Day 10- 7/9/16 - Zebra
1 John 4:7- "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
The kids, hosts, and student leaders have truly loved us. We are forever grateful for all of the people God has placed in our lives.
Good evening! This is Emily again. Unfortunately, today marked the last day of our VBS, but God was gracious in giving us this day to end our program. Since we were off yesterday, we were able to sleep in until around 9 a.m., but we got back into the swing of things today, starting off with waking up at 6:30 a.m. and enjoying a familiar breakfast of nutella and toast. Every morning during breakfast is such a blessing, as Hwa-Chi always has so much knowledge to depart to Josh and me. Today, we discussed differences in educational opportunities in the east and west. He pointed out that the west, in particular in Silicon Valley, is always the first to jump on technological opportunities, while the east excels in life sciences and politics. Urging us to discover who we are and what we want to do, Hwa-Chi really inspired us during the short meal.
Upon arriving at the church, we noticed the parents sitting with their children. The last day consisted of the kids showing their parents what they had learned throughout the week. We started with singing songs in both languages and then played a multitude of team games. Specifically for me, I helped with the ring toss, gathering up the wayward rings and encouraging the kids to hook the rings on the cones. Other rotations included verse puzzles, bean bag tic tac toe toss, and a two-person wooden beam foot race. I ended game-time with an intense ring toss competition with Josh. The game was really close, but he ended up winning 59-56. There’s always next time though!
The morning’s program ended with an exciting awards program. Each team received an award, some including most earned points, most improved, and most energy. The leaders from each team as well as the best behaved students also received gifts. Hwa-Chi and Pauline concluded the awards by surprising us by presenting us with letters of appreciation, gift boxes, and notes. We are incredibly grateful for such caring and thoughtful role models. Lastly, we had time for snacks and good-byes. The parents took pictures of us with their children and we shared one last snack together. A lot of the parents do not know Jesus, but the kids are definitely a big motivation to attend church. In fact, the triplets, Nancy, Ryan, and Annie, persuaded their parents to come to church tomorrow, so I’m excited to see them again!
After all of the children and their parents left at around 11:30 a.m., we passed the time by listening to the others practice for tomorrow’s worship. Peggy, Luke, and Albert even taught all four us how to play the drums, which has always been a dream of mine! Before we knew it, Hwa-Chi called us to the main room of the church and we enjoyed a Taiwan spin on Domino's pizza and KFC chicken. I was expecting the traditional options of cheese, pepperoni, and combo pizza options, but those were nowhere to be found. Instead, we were pleasantly surprised with seafood, pineapple shrimp, jalapenos, and mushroom and caramelized onions. What seemed like an Americanized meal was in fact a delicious, unique twist for us!
On the car ride home, Cherry and Penny inquired why Hwa-Chi and the rest of the members called it a Christian assembly or gathering, rather than a church. Once we arrived home, Hwa-Chi explained that in Ephesians, the church is described as being pure and blameless, but we are far from that. Essentially, we are in the church of God, so we don’t need a name associated with it. He further explained that we see everything in 2D, but when Jesus comes, everything will be made clear and we will be able to see the entire picture in 3D. There are also different dispensations in the Bible; God never changes, but our understanding will change because God reveals things to us at times. Lastly, it’s important to know that no one is persuaded to believe in God; it’s by the power of God only. Once Hwa-Chi finished a brief but thorough history of Christianity, it was time for us to go to the Da Yuan Bai department store.
Luke, Cherry, Penny, Penny’s sister, Jeremy, Josh, Edward, and I boarded a bus. We were unfamiliar with standing and holding onto the handlebars, as we rarely take the bus in the US, but it was definitely a fun experience! As we tried desperately not to fall as the bus made its way through Taichung, Cherry and Penny explained the bus cards, which are a norm in Taiwan. Pretty soon we arrived at the department store, and immediately were astounded by the wide variety of stores. We spent the most time at H&M, though I was the only one to buy something in the 3 hours that we were there. At around 5 pm, we were all tired from walking, so Peggy, who had joined us later, lead us to a food court, where we all indulged in pork and eggs with rice. To end the night, we found a corner coffee shop and ordered bubble milk tea to accompany our conversations. Luke, Peggy, and Edward showcased their push-up skills, and we talked and laughed so much that one of the waiters had to tell us to quiet down. It’s great to see that language barriers don’t stop us from conversing with our new friends!
The way back home was ten times more difficult, as we didn’t have Hwa-Chi and Pauline to give us directions. Josh and I didn’t have a clear idea of where our host house was, and we weren’t familiar with the bus signs. We ended up walking aimlessly back and forth between bus stops, trying to find the number 5 bus back home. Thankfully, Peggy and Cherry were able to lead us to the right stop, and before we knew it, we were holding onto those handlebars again. We passed the time by playing GHOST, a word game that we had started to play on the plane ride here. The game ended in fits of laughter, as Jeremy forgot that “zebra” was in fact a word.
And now, I’m finishing up the blog in our living room, watching Serena Williams beat Angelique Kerber in the 2016 Wimbledon finals. What a way to end our week!
The kids, hosts, and student leaders have truly loved us. We are forever grateful for all of the people God has placed in our lives.
