On Housing...

The house I live in is really nice, and I do enjoy living here. It is called the Hansen Manor, named after the missionary family that had lived in it up until this spring. He is an Iowa native and ISU alum, so the house is staying in good hands.



I have my own room, and we have stove, TV, microwave, toaster oven (always reminds me of Tom), laundry, a full bathroom, and a half bathroom. It is in a wooded part of campus, and very close to the basketball courts. I am most happy about this. Playing basketball has been a great opportunity for me to meet students.

While my room is not huge, it has all that I need and more. I have a desk, dresser, air conditioner, clothes basket, Iowa Hawkeye football poster, and even my “Play Like a Champion Today” print-out to slap each day as a leave. I hope to add some more decorations to my walls, as they are still a little plain.

And now about the bed. It is a single bed, so nothing that I am not used to, however beds are a little different here. To put it frankly, it is hard as a rock. They are very common in this part of the world.



After waking up the first 3 or 4 days I was extremely sore, to the point that I really had no desire to lay in bed any longer. However, my back is now used to sleeping on this type of mattress, and I feel fine waking up in the morning. I was also informed that this is better for the back than the soft beds that are found in the States. So all is well now. And when I do eventually come home, I might just prefer the floor!

Safe Arrival

Hey everybody! Just wanted to update from Taiawan. Me and the rest of the group made it over safely. Thank you all for your prayers as we traveled. The last couple of days have been spent recovering from jet lag, and getting famaliar with the surroudings. The first two nights I woke up in the middle of the night, and then for good at 6 am, because my body told me I should not be sleeping. Today however, I slept until my alarm went off at 8 am. I was never so happy to hear my alarm. It meant I slept through the entire night, and am getting more adjusted to the time change.

We took a bike tour of the city today. On the tour we saw an enormous Taoist temple. The temple was ornate, and interesting to view. At the same time it reminded me of all the work that needs to be done to further the Kingdom in Taiwan. I look forward to seeing how God will work throughout the coming year.



On a practical note, right now my computer access is not as good as I envisioned it to be. This will change in the coming weeks, but my apologies if my blogsite and communication is a little lacking in the mean time.

Prayer requests for the coming days.

Pray that God would prepare hearts and minds of people I will be witnessing to in the coming weeks and months.

Pray that the me and the other eight new missionaries would get over our jet lag and become accustomed to our new home.

It Starts...

Well here I sit, the evening before I leave. Today was a really good day. Trinity Lutheran in Des Moines had a commissioning service for me this morning. It went really well, and was emotional. My dad commissioned me, and the vicars and leaders of the congregation laid their hands on me. I went back to my seat to give my crying mother a hug as we sang the closing hymn “Go My Children, With My Blessing.” My older sister was there, and my grandparents were there as well. Words really can’t describe how wonderful it is to have such amazing support from family and friends, both in church this morning and throughout the country.

I am a bundle of emotions right now. Excited, nervous, sad, and happy. I just finished playing cards with my parents, sister and grandparents. My team cleaned up in both Pinochole and Hand and Foot, so I guess I am going out on top, ha! The laughter and joy as we played cards one last time before I leave was truly a blessing.

Next time I write will be from Taiwan. I do not know what the future will bring, but I do trust the Lord will be guiding me. I can feel the Lord as He has shaped my ways to get me to this point. So much of my life I wondered and worried about what I was going to do with my life and career…always questioning what I was doing. But as I sit here pondering the future and remembering the past, I can feel God calling me to this mission.

I ask you all to pray for the safety of me, my fellow missionaries to Taiwan, and all other missionaries embarking tomorrow and this week. Pray also that we could adjust to the cultures we will soon be immersed in, and pray for our friends and families that we leave behind. For all of you departing soon, you have my prayers.

Now I would like to leave you with the following words. They are from a song on a CD that was sent to me for encouragement during my final days of preparation (again, thank you Anna). It really became a theme song for me in the past week, and I want to share it with all of you.

A Servant’s Prayer

Christ before me to guide me on the way,
Christ beside me so I am not alone,
Christ within me to give me words to say,
Christ behind me to bring the harvest home.

May each word from my lips be a song of good news.
Every touch of my hand be a gift of grace.
Every beat of my heart be a prayer to you.
And the sum of my days be a life of praise.

The Road to Taiwan

I like driving. I might not be the best at it, or the most focused, but I do enjoy it. I like long trips. When these trips are by myself, I love to listen to the latest CD I bought and the ones I have not listened to in a long time. Driving on the Interstate I can sing with the music, or spend time in reflection. I did both today.

My return this weekend was from the Twin Cities to say good-bye to my family and a friend that lives up there. While it was a 24-hour trip, I had a relaxing and enjoyable experience while I was up there. In the space between eating, laughing, playing games, and saying good-bye, I was driving.

