On Thursday April 5, Paul & I went to the Toronto Pearson Airport boarding the EVA flight to Taipei shortly after midnight. This is my first time back in Taiwan since we returned to Canada in 1995, 17 years ago. I expect to see many changes. It was a smooth flight, shorter by an hour than scheduled, and we arrived safely in Taiwan on Saturday morning around 4:00 AM. The airport in Tao Yuan is huge and modern; ours was the first flight to arrive that morning, so it was fairly quiet as we passed through screening for fevers (airport personnel watch infrared cameras which would indicate if a passenger had a fever—they have been extremely cautious since the outbreak of SARS in 2003) and then through Immigration.
We took a taxi to Chung-lak where Yap Muk-su (Pastor Yap/Leaf) greeted us when we arrived shortly after 5 AM. "Paul's apartment" was ready for us. The apartment is simple, just what I was expecting as Paul had described it and shown me photos. We got settled and by 6:00 AM went out for a walk around town and to the park. Some things have stayed the same. People were out in groups exercising to all kinds of music from traditional Chinese to classical and modern and doing tai-chi or more modern dance and exercise. I wonder what Beethoven would think of seeing people exercise to some of his compositions...or of hearing his Für Elise being played by the garbage trucks as they make their rounds. We ate breakfast of do-jang (soy bean milk) and syau-bing jya-dan (a thin pancake with egg); this was to become a fairly standard breakfast for us. We returned to the apartment and crashed until about 4:00 PM. We had a visit with Pastor Yap and her husband Elder Liu in his office apartment which is on the same floor as their home apartment and "Paul's apartment." Pastor Yap is a retired Hakka minister, and Elder Liu is a "Mainlander" and a scholar. He loves to study the Bible. They are a very warm and loving couple.
We went out for another walk—this time the streets were much busier with people, scooters and vehicles. The street in front of our apartment building is closed to traffic on the weekends, so there were lots of people shopping and various types of recorded music blaring from stalls and stores. The weather is overcast with showers, about 20˚F. For supper Paul took me to a tse-tsu-tson (cafeteria-style restaurant) where he would often eat; people remembered him here and at other places he has frequented. We filled our trays with stir-fried dishes and soup and went upstairs and ate at a table by the front window where we watched a sea of people pass by. We returned to the apartment around 8:00 PM, showered and fell asleep again.
On the first day of the week very early in the morning, we awoke around 3:00 AM, wide-eyed and bushy tailed. It was Easter morning. Hallelujah! Christ is risen! Later that morning, we joined in a joyful Easter Sunday worship service at Chung-lak Presbyterian Church with a packed congregation of about 350. Two choirs sang anthems—the senior choir of about 20 men and women and then the young people's choir of 10 fellows and 20 young women. Paul read Luke 24:36-49 from the new Hakka Bible and preached on the proof and power of the Resurrection. He encouraged the congregation to share the Good News with others, especially with Hakka speaking people now that the Hakka Bible is available. The congregation of Taiwanese, Mandarin, Indigenous and Hakka speakers seemed responsive. This congregation purchased 250 new Hakka Bibles and has already started Bible study groups using the new Bible.
Monday (April 9—Gramma McLean's birthday) was another highlight, as the Hakka
Bible translation team and the General Secretary of the Bible Society in Taiwan
(BST) plus other BST reps got together. We met in the Sunday school classroom in
Chung-lak PC where the team has been translating over the past 10 years. There
was so much joy! Seeing two of the translators brought tears to my eyes: (1) Hui
Muk-su (Pastor Hui) who helped us settle in the Hakka village of Kung Kuan when
we first moved to Taiwan in 1983, then taught us how to speak Hakka; and (2)
Liao Dzong-lo (Elder Liao), the 93-year-old elder whom we have prayed would live
to see the Hakka Bible published. He is quite deaf now but his eyes are still
pretty good. After a simple yet deeply moving ceremony of presenting Bibles to
each member of the translation team, the group discussed plans to tape the Hakka
New Testament for wider distribution on MP3s or whatever technology is the
latest. Hosanna Ministries, based in New Mexico, has a special ministry of
taping the Bible in various languages all over the world, and they will provide
the technical support. They have already helped with the taping of the Taiwanese
New Testament.On Tuesday (April 10) we traveled by train to Changhua for the PCT General Assembly. The GA is being held at Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH). It is a high-tech Assembly held in a very comfortable auditorium with power point and translation into English and Japanese, but it's the first time we've ever eaten dinner in an underground parking garage! One floor of the garage has been turned into a banquet hall with round tables and chairs covered with pink and burgundy tablecloths and chair covers, and with beautiful flower arrangements flanking the head table.
