DO...NOT...JUDGE!
I mean, I was distracted for the entire service they talked... but about halfway through I did realize something that was affirmed at the end of the service... Those people were visiting Taiwan and they were translating Chinese to Japanese.. So lesson learned... if they talked the entire service non-stop.. they must have a reason... if they talk for some of the service they probably don't and if they don't talk at all, well..good for them...... unless they're sleeping
As far as updates go, prayers answered! I received a call confirming a second ESL project that I talked about in the past... I'm excited, but a little more stress now that I need to find more materials for ESL... But all's good for the Kingdom...
In ending, I'll say that I ate pizza today... I was ecstatic.. first American food in more than 3 weeks.... I think I may take a trip to McDonalds tomorrow after I'm finished with ESL... Fatty foods FTW!
Nothing else to write about that's noteworthy... New pictures are up and more will be coming since Chinese New Year is in a few days... oh.. and if anyone wants like a souvenir or something, they should probably facebook me or email or something... (not phone)
Till Next Time!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Finally...
Got a small stint at my parents church teaching children English along with the Gospel as well... while it's in the mornings for now, I hope to get a second stint somewhere else... I'm really hoping it falls through which will give me a busy week which will result in it seeming shorter...
Also contemplating if I should leave earlier than I intended to... Of course I won't make a rash decision about it and just decide to leave.. But will pray over it to see when the time is right... Ever since I found out that I wouldn't be working from Mondays to Fridays and only going to service on the weekends, my mom as been pestering me to come back and find a job in NC much to my annoyance...
Anyways, the time is a lot shorter than I had originally predicted since teaching ESL can only go so far until I have nothing left... Speaking of which, I should probably look up more materials...
As for today, it went well as far as first days go... Kids liked me at once, which was shocking to me since it always seem to take some time for people to like me..
I'm trying to think of more innovated ways to reveal Christ.. I got a few ideas going but executing them is going to be a bit rough
Wow.. this post a lot shorter than the previous one... sorry if you read through the entire thing... It's torture, I know...
Till Next Time
Also contemplating if I should leave earlier than I intended to... Of course I won't make a rash decision about it and just decide to leave.. But will pray over it to see when the time is right... Ever since I found out that I wouldn't be working from Mondays to Fridays and only going to service on the weekends, my mom as been pestering me to come back and find a job in NC much to my annoyance...
Anyways, the time is a lot shorter than I had originally predicted since teaching ESL can only go so far until I have nothing left... Speaking of which, I should probably look up more materials...
As for today, it went well as far as first days go... Kids liked me at once, which was shocking to me since it always seem to take some time for people to like me..
I'm trying to think of more innovated ways to reveal Christ.. I got a few ideas going but executing them is going to be a bit rough
Wow.. this post a lot shorter than the previous one... sorry if you read through the entire thing... It's torture, I know...
Till Next Time
A long time ago.. in a country far far away....
*TRUMPET THAT SCARES ANYBODY THAT DOZED OFF DURING THE PREVIEWS
***WARNING!!! THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG POST!****
anyways.. it wasn't that long ago (around 2 generations).. but it does seem like it. China is widely known for being Communist since who knows when, but there was a time where it wasn't
Enter Chiang Kai-shek, the president of China before Mao and the Communist Party overthrew him. He's an important figure in my family's history since he fled to Taiwan, along with my grandfather (mother's side) since he was his bodyguard... But one very unknown fact about Chiang Kai-shek was that he was baptized.. Now I said baptized because just because you get baptized doesn't mean your saved..
But not passing judgment or anything...I truly hoped he trusted Jesus with his heart but his wife, on the other hand, was a proclaiming Christian as proudly stated in her biography and her longtime pastor was a Baptist named Chow Lien-hwa which is the reason I'm writing this now.. During my tour at Taiwan Baptist Theological Seminary, after noticing an authentic picture of Lottie Moon along with some other Christians, I stumbled into the room dedicated to Chow Lien-hwa which my mind started clicking after I left..
What would be China's state be had Mao simply not have led a rebellion? The man's clearly evil, since Communism (while it was a good idea to the Chinese at that time because of economic issues) has killed numerous in it's name.. But what would've happened had Mao not prevailed? What would Christianity be like?
