These Three Words...

Its been too long. The days of teaching in Taiwan are growing shorter and shorter. We have less than 6 weeks of teaching left. The remaining weeks are already beginning to fill with many things. This week has been a week of many deadlines. But, the Lord has been with us to help us finish everything. I have began to write a blog twice now... and as you can see... I have not finished. I hope to have a chance to finish them soon. :-)
I have been pondering what I should write about for a couple days. But, I think that the Lord has finally showed me what to share.
I was writing in my journal the other day. I was kind of down and discouraged. And, as I do so much in my journal, I asked myself a semi-rhetorical question. I don't think that I ever answered it while I was writing in my journal (I do it quite often). But my question was, "Am I really making a difference in Taiwan?" Meaning, am I Austin making a difference by teaching English in Taiwan? Will what I do... or not do for that matter... make a difference in the lives of the people of Taiwan. I know that so many people would say, "Of course! You left familiarity and the comforts of home to go and teach English in another country." But, personally I don't see that I am making a difference by just coming to another country. People go to other counties everyday... how am I any different?
But, I guess that the "difference" that I talk about would really depend on what my definition of "difference" is. But... I really don't know what my definition of "difference" is. I guess that kind of a problem huh? :-) I would like to see whole towns go to the Lord, repent of their sins, and believe that He has died on the cross and rose again to save them of their sins. I would like to see fathers turn their hearts to their wives and children. I would like to see parents love their children... and love them enough to let their children live with them (I would say that a good 1/4 of my students don't live with both parents. A large percentage of them don't even live with 1 of their parents). I guess... the difference that I would like to see is love. And not just an easy "I Love You" love. A true unfailing love. A love for God. A love for family. A love for others.
Recently, I feel like this is an area that the Lord has been working on in my life. To have a true love for others. And not just an easy "I love you" love... but a true love. Not a romantic love... more of a brotherly love. The Lord has shown me that I get annoyed far to easily with people. But, the reason that I am usually getting annoyed is not because of what others have done... but usually in some way my pride has been hurt. But, when I get annoyed I am not showing love. One of the verses that has been running through my head recently is from 1 John 4. It says,

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is God;
and everyone that loveth is born of God, and
knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God;
for God is love."
1 John 4:7-8

I think that it is just so powerful how this shows how we should be loving. It doesn't say that it's going to be easy to love someone... it just says to love them. God does not just want us to love someone because they are your friend, or because they are cool, or because they love you. He just says to love them. The Lord wants me to love my authority figures that make rules, the Lord wants me to love the teacher that makes things hard and makes me have to stay up a couple of extra hours to get thing ready for the next day, the Lord wants me to love the people who are hard to love. I think that there is a difference between loving someone, and condoning what they are doing. I think that we can love someone, without condoning their sin. I am FAR away from loving all people. There are still people that I have a hard time loving. But, with the grace and help from my Heavenly Father, I will learn to love those people too.
Ok, now you have to be thinking to yourself, "Where is he going with this?" and "How does this tie into the whole beginning question?" Well, it does. This week as I have been pondering this question... a couple things came up in conversations. But the main thing that I have held on to was when I was coming home from a night program that I do with Lauren, our driver was talking about some of the kids that attend the program. But he said, "What these kids really need is a mother and father who live with them, and take care of them, and love them." I cannot give each child here in Taiwan who does not have parents a parent, but I can do everything in my power to love these kids with all of the love that the Lord has given me. I know that the Lord does not make mistakes when he gives children to parents. But the Lord also did not bring me here to Taiwan to not love these kids. I have heard some heart wrenching stories about the everyday lives of many kids. Lives that most people could not even imagine. But, I am here to love these kids, to love them fully, to love them unconditionally, to love them with all of the love that the Lord gives me. I hope that through this, the kids will see the love of my Heavenly Father shining forth through me.
So, I think all-in-all the difference the Lord has shown me that I am making here in Taiwan, is that I can love, with only a love that He can give.


This is who I am here to Love...

Prayer for Guidance...