I did spend some of this time singing the lyrics to some of my favorites songs (your eardrums can be thankful you were not in the car with me, ha!), and I did stop to eat at a Green Mill that was in Albert Lee, MN (some of you can appreciate that from our orientation in June), but I also spent a good deal of time in thought.

I realized that this is it…I am truly on the road to Taiwan. I understand that God probably had me heading down this path long ago, but right now I see it in a very practical sense. I have been with some of my friends and family for the last time before I leave. I realize that I really should be home more so I can start to pack (5 years of college did teach me a little procrastination, ha!). The realization that it’s time for the rubber to hit the road brought a lot of questioning in my mind.

Will I be able to pack everything and see all of my friends before NEXT MONDAY? Can I really adjust to such a different culture? Will I be able to survive my first year in a high school classroom, especially outside of the subject area I had training in? Am I spiritual, physically, mentally, and emotionally ready for this journey? As I drove down I-35, the answer was no! But I have week to fix the practical sides of this, and have a lot of trust that my boss, the Lord Jesus, will help with the rest. He will carry me not only as I prepare, but also throughout the coming year.

Lord, be with me as I prepare to serve you overseas. In Jesus name, Amen!

Prayer requests:
-For strength, confidence, and God’s comfort for me and other missionaries as we prepare to leave. Also comfort for the friends and family we leave behind.

-That, if it is God’s will, Kevin Foley would be able to leave for Taiwan with us on August 15th.

Interaction:
What is a trip you have taken that you really enjoyed and why?

Welcome!

Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ. While I have posted a couple of times before, this is post will start my regular upkeep of this website. So welcome to “Live Like A Champion Today!” I will use this website as a means of conveying information about my mission work in Taiwan and my experiences throughout this next year. It will be a supplement to my newsletters and emails. Think of this as an online journal of my experiences, which will showcase my thoughts and feelings as I live and work in another country.

This journal will focus on the spiritual, physical, emotional, and practical aspects of my journey. Above all, my hope and prayer is that this will be an INTERACTIVE website. I would like to use this as a means to communicate and grow in relationships with people who stop at this site. Please feel free to comment or ask questions at anytime. I will either answer questions within the comments section of each post, or I will answer them in the next journal entry. In order to post, you do need to register at the site. Just pick a screen name and password, and enter this when you post. There is no cost to do this, and if you have any questions about it please email me at mark.wolfram@lcms.org.

So here are my thoughts for today:

Camp was an awesome experience as usual. The thing I love most about camp is that it is an escape from the rest of the world. Being up there for one week, I never left the grounds. The most important things were the kids in my cabin and the other kids at camp. We had fun together playing games, sports, crafts, and learning about God’s love and his mission for us. The theme this year was Spy Cubs, and we were all secret agents working for the Cheif. This year was especially joyous as I got to share with my campers about my upcoming mission to Taiwan.

I returned home to Des Moines yesterday, and was exhausted. Today I met with Rev. Stephen Oliver, who is serving at China Lutheran Seminary at Hsinchu, Taiwan. I had a chance to hear him preach and then enjoyed lunch with him. It was a blessing to meet him and hear about his ministry. Through all of these experiences this past week, God stirred up excitement in me. The departure seems really close and I eagerly await the chance to go over to Taiwan and witness Christ’s love.

Prayer requests for the coming days:

Thanksgiving that God has provided friends and family to fund and pray for me throughout this coming year.

Interaction:

Describe something that you are thankful for today.

Leaving for camp!

I have to post once more before I take off. I am on my way to camp for a week of camp counseling. After listening to Anne's blog, I look forward to similar stories of screaming kids. Oh well, I love it up there! Okoboji is such a fun time in the summer. Sorry this is going to be short, but my mother is in my ear about the fact that we have to leave ASAP! I do love her, but right now I think her urgency is comical. I'll be back in one week, and will have this thing going on a regular basis. Possibly I can get some pictures on the site as well. Alright, I need to go. Take it easy.

Really up and running

Alright, I think I have figured some of this stuff out now. So while I had the site up before, now I want to actually use it. Thoughts from today:

I went and visited the elementary kids I used to work with in Nevada, Iowa. It was truly a blessing to see them, and was reminded of why I love working with children and being a teacher. It sure beats the monotony of McDonald's. I have only one week of that left, and then will be taking a week to camp counsel at Camp Okoboji. I am so excited about going back to camp this summer.

That's all for now. Take it easy!

Up and Running

Wow, I actually got this set up. I am just writing this post to see if it will actually work. Nothing flashy, but I have to go to work soon anyhow.