----you can stop reading here... the next several paragraphs are my opinion and rantings...----
After deducing a few steps, I confirmed that the religious state may be what Taiwan is like now... Taiwan's mindset is a little like Japan's, as in it wants the newest, most flashy thing... I've seen this with the Iphone, which just recently started releasing in Taiwan. All of a sudden, there are tons of people who have it, compared to around a year or 2 ago where people were begging someone that lives in the U.S to bring them one so they can jailbreak them and use them themselves
Anyways, this reflects the church life here as well... as the Pentacostals have seen great leaps in attendance since they are a newer denominations and their music, preaching, prayer and dancing (??!?!) are zingy, flashy and good for the eyes.. (though not mine)... Traditional churches such as the one my family goes to numbers are decreasing..Don't get me wrong, what the Pentacostals are doing is great, but I doubt it'll last for a while.. With influences like Joel Osteen (know this since his books were being advertised and his messages are also translated on TV sometimes), when they discover that being a follower of Christ will have to endure suffering, which turns any strong Christian inside out, imagine what it'll do to one that hasn't been equipped to deal with sufferings as a Christian.. Sufferings do happen, I just pray that they don't doubt as much here as they do in the U.S.
I seem to be digressing greatly... but the point is the "what if" Christianity stood firm in China? I believe presently it will be starting a downhill trend, sort of what the U.S. has been experiencing in the last several years...I already heard of youths rebelling going to church as I overhear people complaining that they won't get up in time.. Which is all according to the end time prophecies.. While atheists aren't heavy here, I believe they will start to stand when one of them starts gaining power and earthly knowledge that's good enough to stump the average Christian
Persecution hasn't started in Taiwan, and while it's been going on in China, I've also heard that they are easing up on the religious oppression a little. Don't get me wrong... you'll still be persecuted, but.. not as aggressively as it was a decade ago... but persecution against Christians are bound to happen since it's part of the end of Earth... I just wonder how the test of time will stand against Taiwan...
------you can REALLY stop reading here if you want... next couple of paragraphs are my PERSONAL opinion and ranting------
That's what's been on my thoughts lately.... not Baptist V.S. Pentacostals.. but more of what Christianity was and what it would look like in a few years... whether it's here or in the U.S.. My Christian life has nowhere been perfect or solid as well... since I went to a secular college and had my faith tossed back and forth, taking punch after punch of accusations of God not existing only to discover a calling from God to further serve Him.. I've always lived by whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger and now my faith is unwavering, able to stand through atheists moans and whines..
But don't get me wrong, I won't go looking for a religious fight against an atheist or any other religion just for the sake of it... I don't believe that you can argue anyone into being saved and I also believe that trying to start the argument or simply continuing to add fuel to the fire is just a pansey way to try to convince yourself that something is or is not true... just let love take care of it if you really want to see them saved.... Love never fails..
This holds true to any atheists I've seen around the Internet since they're the biggest cowards I know.. since they know they can't show their faces, they always proclaim that there is no God because they cannot be seen and they can always ignore any responses... Why do they do it? Because they feel the need to post to convince themselves that there is no God... but why convince yourself that something doesn't exist if it doesn't exist in the first place? I don't believe in Santa, but you don't see me posting stuff on the Internet nor do I dedicate my life in belittling little kids that do.... why? Because he doesn't exist >_>
Same goes with people arguing for the sake of Christ.. He exists, okay! cool! but is it worth arguing with a non-Christian if all your going to do is turn him or her farther from it? And what's your basis of arguing? Are you living I Peter 3:15-17? or are you just doing it to prove yourself to yourself that God exists... if it's the second, well... reexamine your life... because someone's simply not going to go "oh you're right, I want to come to Jesus now"... if someone can be talked into following Jesus they can be talked out of it.. and also, it's not worth destroying someone else witnesses just to prove to yourself that God exists... turning someone away from Christ isn't worth it either... The only time I believe it's right to step into a fight is if someone's faith is starting to weaken, then we as Christians have a job to do to encourage and strengthen it... But we shouldn't start ganging up on the opposition either... once they realize that your faith cannot be wavered, they'll leave it alone, since they can't break what's been set in place..