Well... I started writing a blog post last week... and as you can see it has yet to be posted. I am very sorry that I have not been keeping up on my blog very well. I just wanted to ask everyone to keep me in your prayers as far as guidance for next year. I feel that the Lord wants me to come back, I just don't know where He wants me here. There are about 5 or 6 different places that I can potentially go. I just want Him to lead me where He wants me. Anyway, I am off to bed. I have an early morning tomorrow. I will try and get a real post up soon. Love and miss you all!

Inseperable...

Life is often referred to as a roller coaster. I think I finally understand why people use this metaphor. For some, it is the only way to explain the happenings that go on in ones life. And for others, they see that life has its ups and downs. Its loops and twists and twirls. Personally, I enjoy riding roller coasters. They give you a thrill. That little... well usually big, pump of adrenalin that makes you scream with excitement and throw your hands up in the air as you plummet to the bottom of a huge drop.
Lately, I have see this "roller coaster" metaphor in real life. There has been plenty of laughter... and also plenty of tears... but the tears have not all been out of sadness. Quite to the contrary in fact. Most of them have been tears of joy.
After all of the happenings of Lauren and her accident, life was pretty busy. Making preperations for our Yuli English camp... and then watching them smoothly play out before our eyes in what seemed like symphony-like precision. But there was one thing, we were not the conductor. The conductor of the camp was our Lord, Savior and Friend... Jesus Christ. It could not have run as well as it did unless He was dwelling among the children and TA's (teacher's assistants) and guiding our each and every word. Relationships were built with the kids that most of us had not built with our regular school kids in a semester. The Lord opened up each one of these kids heart with a willingness to learn English. Every day we were able to share a verse with the kids pertaining to the lesson. We taught them a song which we sung before every meal and played it very quietly while we ate our meals. By the end of the week you could hear the kids singing the words. This is a song that we had learned in Chinese class many months ago. Its a song that is in both English and Chinese. Its says,

"Thank You Lord for this great morning!
Thank You Lord for this new day!
Thank You Lord for you are simply awesome!
Thank You Lord for you are great!"

It was very encouraging to hear the kids singing this as the week progressed. The Lord was really at work among the camp. One of the key points in the weeks was on Thursday night when we had our Goodbye party with the kids. First, we played some games and just spent some time with the kids. But then, we had our friend Michelle come and share about Jon E. who was here in Yuli last year and ended up dieing here. But, she was able to share about his love for God, children, teaching, and Taiwan. And then we had asked Lauren to share what the Lord had been doing in her life. It never crossed my mind until she mentioned it in her testimony that it had been a week since her accident... the Lord showed me through that that He is the one that is all powerful and He is the one who heals. Alas, we had to say goodbye... but for me, that was not the end of camps. The next day I was on a train headed to Taoyuan. I had volunteered to do another English camp there. This camp did not take as much preparation. The Lord put me with a really good team and working with another really great teacher. I thank that Lord so much for Wes. I met him when I took my TESOL course before I came to Taiwan. He is the person that is basically in charge of us all. But the last 2 days of camp I got sick. And Wes let me rest and took over the full brunt of the class. But even still, I was able to build relationships with my kids. This camp was over after a short week. It was then off to Hong Kong for a way to short trip. We have to leave the country every 6 months because our visa's cannot be renewed unless we leave. In Hong Kong I was able to see some of my friends that I had met over the summer at TESOL. It was very good to see all of them. After our 3 day trip to Hong Kong, it was time to head back to good 'ole Taiwan...

