Closure...

It's taken me a few weeks to communicate the last blog entry on this site, but I'm finally here to tell you how I finished up in Taiwan. I enjoyed many amazing moments in the 10 days after I wrote the previous entry and before my departure on October 4th. The final weekend of my time in Taiwan, we had another typhoon, and it hit pretty solidly on Sunday afternoon so the government officials canceled Monday classes. This was a gift to me (which later bit me on the backside, but I'll get to that in a bit) and my roommates.

The Saturday of that weekend, my friends Mari, Anneloe and Julie treated me to a massage and lunch. Thanks, girls!! That afternoon, my friend Lucy, came over from Taipei to bring me a homemade cheesecake and see where I'd been living. (Lucy is Irene Morris' sister and she's a generous person.) In the evening, my friend Hein and I attempted to make a homemade gnocchi, which ended with us opening a packet of pre-made gnocchi instead. (Don't ask how long it took to get our kitchen back to clean again.) That Sunday, we had to taxi to church because of the weather, and we retreated quickly back to the apartment afterwards. We were pretty scared in our 18th floor home when later that afternoon the wind got so gusty the building was literally swaying. But what could we do? I must admit I got a little queezy. This didn't deter my roommates taking me out for dinner at a local teppanyaki joint (Japanese style cooking, prominent in Hsinchu and all over Taiwan) just as the schools were officially canceled, and the rain settled down. We took some pics, which you can see here.


Mari, Anneloe, Me and Ryno eating teppanyaki.

Because of the typhoon, it was a slow night
for the teppanyaki cooks, so they posed for a pic.
I think their names are, left to right, Grumpy,
Stumpy, Happy, and Giggly, collectively known
as "Boys to Boys" on the musical touring circuit.

Starting in August, some of my co-workers and I would go out on Wednesday nights after work for some late dinner and laughs. We met up with some friends that weren't working at Kang Ning so it made it feel like we were doing something different than normal. We had some good times in the last few weeks, the best being the last Wednesday night when we met up at Amber and Sarah's and had Mexican food. It was a crack up night to remember and I was so thankful to the girls for hosting it. I've posted some pics so you can see what we got up to.

Mexican food makes a bunch of tired
teachers act crazy after midnight.

Close up of the girls and a few of the guys.

Me, Amber and Sarah saying goodbye!

The last week of work was short but intense. I was told pretty early on that because of the Monday school cancelation, my Monday night class, A15, needed to have Parents Day on my last day at work. (A15 was a class I inherited the last month of my contract, and I never really wanted to be teaching beginners that late, 7:45-9:15, on Monday and Friday nights.) Doing a Parents Day didn't really bother me because in most of my Parents Day experiences, no parents showed up and it's just a party day for the kids. Color me shocked when I had 6 parents show up to that class, WHEN IT STARTED, not at the end of it. This meant that rather than throwing a party for my class, I had to TEACH!! I had spent the last three days throwing parties for all of my classes and would you believe it, I had to actually do my job. I was pulling out all the stops for the parents in front of a class that's only been studying English for 3 months. I was sweating it and at one point I said to my manager, "I'm done, man, if you want to teach you can do it. I just want to talk to the parents and get outta here." He was cool about it and let me get on with the parents part of the evening.

Before I left school that night, Alex paid me my months salary, plus bonus (Praise God!), I said my goodbyes and went to church to sell my scooter to my pastor. My friend, Julie took me home and I got to hang with some friends for a late dinner and coffee. As everyone left at about midnight I was just sitting in the living room with my roommies talking about the day, when Mari said something about my ARC and it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't have my ARC (Alien Resident Card). Then I realized I didn't have my passport!! I freaked out, called Alex, explained to him that I had given him the ARC and passport the day before so he could make all the arrangements for my taxes to be processed. He was so embarrassed and apologetic, and he asked where I was so he could bring it to me right then. I was laughing so hard as I met Alex in front of my apartment complex at 1:20 in the morning to get my passport and ARC.

