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	A letter from John McCall in Taiwan

	February 3, 2003 Lunar New Year The Year of the Sheep Dear Friends, The firecrackers are being lit each night to usher in the lunar New Year (this year it falls exactly one month after the January 1 New Year). Taiwanese clog the highways, airports, and trains to get home to share the New Year's feast with their families. On New Year's day everyone dresses up and goes to visit extended friends and families. Before New Year's, students have a winter break, and many Christian youth conferences are held. These conferences are an important time for Taiwanese youth to be with other Christian young people and to ponder together how to integrate their faith and life. Since Christians are a mere three percent of the population here, it can be difficult when most of your school friends do not share your faith.

	A high school drummer invites his classmate to church (standing), and he comes to know Christ.				This winter break I had the privilege of speaking at two conferences. One conference was for junior and senior high students from northern Taiwan. They asked me to speak for two hours on what it means to be a friend of Jesus. After I spoke for an hour, I asked the youth to divide into small groups and come up with skits depicting what it means to be Jesus' friend. They talked enthusiastically for about fifteen minutes and then came back to present their skits. I am always pleased by the creativity shown in their skits, because their education does not usually encourage creativity.

	I had met one young man before—at a church in Taipei County. He is a friendly teenager and the other youth like him. When I first met him at his church, he told me that he had only been baptized a year before. When I asked him how he came to know Christ, he shared a story that I have heard many times from first-generation Taiwanese Christians. A high school classmate, who is very involved in his church, invited him to come to church. When he began attending worship and youth fellowship, he found a warm welcome. "The youth group became like a second family," he said. "And then they introduced me to their best friend, Jesus Christ. He then became my best friend." Now this young man rides a bus for over an hour twice a week to come from his home to youth fellowship and worship at church. This form of evangelism works well in Taiwan: One Christian leading another to meet their best friend.

	The second conference was for university students from all over the island. I preached for three evening worship services. They are used to long sermons, but I don't know how much sinks in. So instead of using the full hour to preach each night, I first spoke about an Old Testament character, a New Testament character, and then a current Taiwanese Christian. After that, I asked a group of students each night to act out a skit related to the evening's Scripture and their lives. Many of these college students have spent their lives studying to get into university, and now have more time to reflect on how their faith will shape the choices they make.		John McCall with two Taiwan Seminary students at the university student conference.

	Many of our seminary students led the small groups for the second conference, so it was a wonderful opportunity for them to use their gifts as leaders. The challenges for the church in this land remain great. But as I was with some of the Christian young people at these conferences, it gave me hope—that God will use them to bring good news to Taiwan and to the world. Grace and peace, John McCall

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