I began to write this blog post many weeks ago... and have today come back to finish it. The Lord has ceased to amaze me with His endless power, might, and Love for His people. As much as the Lord is at work in the hearts of the people here in Taiwan... I think that He is even more so at work in my heart and mind. Before coming to Taiwan, I thought that I would be the one ministering to other... not being ministered to by my Heavenly Father. There have been time since I have been here where things have been going along smooth... I was following alongside with the one who loves me more than anything... but then there was also the times where I started to stray off onto my own path. I must admit to you, that though I am here serving the Lord, I have strayed away from the pasture. The Lord has really shown this to me the last couple weeks. But the Lord is a good shepherd, He takes care of His sheep. I am continually having to remind myself of my purpose of being here. It is not so that Austin can go and do what I want to do. It is so that Austin and shine forth the love of our Almighty God. There are 2 things that we, as man, were created to do. Glorify God, and enjoy Him forever. That's it. Not glorify Austin and the things that my flesh want to do. But to simply Glorify God. It is so hard to just glory in the Lord. We can say until we are blue in the face that we glory in the Lord... but do we really? Do we enjoy Him? Do we like to go to Him and just talk... about whatever. Like what annoys you, the day, the slow driver in front of you, or whatever is on your mind. God should be like our best friend... but we often treat Him like that family member that you will maybe get a Christmas card from and see them occasionally here and there. God wants more than that from us... He wants to be our best friend... He wants to be our longing... He wants to be our love. Is the Lord all of these things to me? Absolutely not! But, I will, with the grace of God, work on this until my last breath of this world.
Just as life is full of ups and downs, highs and lows, and twists and turns... so is our Christan walk. But out of anything, this should be the one thing that stays constant. I feel that the Lord is calling me to come back to Taiwan for another year. But much like last year, I am going to leave where the Lord would have me to go in His hands. He will send me where He wants me to be. And, in the end. I want to be able to grow where the Lord sends me... and not have to have total control over my future... but leave it in the hands of the Lord.

"Trust in the Lord with all your hear,
and lean not on your own understandings.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will direct your path."

You might think that the title of the blog is really random. But its not. The Lord gave me a verse a couple weeks ago that just makes me marvel at how much love that He has... especially for me.

"Nay, in all theses things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 8:37-39

The Lord is working in Taiwan... but not just in the lives of the Taiwanese... but in mine. Pray for me as I continue to follow the Lord's leading in my life...

Safe in the Arms of my Loving Savior

As I sit in front of what I feel has been my lifeline these last couple of days... well other than my Bible... and my Savior... I feel at a loss of things to say. My happy-go-lucky, every thing's good world has been rocked. But the rocking has not been negative... I have seen my God work and make me see Him in some of the most unlikely situations.
It all started when I was busily bumbling around the house cramming a ton of camp preparations into a couple of days... when I heard my cell phone ring... in my room. So I ran like a madman and got there in just enough time... It was Lauren... but this was not the same Lauren that I talk to everyday... this was a very... calm Lauren (not that Lauren is not calm). She told me not to freak out... but she had been in an accident and was bleeding really bad. My heart sank to the farthest depths of the house... I didn't know what to do... but crying would not help anything. And asked her if she was going to the hospital and she said that she was... I told her that we would meet her there... the next couple of minutes were a blur... I told Jonathan who was in our room... and then ran upstairs to tell the girls. They say that I was really calm and that I left out the blood part... All I remember is I was trying to keep the tears from flooding down my face. I'm a guy... I have to be strong for the girls. While I was telling the girls Jonathan had called Hannah who, by the time we were ready, was waiting for us outside with her car. The car ride was very quiet... the only thing you could hear was whispers of prayers being sent up to our loving Savior. When I walked through the doors of the ER I could hear Lauren crying from the pain. Sarah ran to her side. I was too afraid that I would pass out from the blood. I walked aimlessly around the waiting room frantically sending texts all over Taiwan and back to the states asking for prayer for Lauren. The damage was unknown, but the stories from the translators was scary. Friends gathered together with more friends, family gathered together and lifted up prayers and petitions to our loving Savior. I can't begin to even tell you how much time we spent at the hospital... at some point we were told that there was something in her eye and that they needed to transport her to Hualien City. We all wanted to be there by her side... holding her hand and telling her that it was going to be alright. Only two people could ride in the ambulance. So Sarah and our friend Michelle (to do the translating) went along. When they left the hospital, it was off to our house to pray, and cry out for our friend Lauren. It was an amazing time of prayer...
I find it so amazing that our Savior has no language barriers... He is never closed... We will never get a busy signal... He is always there... In the midst of all of what seems on the outside to be turmoil, we had a English camp starting in a matter of days. We had planned to share many things with the kids related to God and the Bible. We saw these things that had been happening as attacks from our enemy... Satan. He did not want the love of our loving Savior shared with these kids. Even after Lauren began to heal, he threw us another fiery dart. Sarah found out that her little brother had had a seizure and was in the hospital. Sarah was very distrait. She has spent every waking hour for the past many days with Lauren, she had gone on little sleep, and had the same clothes on for a couple of days. We again, went running to out loving Savior... He is the only one that will provide true strength, healing, and comfort. Jonathan and I decided that we would let Sarah spend time taking care of Lauren and relaxing... we now needed to fill the spot of two teachers at our camp. The Lord provided us with another teacher, who was willing to come down from the English Village and help us attack this camp.
But Satan still had more darts to throw our way. After eating lunch today, Naomi (the other teacher) began to feel very sick. She thinks that it might just be something in what she ate. So again, we went running back to the one who loves us so... our loving Savior.
He lets all of these things happen for a reason... He wants everything that we do to be done for His glory. He is letting all of this happen for a reason... He will be glorified in the end. And the outcome will not be because of anything that we have done... it will all be because of what He has done... I am reminded through all of this of a couple of things...
The first thing is a hymn that I remember singing in Church. It says,