I stayed up most of the night finishing the packing, and after just 2 hours of sleep, got up to leave. My cool roommies got up at 6:30 in the morning, on a Saturday, to have coffee with me before we said goodbye and I left Taiwan.

When I got to the airport, I discovered that my school had failed to keep my ARC valid, and after paying a fine, I got a stamp in my passport prohibiting me from traveling to Taiwan again for a year. It felt like a fitting send off from a situation I'd struggled to embrace for over 13 months.

All is not lost, of course. I had a great time in my apartment with my precious roommates (whose mamas all raised 'em right), and with my co-workers and friends from church, I made a years worth of memories that I'm enjoying reminiscing over these days.

Thanks for keeping up with me on my blog and praying for me. This will be the last entry on this blog site. You can catch up with me at www.aftertaiwan.blogspot.com where I'll continue to journal life as I see it here in Asia and wherever God takes me.

All the best,
LC, no longer from the TW

Little Old Men...and a few young ones!

These are just some snippets of life here for me recently, mostly things that put a smile on my face and perhaps one or two that leave me scratching my head asking questions about why people (men, especially) do the things they do.

It starts with a little old guy at my church, (which I think I wrote a blog entry about) and how he almost made me cry. Just this cute little old guy that never really interacts much, and I've always assumed he was at church to learn more English. He got up and made an announcement a couple of weeks ago in church, and it turned out to be more like a testimony of how God took him to the states many years ago to study in Hawaii and then on to Georgetown University. He's started a book club for people who want to work on their reading, because he's retired from over 40 years of teaching and he doesn't want to just sit around and do nothing. I was mesmerized to listen to him, and thought it was adorable when he told us the first book they would read in the club is "Charlotte's Web". How cute is that? I love him.

A few days later, on my scoot to work, I saw something I've observed several times here. There was an old man on a bicycle determined to get the bike up an incline (not much of one, but he was old and skinny), pumping with all his might. As he passed in front of me at a red light, I saw the silhouette of his frail body and there was a profound curve in his spine, that made me ache just to look at it. I couldn't help but watch him labor on his bike to cross the intersection before the light turned green. I've seen similar sights with old people lugging big loads of recycling or supplies for a cooking stall, but this guy was on his own, and it was a hard thing to see.

Last Sunday, I got up at the close of the service to give an exhortation and sing the last song. As I did, I focused on thankfulness, since I'm one Sunday from being gone, and our pastor had just made thankfulness his third point when trying to keep from taking the Lord's name in vain (yeah, it's sort of funny, but it kind of worked for me at the time.) So, I got up and in my ramble to express thankfulness for the body of Christ in Hsinchu, I said I was thankful for the man that gave his testimony and was starting the book club. Only much later in the day, did I think about what I'd said. I asked my roommates and they confirmed that from the pulpit I said, "I'm thankful for the little old man...blah blah blah!" How embarrassing! Right now, I'm thankful that many of those people will not have understood what I said, and if they did they wouldn't have thought it was inappropriate, just accurate.

As I was scooting to the apartment after worship on Sunday, again at a red light, a scooter came up next to me and stopped suddenly. I looked and it was an old man with three days growth on his face, looking all weather worn, with a construction helmet hanging half on/half off of his head, and as if that wasn't a sight in itself, he had a cigarette sticking out of the side of his mouth burning. Our eyes met and I couldn't help but smile. Maybe I laughed a little bit too, cause it was funny! Wish I'd had my camera ready.

Not one block later, I stopped for another red light, and an old man on a scooter was coming through the intersection "flying low" as my mom would say, and he got my attention because he had no teeth. His lips were sucked into his face so far, I couldn't help but notice, and yes, I had to laugh, again.

