Taiwan Trip

This is a bit dated, but I briefly wanted to recap our family’s experience in Taiwan.

We decided to celebrate my graduation from STS with my MA in Christian Ministry by doing a short-term mission trip in Taiwan. We found out our old church (Canaan Taiwanese Christian Church) in San Jose was doing trips to Taiwan and we asked if we could join. They gladly included us. We first flew to Taiwan about two weeks early to adjust to the time and weather (it’s muggy as can be during the Summer). We spent time meeting up with friends and family and exploring places we had not been to before. Places in Taipei, Taichung, Douliu, Kaohsiung, and Tainan. Some of it was related to the history of Christianity and one was to see my wife’s mom’s hometown. We also got attacked by wild monkeys at the zoo (I had no clue wild monkeys were on the island).

After our personal trip ended, we then made our way from Tainan to Chiayi were we spent our first week putting on the True North VBS program for local kids at the Beirong Presbyterian Church. There were about 130 kids and we did this for four days. I aided with the Imagination Station. The kids enjoyed learning science related things and how those things related to Christ. The most interesting part was that, as the only white American in the group, everyone thought I would be teaching the American English Station, but, surprise, I taught the Imagination Station all in Mandarin.

After Chiayi, the whole group got on a bus to go to the mountains east of Taichung and put on the same program for the Atayal people of Taiwan. It was beautiful there and the people were so friendly and gracious. I even picked up a few Atayal phrases. Where I was a station assistant in Chiayi, I was the station lead in the town called Heping. This was held at the Bo’ai Presbyterian Church.

At the conclusion of our second week, we made our way to Taichung where our family took a train to Taoyuan and waited for our flight home. We arrived in California where we stayed for a week to visit family and friends there. Unfortunately, while the trip was enjoyable, we came home to a fried HVAC and both vehicles having major mechanical issues. It was a great experience and, God willing, we will do it again.

If you would like to support our ministry, please don’t hesitate to reach out as these trips are funded from our own pocket and any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Justin