Anyways... that's what's been on my mind recently..
Let the Light Shine!
Till Next Time!
***WARNING!!! THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG POST!****
anyways.. it wasn't that long ago (around 2 generations).. but it does seem like it. China is widely known for being Communist since who knows when, but there was a time where it wasn't
Enter Chiang Kai-shek, the president of China before Mao and the Communist Party overthrew him. He's an important figure in my family's history since he fled to Taiwan, along with my grandfather (mother's side) since he was his bodyguard... But one very unknown fact about Chiang Kai-shek was that he was baptized.. Now I said baptized because just because you get baptized doesn't mean your saved..
But not passing judgment or anything...I truly hoped he trusted Jesus with his heart but his wife, on the other hand, was a proclaiming Christian as proudly stated in her biography and her longtime pastor was a Baptist named Chow Lien-hwa which is the reason I'm writing this now.. During my tour at Taiwan Baptist Theological Seminary, after noticing an authentic picture of Lottie Moon along with some other Christians, I stumbled into the room dedicated to Chow Lien-hwa which my mind started clicking after I left..
What would be China's state be had Mao simply not have led a rebellion? The man's clearly evil, since Communism (while it was a good idea to the Chinese at that time because of economic issues) has killed numerous in it's name.. But what would've happened had Mao not prevailed? What would Christianity be like?
----you can stop reading here... the next several paragraphs are my opinion and rantings...----
After deducing a few steps, I confirmed that the religious state may be what Taiwan is like now... Taiwan's mindset is a little like Japan's, as in it wants the newest, most flashy thing... I've seen this with the Iphone, which just recently started releasing in Taiwan. All of a sudden, there are tons of people who have it, compared to around a year or 2 ago where people were begging someone that lives in the U.S to bring them one so they can jailbreak them and use them themselves
Anyways, this reflects the church life here as well... as the Pentacostals have seen great leaps in attendance since they are a newer denominations and their music, preaching, prayer and dancing (??!?!) are zingy, flashy and good for the eyes.. (though not mine)... Traditional churches such as the one my family goes to numbers are decreasing..Don't get me wrong, what the Pentacostals are doing is great, but I doubt it'll last for a while.. With influences like Joel Osteen (know this since his books were being advertised and his messages are also translated on TV sometimes), when they discover that being a follower of Christ will have to endure suffering, which turns any strong Christian inside out, imagine what it'll do to one that hasn't been equipped to deal with sufferings as a Christian.. Sufferings do happen, I just pray that they don't doubt as much here as they do in the U.S.
I seem to be digressing greatly... but the point is the "what if" Christianity stood firm in China? I believe presently it will be starting a downhill trend, sort of what the U.S. has been experiencing in the last several years...I already heard of youths rebelling going to church as I overhear people complaining that they won't get up in time.. Which is all according to the end time prophecies.. While atheists aren't heavy here, I believe they will start to stand when one of them starts gaining power and earthly knowledge that's good enough to stump the average Christian
Persecution hasn't started in Taiwan, and while it's been going on in China, I've also heard that they are easing up on the religious oppression a little. Don't get me wrong... you'll still be persecuted, but.. not as aggressively as it was a decade ago... but persecution against Christians are bound to happen since it's part of the end of Earth... I just wonder how the test of time will stand against Taiwan...
------you can REALLY stop reading here if you want... next couple of paragraphs are my PERSONAL opinion and ranting------
That's what's been on my thoughts lately.... not Baptist V.S. Pentacostals.. but more of what Christianity was and what it would look like in a few years... whether it's here or in the U.S.. My Christian life has nowhere been perfect or solid as well... since I went to a secular college and had my faith tossed back and forth, taking punch after punch of accusations of God not existing only to discover a calling from God to further serve Him.. I've always lived by whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger and now my faith is unwavering, able to stand through atheists moans and whines..
But don't get me wrong, I won't go looking for a religious fight against an atheist or any other religion just for the sake of it... I don't believe that you can argue anyone into being saved and I also believe that trying to start the argument or simply continuing to add fuel to the fire is just a pansey way to try to convince yourself that something is or is not true... just let love take care of it if you really want to see them saved.... Love never fails..
