Day 12 - 7/11/2016 - A Tale of True Friends

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 the church around 7 o’clock A.M. to pray and prepare to leave for Sun Moon Lake in the Nantou county. On the hour-long ride there, Josh and I sat with Luke and a few others on a spacious van, while Edward rode with Albert and Peter. Emily, by popular demand, went with Linda and Vicky. The journey passed without much incident, and most of us napped to compensate for the exhaustion of the previous week.

Once we arrived at the lake, everyone went to get bicycles so we could follow the famous 水社 bikeway around the Sun Moon Lake. Unfortunately, a few of us (Cherry, me, and a new friend) didn’t know how to ride, so we also had to take out three two-person bikes. After everyone had found a bike that suited their style, we set out on the scenic path. The path itself winds around the entire lake, and we traveled along most of its length, only stopping and turning at a series of high slopes. Throughout, we took many stops to admire the beautiful views and tropical beauty of the lake and its surroundings. Before we knew it, the sky was darkening to a blurry gray, and we found ourselves licking ice cream cones on the first floor of a multi-story food and souvenir building.

Settling down on the third floor, the adults sat and talked among themselves while we started games of Zuma Zuma and a circular Taiwanese version of the two person game Concentration. While the games started out quietly, they heated up quickly as the loser was required to sing a song as a comical “punishment”. Although everyone really enjoyed the games, we found ourselves enchanted by a fragile wonderland elsewhere in the building. The second floor held an enchanting exhibit of intricate paper artworks as well as a store for other paper-based souvenirs. These ranged from miniature models of the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to slim paper guns with sliding triggers. We explored the store in depth and took some very amusing pictures before our stomachs called us to a lakeside restaurant for lunch, leaving Josh and Emily behind to buy their souvenirs.

Our lunch was a delicious meal at a small restaurant down the road from the bicycle rental store. The inside of the restaurant was a chaotically beautiful arrangement of round tables and worn chairs. Handwriting of all sorts sprawled across the wall, outlining advice and humorous messages for future customers. Bamboo took central stage in this restaurant, with the teapot, rice containers, and food itself incorporating bamboo and bamboo shoots. The first dish to arrive was a risotto-type dish served in small bamboo barrels capped with foil. A flavorful procession of water bamboo shoots, chicken stew, sauteed fish, mountain plants, and assorted fruits followed.

A light drizzle accompanied us out of the restaurant as we walked down to the piers to find a boat for the afternoon. When everyone had stamped their arms and received their tickets, we stood waiting by the piers for our 3 o’clock boat. During this time, Luke’s mom gave us a beautiful little souvenir. Everyone got aboard the boat with little fuss and no seasickness, and we found seats in the very back. Luke and Penny led a group up to the front, where the breeze was much stiffer and the air was much cooler. The rest of us remained in the back, where we slept through the 15-20 minute ride to our first stop.

We stopped at a cluster of stores and cafes along the lakeside. Many of the stores catered to foreign visitors, and we made sure to buy some souvenirs to take back home. After pausing briefly at a few more stores, we came to the real test of any busy street in Taiwan: the milk tea. Edward bought a cup of fresh milk tea and gave it his stamp of approval. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay any longer, as the boats arrived on hourly intervals.

Our next stop was at one of the more beautiful places around the lake. A Buddhist temple is nestled into one of the slight natural harbors. Everyone tried the famous 茶叶蛋, and we trekked up the broad stone stairway into the perpetual twilight of the deep forest. At one of the lower summits, we found the Buddhist temple and a crowd of tourists and visitors. Deciding against entering the temple, we stood around admiring the scenery for a while before heading back down the slope. At the base of the mountain, we discussed our plans for the evening, with near unanimous votes for going directly back to the church and eating dinner there.

Our drive back was exceedingly peaceful because of everyone’s exhaustion, but I heard Luke’s mom explaining gospel concepts to Ruby in the front, a reminder of our ultimate goal here in Taiwan and how powerful and far-reaching God’s love is.

Upon arriving back at the church, everyone was half-awake, and we lolled around, not really doing anything, but simply enjoying one another’s presence. Soon, our noodle dinner arrived, and Hwa-chi gave thanks to the LORD for giving us such a beautiful day and a nourishing meal at the day’s end. The rest of the night passed in a similarly companionable manner, and it was soon time for us to part ways until the next day. The sadness at our nearing departure from Taiwan was palpable, and everyone gave melancholy farewells heavy with nostalgia. This trip has been truly amazing so far, and we pray that our time with the youth may end in joy at our inevitable reunion under the LORD rather than in sadness at a brief time apart here on earth.

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for the hearts of all the children who were touched by our VBS and that their families may join them in Christ.
• Our departure nears, so please pray for the youth of the church and for us, that we may remember one another and the influence God has had one each and every one of us.
• Thank the LORD for a transformational trip and a successful VBS.
• Praise Him for giving us such loving hosts and for the unbelievably kind-hearted parents who put so much effort into taking care of us.