April 2007
Easter on the Basketball Court
Dear Friends,
I hurried down the mountain from our seminary’s Good Friday
service to the domestic airport in the middle of the city. I was
headed back to the place I first served on Taiwan’s southeast
coast to preach at two different aboriginal tribes’ Good
Friday and Easter worship services.
I arrived at the airport in plenty of time and waited to board
my flight. We boarded on time and took off through rainy skies.
It usually takes about 50 minutes to fly from Taipei to Taitung,
but we were in the air for an hour-and a-half. Next thing I knew,
we were landing again in Taipei. The Taitung airport had closed
because of bad weather. We sat on the plane on the runway in Taipei
for quite a while waiting for the Taitung airport to open, but
finally they bused us back to the terminal. I phoned the aboriginal
pastors in Taitung to tell them that I probably wouldn’t
be able to make it in time to preach. They told me that they would
begin praying. The airlines refunded my ticket, and I made plans
to fly the next day. Just as I was leaving the airport, a ticket
agent told me that the Taitung airport had opened, and that I
needed to hurry to make the next flight.
When I arrived in Taitung, I learned that six churches were waiting
for me in a central location. They had been praying and singing,
waiting for my arrival. I entered the sanctuary and began to wash
the feet of one of the young people. I talked about the last twenty-four
hours of Jesus’ life, and we then celebrated Communion.
We left in darkness.
An aboriginal craftsman makes a bamboo flute.
The next evening 100 youth from different tribes gathered in
a bamboo glen. I had prepared Eastern artwork from the last week
of Jesus’ life to share with the young people. One of the
tribes has a wonderful musical group of youth who use instruments
made from local bamboo. It is delightful to hear them use indigenous
materials to praise God. They play flutes and drums that they
themselves have made. After I shared about Passion Week and the
resurrection, a number of young people waited to speak with me
about their faith or about a sense of call to the ministry. As
I left them, I was encouraged and certain that God’s Easter
grace really is sufficient.
A tribal choir welcomes Easter on the village basketball court.
Easter morning I drove along the Pacific Ocean to the village
of another tribe. Seven years ago, before I came to teach at the
seminary, I would often visit this village. Three different churches
had gathered on the village basketball court for Easter worship.
Many were dressed in their tribal clothing. Children ran in and
out between the chairs. Three choirs of youth sang anthems. The
village pastor translated from my Mandarin sermon into her tribal
language. After worship there were games for the children and
we all shared a meal together.
I flew back to Taipei where I would be meeting with the students
in my worship class to prepare for our seminary’s Easter
worship. They acted out the Road to Emmaus story with creativity
and joy.
This Easter I saw the risen Christ in the aboriginals along Taiwan’s
East Coast and in the faces of my students. Thank you for the
opportunity to continue in service with the folks here in Taiwan.
Your prayers and financial support are making a difference.
Easter blessings,
John McCall
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 253 |