Then on Monday, at work, the guy who works security in the apartment complex where our school is, came into the office to deliver the mail. He speaks two words of English, (Pizza Hut) but he always talks to the English teachers through the Chinese staff. He's loud and raucous, and we like to talk back to him as he comes and goes about three days a week. He often asks if I have a boyfriend. He's married and just playing around with me, but you can tell he's kind of flirting and thinks he's funny. This time when he came in, no one was translating what he was saying. I was at my desk working so I didn't really care, but when he left, I asked what he said. My manager said, "He said you should wear some makeup and lipstick." Well, in Taiwan, I wear a little makeup everyday, more than I usually wear in the states, and so I was kind of annoyed about that. As I thought of it more, I got more annoyed and started asking the questions...Why do people think they can get up in your koolaid and tell you what you should do or shouldn't do with your personal appearance? Why do men think more about the outside than the personality and what a woman can bring to their lives as a whole? I kept on with this line of internal questioning for the better part of the day and grew more frustrated with life here in Taiwan. It's not enough that I spend a year of my mid-forties in a blazing hot and humid climate, standing on my feet speaking at the top of my voice to children who sneeze in my face without reservation on a daily basis, but I have to endure the advice of near strangers about my personal appearance in the midst of this mayhem. Dang it! (What do the mid-40's have to do with it? Well, if I'm not having some hot flashes, I don't know what they are.)

So, I determined I'd pen this blog entry and rant a bit about old men...not all ranting, some raving...but then...

Yesterday, the 23 year old Canadian guy I work with, Ryan, had a much longer break than I had, and I thought he might be running a 15 minute errand to get himself an ice tea drink. So, I excused myself from my tutoring for a minute and called to ask. He said he'd brought two so he didn't plan to go. I said no problem and went back to work. Later, when I was on a 10 minute break and frantically trying to keep up, he walked in the front door with my favorite tea drink. He was singing a Star Wars song or something grandiose like that as he presented me with my drink. In one second, he restored my faith in the ability of men to think of someone other than themselves! Way to go, Ryan!

Regularly, my precious roommate, Ryno (yes these two names are very similar, so you can imagine the confusion I go through) does kind things for me and the rest of us in our house. He is only 24 and such a catch, I really pray that one of my young friends from America will snatch him up (like Julie Veneer or Janae or someone like that) so he can live in the states and I can see him more often than if he stays in Taiwan or goes back to South Africa. (Details are available if anyone wants to set him up.)

So, I know all is not lost on the men in the world. The future looks quite bright actually.

Have a great day...and give your eyes a rest after reading this long one.

Until next time, LC from the TW


Ryan and his kid Norman!

Ryno fixing drinks for our guests.

"No one in the world can be my best partner...

except the Dio." This is painted on the side of one of the scooters here in Taiwan. It cracks me up the misuse and abuse of the English language in a country desperate to learn but not approaching it the right way. Many people have just enough language to be dangerous.

So, I was at the party on Saturday night (read previous entry for more info), and met this guy named, Thomas. He's been in Taiwan for 5 years, so he's well acclimated, but was cracking me up 'cause he brought up the ridiculous sayings they write on the side of their scooters. It's the manufacturers that do it, and they are funny. I remembered that when I first got here, I cracked up daily at the things I read...before I got angry (some of you have been sending your concerns for me. I think I'm getting a little better.) So, I dug up a card that I had written all these things on about a year ago when I first arrived. Here are a few things I found humorous on the side of the scooters parked near mine.

"Fuzzy: The scooter of wind called 125"
This is a scooter called Fuzzy 125, and someone destroyed the English language with this comparison.

"Sniper 50: Just for Windcutting"
At 50cc's, I don't think anyone's cutting wind. (Breaking wind maybe, but not cutting it.)

"The best racer you are from now on"
Wow...what can I say. Send more teachers. I'm outtie here.

Until next time,
LC from the TW

Typhoon'd, but not marooned!