This holds true to any atheists I've seen around the Internet since they're the biggest cowards I know.. since they know they can't show their faces, they always proclaim that there is no God because they cannot be seen and they can always ignore any responses... Why do they do it? Because they feel the need to post to convince themselves that there is no God... but why convince yourself that something doesn't exist if it doesn't exist in the first place? I don't believe in Santa, but you don't see me posting stuff on the Internet nor do I dedicate my life in belittling little kids that do.... why? Because he doesn't exist >_>
Same goes with people arguing for the sake of Christ.. He exists, okay! cool! but is it worth arguing with a non-Christian if all your going to do is turn him or her farther from it? And what's your basis of arguing? Are you living I Peter 3:15-17? or are you just doing it to prove yourself to yourself that God exists... if it's the second, well... reexamine your life... because someone's simply not going to go "oh you're right, I want to come to Jesus now"... if someone can be talked into following Jesus they can be talked out of it.. and also, it's not worth destroying someone else witnesses just to prove to yourself that God exists... turning someone away from Christ isn't worth it either... The only time I believe it's right to step into a fight is if someone's faith is starting to weaken, then we as Christians have a job to do to encourage and strengthen it... But we shouldn't start ganging up on the opposition either... once they realize that your faith cannot be wavered, they'll leave it alone, since they can't break what's been set in place..
Anyways... that's what's been on my mind recently..
Let the Light Shine!
Till Next Time!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
A small progress...
Past couple of days were uneventful... today however wasn't... I went to meet with a pastor that my parents and I knew from the church they go to in Huntington since he goes as a guest speaker sometimes.. reason being was because he was who I needed to come in contact with for the ESL program... But before we discussed that, he gave me a tour of the seminary he taught at (Taiwan Baptist Theological Seminary).. Really bad day to forget my camera since there's a huge part of Christian history there and my mind started churning as we went through the archives (which I'll post my thoughts tomorrow... like about 10 hrs from now lol..) But afterward we discussed about what God was doing in my life and talked about things that a pastor would ask a student that's about to go into seminary... As for the ESL job.. there's good news and bad news... bad news is that right now is not a great time to discuss it since Christmas was just over and Chinese New Year's about to come up which is basically a second Christmas here... so, in short, it's like that time slot between Thanksgiving and Christmas for the U.S. Not a lot of people want to start up anything around that time since it's stressful and people go around visiting relatives and such.. (not that I know anything about it since I'm usually studying finals and when I finally take note of Christmas, there's usually 3 days left).. good news is that people seem to assume I have something to do during the weekdays, which I don't, but they'll ask around since they know I have so much free time.. This sort of contradicts what I said about not going to Taiwan to be at a church at first... but he also said that when kids come home from school, usually there's nothing to do, so they come to the seminary to hang out with some of the kids there... so the students there wouldn't exactly be all Christians, but a mix.... plus I could always go around the neighboring houses to rally up a few kids if need be... c'mon.. English for free at just a small walk away? Learning English in Taiwan is compared to learning Spanish in like California... while it's not required... it'd be useful.. and the stereotype is true... they do hold education above pretty much everything else here...
I'm also supposed to contact someone from my family's church for their ESL program... something like sit in, sort of see what it's like... One of the requirements was to read Bible stories in English.. (yeah like that's hard to do..)
Yep, while it all seems like good news in the end, I still need prayers that this all falls through... while everyone in this country is on a Chinese New Year high while they get ready for it, I'm not... I'm a bit weary of what's going to happen afterwards... I'm surprise my relatives aren't sick of me yet and kicked me out...lol... but I degress.... biggest prayer here is that this ESL thing goes through...
Oh, and don't forget to read the next post on my take on some Christian history that involves Taiwan.. and China as well... if you don't learn anything from it.. I'll be surprised :)
Till Next Time!
I'm also supposed to contact someone from my family's church for their ESL program... something like sit in, sort of see what it's like... One of the requirements was to read Bible stories in English.. (yeah like that's hard to do..)
Yep, while it all seems like good news in the end, I still need prayers that this all falls through... while everyone in this country is on a Chinese New Year high while they get ready for it, I'm not... I'm a bit weary of what's going to happen afterwards... I'm surprise my relatives aren't sick of me yet and kicked me out...lol... but I degress.... biggest prayer here is that this ESL thing goes through...
