|
May 2001
Dear Friends,
As the plane touched down on the runway at the airport on tiny
Kinmen Island, just a few miles off of the coast of southern China,
the military presence was very evident. A sign next to the runway
proclaimed that Taiwan's military personnel would join with the
people to build a prosperous Kinmen Island. Kinmen means "Gold
Gate." Most Westerners know it by the name, "Quemoy."
It has belonged to Taiwan, even though it is 125 miles from Taiwan,
ever since the Nationalist forces fled there when they were driven
from the Mainland.
In 1958 when it was heavily bombarded from the Mainland, it caused
the redeployment of the United States 7th Fleet in the Taiwan
Straits and provoked an international diplomatic crisis. I was
on Kinmen to lead a workshop for the four Protestant churches
on the island and to preach on Sunday at the church where one
of our recent seminary graduates is serving. In the Presbyterian
Church in Taiwan after graduating from seminary, every graduate
chooses a church's name from a bowl. For two to three years the
evangelist serves as that church's pastor until he or she is ordained.
Most students do not want to go to Kinmen, a place far from the
action of cities like Taipei or Kaoshiung. But Shuh Jen Tong,
before graduating from Taiwan Seminary, felt led by God to pray
that God would allow him to go and serve on Kinmen Island.
Shuh Jen Tong is a wonderful Christian. He comes from a city
on Taiwan's west coast that is known for its temples. When I visited
that city several years ago, I felt like I was in Ephesus with
the apostle Paul when the silversmiths of Ephesus wanted to run
Paul out of town (Acts 19:21ff). They were threatened by his proclamation
of the gospel and feared that if more people believed in Christ,
no one would buy the silver statues of their god. As I walked
down the streets of Shuh Jen Tong's hometown and saw all the shops
selling statues of folk gods and incense for the temple, I thought
to myself, "if many people became Christians in this town,
the shop owners would also run the Christians out of town."
Mr. Shuh's family are all non-Christians. He became a Christian
when he left home and then felt called to become a pastor. He
met his wife at the seminary where she was studying music. At
first his wife was not supportive of the idea of going to Kinmen,
but then she also felt that if her husband chose that church's
name in the annual evangelists meeting, she would be willing to
go. Mr. Shuh was number 22 in the line to choose a church's name.
When he chose Kinmen's church, the other evangelists all cheered.
They were not cheering because he had chosen the one he had hoped
for. They were cheering because they all did not want to go to
Kinmen.
Kinmen has a population of 50,000 people with 10,000 more military
personnel serving on the island. While in the rest of Taiwan,
Christians make up three percent of the population, on Kinmen,
Christians make up less than one percent of the population. The
houses, dress, and language are more similar to southern Fujien
Province on the mainland than they are similar to Taiwan. As I
traveled around the island, I thought about how different their
lives would have been over the past 50 years if they had not been
part of Taiwan.
Saturday we met with Christians from four of the churches, and
I talked about how we are called to be Christians in our daily
lives. I sought to encourage the Christians on Kinmen to be Christ's
light in their families, in their villages, at their workplaces,
and in church. One of the church elders took us to visit many
of his relatives, and I saw his deep desire that his relatives
also know the love of Jesus Christ.
On Sunday at worship there were several soldiers in worship.
They come from Taiwan to serve for two years on Kinmen. One of
the soldiers is a commander at the base closest to the mainland.
He took us to his base and told me that he had spent four years
at Virginia Military Academy. He is an aboriginal Christian from
the Paiwan tribe with whom I used to work in southeastern Taiwan.
We went to a viewing post where soldiers are constantly on guard
watching the military movement on the opposite island, which belongs
to China. It was a similar feeling to what I experienced when
I went to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea,
but it didn't have such a tense feeling. We went down into bunkers
where soldiers used to stay. The base used to broadcast propaganda,
but now broadcasts fishing reports for mainland fishing folk.
After that we went to the funeral of an 87-year-old Christian
woman who had died in a neighboring town. It was very hot and
the service was held outside under a tent. Because this woman
was very important in the community there were many folks gathered.
Many non-Christians had the opportunity to hear the pastor's sermon
about the hope of the resurrection. Her children, grandchildren,
and great-grandchildren were all wearing different kinds of special
mourning clothing. After the service there was a procession around
the island in flower-covered trucks.
Please pray for Mr. Shuh and his church and all the churches
on Kinmen Island. Their ministry is not easy. But as a first generation
Christian, Mr. Shuh understands the people of Kinmen. He knows
how to share the good news of the gospel with folks who are not
inclined to hear such good news. Please pray for the churches
of Taiwan as they seek to be Christ's light in Taiwan society.
And please pray for peace with justice across the Taiwan Straits.
Taiwan has been in the U.S. news a lot lately. The spy plane on
Hainan Island demonstrated the importance of communication between
all sides. Right now, Taiwan and China are not communicating.
Pray that official channels of communication will once again be
opened.
Thank you for your ongoing support which allows me to represent
you and Jesus Christ in Taiwan. God's Church spreads across the
world, and my presence on Kinmen and daily at the seminary and
in the churches of Taiwan communicates that truth.
Grace and peace,
John McCall
The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 187
|