Just a quick entry to say thanks for everyone who's been praying for me. You know I've been disconnecting from Taiwan for several months and will spend the next three weeks getting more and more excited about that. This process always creates dissonance between the present and the future, and my experience here is no different. So, I've been unhappy about much of what's happening in my work situation, and as a blog is a place for rants and personal thoughts, I've shared my unhappiness with my readers. Well, this weekend, we are having (although it's died down a lot now as I write on Sunday afternoon) a typhoon, and I've been chillin' at the casa letting it roar outside. (This doesn't look much different than my usual weekend, just perhaps the howling wind makes it more distracting for naps.) Yesterday, Saturday, I woke up and made my roomies a light breakfast of muffins and fruit in honor of Anneloe's birthday. Then the day was spent getting some chocolate chip cookie dough prepared for last minute baking, and cooking Mexican food for her party last night (which had a guest list of 26 people). It was not too stressful and actually a lot of fun...the climax of which was being in the apartment with 21 (typhoon deterred some attendees) South Africans boisterously speaking their native tongue, Afrikaans, and laughing as they enjoyed the Mexican food, bought in an international store and prepared by an American in Taiwan. It was a very relaxing atmosphere, full of love and laughs. South Africans are raised to be polite and genuinely gracious people. I believe every person told me at least once how much they enjoyed the food (burritos, nachos and salad) and they did it with varying expressions of praise and gratitude. It was heart-warming and precious to me, a memory I will cherish as I look at three weeks until leaving.

This morning, we had a smaller crowd and they trickled in even slower than usual as I'm sure everyone waited til they got up to decide if they would brave the storm for church. My pastors sermon was on the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" and two other gals and I sang a follow up prayer to the sermon with "Captivate Us" by Watermark. I've been wanting to do that for some time, and had to make today the day since my genious guitarist is heading back to the states for university again at the end of this week. I was really blessed by worship this morning (we also managed Indescribable and I Am a Friend of God) and was so happy to have such a Spirit-led experience here in Taiwan, where I've found such times infrequent and challenging to create.

Icing on the cake: my pastor bought my scooter after worship for the amount I was asking. I'm excited to get that done, and now just ask for prayer as I need to drive it for the next three weeks and don't want to have any problems, mechanically or accident induced.

Thanks for caring about me...and praying. I'm typhoon'd but not marooned! (Oh, teachuh, so funny!!)

Until next time,
LC from the TW

"What happened to your face?"

That was the first question of the day yesterday when I walked into work. I discovered after a frustrating few minutes of dialogue that I had made my makeup just a little dark, and my manager, Stanley thought I had a bruise. Yea, it's funny now that you think about it, but it prompted this rant, which can only really be titled, "10 Things I Hate About Taiwan" (but there may only be a few in this entry since I don't have mental energy on a Wednesday morning to come up with the entire list...probably.)

1. I hate the way the Chinese cannot speak subtly about anything, so they end up saying things like, "What happened to your face?" when they probably shouldn't say anything at all, or if they must say something, it should be something like, "You have a dark mark on your cheek." My T.A. kept saying, "You have black." It wasn't black and my Canadian co-worker looked at her after she said it the third time and said, "It's not black. It's makeup. You need to review your colors. This CHAIR is black." I laughed at that.

2. I hate that today I have to teach 7 hours in a row without any more than 20 minutes break at any one time, and the Chinese think that this is o.k. This hate can also be summed up in their determination to squeeze the life blood out of their teachers, because they don't value humans, just work, material things, and money. I hate that.

3. I hate when I'm riding my scooter in the dark and I hit a large pothole that sends my scooter down to the earths' core and me on the back of it landing with a mighty jolt to my entire system. Sick of that, and it happens at least once every day.

More to come...later!

Until next time,
LC from the TW

One Julie, Two Joyce's and Too Much Juice

So, today was Thursday, and I woke up excited to see my friend, Julie, who was coming over for breakfast. Most mornings, I just take my time getting ready for the day, without too much pressure. I usually have the apartment to myself, and it's a good time to talk to friends and family, or surf the net. But this morning was different and fun. Julie has been in Taiwan for 9 years, and she's getting ready to head back to the states at the beginning of next year, so she and I are processing together. I enjoy her a lot, and am so thankful that God orchestrated our meeting at the English fellowship on the first Sunday I was here a year ago. For breakfast, (cause I know some of you will be interested) I made breakfast burritos (complete with Trader Joe's salsa I "smuggled" into the country) and fresh mangoes. Good times.