Rev. Rick Fee, General Secretary of the Life & Mission Agency of the PCC is also here. This is his first trip to Taiwan, and we think it's wonderful that he is here to celebrate the dedication of the Hakka Bible. There are also Church representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, India (Mizoram Synod), USA, and other places. On Wednesday morning the international visitors had breakfast with the newly elected Moderator, followed by a tour of Changhua Christian Hospital. Our second son Peter was born in the old CCH way back in 1984. The new hospital is very impressive and would equal or exceed the major Toronto hospitals in size and services. Our dear sister Joy Randall, former Director of Nursing, is featured in several photos on a wall where significant events in the hospital's past are remembered. In the afternoon we were taken on visits to two local churches which have special ministries: to indigenous peoples and to abused girls. Both congregations are growing--actually the whole PCT is growing by leaps and bounds with about 5,000 people baptized in 2010 (the latest figures).
The PCT's theme for the coming year is The Year of Hakka Mission. On Thursday afternoon as part of the GA program, there was a Hakka cultural event at which we heard three of our friends people share about Hakka culture and how to share the gospel with Hakka people. There was a Hakka choir which sang a number of Hakka songs, and Paul sang a Hakka mountain song much to the delight of the audience. Also, on behalf of Peter (who helped raise nearly CDN$30,000 for the Hakka Bible when he cycled across Canada), I was presented with a leather-bound Hakka Bible with his name on it. Wish he could have been here to receive it in person.
Later, as we reflected on this event, we recognized that all three people who gave leadership that afternoon were first generation Christians: (1) Pastor Dzen Tsong-fat became a Christian in high school; for him, one of the most compelling things about Jesus was His words from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." (2) famous Hakka novelist, Li Kheu, who shared about Hakka culture and the transforming power of the Gospel, came to faith in Christ in his 60s after years of study--it was Pastor Dzen who led him to the LORD. (3) Pastor Li Fung-Kieu came to faith in Christ in her early 20s, following her older sister who became a Christian. She is a dynamic Christian witness and following several years of pastoral work is now the Secretary for Hakka Mission in the PCT General Assembly office.
Friday the GA ends and we will travel by train to Miao-li to visit the Hakka town of Kung Kuan (pronounced 'Goong Gwan') where we lived for four years.
April
13-16 we were in Miao-li, Kung Kuan. We actually stayed in Fuk-ki (pronounced
'Fook-gee') with the Gongs, a committed Christian family whom we met 30 years
ago. Elder Gong, now 92 years old, was part of the Hakka Bible translation team.
Each morning at 7AM we joined him and his family for morning devotions where we
read the new Hakka Bible together—what a joyful experience! It was wonderful to
visit with the Gongs and so many of the people we knew when we lived there. On
Friday evening we went to Thung-Lo to have dinner with one of the elders. In the
years we knew her, Elder Vong's mother-in-law tried to prevent her from
attending worship services on Sunday mornings, but she persevered. She told us
that her three sons who are young men now are all Christians and one of them is
a missionary in Southeast Asia. 
