Saturday was busy and sweaty to say the least. The thermometer was steady at 100 degrees with nearly 100 percent humidity and it felt like we added a new layer of skin every time we walked outside. Good news is that it is supposed to be like that all week so I guess we need to "buck up camper."
Orientation went well and we had a chance to meet some of the other staff we will be working with. All of them came a great distance too, but there are groups of people from Ohio, Virginia, and Missouri most from college campus ministries. 5 Taiwanese translators are part of the team and they will be on campus to help in some of the groups and to make sure we don’t accidently say something stupid. I told them they have a bit challenge with me. Finally, there are 6 other missionary families on island that will round out the team. Their time in Taiwan ranges from 2 years to over 14 years and you usually can tell duration on island with the ease at which their Chinese flows in conversation.
The Parkview reach even stretches into Asia we found too. One of the missionary’s wives was in the youth group of Tim and Denise in St. Louis long before Parkview even existed. I tried to encourage her to continue going to therapy. :) She spoke very highly of them and applauded them for their efforts with that small youth group. I would hate to leave out that she was also holding a small Taiwanese baby in her arms that her and her husband fosters. Looks like Tim turned out a good one!
Another missionary we met named John Dunn is supported by Bill Brown’s old church, aptly named Parkview, and he had done a missions trip with Bill near Taipei years back. We had a great talk with them over a traditional Taiwanese breakfast which was basically a breakfast pancake. John and his wife Cheryl have been on island for over 11 years and have successfully planted one church and are working on their second! They all were thrilled to have us here, but it always feels good to have some Parkview connections for some reason.
As I type this, it is 7 am here and in less than 8 hours this campus will be buzzing with over 125 kids. Less than 30% of them will be Christians with the remainder following a variety of other false religions. Our hope is that we will be able to somehow through Sports, English, Messages, and through our lives being lived out in front of them to make Jesus known to them.
I refuse to let any jet lag, culture stress, humidity, banana spiders, language barrier, grungy showers or any other weak obstacle Satan may throw at me to keep me from telling these kids how much God loves them. My hope rests not in my words but in the strength found in the Creator of the Universe.
“May those who hope in You not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel…But I pray, O Lord, in the time of your favor; in you great love, O God, answer me with you sure salvation.” – Psalm 69:6, 13
So as we all make final preparations for the storm to arrive here at camp, I know that God is starting to brew something in these kids. I pray that God is stirring in them a desire for something different in this life and that they will see the longing He has to introduce Himself to them for eternity. In some weird way, I and the other team members have the privilege of being part of that introduction.
Pray we make a good first impression.
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