggy from the hour-long nap I took. It was 3:30 am. Our last night was spent packing and talking rather than sleeping so that we could re-accustom ourselves to the American time zone. I couldn't focus on anything and I felt like I was dreaming, but Edward helped me get ready, telling me to quickly change and finish packing up. We left at 3:40 am, 10 minutes behind schedule, and got into two taxis which waited for us at the front lobby. At the bus station, we still had until 4:15 am to wait around. Hwa-Chi bought us all water bottles, boiled eggs, and sushi rolls, like the ones we had on our first day in Taiwan. I reached into my bag and pulled out a pair of earphones, preparing myself to take a nap. Sliding my hand into my pocket, I started to panic. It was empty. I searched through my backpack ...

So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth.                                                 Genesis 11:8a        Autumn is a time of departures and endings. The beauty of summer and the warmth of peaceful companionship grow still and pass away for a year. In the same way, today marks our final day in Taichung before we depart tomorrow as well as the end of our daily interactions with the youth of the church. Yet autumn is also a time of anticipation, where hope for spring sprouts and animals hibernate to conserve strength for a new year. Even though we are leaving Taiwan, the memories of our hosts, students, and friends will never leave us, and we remain excited for the next year, when we can return.        When we woke up this morning, it was with the knowledge that today was to be our f...

Genesis 24:56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” Hello everyone! It's Edward for the last time until the team will be in the states once again. We're all filled with a sort of bittersweet emotion right now that is very hard to describe - Que Saudade! (Please ask Elder Jiang about this one). Today was full of wonderful memories and unforgettable moments, and we are so thankful to God for preparing our way so well. Today began in a very relaxed and rested manner. The morning was decorated by delicious breads from a local bakery, along with soymilk and a caramelized rice drink. We are so grateful to our host family for their generosity; because of them, we've had chances to try so many new things that we never even imagined were possible. After a prayer together, we headed out for lunch. Today's lunch was at a charming tea shop, where we once again had delicious food, and trie...

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the sower, which land on a variety of soils. Some land on the dry, rocky soil, where they wither and die after sprouting, while others fall beside the road and are eaten by birds. Still others fall onto thorny, weed-infested soil and are choked to death before maturing. Only a few land on good soil and are able to grow to maturity. After our final time with the children of the VBS the past three days, we pray that God’s Word has found good soil in their hearts. Beyond prayer, however, we can do nothing, as we did all that we could earlier during the VBS. Instead, we took today as a day of rest and recovery, as well as one of the final days in our time together. In the morning, we met at ...

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works"      Hebrews 10:24 Hello again everyone! It’s Josh. Last night, Jeremy and Edward came over to Hwa-Chi’s to sleepover because their hosts had to pick up their son very early this morning from the airport. Zack just came back from America this morning, and we got to meet him at the Christian assembly. He’s actually planning on applying to American colleges, as he’s going to be a senior next year. It was different sleeping in a room with two other guys. The room was much more cramped and a lot messier: the floor was littered with clothes, bags, electronics, and all sorts of other random things. All of us woke up to a delicious breakfast of ham and egg sandwiches, a tray of fruits, and 葱油饼. Then we hurriedly got ready to leave for church. Before Sunday school started, we met two new college students named Ben and Keira. Ben was very kind and thanked us for coming over to serv...