Churches
in the area are growing and, being Hakka congregations, are very grateful to God
and excited to have the Hakka Bible in their hands. We attended choir practice
at a new Presbyterian congregation in Miao-li and sang some Hakka duets and
hymns with them. I don't know if all choirs have such fun practices! On Saturday
morning we traveled by car to the mountain village of Su-tham to visit some of
the Gong family relatives and deliver a copy of the Hakka Bible to the minister
of the local church. In 1873 this was one of the first churches planted by
George Leslie Mackay in a Hakka area. In the afternoon back in Kung Kuan, Paul
spoke at the family worship service for Elder Chhi-Chong Chhai-mi who was
celebrating her 92nd birthday. In the evening we shared in fellowship with a
Lutheran Brethren Hakka church plant of about 10 people, most of whom are new
Christians. Sunday morning it was great to see more old friends at the worship
service in Kung Kuan PC where Paul preached. A group of neighbourhood kids,
mostly from non-Christian families but who have been participating in the
Saturday afternoon children's program, hung around after the service and thought
it was pretty cool to speak Hakka to two foreigners. They ended up asking for
our autographs--Ha! Ha! They were playing basketball so Paul talked to them
about the Taiwanese-American basketball player Jeremy Lin who is a Christian.
They all know who he is. Later our host family showed us Lin's testimony (a
booklet in the shape of a basketball) that the church has been distributing to
young people. 
Sunday
afternoon we visited our old neighbourhood where we met former neighbours who
still remembered the Mai (Wheat) family after 25-30 years. They remember Syau
Mai "Little Wheat" (Andrew) and Syau-syau Mai "Littler Wheat" (Peter) speaking
Hakka and playing with the neighbourhood kids. We found out that one of their
friends moved to Australia to study. I wonder if she is a Christian now. It's
amazing how the area has prospered and how the population has grown. We used to
be able to see rice paddies and mountains from our house, but now there are
houses and schools blocking the view. We also visited Liu Dzip-su, an old friend
and deacon in the church who is recovering from eye surgery. She has the most
remarkable cat I've ever seen. It has a face like Garfield, but its fur is
mottled orange and brown and black; for the warmer weather it was shaved
everywhere except its face, paws and tip of its tail. More importantly, Deacon
Liu is recovering well from surgery and was very happy to see us. Later we
visited a couple of lovely Hakka theme parks which attract quite a number of
tourists. We also walked on the country roads in Fuk-ki, past rice paddies and
taro fields, flowering trees and gardens. Quite a change from the city! 
On
Wednesday (April 18) we visited Mackay Memorial Hospital (MMH). Rev Abraham Chen
gave us a tour of the hospital and told us about the various ministries to
patients and their families especially through the Pastoral and Social Work
Departments. Christian love is very evident through the 10 Presbyterian
chaplains and the team of 1000 volunteers whom they have trained to be caring
and compassionate visitors. Numerous people at MMH and the PCT General Assembly
office expressed their condolences and prayers for Margie Mackay after the
recent passing of her two sisters Anna and Isabel.
After
all the activity and fatigue from our busy schedule, I came down with a
cold/flu. As a result, on Friday (April 20) Paul went alone to Tamsui to visit
some friends there. Tamsui is where the first PCC missionary, Rev. Dr. George
Leslie Mackay, landed in 1872, and where the Mackay sisters and their brother
John Ross lived with their parents, George William Mackay and Jean Ross Mackay.
G.W. Mackay established the first girls' school in Taiwan and a boys' school,
which became preeminent schools in Taiwan. The two schools have since become one
co-ed school known as Tam Kang High School. Paul visited the principal, Rev.
Albert Yao, to deliver a special gift from Margie Mackay. PCC missionary
volunteer, Louise Gamble, lives in Tamsui and is working on transcribing
missionary reports from Taiwan to Canada around 1872-1930. Paul was very
interested in reading samples of these reports and thinks they will provide a
new window on the history of Taiwan, both in the church and in society at large.
Mid-afternoon, Principal Yao invited Paul to address a meeting of the school's
150 teachers to tell them about the new Hakka Bible. Several Hakka teachers were
quite excited to hear this news! Paul and Louise joined Pastor Hui and his
family for dinner. I was sorry not to have gone with Paul, especially as I had
wanted so much to see Pastor Hui's wife who is not well. 
