Taiwan/China, Past & Present

Beep Beep! Beep Beep! I fumbled around in the dark trying to find the off button on my alarm clock. Stumbling out of bed, I glanced outside the window. Yep, another cold day. Similar to the 50 degree weather we encountered upon arrival in Taipei, much contrast to the summer-like weather in Kaohsiung. But still, for us northerners, the weather is more like autumn weather. Anyways, enough about the weather, the team all met downstairs in the lobby a short time later. Not the nicest hotel, but with a Starbucks right across the street (literally!) I can’t complain!

Then we all walked to “Friendship Presbyterian Church.” The whole service was in Chinese, which was very....interesting. :) During the singing, they sang hymns that I knew, only in a different language. It was interesting for me to think though, about how one day in the Heaven, all nations will worship God together. And what a glorious sight THAT will be! After service, we walked to a Sababas, a Mediterranean place, really cute, small, and amazing food.

Then back to the hotel, where we all changed before going to the National Palace Museum, a museum about the history and culture of Taiwan. And with my homeschooled mind...mom, be proud of me. I got brochures for my portfolio!  We then took the MRT back to the hotel, which me & Caroline had much fun on. A very fun, almost subway like thing...only a LOT cleaner!

Then everyone just hung out for a while, before journeying to the Taipei IBLP office. Then we had the traditional “hotpot” dinner, watched some fireworks...Oh, did I mention today is Chinese New Year’s Eve? Haha. So we pretty much just chilled... played some games, sang some songs...and of course wished many people a happy new years. I’m looking forward to tomorrow when everyone will say to me “gong shi”, which basically means “Congratulations. You made it through the night! The monster didn’t eat you!” LOL.

Oh yeah, and my end of the dinner table had a pepper eating contest. I was in the lead, after eating 7 peppers, making myself cry for quite a while (because of the peppers, not the victory!) But then some people just can’t take defeat. So...I’m not really sure who won, maybe a tie between Caroline & Skyler? All I know is that David definitely lost!

Anyways, in conclusion, please continue to pray for us. Pray for health, pray for safety, and praise God for amazing work He has already done in not only the kids’ lives, but also my own. It never ceases to amaze me how I come here to teach children, but in turn always end up learning more myself than I could ever teach. Thank you for your prayers.








Bethany Heath