At the last possible moment, I dashed out the door for work, hopped onto my scooter, and began to listen to Joyce Meyer's sermon, as I do most days on the way to the job. She was on a roll today, talking about how all of us have the fruits of the Spirit in us, but some of the fruits haven't yet been developed so we can't see them. As she was talking about this, a huge tanker truck rambled at a pretty fast pace right out in front of the scooter in front of me, and we all (there were others near me) had to stand on our brakes to avoid hitting him. I was incensed...once again at the utter selfishness of some of the drivers in the TW. Surprising myself, I showed no outward signs of my inner rage, but kept scooting toward work and listening to Joyce. Not long after this, Joyce said, "So, you have all the fruits of the Spirit in you...love, gentleness, self-control, patience..." and on she went. I was pondering these things and agreeing with some of her thoughts, when I was approaching a light and a car just about ran me off the road so he could get two feet in front of me and only to be stopped by the red light. I could not help myself (at least that's what I told myself) and I reacted with some outter rage. I got next to his window and stared through it shouting, "Was it worth the two feet? Just so you could stop at this light? Huh? You almost killed me, and for what?" Then I scooted around him, went the four cars ahead of him and was with the rest of the pack when the light turned green, way in front of him. I heard Joyce say, "You have patience, but it just needs to be developed in God's dark room" about the same time I heard the car I had told off peep it's horn at me from back in the line. I had to smile at the irony and timing of such events, and then feeling some conviction, had to ask God to forgive me (and pray that the guy wasn't a member of my church. Isn't that awful?

Well, after all that happened, I realized I had an extra couple of minutes so I stopped to get some tea at the tea/juice shop I like. Since I would be at work late today, I bought two drinks for the day, one grapefruit green tea, and one milk tea. I scooted on down the road, and when I walked into work, there was a grapefruit green tea on my desk, a frequent but unpredictable gift from one of my co-workers. Wow! Now I had three. It's so hot here, it's not that difficult to drink that much tea in a day, and by tonight I had them all down. There are few breaks in our schedule for using the bathroom, and often when we do have a break someone else is in the toilet, so I don't always get to go. I've sort of adjusted to this, and tonight I didn't really notice that I needed to go.

After work, my co-worker, Cara and I went out for a light dinner with another co-worker Joyce (both Chinese girls) because Joyce will have her last day at Kang Ning tomorrow. We talked a lot about how disappointed she was with the leadership of the school and how she had been treated. Her English is quite good so she was able to express herself pretty well. She told me that she had done her best so she had no regrets, just that she didn't feel things had gone fairly for her. I was able to encourage her a little bit, I think. After we shut down the TGI Friday's, we were standing out in the parking lot and I realized I needed to go to the toilet, but there was nothing around. Then, Joyce started kind of doing the pee pee dance, and I said, "What's the matter Joyce? Are the mosquitoes gettin' ya?" She said yes, and we continued to say goodnight. As I was getting on my scoot, I looked at Joyce again and she was laughing and dancing around and she said, "Oh, I have to pee!" I started laughing then too and knew I better get home soon. For those of you who are jumping ahead in this story, thinking that I wet myself, I want to quickly assure you I did not, but I will say, the potholes were more torturous than normal on the way home tonight!

I'm excited for this weekend. Apparently, my new co-worker, Ryan, is a big basketball fan, and he found out there was a game this weekend in our town between two teams made up of retired NBA players. Clyde the Glide and Scotty Pippin were a couple of names he dropped, and I'm sure there are others I'll know. So, Ryan and his girlfriend, Liz, me and my roommate, Ryno, and two of our other friends, Amber and Sarah, are all going to the game on Saturday. Should be a blast.