The joint worship service was held in the auditorium of one of the universities
in Hsinchu from 10AM-12:30PM. It began with an enthusiastic time of praise led
by a group of young people on guitars, drum and piano. The Moderator of the PCT
preached and the Hakka Mission Presbytery's choir sang. Bible translation team
leader, Rev Pang Det-kui, gave an overview of the translation project from 1984
to 2012. His younger brother, Rev Pang Det-shu, reflected on the joys and
challenges of translating the scriptures and thanked God for sparing him after a
heart-attack to complete his part of the project. Paul shared words of
thanksgiving to God and to members of the team. It was obvious to everyone how
close the whole team had become over the years they worked together. Rev Andrew
Tsai Lin-chen, General Secretary of the Bible Society in Taiwan, presented each
member of the translation team with an enscribed leather-bound Hakka Bible.
After lunch, everyone was sent on their way encouraged by the fellowship and
challenged to read and study God's Word and share it with others. Between 1300
and1400 people from Hakka churches all around the island attended this special
day of celebration. Praise be to God!
Paul and I were offered a drive to Tainan in the south of the island with dear
friends, Rev Dzen Tsong-fat and his wife Linda (Dzen Muk-su-ngiong), where we
stayed at Tainan Theological Seminary. Some of you may remember Rev Ted and
Marilyn Ellis who served at this Seminary until 1993. On Monday morning (April
23) Paul spoke to students and faculty at the Seminary's daily worship service;
Paul spoke in Hakka and Rev Dzen translated into Taiwanese. One of Rev Dzen's
hopes was that professors and students would be awakened to the needs among the
Hakka people who are the least evangelized group in Taiwan. In Taiwan only 5% of
the total population is Christian; however among Hakka people, only 2-3 in 1000
are Christian. We rested in the afternoon, then Paul spoke for an hour to a
group of students who are Hakka themselves or are interested in reaching out to
Hakka people. [I was still feeling under the weather, so rested much of the time
we were in Tainan. The Dzens took me to see a doctor nearby who prescribed me
some medicine—the doctor's visit plus prescription amounted to CAD$15. I am
feeling much better now.] 
Tuesday morning (April 24) we took a 2-hour train ride north to Taichung where
we stayed with Tim and Bonnie McGill on the campus of Morrison Christian
Academy. Tim's brother Terry and his wife Sharon are dorm parents at the same
school. They have three boys, twins in grade 10 and the youngest in grade 6.
Last summer Tim and Terry's mother, Grace McGill, moved from Glencoe ON to
Taichung to be with her sons and their families. Clare (who passed away in 1996)
and Grace served as PCC missionaries among the aboriginal Tayal people from the
1950s to 1984. They focussed primarily on Bible translation work and the
compilation of a Tayal hymnbook. Back in January 1983, it was Clare and Grace
who met us at the airport when Paul & I and our toddler Andrew arrived in Taiwan
for the first time. We enjoyed our two days together, getting caught up on news,
playing Scrabble with Grace (who beat us handily), swinging on a 3-seater swing
in the garden, and walking around campus where our boys studied for three years
(1992-95). Paul was very interested in seeing the Tayal New Testament which
Clare had worked on, since Paul will be serving as a translation consultant for
aboriginal/indigenous Old Testament projects in the future. 
Thursday (April 26—our 32nd wedding anniversary) we enjoyed breakfast with Grace
and Bonnie. Tim had left home around 6AM for three meetings, one in Taipei, one
in Taichung and one in Kaoshiung. When we lived here 17 years ago, this would
have been impossible; but it's a new day here with high speed trains which
travel up to 300 kms/hour. Our train trips were too short to take advantage of
this express service. Around 9AM we taxied to the train station and caught a
train back to Chung-lak (this is where we came on Day 1 of our trip). Paul took
me out to one of the translation team's favourite noodle spots for a delicious
and nutritious lunch—total cost for the two of us was CAD $3! Afterwards we
spent several hours writing our previous blog entries (the first time we had a
chance to do so). For dinner we went to the Tai-syi-hee Fan-diam (Big 4 Happy
Restaurant) for jow-dzs, shredded pork in onion pancake wraps, and won-ton soup;
then we walked 'home' in the rain. 