Oh, and don't forget to read the next post on my take on some Christian history that involves Taiwan.. and China as well... if you don't learn anything from it.. I'll be surprised :)
Till Next Time!
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Latest...
Another lack of updates yet again... This time due to my main computer either getting a virus or a hardware problem. Shame that all my programs that could fix it are on a external hard drive at home. Anyways I've been very bothered the last couple of days. When I went to church Friday, my worst fear was confirmed... the denomination was Pentecostal and sure enough they spoke in tongues which really bothered me... One, because I don't believe it to be biblical, and two, it's really hard to concentrate praying while they're chanting... But I'm not here to judge, but to serve... which is what I haven't been doing at all but wish to do... I've just been really convicted Friday and Saturday night after the services if this is surely where I should be attending... However, when I went to the Baptist church that my family goes to, I was at peace...
I'm still praying that the ESL job comes through.. It's been good news, bad news, little better news so far... which I'll keep prayer over... So to say the least, I am stressed and very lost in what I should be doing... I know ESL is what I've really wanted to do since I've arrived since I'm using the language I've spoken for the most part of my life to help others improve or learn as well..
It's easy to say that I've been suffering a lot during this trip... One may ask, "Shane is trying his best to do Your work God, so why is he having such a hard time and feeling horrible doing it?" Why not? Satan of course is going to try to trip me up and give up.. what Satan intended my sufferings for evil, I know God will intend it for good. While it is hard at first, I know in the end, there will be blessings ONLY if I draw from God and not Satan...
That is all for now...
Till Next Time
I'm still praying that the ESL job comes through.. It's been good news, bad news, little better news so far... which I'll keep prayer over... So to say the least, I am stressed and very lost in what I should be doing... I know ESL is what I've really wanted to do since I've arrived since I'm using the language I've spoken for the most part of my life to help others improve or learn as well..
It's easy to say that I've been suffering a lot during this trip... One may ask, "Shane is trying his best to do Your work God, so why is he having such a hard time and feeling horrible doing it?" Why not? Satan of course is going to try to trip me up and give up.. what Satan intended my sufferings for evil, I know God will intend it for good. While it is hard at first, I know in the end, there will be blessings ONLY if I draw from God and not Satan...
That is all for now...
Till Next Time
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Lacking..
Sorry for the lack of updates, pictures, and more... The internet at my uncle's house isn't operating the way it's supposed to.. as in at all.... As for the meeting, we talked about what the church has been doing and they would love for me to be a part of their services. Though i feel like it's more like a "just be there at church and be involved" sort of thing which was not at all what I expected...(I could just do that at home) But needless to say, my weekends will be a bit busy... As for the weekdays... i have nothing, which is killing me right now..(i have a prayer about it, which I'll list below) Meanwhile I've found out that this apartment complex has a lot of stuff downstairs...including a mini-mart, pool, games, and a small gym; which will accommodate me for the time being since I'm basicaly bored and freezing in my room... so if I come back and I'm buff... don't be surprised (/sarcasm). Finally going to church by myself tomorrow and not have someone trailing me to see if I get lost... I definitely miss the independence where I can do and go wherever.. As for pictures.. I really don't know how much I'll post to be honest... If you're in my shoes, you'll know that I've been here before, and nothing really comes out at me like "oooooo ahhhh gotta take a picture of that" ... plus it makes me look like a tourist which I'm definitely not... but I'll still try to get some that may be entertaining.... Chinese New Year especially since it's coming up in less than 2 weeks...
Back to the prayer request... One of my mom's friends called me the other day after she found out that I'm going the be totally free during the weekdays... She said that there is a sort of an after-school program at the church (different one) and asked if I would like to teach ESL there for some of the kids (english as a second language).. Of course I said yes, and that I don't mind the age groups since I've worked, taught, played, etc. with kids of all ages.. She said she'll ask the person in charge if it was okay and will get back to me as soon as she can... So pray that this goes through... quickly if possible... Y'all know me and I'm a "cup half empty" sort of guy and isn't extremely confident that this will happen... But this is what I always felt like I was called to do here during the trip (not just to attend church).. Anyways.. prayers help.. Thanks!
