February 2006

Friends,

On January 23-26, 2006, we held our Winter College Retreat. This time we went to an village of the Ami tribe about two hours from our mission center by car. Again, I saw God’s grace and providence. A week before we started the retreat it rained all day—in Taiwan winter is the rainy season—but during our four-day retreat, it didn’t rain at all. When we got back to Hualien, it started raining. So with God’s grace, we did all the outside activities as we planed. Hallelujah! Sometimes I can’t explain how God guides our ministry.

One time during the retreat, we went to a small mountain village guided by Lee, an Ami and an elder of the Gi-nan Presbyterian Church. The church has 15 members, but on Sunday only seven members attended worship service. The church is surrounded by mountains.

We had lunch on the church’s roof (a Mexican-style roof) where I met Lee’s 85-year-old mother. She was a tall woman and held a stick in her hand. I couldn’t communicate with her because she couldn’t speak Mandarin, and our student and I couldn’t speak her mother tongue. So she sat alone in a corner.

After lunch, I visited with her and several pictures were taken of us with my arm around her shoulder. Several minutes later, she told her Lee that she wanted to sing a song of thanksgiving. So Lee announced it to everyone, and she sang. We called for an encore, and she sang three songs. You have to hear it. I couldn’t write down my feelings. She has a wonderful voice.

On the last day of the retreat, we had an evaluation. Many students said that the most special experience was her song. I wouldn’t have thought that an 85-year-old woman could touch the hearts of so many students—or mine.

Yen Hee and I were asked to write an article for the 2007 Children’s Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study. Since Chinese New Year has just passed, I think you might enjoy reading it.

A different country has different cultures. Since Yen Hee and I live as missionaries in a foreign country, we have to face different cultures. Sometime it is hard for us to accept what the people do. Sometimes what they do looks very silly and ridiculous. But when we see the reason why, we can respect their cultures, and we can even enjoy them.

When we came as missionaries to Taiwan in 1997, we went to church for worship service on Sunday. During the offering time, we noticed someone using a red envelope for an offering. In the United States, we never used a red envelope for offering. In our mind, red means blood and bad luck. In Taiwan, however, red is the most auspicious color and is said to bring favor and good luck. That is why red envelopes, or “hong bao,” are given to children and unmarried adults on New Year’s Day. So churches in Taiwan follow their tradition to use red envelopes for an offering.

During Chinese New Year, we couldn’t sleep well because of the noise and light made by firecrackers. The root of this tradition starts with the mythical monster Nian, who terrifies humans at New Year. Luckily for people, Nian is afraid of the noise and light made by firecrackers. That is why they use firecrackers at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day with great expectation and excitement. Nian is also afraid of the color red, which is constantly used during Lunar New Year.

Another New Year’s tradition in Taiwan is the big clean-up day before the New Year. It is not just an excuse for an early spring cleaning. It’s to sweep away all of the ill fortune that may have occurred in the past year and make way for incoming good luck. Housework cannot be done on Lunar New Year itself, as any washing or sweeping runs the risk of doing away with the good luck that has entered the house.

People all over the world want wealth and happiness, and they want to protect their health. So each country has its traditional symbols and meanings. Since we as Christians believe in eternal life, the kingdom of God is now in our hearts, and it is in heaven after death. Anyone who believes Jesus Christ to be his or her Lord and Savior will be blessed to sit at table with the Lord, now and forever (Luke 13:29).

Please continue to support us and pray for our mission work and for us. We will faithfully spread the good news to people in Taiwan.

Yen Hee and Choon S. Lim
PC(USA) Missionaries to Taiwan

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 256