"Leaning, leaning, leaning safe and secure from all alarms
leaning, leaning, leaning on the Everlastings arms."

When we lean on our loving Savior, we will be safe and secure. The Lord is the one that was keeping Lauren safe in that car... the Lord is the one that is healing her body... the Lord is the one that is letting all of this happen.
Another thing that I am reminded of is a Bible verse. It's in Psalms and it says,

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright."
Psalms 20:7-8

We do not have to worry about trusting in anything else... except trusting in our loving Savior.
The last thing that I am reminded of, is that nothing is to difficult for my God. Even when things are not going our way... when things are looking grim and bleak... I can find strength, comfort, safety, and peace in the arms of my Loving Savior...

新年快樂!

新年快樂!
Xin Nian Kuai Le!
(sheen kneeon qui luh)

Happy New Year!

Wow! The God we serve is so amazing! As I look back over the last year of my life I am amazed at where the Lord has taken me... where, at times, I have taken myself... my struggles, my feats, my failures, and my victories. He has been right by me the whole time... holding my hand... even in the times when I didn't want it to be held.
I was thinking back earlier this week on one of my marathon train rides to Taipei... where was I a year ago? And, where have I gone in a year? Last year started with a new job in San Antonio. I was so excited that I had the chance to be a "businessman." Its most kids dream. I had not been to college and I thought that this is what I would spend the next 10+ years doing... boy was I wrong. So I moved to San Antonio, TX. I moved into an apartment. I was on my own... I had me to worry about... and that was it. How stupid my thoughts were. When I had originally gone to SA I had the blessing of my parents... but my Mom was no to happy. As I spent more time on my own... my relationship with my parents began to grow farther and farther apart. Anyways, over time at where I was working... the Lord began to show me that this is not where or what what He had for me. I did not like this... I wanted to be here. I mean I had been to Mexico once to do mission work there... so I was serving His people. I was not ready to submit to the Lord. I remember going through a particularly hard week... and I was on the phone with Andrew and I told him that I wanted to go on a missions trip to somewhere far away. I think that the Lord heard my cry. After life started to get back to normal... I began to spend a little more time with Him... and I started to see that I should probably move on. So I told this to my parents. I told them that I think that it was about time to give my two-weeks notice. I just wanted to finish up a project that I was working on. I was talking to my Mom late one night on the phone, and she was telling me about a class that she had been reading about. It was a class that would teach you how to teach English to people who spoke other languages. So we both researched it... the class was starting in less than a week... in Oklahoma City. She told me to pray about it... and to make sure that this is what the Lord would have me to do. So, I prayed about it... and called the next day... there was no answer... so I went back to the Lord... then I called again... this time I got an answer. The person I talked to said that she would get back to me. Well she called back and there was openings in the class. But it started the next week... so I had a thousand things to do before I left... and I was still working for a company. So I gave everything to the Lord... and then went out to conquer the task that was at hand. Well... everything worked out and the next week I was on a plane headed to Oklahoma City. I spent spent the next two weeks here... not only learning to teach English... but meeting, spending time with, and getting to know about 25 students from Taiwan and Hong Kong. I I felt that the Lord was calling me to go to Taiwan and teach English. I did not know why because I did not ever know where Taiwan was... much less anything about it. But the Lord worked all of my visa paperwork and everything else out. But alas, my time with the VOICE students and staff was over. It was a very sad time. But we had to say goodbye (I was going to see them again in a couple of days because they were at my next stop on my "prep for Taiwan" trip around the US) and I had to go back to SA and pack up my apartment. One of the requirements for going to Taiwan was that I attend a course called "Journey to the Heart." It was a 10 day course that was supposed to help you to clean up your heart... and spend some quality time with the Lord. I did not want to go one bit. I was scared about what I would find out about myself... and aboutt was one of the most memorable and exciting experiences that I have ever had a chance to get to be a part of. Well, while all of this was going on what others would think about me. So toward to end of VOICE I asked for prayer for mt time at JTTH. One thing that Karen Chen who is one of the people who is in charge of the VOICE program is to be myself, and to be real because they had gotten to know the real Austin. So, that is what I set out to do. Well, it turned out that I made a really good friend at JTTH and also had a chance to spend some time just listening to God. Before this point the Lord had never really given direction from His word to go to Taiwan. I was sort of doubting, and thinking that I had done this all and that is was not from the Lord. Well... one, this was a bad thing to think because things had happened that only the Lord could orchestrate, and two, He decided that He would show me. One of the passages that He gave me may seem kind of cliche, but it was from Him. It was from Matthew 28:18-20. It says,