Well, that's the update from my end of the stick. As always, thanks for praying!

Until next time,
LC from the TW

Urging, Splurging, and Aging

Just a quick check in to tell you a little about the last week in my life here in the TW. That's more or less what a blog is for, and sometimes I neglect it, mostly out of laziness I guess.

Last Monday I was informed by my Chinese co-worker in a communicae that went something like this, "Hey, Loreesa, you have new class. You do demo August 28, start beginner class September 1st. O.K.?" I had been warned this was coming, and I knew there was nothing this woman could do but tell me, so I said o.k., and she kept talking. "You new class is Monday Thursday 2:30. When you have 1 on 2 you start at 12:40. O.K.?" Again, I had a heads up from my Teaching Assistant, so I knew what she was talking about...that on the days when my adult tutoring class of 2 came in, which they do from time to time at 2 on Mondays and Thursdays, they wanted me to teach them at 12:40 until 2:10, then the beginning class at 2:30. I told my co-worker o.k. again, and I continued to work on my lesson plans.

The next morning, Tuesday, before I left for work, I penned an email to the owner of the school, Serena. I told her I felt with one month left in my teaching contract it wouldn't be the best use of my time and wouldn't for many reasons be in the best interest of the school if she asked me to open a new class, demo for the parents what I do as a teacher, and then pass the kids off to someone who is not me (duh!!) in four weeks time. I asked her to reconsider giving me hours doing something that I'm good at and I enjoy, like editing the school newsletter or various other English signage that exists around the school, or anything else she could think of. Urging was the order of the day, and I did my best to urge her to be wise about this.

The next day, Wednesday, was and is always my longest day, and after being at school for 10 hours about to head out the door, exhausted, I got a phone call from Serena. She said she understood my email and agreed with me so I didn't have to open the new class. Then she tried some urging of her own. She asked me to stay at Kang Ning teaching until the end of the calendar year. She said she had been let down by two new teachers she thought she was going to have that didn't end up coming, and she really needed me. I told her I would think about it, but I know she is not as desperate as she sounded, and I know it's time for me to leave, so that's not going to happen.

The rest of the week played out pretty well, with me enjoying Thursday afternoon without teaching, working on planning. It's a new thing for me, and I love it.

I arranged with my new Canadian co-workers, Ryan and Liz, to come over this weekend for Mexican food and a swim in our village pool. (I live in a place called Holland Village, but it is not a village in the quaint and cute sort of way. More like a village because enough people live here to populate one of those cute and quaint mountain towns that we think of when we say the word village. We have a pool.) So, on Saturday, planning for Sundays visit with Ryan and Liz, I "splurged" on some sour cream at the gourmet western food store in my city. (Actually, it is kind of expensive, but something I deem necessary for Mexican food, so I wouldn't have called it splurging, but I wanted another word to rhyme with urging for my title. It costs about $4.50 for a tub of Daisy Sour Cream and it lasts for about a month.)

Lastly, I want to tell you about my Sunday, or at least part of it. My pastor, Rocky, is a retired missionary from Wisconsin or somewhere up there. (Those states kind of all run together for me. Sorry, Lea Ann.) He's boring, and that's putting it nicely. I easily get distracted while he's "preaching" because he doesn't usually preach, more like talking. Yesterday was no different, except that he sprinkled an adult believer and called it baptism. First time I've seen that at this Lutheran Brethren church that's full of people from many denominations. I don't want to talk theology but it was not very moving. I like the immersion baptisms at my church, when there's a little more drama when the person is "raised" to new life in Christ. So, that was during the sermon. We finished worship and then Rocky came back up to say, "I've got one more announcement." He's almost 70, and he came to Taiwan two weeks before me last summer. He nursed his wife about 3 years ago when she was dying of cancer. He's got 5 adult children back in the states. Well, anyway, he called a woman up to stand beside him, and I took a double take as I saw him hold her hand as you would with someone "special". Then he said, "This is Rebecca. We started spending time together in April and we're going to be married in February."