Friday morning (April 27) Rev Dzen Dzen-dzung picked
us up in Chung-lak (Centre of the Valley) and drove us to his home in Chuk-dung
(East Bamboo) where we were greeted by his wife Maria and son Daniel. We chatted
over tea, pineapple chunks and rose apples. Daniel teaches saxophone and piano.
He is a gifted musician and he played a couple of solos on his tenor sax.
Together we went to a European-style restaurant located in the sub-tropical
forested area where the owner's mother treated us to a lovely meal. The Dzens
met her a year or so ago and over several months shared the gospel with her. She
was baptized last July. 
After lunch we were dropped off at the medical clinic
and home of Dr. Arthur and Susan Dzen, dear friends for nearly 30 years. Their
son David boarded with us in Taichung and attended Morrison Christian Academy
with our boys. Arthur is a very gifted doctor who has had exceptional success in
treating stroke patients. The care provided by Arthur and Susan is holistic, not
just to the body but also the spiritual and social needs of their patients. They
are well-known in the community as caring and compassionate Christians. Arthur
invited Paul and me to pray with some of the patients who came to his clinic on
Saturday morning. Before lunch we enjoyed a very pleasant walk at "Riverside
Park". That afternoon Arthur joined a team from Mackay Memorial Hospital on an
overnight trip into the mountains where they visited three Tayal villages and
provided medical care to all those who came. 
On Saturday afternoon (April 28) we visited Hiu
Dzong-lo (Elder Hui, now in his mid-70s) who shared fascinating stories about
how his family and friends became Christians. When his grandfather became a
Christian in his 50's, his son (Hiu Dzong-lo's father) was very angry to the
point where he burned down his father's tea fields. After the tea business
failed, the family had to move from the mountain foothills to the plains. Years
later several families said they were sorry but glad the tea business had failed
because they became Christians as a result of Grandfather Hiu's testimony
(Romans 8:28). Another testimony Hiu Dzong-lo told us was about Mr Chi, a friend
he's known for years who was a strong Buddhist on the board of the local temple.
They had had a mutual understanding that Elder Hiu would not share the gospel
with him and Mr Chi would not promote Buddhism with Elder Hiu. A couple of years
ago Mrs Chi died; after some time had passed, Elder Hiu thought he'd see if Mr
Chi was open to hearing the gospel. Mr Chi told him that if his Christian God
could let him see his wife three times, then he would believe in God. Elder Hiu
responded that he could make no promises; he was not God and he didn't know how
God would answer, but he would pray and ask God to consider this unusual
request. Within two months, Mr Chi had three separate visions of his wife
visiting him in his home; after the third vision, he asked to be baptized.
Saturday evening we were invited for dinner at the
home of Rev Ho Bit-on who was also part of the Hakka Bible translation team and
worked closely with Paul on the computerized Bible text. The Ho family lives in
the same building as the church. We enjoyed a great time of food and fellowship
with Pastor & Mrs Ho and their two sons, Solomon and Timothy. We also had a time
of prayer and singing with Rev Ho's 86-year-old father who is infirmed and who
recently lost his wife. In recent weeks he has been spending a couple of hours
daily reading the newly published Hakka Bible and finds much comfort in it. On
our way out, we dropped in on the youth group and shared a few words of
encouragement with them.
Tomorrow (April 30) we fly back to Canada. But first,
we are invited out for lunch with Elder Yu Yok-hon who wants us to meet a close
friend of his who is interested in Christianity. After lunch, Elder Yu will
drive us back to the apartment so we can see the new granddaughter of Rev Yap
and Elder Liu before we pick up our luggage then go to the airport.