February 26, 2004

Dear Friends in Christ,

As we are close to our interpretation assignment date (October 1, 2004 – March 31, 2005), we had to write a self-evaluation, as mission co-workers have to do at the end of each term. While writing it, we saw clearly how God has guided us and blessed us up to now. We want to share our sense of thanksgiving with you because you are truly part of it.

In 1954 Presbyterian missionaries established the first campus ministry in Taiwan, at first in the southern part of Taiwan and then in the northern. Until 1980, there weren’t any colleges in eastern Taiwan. But now there are six colleges in Hualien, including two universities. After two years of language study in Taipei, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) asked us to establish a campus ministry in the eastern area, Hualien, in 1999. With God’s grace, we accomplished this in three years. During these three years, we went through a lot of suffering and difficulties, but with your support and prayers we were able to overcome and accomplish our goals.

When we began to establish the Hualien Aboriginal Campus Ministry (HACM) in 1999, our Mandarin was poor. The best thing Yen Hee and I could do was to care for and love our college students. Inviting them to our house (our center at that time), we sang, played, and ate together. We never let students leave our house without having a meal with us. That built up love and a trusting relationship with them. And then they began to come to our center (house) for Bible study and other activities.

On October 4, 2002, we celebrated the third anniversary of the campus ministry with the first Hualien Aboriginal Student Body (HASB), which consists of 12 representatives, two from each of the six schools. Three-hundred and eighty students, including church members and pastors, came to celebrate that event.

The general secretary of the PCT and the moderators of the Amis Tribe Presbytery and the Taroko Tribe Presbytery came and thanked God for the blessings. The PCT and aboriginal presbyteries thanked us for establishing the HACM. (See earlier mission reports.)

On July 1, 2003, the HACM moved to a new mission center that belongs to the PC(USA). That house used to be a missionary’s residence but since there were no PC(USA) missionaries in Hualien, other Christian organization were using it. After four years, we could finally separate our residence from the HACM Center. In the new center we planted Hualien College Church on November 9, 2003. (The general secretary of the PCT encouraged us to plant it.) This is the PCT’s first college church. Student church attendance varies a lot from Sunday to Sunday, from 13 to 47. Most of the time we can count on about 20 students. We have also started a Gospel Coffee House that is open on Saturdays in the center. Our hope is that our center becomes a meeting place for students and their friends, especially with their best friend, Jesus.

On February 17, 2004, Choon started a training course for pastors. This has been his prayer because the aboriginal churches don’t have the a Bible study group. That’s why our students are reluctant to participate in our college Bible study group. Choon wants to give the pastors an instrument so that they can have Bible study groups in their churches.

Choon translated See Through the Scriptures into Chinese to use as their textbook. It has 40 transparencies for use with an overhead projector. Children, youth, and old people can easily understand the Bible-study materials through the pictured transparencies. A pastor has already started a Bible study group in his church while participating the pastor’s training.

Besides the HACM’s work, Yen Hee has worked for the Mennonite Christian Hospital as a volunteer nurse since 1999. In 2001 she also started to work as a volunteer nurse for the Bethesda Home, which takes care of disabled children.

As we look upon our five years of mission work in Hualien, we are reminded of a Bible verse: “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”(Mt 19:26, NRSV). Again, we deeply thank you for your prayers and support. Without you, we couldn’t see the fruits and experience God’s secret in Christ. Hallelujah!

Together in Christ’s Mission,

Yen Hee and Choon S. Lim
Hualien, Taiwan

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 96