Good evening! This is Emily again. Unfortunately, today marked the last day of our VBS, but God was gracious in giving us this day to end our program. Since we were off yesterday, we were able to sleep in until around 9 a.m., but we got back into the swing of things today, starting off with waking up at 6:30 a.m. and enjoying a familiar breakfast of nutella and toast. Every morning during breakfast is such a blessing, as Hwa-Chi always has so much knowledge to depart to Josh and me. Today, we discussed differences in educational opportunities in the east and west. He pointed out that the west, in particular in Silicon Valley, is always the first to jump on technological opportunities, while the east excels in life sciences and politics. Urging us to discover who we are and what we want to do, Hwa-Chi really inspired us during the short meal.
Upon arriving at the church, we noticed the parents sitting with their children. The last day consisted of the kids showing their parents what they had learned throughout the week. We started with singing songs in both languages and then played a multitude of team games. Specifically for me, I helped with the ring toss, gathering up the wayward rings and encouraging the kids to hook the rings on the cones. Other rotations included verse puzzles, bean bag tic tac toe toss, and a two-person wooden beam foot race. I ended game-time with an intense ring toss competition with Josh. The game was really close, but he ended up winning 59-56. There’s always next time though!
The morning’s program ended with an exciting awards program. Each team received an award, some including most earned points, most improved, and most energy. The leaders from each team as well as the best behaved students also received gifts. Hwa-Chi and Pauline concluded the awards by surprising us by presenting us with letters of appreciation, gift boxes, and notes. We are incredibly grateful for such caring and thoughtful role models. Lastly, we had time for snacks and good-byes. The parents took pictures of us with their children and we shared one last snack together. A lot of the parents do not know Jesus, but the kids are definitely a big motivation to attend church. In fact, the triplets, Nancy, Ryan, and Annie, persuaded their parents to come to church tomorrow, so I’m excited to see them again!
After all of the children and their parents left at around 11:30 a.m., we passed the time by listening to the others practice for tomorrow’s worship. Peggy, Luke, and Albert even taught all four us how to play the drums, which has always been a dream of mine! Before we knew it, Hwa-Chi called us to the main room of the church and we enjoyed a Taiwan spin on Domino's pizza and KFC chicken. I was expecting the traditional options of cheese, pepperoni, and combo pizza options, but those were nowhere to be found. Instead, we were pleasantly surprised with seafood, pineapple shrimp, jalapenos, and mushroom and caramelized onions. What seemed like an Americanized meal was in fact a delicious, unique twist for us!
On the car ride home, Cherry and Penny inquired why Hwa-Chi and the rest of the members called it a Christian assembly or gathering, rather than a church. Once we arrived home, Hwa-Chi explained that in Ephesians, the church is described as being pure and blameless, but we are far from that. Essentially, we are in the church of God, so we don’t need a name associated with it. He further explained that we see everything in 2D, but when Jesus comes, everything will be made clear and we will be able to see the entire picture in 3D. There are also different dispensations in the Bible; God never changes, but our understanding will change because God reveals things to us at times. Lastly, it’s important to know that no one is persuaded to believe in God; it’s by the power of God only. Once Hwa-Chi finished a brief but thorough history of Christianity, it was time for us to go to the Da Yuan Bai department store.
Luke, Cherry, Penny, Penny’s sister, Jeremy, Josh, Edward, and I boarded a bus. We were unfamiliar with standing and holding onto the handlebars, as we rarely take the bus in the US, but it was definitely a fun experience! As we tried desperately not to fall as the bus made its way through Taichung, Cherry and Penny explained the bus cards, which are a norm in Taiwan. Pretty soon we arrived at the department store, and immediately were astounded by the wide variety of stores. We spent the most time at H&M, though I was the only one to buy something in the 3 hours that we were there. At around 5 pm, we were all tired from walking, so Peggy, who had joined us later, lead us to a food court, where we all indulged in pork and eggs with rice. To end the night, we found a corner coffee shop and ordered bubble milk tea to accompany our conversations. Luke, Peggy, and Edward showcased their push-up skills, and we talked and laughed so much that one of the waiters had to tell us to quiet down. It’s great to see that language barriers don’t stop us from conversing with our new friends!
The way back home was ten times more difficult, as we didn’t have Hwa-Chi and Pauline to give us directions. Josh and I didn’t have a clear idea of where our host house was, and we weren’t familiar with the bus signs. We ended up walking aimlessly back and forth between bus stops, trying to find the number 5 bus back home. Thankfully, Peggy and Cherry were able to lead us to the right stop, and before we knew it, we were holding onto those handlebars again. We passed the time by playing GHOST, a word game that we had started to play on the plane ride here. The game ended in fits of laughter, as Jeremy forgot that “zebra” was in fact a word.
And now, I’m finishing up the blog in our living room, watching Serena Williams beat Angelique Kerber in the 2016 Wimbledon finals. What a way to end our week!
Prayer Requests:
- Kids and families continue to grow in Christ, now that the VBS has concluded
- Thanks for such a blessed week with these precious children and serving leaders
- Fun-filled last few days in Taiwan
- Peggy- English test went well
- Cherry- joyful birthday
Thanks Emily for sharing. Praise the Lord that triplets, Nancy, Ryan, and Annie want to come to church on Sunday with the parents. What a fruitful VBS with a lot of excitement! We thank God for His love that you have experienced from your hosts and fellow brothers and sisters and your love to those who came to the camp. Thank you all for your serving heart that encourages us here in US. We will continue to keep the team in prayers. Relax and give Thanks!!
ReplyDelete