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February 2000
Ping An! (Peace!}
Yen Hee and I finished two years of language study (Mandarin)
and then six months ago we came to Hualien to do ministry with
two aboriginal peoples, the Ami and the Taroko. I am doing college
ministry and helping in their church growth and Yen Lee, a nurse,
works in a Christian hospital in Hualien doing community health
service for the mountain people.
In this our first of what we hope will be regular newsletters
to you, we'd like to share a little about our backgrounds and
part of our annual report from 1999.
Prior to our assignment in Taiwan with the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.), we were appointed at the request of the Presbyterian
Church of Korea to serve on the medical ship "Salvation."
I was a director of the mission and Yen Lee served as a charge
nurse in the Island Medical Mission. Covering more than 500 small
islands, we helped them medically and spread good news to them.
We served for six years. I have a lot of stories on this mission,
but I could not write them down all. Prior to our assignment in
Korea, I served as an associate pastor of the Hanmee Korean Church
for four years in Itasca, Illinois. I earned my undergraduate
degree from Indiana University, majoring in health science, and
then worked for Indiana University Hospital for seven years as
a therapist. Yen Hee worked as a registered nurse for 15 years
in the States. We do not have our own children, but have lots
of God's children. We are very thankful and grateful that we are
a part of PC(USA)'s Worldwide Ministries Division, which supports
us. With our limitations we are very happy to serve the mountain
people. Continually pray for us so that God's grace is always
upon us, Then, we can obey Jesus Christ's command to be His witnesses
to the ends of the earth.
Annual Mission Report (1999)
At 1:47 a.m. on September 21, 1999, an earthquake registering
7.3 on the Richter scale struck Taiwan, killing 2,400 persons
and injuring 8,300. The damage was severe: 17,000 housing units
were destroyed and 100,000 persons were rendered homeless in less
than 30 seconds. Landslides cut off the mountain roads and tunnels
that are the village's lifeline to markets, devastating livelihoods
in an area where incomes rarely top NT$6,250—less than half
Taiwan's average.
"Piles of eggplants slowly turn black as they rot in the
sun in this mountain village that was cut off from the rest of
Taiwan by last month's earthquake." One of my Bible Study
students told me the story. It hurt me when I heard it. All I
can do for him is to comfort him with the word of God and pray
for his family and him. Taiwan has ten aboriginal peoples, about
100,000 in all, or 2 percent of Taiwan's population. Claiming
that relief policies discriminate against them, 400 aborigines
traveled to Taipei last week and protested at the Chiang Kai-shek
Memorial Hall. The aborigines' lack of political influence and
special legal status as tribal people makes recovery harder for
them.
The other problem is psychological and spiritual. For example,
at the relief camp in Tungshih, where a long line formed for a
free evening meal, a lone woman felt terrible eating a handout.
Tears started to come out from the corners of her eyes as she
was saying, "My husband, my children, my grandchildren were
killed in the quake." She has lost her basic trust in everything.
Those who have lost loved ones have guilt feelings about surviving.
It is going to be a long process to help them. Please pray for
the earthquake victims.
We have never experienced an earthquake before, and there were
more than 10,000 aftershocks, which made us uncomfortable. Yen
Hee could not sleep well several days after the earthquake. On
the day of the earthquake, we jumped out of bed and didn't know
what to do. Yen Hee held my leg, and I told her to hold "not
my leg but God's leg." Through this experience we reaffirm
that God is owner of all things.
The other frustrating matter is language. After two years of
learning Mandarin, Taiwan's official language, we moved to Hualien.
The first Sunday we attended a worship service of the Ami, but
we could not understand a word because they used their mother
tongue, Ami. We had thought they were bilingual, but apparently
each tribe is now trying to save their culture and language in
an attempt to maintain their ethnic identity. Therefore, in the
church they have written the Bible and hymnal in a language we
cannot understand. So Yen Hee and I go to school to learn the
Ami language once a week. How about the language of the Taroko?
We think we have to learn one language at a time till the Second
Coming.
On Saturday September 11, 1999, we began our mission in Hualien.
Fifteen Ami and Taroko ministers came to our mission center for
the opening ceremony. The general secretary, Rev Ro, preached,
and Ami choir members came to praise God. The center is used for
college ministry, as a lodge for ministers from the mountains
to stay in overnight, and as a short-term mission house. We thanked
God for His providence. On October 1, 1999, we began a Bible study
class in the center, using Mandarin. We have prayed a lot because
it is very challenging for Choon. Now he has three Bible study
groups: one each from the Buddhist Nursing College, the teacher's
college, and Yusan College.
Soon after that, and for the first time in his life, Choon preached
in Mandarin. Yen Hee told him that the color of his face was whiter
than snow. On this month Yen Hee began to work with a community
health program of the Mennonite hospital. One day she goes to
a Taroko village and the other day to an Ami village.
With limited talents, we try to serve the tribe people as much
as we can. Only with God's grace we can overcome all the barriers.
Thanks for your prayers and support.
Choon and Yen Hee Lim
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