Day 6 - 7/5/2017 - God is in Control

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Philippians 4:6

Hey everyone!  It's Katherine here with my first ever blogpost for Taiwan Missions!  Before I reflect on the day, I just wanted to thank God for never failing to calm the storm inside me.  To be completely honest, in the months leading up to this missions trip, I was doubting myself a lot and I was wondering if I was truly ready and qualified to teach to spread the Gospel to the children in Taiwan.  I found myself always worrying about being able to connect with the kids and Taiwan youth.  Since I did not go last year, I knew that I would be lacking the closeness with the Taiwan youth and kids that Emily, Josh, Jeremy, and Edward have.  Halfway through the flight to Taiwan, I let my doubt in myself control me and my emotions.  I broke down in tears and I felt utterly and completely alone as I sat between two strangers.  The only thing I could do to comfort myself was to pray to God for strength and comfort.  As always, God answered my prayers and allowed me to feel peace in his presence.  When I met the youth and kids, they were all extremely nice and welcoming towards me.  But, I still felt like an outsider because I was lacking any sort of relationship with the Taiwanese youth and kids.  However, after the second day of camp, I found that the kids on my team (Chicago) were getting more comfortable with me and I with them.  I was also starting to feel more comfortable around the Taiwanese youth and I realized that I should not have worried as much as I did; for everything is in God's hands.

This morning, I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach.  Today was the day I had to teach my American culture lesson in front of everyone - sixty kids, seventeen youth, and a few adults.  I had never taught in front of this many people before, so of course I felt extremely nervous.  Stage fright has always been my worst nemesis ever since my first piano performance when I was five years old.  I felt like crying as I was getting ready for the day.  In hopes of calming myself down, I read two daily devotions on my phone and prayed for courage and strength.  Even though I did not feel any better, I just had to trust that everything would be okay because God heard my prayers.  When I arrived at the church, I was overwhelmed by the amount of support and prayer I received from my fellow team members.  I could not be more thankful for my team and the Taiwanese youth.  I know that no matter what, I can always count on my sisters and brothers in Christ.

Josh, Edward, Kevin, and me praying before the program

When it was time for me to teach, I could feel my hands shaking more than usual and my heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest.  I felt totally out of control.  However, knowing that God is always in control allowed me to walk up on that stage and know that I shouldn't worry about anything except for teaching the kids in God's name.  I could feel myself start to relax as I started teaching my lesson.

Me teaching my American Music lesson

After teaching my lesson, I felt as if an enormous burden was being lifted from my shoulders.  I was so happy that I finally got my lesson over with and now I could finally be at peace.  I know that I have God and everyone who prayed for me to thank for helping me deal with my fear.  

Now that the hardest part was over, I could relax and enjoy the rest of the day.  In the afternoon, everyone made play-doh hamburgers.  

My Play-Doh hamburger

After I finished my hamburger, I randomly thought of making a Play-Doh human heart.  One of the Taiwanese youth, Peggy, joined me in the tedious task of constructing one of the human body's most complex organs out of Play-Doh.  As you can see below, Peggy definitely did a better job at making the Play-Doh heart.

L: my heart; R: Peggy's heart

After a long day at camp, all of the youth went to the night market for lots of amazing food and drinks.

Taichung Night Market

The girls and guys split up into two groups since 18 people would be too many people to travel with in the very crowded streets.  I tried the brown sugar milk tea with boba and green tea jelly, the matcha ice cream crêpes, BBQ squid, fried chicken, and mango sorbet.  After everyone had enough food and drinks, we browsed different stores like Adidas and a jewelry store.  

the boys posing as a smell library in front of a smell library

brown sugar milk tea with boba and green tea jelly

matcha ice cream crêpe

the girls <3

The night market was definitely a well-deserved trip for all of the hardworking youth.  We are all eternally grateful for the food and drinks that God provides for us.  As this day comes to an end, all I can say is that I never cease to be amazed by God's power and His ability to pacify any sort of feelings of discomfort or anxiety that I feel.  Whenever I feel out of control, I will always remember that God is in control.  Whatever happens is in His hands.  God has a plan for you.  The Lord will provide you with the help of the Holy Spirit, so you are never alone.