Easter 2000

Easter greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!

As we celebrate Easter in Taiwan, people celebrate the making of history, a new government, and a new president. The KMT’s (incumbent party) 54-year grip on power has finally been broken. Chen Shru-bian was elected president. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT) has publicly supported Chen Shui-bian. Therefore, they are thankful to God for answering their prayers. Here is a brief history of Taiwan so that you may share their joy on the rebirth of their country as a functioning democracy.

Taiwan was for centuries known in the West as "Formosa," the name given it by Portuguese explorers in the sixteenth century. The island’s original inhabitants were racially and linguistically related to today’s Indonesians. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Chinese fishermen and farmers gradually began to settle along Taiwan’s coastal areas. Holland took control of the island in 1624 and established an administrative structure. In 1683, Taiwan came under the umbrella of Chinese imperial rule, but it was mostly left to its own devices. Only in 1886 did China declare Taiwan a province and begin to pay attention to the island. Soon afterward, in 1895, Japan defeated China, seized Taiwan and ruled the country as a colony until 1945. The only time in the 20th century that China ruled Taiwan was from 1945, when Japan gave up the island in the aftermath of World War II, to 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek’s KNIT army was defeated by the Communists and fled to Taiwan. The KNIT ruled Taiwan until March 18, 2000, when the KNIT was defeated by DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) in presidential elections.

Eight months ago Yen Hee and I finished our study of Mandarin and came here to Hualien, where the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan has asked me to start a new project, the Aboriginal College Ministry. There are ten tribes or indigenous peoples in Taiwan. All the other cities have college student ministries but there are none here even though the two universities and five junior colleges have many students. According to Taiwan church history, in 1950 missionaries from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.) ("southern stream") started campus ministry in Taiwan.

This February, I formed the Aboriginal College Student Ministry Committee with the assistance of the General Assembly of the PCT. Thirteen aboriginal ministers came and talked about how to organize the program. They were very supportive and willing to work with me. Now Teacher’s College students come on Saturdays and Buddhist Nursing College students come on Fridays to our Mission Center. On Mondays I go to Yusan Theological Seminary to teach the Bible.

On Sundays Yen Hee and I visit mountain churches. Usually, we just introduce ourselves and say what we do. But last month I preached four times at the Ami and Taroko clan churches. Of course, I used Mandarin and had to have an interpreter because I cannot speak their mother tongue. If we have an American guest, we have to use two translators for preaching. The most difficult issue is language: One or two languages are not enough to communicate with others. But all the college students can speak and understand Mandarin. Thank God!

Next week we will have a retreat for three nights and four days for Taroko college students. We are doing it during their spring break. Please continually pray for the language problem. Yen Mee, who is a registered nurse, enjoys her job doing a mobile clinic in Ami and Taroko villages. With God’s grace we use our talents for the aboriginal people for God’s glory.

I’d like to share a story that has given us joy. Every Friday night six Buddhist Nursing College students come to our mission center. They are all non-Christian. One day I went to their school’s neighbor to copy gospel songs in English. (Our center is about seven minutes from the school.) A student asked me whether or not I could teach her English. To make a long story short, because of her request I started this group. They are very faithfully attending the class. One day one of the students asked me why I do this, that is, why I volunteer to teach them English. She said, "I don’t understand why you don’t ask us to pay anything. You pick us up and give us a ride to our dormitory and then provide food for us." I told them the story of God’s love through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. I shared the grace and love with them, and I believe the Holy Spirit is working with them. Last week they gave me a thank-you letter. In the letter they addressed us, "To our Father and Mother" and then each one wrote several sentences about a house where there are six children and the father and mother. We do not have our own children, but we know we do have God’s children. Truly they gave us joy. We received more than we gave. This year, at the end of May, three of them will graduate, including my favorite student. I believe God sent her to me.

We are going to be on interpretation assignment in the United States for three months. We should have a long one, but since we started the student ministry last year, we decided to take it only during Taiwanese summer vacation. The Worldwide Ministries Division of the PC(USA) agreed with us and asked us to take a whole year for mission interpretation two years later. Therefore, if you want to invite us to your church to hear a mission report, please let us know so that we can make schedule for it. Available dates are from July 30 to September 14, 2000. Again, thanks for your faithful support and prayers.

Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

Choon and Yen Hee Lim