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

I felt that this was the Lord telling me to go... and that he would guide my steps... and that He was in everything that had taken place up to this point. Well, the last day of JTTH happened to be on the same day of the VOICE graduation. So, I had permission to attend. It was such an awesome time. The leaders of the different groups that the students were in said something about each of the students. Well, during the VOICE program two of the students called upon the Lord, and repented of their sins, and believed in Him. It was such and awesome time when they relived these moments at the graduation for Cynthia and Henry. I don't think that anyone there made it through the graduation without crying. Well, the final alas had come, and I had to say "goodbye." The next stop on my trip was Myrtle Beach, SC. Here I was meeting up with Aaron... and our friends that we have had for... pretty much ever... Yannick, Kingsley, and their Dad. This was a good time to just have a time to relax on the beach and just have some fun. Well... after that, we headed back home... and this time it was home home. Well... for me, it was home for three days and then... off to Taiwan. Well... I finally arrived in Taiwan... and by the time that we got to the hotel it was in the early morning hours. Well... the enemy did not take to long before he began his attacks. One of the guys that came over with us had a seizure. I was VERY scared... while he was laying on the bed Wes was standing over him praying for him while his brother and I attacked his bags looking for his medicine. Then... praise the Lord we found it... and then we all began to pray. The Lord heard the cries of his children, and it did not last to long... but it seemed like an eternity. The rest of the time in Taoyuen was covered in prayer... our hotel was covered in prayer... and everything that we did was covered in prayer. I still did not know where I was going to be going in Taiwan. I knew that it would be one of two places. I would either stay in Taoyuen... or go to Yuli, Hualien. Well, after about a week of praying that the Lord would send me where He would have me, I was on a train headed to Yuli. While I was on the train I decided to read my Bible. The last day of JTTH our leader had given us a passage of scripture that he wanted to give to us. It was Isaiah 55. Well, the Lord spoke to me through a portion of it. It says,

"Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Isaiah 55:4-7

I just felt like this was my marching orders from the Lord. Well... I would love to say that since I have been in Yuli that it has been all happiness and rainbows... and that I have learned to go to the Lord with whatever problems that I am having... but it has not. I love each person that the Lord has brought onto this team... but there are times when I have a very bad attitude toward them or about them. The Lord has showed me that this is not how I need to be. He has showed me that this will only cause division. Recently, I was "pinned" by the Mormons which are very active here in Yuli. I felt very threatened by them... and after talking to them... I began to doubt again. It seems like that is a defense mechanism that I have... but for a couple of days I was having some major battles. But one morning I was reading in my quiet time... and all through it the battles were being waged inside of me. But then the Lord spoke to me through His word. I was reading in John. It was after Jesus had resurrected and he had appeared to the disciples. And so the disciples went and told Thomas. But he said that he did not believe and that he would not believe unless he could see and feel for himself. And then in John 20:26-29 it says,

