Day 6 - 7/3/2019 - God Provides

2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work"

Hi everyone! It's Matt here writing the Taiwan Missions blog! Today was the third day of the VBS program. Like the previous days, today was also very tiring, but it was fulfilling at the same time. This trip so far has exceeded so many of my expectations, and I am so sad to see it slowly coming to an end.

Like I mentioned in the very first blog, I had my worries and doubts. I was afraid that this trip would leave me temporarily satisfied and then fade away as memories of this mission trip started to fade. But, as I started to experience the hospitality and kindness that the Taiwanese church and youth had to offer, I slowly started to realize how amazing the love of God is, and my doubts started to slowly fade away.

The day started around 8am where the first group of kids started trickling in. Because today was the third time the kids got to see us, they were starting to get more comfortable talking to us. A lot of them started opening up and truly interact with us. We played a couple of games with the kids to start off the day, and then we jumped right into body worship.

Youth Leading the Kids in Body Worship

Afterward, a member of our team paired up with the Taiwanese youth to tell today's Bible story. I could tell that the stories got better each day. Today was Adam and Evangeline telling the story of Zechariah. 

Adam and Evangeline Telling the Bible Story

Later that day, the USA team went up to perform our very own body worship for the Taiwanese kids. As always, it was extremely tiring but seeing the kids light up and have fun always makes it worth it.

The one part of this mission trip that I felt got easier as each day went by was the English lesson. I was able to become more comfortable speaking Chinese to the children and less anxious about how I was going to execute my lesson. This was one of the reasons why I titled this blog "God Provides". Even in my worst insecurities and doubts, God always prevails and never fails to give me the strength I need. Even though I speak broken Chinese and my message doesn't always click with the kids, God was able to show his love through me and provide through that.

After the VBS, the Taiwanese youth and the USA team were able to enjoy themselves and let loose at the Taiwan night market. There, we enjoyed a lot of street vendor foods and enjoy each other's company and fellowship.

Taiwan Night Market

One of the biggest highlights of the day occurred after the English lesson when I performed body worship with the Taiwanese youth. It was a Chinese song so all of the kids were able to understand and sing the lyrics. I never was on the stage when the Chinese songs played, so I never was able to hear the children's voices. But when I performed with the Taiwanese youth and heard the voices of all the Taiwanese kids, I was able to truly experience God's love and provision. After hearing the children sing with such passion, I realized how much we have been pouring into the kids through God. This was something I never thought I would experience and is the main reason why I titled this blog "God Provides".

At the end of the day, I was pretty exhausted from the lack of sleep I got the night before and from taking care of all the children. Through this past couple of days here in Taiwan, I definitely felt His presence and took a lot of confidence through it. I feel so blessed that God was able to give me this opportunity to serve and I can't wait to see what the next few days will bring.

Prayer requests:

- Energy to be able to serve the kids

- A close and meaningful relationship with the Taiwanese youth

- Not let the worries of each day overpower our hearts to serve