Till Next Time
Back to the prayer request... One of my mom's friends called me the other day after she found out that I'm going the be totally free during the weekdays... She said that there is a sort of an after-school program at the church (different one) and asked if I would like to teach ESL there for some of the kids (english as a second language).. Of course I said yes, and that I don't mind the age groups since I've worked, taught, played, etc. with kids of all ages.. She said she'll ask the person in charge if it was okay and will get back to me as soon as she can... So pray that this goes through... quickly if possible... Y'all know me and I'm a "cup half empty" sort of guy and isn't extremely confident that this will happen... But this is what I always felt like I was called to do here during the trip (not just to attend church).. Anyways.. prayers help.. Thanks!
Till Next Time
Monday, January 17, 2011
Going Out!
Not much has been going on. Went to church on Sunday where I became somewhat a celebrity (to my dismay). Reason being was because this was the church that most of my family went to. It was also the church that my parents grew up in, so seeing me there at the age of 23 (and not 12) was a pleasant surprise to most of the people there. Everyone remembered what I looked like as a kid, but not as an adult since it's been almost a decade since I've been at church (not Taiwan itself. For some reason, I wasn't able to go to church the last time I went to Taiwan)
Monday was disappointing, I called the pastor in the morning to schedule a meeting and while he got my call and said he would call me back, he never did... So I basically sat around the house doing nothing except reading, watching TV and being cold.
Tuesday (which would be today) I decided to call him back and got a straight answer this time. Meeting at the church at around 2:30, but also meeting my cousin's brother-in-law first since my cousin first asked him and then asked the pastor if there was any opportunities to do missions for me which then got relayed back to me by my cousin (*whew, that sounded simpler in my head).
Anyways, pray that the meeting will go well and that I'd be assigned to something that uses my ability to the best extent.
Till Next Time!
PS. It's about 60 degrees here....
Monday was disappointing, I called the pastor in the morning to schedule a meeting and while he got my call and said he would call me back, he never did... So I basically sat around the house doing nothing except reading, watching TV and being cold.
Tuesday (which would be today) I decided to call him back and got a straight answer this time. Meeting at the church at around 2:30, but also meeting my cousin's brother-in-law first since my cousin first asked him and then asked the pastor if there was any opportunities to do missions for me which then got relayed back to me by my cousin (*whew, that sounded simpler in my head).
Anyways, pray that the meeting will go well and that I'd be assigned to something that uses my ability to the best extent.
Till Next Time!
PS. It's about 60 degrees here....
Friday, January 14, 2011
I've arrived!
After about 20 hrs on the plane and around 5 hours of layover overall...I've arrived in Taiwan. I'm staying at my 3rd uncle's house and being very spoiled at the moment.While I expect great works from God, I also should be weary that the devil will throw everything and the kitchen sinks at me. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do yet, but I will meet with the pastor the next few days to see what assignments he has for me.
But for now, I'll try to keep up with this blog and post pictures of things. Remember that everything is 13 hrs ahead here (thought it was 12 but i forgot that Taiwan doesn't have daylight savings time), so if you send something in the afternoon, I'll be sleeping... As for sleeping, I slept well last night because I refuse to believe in jetlag (am I turning into a Christian Scientist?) But the key is to pace yourself on naps on the plane so you don't mess up your sleep schedule. Plus, the guy beside me on the 3 hr trip from Tokyo to Taiwan was snoring up a storm and was chocking like he was dying. Needless to say when I arrived, I was pretty tired.
Till next time!
But for now, I'll try to keep up with this blog and post pictures of things. Remember that everything is 13 hrs ahead here (thought it was 12 but i forgot that Taiwan doesn't have daylight savings time), so if you send something in the afternoon, I'll be sleeping... As for sleeping, I slept well last night because I refuse to believe in jetlag (am I turning into a Christian Scientist?) But the key is to pace yourself on naps on the plane so you don't mess up your sleep schedule. Plus, the guy beside me on the 3 hr trip from Tokyo to Taiwan was snoring up a storm and was chocking like he was dying. Needless to say when I arrived, I was pretty tired.
Till next time!
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