"And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

The Lord really spoke to me through this passage. I felt that the Lord was telling me not to doubt Him, but to trust Him... and rely on Him. Well... the past couple of weeks have been very... interesting to say the least. They have been very stressful and to spend the Holidays away from my family only added to the stress. But about a week ago, I had been going through a particularly hard time... and decided to go up into a mountain that is down the road... It was just me... my Bible... my cell phone (just in case of an emergency)... and God. I had a chance to just be still and silent before the Lord. I had not been able to do this since I was in MI at JTTH. It was an awesome time. Well... to wrap things up, for New Years, I went to Taipei with Lauren and Sarah, and then on the first there was a VOICE reunion. It was such a fun time! VOICE seems like it just helps me to re-focus on the Lord. I think to easily my focus starts to shift to Austin and what he wants... and off of the Lord and what He wants.
Well... I thank you all for praying for me... they are much appreciated. I want to encourage you to never loose site of the Lord... He is an awesome God! Nothing is to difficult for the God that I serve. He is always there for me... no matter what I am going through. I am glad that I have a friend that is always there for me no matter what I am going through. I pray that I will keep Him by my side during this year... that He would be who I run to in difficult times... in times of trials... in times when I don't think that I can go on... He is there for me. Keep us in your prayers...

2007 Travel Breakdown:
2 Continents
3 Counrties
15 States
13 Airports
30 Airplanes
100,000's miles

A Taiwan Thanksgiving... with a twist

Ok... so I think now is about the time to write this blog post... I have had it created with nothing written for a couple of days. So here goes the story of the first Taiwanese Thanksgiving (not to be confused with the first Thanksgiving).
This is the first year that Austin has been away from the people he loves for Thanksgiving. I was thinking about it the other day and my family has been getting together in some sort of fashion for about 12 or 13 years... that would make it be since I was about 8. That seems like close to an eternity for my small mind. To be honest with you, I was starting to get very homesick when I was thinking on this matter. So I talked it out with my fellow living buddies... our conclusion. Lets have our Taiwanese "family" over for Thanksgiving dinner. This was very exciting for many of the because they had never had turkey (pwo-gee) before. They had also never had many of the other delectable things that accompany Thanksgiving.
So, each of us decided to split up the Thanksgiving staples.

The Menu

Main Course:
Turkey
Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Corn (compliments of someone)
Sweet Potatoes
Biscuits
Fruit Salad
Deviled Eggs
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce

Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Peach Cobbler

Lemon Meringue Pie

Egg Tarts (compliments of our friend Phoebe)

