Greetings! My team and I have been in Taiwan for about 2 weeks now. We just moved locations from Taipei to a small city on the east coast called Toucheng. Here are some pictures of my time in Japan as well as my time in Taiwan. Love you guys.
This is my team! From right to left it is Molly, Meg, Aaron, Brandon, myself, and Jenny. This is at Shibuya crossing (think Times square) in our 24 hour period spent in Tokyo before we flew out to Taiwan.
Here is a photo of our entire squad (plus others) in Ishinomaki, Japan after a concert we put on in an outdoor market. The set list consisted of worship songs, testimonies, John Denver’s Country Roads (in both English and Japanese), the YMCA, Tennessee Waltz, and more. Interestingly enough the Tennessee Waltz and the YMCA are wildly popular in Japan.
This is Misako Kannon. She was one of the women I got to help teach English to on a daily basis. She was very musically inclined, and upon hearing that I knew how to play the violin she wanted me to teach her how to accompany her in the singing of the Tennessee Waltz.
This is a view from a hike we did on a day of Sabbath over an area outside Onagawa. This area was greatly affected by the Tsunami years ago and is still recovering.
This is from our visit to Sensoji Temple in Tokyo. Though founded in 645 AD, the temple still acts as a place of worship for the public for hundreds of years. In our time spent there we saw many Buddhists offering food, money, and incense to their ancestors and for purposes of prosperity.
Another picture from our hike around Onagawa. Joe(second from the left) is an American believer working as a teacher outside Ishinomaki. He has a resounding story of redemption and lives out his faith in a way to be desired by others.
Another picture from Sensoji Temple.
This is Ayumi Tanaka. We met as mutual friends through my girlfriend, Lauren. She hosted Brandon and myself the night we were in Tokyo. She is an embodiment of kindness and cheer. Her spirit of joy was undeniable from the moment we met her. Very much looking forward to seeing her again, but next time in the States!
This is the first picture from Taipei, Taiwan. We spent the first week in Taipei debriefing with our mentor and coaches who flew in form the States, going over our ministry in Japan, what we did well, and what we can do better going forward. We spent much of the time in prayer and worship as well. We also went out into the city as much as we could to build relationships with locals and share the Gospel as we felt led. Taipei is such a dynamic city of ancient temples (as seen here), modern architecture, and beautiful lush jungles. This picture here is a Confucian temple that I ran to one morning.
Mural from the Confucian temple.
One day our squad went out to hike Elephant Mountain and spend some time in worship at the top. This is the view of the Taipei from the top. It was an incredible experience of getting to meet locals and foreigners alike and share our mission, why we chose Taiwan, what we were doing, and ultimately share the gospel of Christ with many of them. People in Taiwan are incredibly open and eager to know more about having a relationship with Jesus, which is contrary to so many Buddhist teachings. The idea of a relationship with the Lord creates such wonder and excitement in the people here.
These legends here are the men we would work out with most mornings in Taipei. Across from where we were living was a state park made up of a trail system that winded up and around the lush mountains. On the first day we stumbled upon these men working out in an outdoor weight area (circa 1930) and decided to meet up with them on most days. We were able to share tea, local fruit, and wholesome conversation.
This is a group met met while hiking in the mountains across from where we were living. It was a family gathering for Chinese New Year and we got to spend the time with them singing Karaoke, eating local foods, celebrating the holiday. Just another example of the kindness and openness of the Taiwanese people.
This is from the same place as the weight area. Locals were ultra friendly and the invite for food and drink was never far away. A space was always created for Holy Spirit to come in and lead our conversation to religion and the reasons we came into Taiwan.
Wonderful woman I visited everyday that worked in the market outside of our hostel in Taipei. She spoke very little English but through google translate I was able to get to know her more and more each day. By the end of our time in Taipei I was able to pray over her and her family as well as for healing for her back.
This is the view of Liberty Square in Taipei from the vantage point of the Chaing Kai-Shek memorial.
This picture is from the city of Shifen. Shifen is a mining town stuck between mountains east of Taipei. Through an elaborate train system, eventually leading to riding an old mining train, we were able to visit Shifen during an off day an make a hike to a famous waterfall in the area (sorry forgot to take pictures of the waterfall).
This is a picture of the coast in Toucheng located a few hours east of Taipei. We arrived here two days ago and will be working with a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base located in the city. The base operates to serve locals in many different facets including surfing lessons and ministry, middle and highschool programs, work in retirement homes, and much more. We are looking forward to spending the next few weeks here and diving head first into building relationships with locals and serving in the area.
