Just One Friend
Ayush came to Mass that evening. He watched everything I was doing with an attentive eye. He wanted to worship in the right ways, to give glory to the King of kings. Even if his understanding was just beginning, Ayush could sense that he was a part of something more, something great. He was sitting only a few feet from the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Contagious Joy
On July 22nd, the mission trip of six adults left after being with us for nearly two weeks. The time we spent with them was very busy as well as very blessed. On the third day of the trip, Mallory, my dad, and I left with the mission trip and some of our host family to travel to a small village about 4 hours of mixed travel (plane and bus rides) away. Life there was simple but beautiful.
Doktors in Taiwan
The first night was interesting for sure. The nights still got down to the 40s and, without heat, we were a little chilly. There were a bunch of noises, too, to feed our imaginations: some weird squealing (which we think now is a nighthawk), a rooster who must be jet lagged too as he started at 2am, and then stray dogs barking for what seemed like hours at a time. We were rattled by the initial shock of being in such a different place. The next morning, the reading was from Mark 4 where Jesus calmed the storm and I felt like the Lord was speaking to me when he said, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4:40)
Encountering Truth
The other day a man showed up at the gate of our home. He had seen a poster which I had made advertising a praise and worship night we will host at the church. Our new friend, an atheist who works as a fortune teller in a temple, extended an invitation to Rebekah and I to join his language exchange group, saying that we could come “teach them about Jesus.”
The Church Is Poor In Taiwan
Christianity is a simple and common concept in the United States, but I am learning that is not so in Taiwan. We are learning about the gods and ancestors that a majority of the Taiwanese people worship; about the ideals of wealth, power, success, superstition, and education that govern the people’s lives.
Love Over Fear
I am ready to move to Taiwan. I’m ready to love, and serve, and bring the amazing gift of Jesus Christ to my brothers and sisters there. No matter what the future holds, I’m confident in the love of Christ. I’m confident in His goodness. I’m confident that only with God as the center of my life is all this possible.
How To Love When You’d Rather Yell
“STOP pushing the desk! How many times have I told you the SAME thing! Sit up straight and don’t lean against the table!” The plump, untidy little six-year-old gave me a shame-faced grin as she did every single time I corrected her which was probably every other minute of the thirty minutes I sat with her.
Update: Team Peru and the Mudslide
It has been three weeks since the awful disaster of mudslides and flooding that struck Tres Unidos and Shamboyacu. These have been weeks of hard work and more rain has fallen on already beaten down communities.
The first few days following November 2nd were long and exhausting. Taylor left early every morning and returned home after dark each evening. His goal each day was to bring hope to the people who had lost everything. He did this by bringing the love of Christ with him. He took the time to listen teach person’s story and prayed with them. He also brought in things that were desperately needed: water, food, clothes, and even a tent for a family who lost their home.
Avoiding Eye Contact & Other Ways to Kill Your Soul
Are you a good person? Yeah, me too. I’m basically a good person. Aren’t we all? Most people think of themselves as good, their particular sins somewhat excusable and insignificant, while everyone else’s are shocking and reprehensible. But in my walk with Christ, I have learned a life-changing truth…
Wan Fu Maliya
“Wan fu Maliya…” I tried my best to follow along with the rosary, but the prayers in this foreign Asian language were twisting and tangling in my mouth. Moving the beads in my hands, I looked at the faces of the people following us with their eyes. Our group was not something seen in this big Asian city every day: priests,…
They Will Know
There is a certain market in Taiwan that is my stomping ground, a place that has unintentionally turned into a ministry that I truly love! I go there about three to five times a week to get the best deals on fruits and vegetables as well as see the adorable vendors. Being the only foreigner, many ask what I am doing here…
Unintended Consequences
“Consider, brothers, how you were called; not many of you are wise by human standards, not many influential, not many from noble families. No, God chose those who by human standards are fools to shame the wise; he chose those who by human standards are weak to shame the strong, those who by human standards are common and contemptible –…
