October 2003

Dear Friends,

Jesus asks us in the Gospels, "What is the kingdom of God like?" And then Jesus gives us glimpses of that kingdom. This past weekend I had glimpses of that kingdom.

Friday was Taiwan's National Day. Many churches hold retreats on this three-day weekend. I had been asked to speak at two different retreats over the past weekend. One retreat on Friday was for a large Taiwanese-speaking church located in the middle of the city. It is the church where the former president of Taiwan, LeeTeng-hui, became a Christian. It is a church that has the ear of those in power. Its ministry is important for the city of Taipei and for the whole island.

Saturday and Sunday I was at a very different retreat. It was a retreat for three churches. Two of the churches use sign language in worship because almost all of the members are hearing-impaired. The other church is a church for handicapped members, both folks with physical handicaps and also for blind people.

I had been looking forward to this retreat. Many years ago in the United States our youth group studied sign language and then ran a camp for hearing impaired youth. But American sign language and Chinese sign language are two different languages. So what little American sign language I remembered was of no use.

But during the past two days I caught glimpses of the kingdom of God. I saw Christians who have not had an easy road in a culture which is just beginning to be sensitive to handicap access for buildings. I saw Christians who face daily discrimination in a culture which has largely hidden those who are different. But in the midst of their challenges and hurts, I saw joy on their faces as we worshipped, as we ate together, as we pondered together how to be Christians in a non-Christian land.

Each time I spoke, the deaf pastor's wife translated what I said into sign language. The hearing impaired members all watched her. The folks from the handicapped church listened to my Mandarin. One of the hearing-impaired women stood up to tell her faith story. She said that her life had been a mess before she knew Christ. She was angry and inward-looking. Her relationships with her family and co-workers were not happy. But then her sister invited her to church and her life began to change. Joy radiated from her eyes as she told us what God is doing in her life to make her a new creature. She then invited her parents, her sister and brother, and their spouses and children to come forward. It was a moving experience to see this family filled with joy and faith.

It is not easy for an average Taiwanese to come to know Christ. It is even more difficult for a hearing-impaired Taiwanese to come to know God. What they cannot see is hard to understand. So as I talked about the story of God, I used pictures which they delighted in looking at.

During worship, a deaf choir used sign language to sign the anthem. The handicapped choir stood and sang the words. A blind man played the piano. There was such a sense of God's presence as these Christians sung and signed their praises.

It has been a busy time at the seminary, and I was tired as I entered this retreat. But the faith and grace of these Christians in the face of adversity gave me energy. Their hunger to learn how to pray and how to grow in their faith encouraged me.

What is the kingdom of God like? It is like the marginal people in Taiwanese society gathering at a retreat center in Taipei County to grow in grace.

Thank you for your support and prayers, which continue to give me strength to serve Christ and the church here in Taiwan.

Grace and peace,

John McCall

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 181