Day 13 - 7/12/2016 - Time Flies but Emotions Soar

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 tried something I had never heard of before: mulberry juice. It turned out to be really good - tangy and sweet, with a bit of viscosity. After we had finished eating, we had a very insightful conversation with Hwa-Chi about our futures. We talked about all of the things that we had uncertainties about in the future - ranging from what it felt like to have your dream job, how to achieve it, and what to do if it turns out not to be God's calling for you. We were all very glad to have such great advice from someone who has "eaten more salt than we have eaten rice."

That takes us to the next part of today's adventure. Mrs. Chen took us for a walk on Art Street, a street on which there were multiple little art and home furnishing shops, with many different beautiful and interesting jim-jams, ranging from a woodpecker shaped doorknob to water fountains of all sorts. 

After the quick walk and exploration, we drove to the 高美 wetlands. It was truly beautiful to see God's creation in such a beautiful form. We watched as the tide slowly creeped inland while standing on a boardwalk. Then, after waiting for the tide to start receding, the team and the youth who were with us decided to wade in the knee-deep water. I think every one of us wading around knew in our hearts that a water fight was imminent. To this day, no one knows who started it all, but I guess for us it was the "splash heard 'round the world." By the time everyone settled down, we were all soaking wet and laughing together. We were able to see a beautiful rainbow over Taiwan and the beginnings of a beautiful sunset. Just like the setting sun, which seemed to burn away and disappear so quickly, our time seemed to fly away like sand in the wind. As we filed into cars to drive to the restaurant where we would have dinner, the brevity of our time left together in Taiwan with the youth of Chungke Christian Assembly really started to hit us. By the time we had finished dinner, two people were crying, one was on the verge of tears, and we were all connected by a longing for more time together, even just a few more seconds before we would have to say goodbye. The moment always comes, however, when a final bye-bye is necessary, no matter how we try to put it off. We knew, fortunately, that no matter what happened, we would see each other again, whether in this world or in God's kingdom.

It's hard to shed tears, no matter how sad the goodbye may be, because it's the happiness in the hellos that we remember. We are so thankful for this opportunity that God has given us to connect with Christians in service all the way on the other side of the globe.

Please continue to pray for:

- Our safety in the last day and on the plane trip home

- The children in whom we have planted the seed of the gospel, and that the Lord would water them and let it grow.

- The continued faithfulness and growth of Chungke Christian Assembly and its youth.

We are so thankful for:

- The continued prayer support of folks back home

- All of the good times in service and in fellowship with the youth of the church.