So, in order to get everything that we needed... many things needed to be done. First, we needed to find a turkey. We had our friend Hannah to look around to see if she could find one. She could not... so that led her to the internet... she found a mail-order turkey place in Taipei... they Turkey would arrive by the next day... of course you had to pay... which we did. Second, we needed to make a trip to Hualien City to go to Carefore which is a big supermarket that has lots of things that we can't get in Yuli. So we took a train to Hualien... Sarah, Lauren, Jonathan, Michelle (part of our "family"), and I. We had decided to leave home early so that we could do some shopping. But shopping led to Starbucks (a must while in Hualien city), which led to more shopping, which led to dinner... which led to about 45 minutes at Carefore. Needless to say, we did not get everything that we had set out to get. Third, Carefore trip number two. Lauren, Sarah, and I decided that we would go on Wednesday to Carefore again because we all had a half day and so it would give us a little time there. Well, much like the first visit, we decided to do some shopping... and some Starbucks... oh yeah... and we went to this little coffee shop that we found one say when we went to Hualien City a couple weeks ago. Well... by the time we called Johnny (our English speaking taxi driver) and by the time we got to Carefore (I didn't mention that President Chen of Taiwan was in Hualien City) we only had like 20 minutes to get the things that we needed. Praise God that it was not very much. And Johnny helped us do our shopping, kept us under time, and got us to the train station on time. Needless to say, he got a good tip. And finally, Fourth, we needed a place to cook our turkey. We had asked one of our friends and she said that one of her students had a big oven... well apparently there was some miscommunication but what we ended up with was barely big enough to cook the pies. The Lord was faithful to our cry for help in the last hours. He provided us with an oven at some people that we go to churches with house (does that make sense?). Anyway, this oven was big enough to cook both turkeys. The only down side was Hannah had to take us there by car. The people said that they would watch it for us (they even decided to taste some of it).
It was a blessing that the that the turkeys even came out. None of us had ever done a turkey before. We had all seen it done plenty of times... but had never been the ones doing it. It worked out... everything worked out without a hitch. It was an amazing night just fellowshipping together and thanking the Lord for everything that He has done for us in the last year... but just in general. The Lord is so amazing! It is evident in His creation. I am bombarded with it everyday as I go out to school... actually everywhere I go. This weekend we will kick off our Bible study. We are all very excited. We are inviting our friends and teachers. I invited one of mine today and she said that she would tell others about it as well. It is amazing to watch the Lord work right in front of your eyes.

Our Guest List:
(from left and around)
Mary (Hannah's Daughter)
Sam (Hannah's Son)
Esther (Hannah's Daughter)
Hannah (Our "Mother")
Dr. Chen (Hannah's Husband)
Phoebe (Robert's Wife)
Echo (Robert's Daughter)
Peter (Yah Mama's Grandson)
Yah Ma (Hannah's hired help)
Brian (Sarah and Lauren's friend)
Sarah
April (Robert's Daughter)
Michelle (Our very good friend)
Robert
Susanna
Lauren
Me
(Jonathan is taking the picture)

This is our Taiwan family. Robert owns a cram school here and that is where we go and do Chinese class. He is a Christian and so are most of the people that work there. All of these people are very special to us. There are many more... but some could not make it... and others... would not have been able to fit at the table.

Our Baking Supplies

We Robbed a Poultry Farm

Late Night Baking

Like My Rolling Pin?
(its a chopstick)

I am still alive...

I have been trying to post for the last couple of days... the blog site must have been down or something... since I could not post I decided to write out what I would post when I had the chance... here is what I came up with...

It has been an incredibly long time since my last post… I wish I could say that it’s because I am too busy… that’s not really the case… I like to… make myself busy with what I like to do… shopping, talking, and generally hanging out. I especially like to do this when there are other things that need to be done… such as keep the people who love me and pray for me updated. So… that is what I shall do… update you on the goings on of Austin… the weary traveler/happy teacher/tired student/child of a God who hears and loves me. This last point has been something that has been on my mind lately. A child of a God who hears and loves me... A couple weeks ago, we had some of our friends come down from Taoyuen… well… I had no clue they were coming until I came home from 7-11 one night and there they were, standing in my living room. But one morning while they were here I was going to go out and get some breakfast, so I asked if they wanted anything and what they wanted. So I headed out to a breakfast place that I had never been before. So I go and order the mass of food… and while I was sitting in “My Warm Day” (the breakfast place) I started to hear a loud noise coming from across the street. It was actually a pretty annoying ruckus. It was none other than some parade for some god. I sat there, and could not help but to watch… it is so amazing what these people do and put themselves through in order to try and “please” a “god” who is nothing but a statue made by the hands of man. Lauren was with me and I turned to her and said, “I’m glad that I serve the God that I do!” My God does not need paper money burned when we hit an animal while driving down the road. My God does not need me to lay out food, drinks, and other random things so that He can “eat.” My God does not need me to where a necklace, bracelets, rings, or any other type of accessory to show that I serve Him. My God all in all does not need me at all… I am the one who needs Him. Without God, I can do nothing on my own. It will only be fruitless and futile. With God, on the other hand, all things are possible. In order to do the simplest things, I need God.

