Busy Week

Since the last time I blogged, I have been extremely busy. We all survived the typhoon, and there was not any major damage to campus, just some trees and wires that fell down. It did make for a fun first day of teacher meetings, as we helped pick up debris on campus. Also, there was a second typhoon on its way, but it ended up going North toward Japan.

Last Friday we started our Friday Night Bible Studies at Salvation Lutheran Church. This was a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel with students and young adults. Some were Christian, and others were coming because they were interested. Either way, the Lord was there working, and we all had a good time in the process. I will give you a more detailed post on Friday night Bible Study after I have been there a couple of more times. It was most definitely the highlight of my week.

This Monday, I began to teach. I have about 200 students, in 13 different sections. Needless to say, going over the rules that many times can get a little redundant. It has been a true joy and blessing to meet my students, and now I look forward to beginning their instruction. I know there will be many joys and also many challenges this coming year.

To close, I want to leave you with a story that is the highlight of this week.

After class on Tuesday, I was approached by a student with some general English questions. He wondered if I would help him with various words and phrases. I said that I would be happy to, and that we could go back to the English office right after class (it was the period before the hour of lunch/break that the students have everyday).

When we got to the English office, he asked me a couple of questions about some sentences he had written. Judging by his questions I could tell he was very intelligent (one of his questions involved the difference between "colossal" and "gargantuan"). After answering some questions, he said that sometimes he would want to just practice talking.

He looked at me (I could tell he was thinking), and he asked me if I wanted to "Shoot Breeze".

I had a big smile on my face and told him that I would love to shoot the breeze with him. So he asked me why I came to Taiwan, and this was a great chance to witness. Next he asked me what I knew about Taiwan's history. I said not much, and he began to explain a little.

Before long, lunch was over and he had to go. But he was very excited at the opportunity of talking to me some more in the future.

So tomorrow, I am going to shoot the breeze with Rick during lunch. I look forward to building that relationship throughout the year.

Prayer requests:

That God would provide opportunities for me and all of the missionaries here to build strong relationships, and use these as a means to share the Gospel.

Pray that God would bless our Friday Night Bible Study time, and that the Holy Spirit would open the hearts and minds of the students who attend.

Pray for wisdom, energy, and guidance as we are now in the full swing of teaching.


New Pictures:

There are some typhoon pictures (courtesy of James).