Probably the strangest thing about being back here is that it doesn't feel weird at all. I kept waiting for the realization to "hit," and it hasn't. It feels very normal to be on the metro, eating Taiwanese food and speaking Mandarin to people at church, etc. "You finally made it back, welcome" is the greeting I have been getting. I like to call Taiwan my second home, and it really does feel like that in many ways.
That's not to say that I haven't been working hard on the adjustment process. Working more in Chinese than in English for more than just a day or two is new, though I'm grateful for the ability to do it at all. On a different level, suddenly losing at least 1/3 of my daily calorie intake (Not for lack of people feeding me! The food just has fewer calories) and 2/3 of my caffeine intake (voluntarily, trying to kick my coffee sort-of-addiction) has thrown a few headaches my way as well, but as they say, pain is weakness leaving the body (unless you really broke something, then you might want to see a doctor). I also have 6 flights of stairs with no elevator to the place I'm staying, so I suspect I will quickly lose all the extra fat that people at church today pointed out I had gained while living in America. (It's a Chinese culture thing, pointing out the obvious about your appearance, whether positive or negative. Personally I consider it motivational, but I also advised my friends to never do this to any girls who visit Taiwan)
Anyway, on to the fun stuff. My first week in Taiwan (not exactly in order):
1. Moving in
Got settled in to my semi-temporary living quarters (a little apartment upstairs from the Taiwanese couple I'm working with)
2. Just Got Here Stuff
Picked up a metro card and acquired a Taiwan cellphone and local number.
 |
| Your transportation pass to the greater Taipei area... |
3. Picked a Chinese name to use long-term.
Like most Chinese names in Taiwan it's three characters long. The family name character (which comes first) sounds a little like my English family name, and the two other characters are each 1/2 of the words "world" and "victorious return," symbolizing Christ's victorious return to this earth at the end of this age. The middle character has extra meaning to me personally, in that the top part is the symbol for "field" and the bottom part looks like an arrow pointing up into it, an invitation to enter the field and join the harvest (a la Matthew 9). (If you're reading this and are connected with me on Facebook, my Chinese name is listed along with my English name now, so you can see it there)
4. Legal Stuff
Got pictures made and received documents necessary for applying for my alien residence card permit (Doing that tomorrow, Lord willing)
5. Meetings
Met with two of TEAM's senior missionaries (meaning that they've been here a long time, not that they're old~) in Taiwan, both of whom I've known for years. We're all excited about the possibilities of the church in Taiwan in the next decade; there's a strong sense that an era of mission in Taiwan (for TEAM at least) has ended and a new one is beginning, and it's one in which we might see God do more than has happened in Taiwan for many years, not only through TEAM but in all of the body of Christ in Taiwan.
6. Ministry
On Monday I attended a weekly prayer group with some Taiwanese brothers and sisters who have been faithfully praying for this area and the church plant for years.
Tuesday I met with one of the senior missionaries here for lunch, then that evening with some other missionaries that are part of our church-plant team. This is a cross-organizational, cross-cultural group of people, and I imagine we'll see many more like it around Taiwan as old barriers break down.
(Wednesday is kind of blurry, I'm pretty sure I did something important but that was around the time the jetlag was wearing off.)
Thursday we went to a local elementary school where my Taiwanese coworkers have been teaching English classes on a volunteer basis as an outreach method to both the kids and their parents, as well as other people at the school; as a native English speaker I'll be assisting with those classes as well.
 |
| Tues: Last week was the explanation of the Christmas story, this week they learned to do Joy to the World on handbells |
Friday I met with another senior missionary, and later that day is when we went through the moderately lengthy and signature-heavy process involving my passport and another US ID that is apparently necessary for a foreigner to get his own phone number here.
Saturday the weather was especially bad (chilly, raw, and raining) so I mostly spent it downstairs with the Taiwanese family I'm working with, as my own apartment is a bit drafty.
It's been damp, cloudy, and cold since I got here, and I haven't seen the sun or my greatly-missed Taiwan blue sky since I arrived. That's pretty common for winter in northern Taiwan, where there is also no central heating, so we hunker down and drink hot beverages and soup and carry umbrellas around as a rule. It doesn't get below about 48F here as a rule, but 48F with 85% humidity, rain, and a cold wind can feel quite cold. I'll miss it in about 6 months when it's 92F with 85% humidity (and no central AC either)...
However- gloomy, SADS-inducing weather can't get me down when we had 3 baptisms during the Christmas morning service at church this Sunday! 3 baptisms in a small church in Taiwan is a significant event. I didn't know the people who were baptized this time, but I was there 5 years ago when the guy in the middle of that first picture below got baptized. Praise God for His work.
 |
| About to be baptized |
 |
| The church decorated for Christmas, with choir |
Stay tuned for news from our outreach Christmas party on Tuesday, in which we try to fit about 30 people into a small apartment...
No comments:
Post a Comment