Almost every day, I take a 20 minute train ride to school. This is one of the most beautiful trips I have ever been on. In order to get to Fuli, which is where most of my schools are, I must take a train that winds through the valley between the mountains. It is GORGEOUS! I am daily reminded of the power that God has. That it only took Him 7 days to create the whole earth and everything that is in it. And that on one of those days he did nothing at all... except rest. God did not need to consult Austin when He was making the Kiwi bird, to see if the colors matched or not. God did not need Austin when He was making monkeys to make sure that it was ok to have hands for feet and fingers for toes. But, Austin does need to consult with God when he gets out of bed in the morning. He does need to consult with God when things just aren’t working the way that I would like.

Over last weekend I was up in Taoyuen because some of the teachers of a local cram school that we are friends with were going to be in the area and wanted to see the English Village. We had made arrangements for them to have a tour and we also told them that at least one of us would be up there. Well, while I was there, I was standing on a flight of stairs where I really like to stand because it is a pretty view of the city. All you can see is buildings of all shapes, sizes, and colors. So, while I was standing there I decided that I wanted to go and get my camera and take some pictures. I got some pretty amazing shots. But after looking over the pictures later, there was one that I really liked. It was one where the camera was focused in some bricks of the building and then blurry in the background is a bunch of buildings. I loved this picture so much! I wanted to make it the background on my computer. But I wanted to add a Bible verse on it… so I opened my Bible and began flipping through the Psalms. My eye caught onto a couple of verses that I remember going over in team prayer one night that I thought would be perfect for the picture. Its from Psalm 114:5-8. It says,

“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dweleth on high, who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in Heaven, and on Earth, raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth them out of the dunghill; that He may set them with princes, even with the princes of His people.”

With this view of the city and the beauty that I saw from it... I can only imagine the view that God sees. He is such and amazing God to have brought me to this place... to be teaching these children. I love each one of them so much... they are all such bright children. At their young ages they have been through so much... and are daily put through things that some cannot imagine. Jonathan recently went to the town that my Monday morning school is in. He want with the owner of the cram school that is in Yuli. Most of the kids that were there where kids that are in my classes. He was telling me about one of the little girls who Dad is a drunkard... and I don't think that he said anything about the Mom... but anyway, when this little girls Dad runs out of alcohol he sends her a couple of kilometers away to buy him his drinks. And sometimes he sends her at night. This is just some of the struggles that these kids face on a regular basis. It's sad to see... but the Lord has these children where they are for a reason. We pray for our kids on a regular basis... we also pray for our unsaved teachers... which covers most of them. One of people that we work with on a regular basis, her name is Kitty. And very soon after we moved in here she had said that she had wanted a Chinese-English Bible. Lauren just so happened to have a Chinese-English Bible that she had brought from the states. So she gave it to her. About a month or so ago she asked if she could come over once a week to read the Bible with us. So she now comes over and we read... well she does... very slowly with her... She is very excited about it. She has even invited one of the teachers that Jonathan and I work with to come read with her... this teachers name is Becca. She has been through a bunch of stuff recently because one of her students parents said that she was abusing her students... so she has been going through many court battles recently. She does not seem like the type of person that would do this. She is always very quiet in the classroom. I think that now she is just gun shy. Anyways, Kitty invited her to come over too... so last Wednesday when she came Jonathan asked her why she wanted to come if it was because she wanted to work on her English or what. She told Jonathan that she knew that the Lord was the only thing that could give her peace in her heart. This was very encouraging to us. So just keep both Kitty and Becca in your prayers.

I should probably draw this to a close... It is pretty long. I hope that I have caught all of you up on whats new. We are also going to start a Bible study very soon. We are just working on getting the books sent. They are only coming from Taipei but someone has to be home to sign for them when they come. We have the English ones... we are just waiting on the Chinese ones... Well thats about all. I hope and pray that you all have an amazing Thanksgiving. We are attempting to through a Thanksgiving bash with our Taiwan "family" on Saturday. We just have to finish finding what we need... like a turkey... pray that we find one. I thank the Lord for each one of you who reads this. I love you all... miss you tons.

(sorry that there is no pictures... the internet here is being very weird)