You could have knocked me over with a feather. I've never seen the woman before, never heard a peep that the dude had a sweetheart, and "married" is what he said. I was thinking, "Mawwied?" "Mawwied?" (You have to picture Long Duck Dong from 16 Candles saying that to understand what I was thinking.)

So, that brings me to the third and final point of this blog...aging. Kind of creeps me out that Rocky is going to marry this woman, about 15 or more years younger than him, and I can't decide if it's the creepy old man thing, or the he should marry someone from America who can relate to his culture thing, or if it's the secretive nature of it, or if I'm just jealous...o.k., that's it. I guess deep down inside I don't think my pastor should be making out more than me! I've said it! It's not an aging issue...it's a jealousy issue.

I'll leave you to ponder that one. Looking forward to the comments this week.

Until next time,
LC from the TW

Full Moon, Firecrackers, and Prayer

Last night, while I was teaching, I could hear firecrackers going off randomly outside of the building. It happens enough that I know there's something up religiously speaking. Then later, when I left work, I noticed almost every home had a little fire burning out in front of it. It's boiling hot here, so that was not in order to keep the cold away. Instead it was to keep the ghosts away. Apparently in Taiwan, the people believe the heavens open in August and on/near the full moon you must put fire on your door to keep the ghosts from coming to your house. Pray for this nation and those of us who try to love the people here. It's challenging!

On a separate prayer issue, I ask you...

"What do you pray for?"

Well...I pray for my family. That my parents will heal from their respective health issues and at least begin to feel less pain, and I pray that my siblings will have love and peace in their relationships with their spouses and kids (and now grandkids). I pray for friends who ask me to pray for specific things, like my friend whose husband moved out and needs to hear miraculously from the Lord that he's going against God's will by abandoning his marriage and three beautiful daughters, meanwhile I ask that God's grace will be sufficient for all her needs and those of the girls ... and my friends who go on mission with God to places like Nicaragua, India or New York City (yea, they all come to mind at the same time) and I know that mission trips are only successful because God's people ask for His guidance a lot more when they are away from their comfort zones and daily routines. I also pray for world issues, the President (present and future), and humanity to begin to act a bit more human toward one another.

Of course, just like many of you, I pray for myself more than anyone else, because I'm reminded many times a day that I need God to help me get through life (and I'm WITH me all day, every day!) And sometimes I pray for God to reveal big things to me...like who to marry (you know that one has become less urgent over the years, but it comes up now and again), how to live my life on a bigger scale (trying to find things that really matter to God), and what to do in the future (where to live, what to do, when, etc.)

I asked so many people to pray for me over the past couple of months as I saw them and they asked how things were going in Taiwan and I said things were challenging and I had applied to teach in New York City...yada, yada, yada. I know many of you prayed for me, and I'm so humbled and thankful because I believe God answered your prayers (if you prayed for His will and not mine.) I heard last night by email that I did not get accepted into the Fellows program, so I'll not be entering their Masters degree program and I won't be teaching in the public school system of NYC in the immediate future.

How do I feel about that? I was kind of prepared to hear it, strangely, because I approached it more or less with the same attitude I do most things...kind of laid back and trying not to care or get too anxious. But, I was kind of disappointed too, since I knew it would be such a great opportunity for me...or so it looked like that on paper (computer screen really). However, I often think something looks good that turns out to be not so good for me. So, I've been praying that God would only open the doors He wants me to walk through, as I often pray, and He's been faithful...I am not supposed to be in that program this year, for some reason, and God only knows.

What's next? That's where your prayers come in again...would you just ask God to keep giving me ears to hear and eyes to see? I have some ideas, and I will walk toward those unless God shows me otherwise. In short, there are two paths I'm looking at - one is to apply for a tutoring job or other type jobs in NYC like I've seen on Craigslist. I will probably do this and see how far it takes me. The other path is to spend a few months in Thailand, with my friends the Kapurs (Kris and Jen), teaching and touring a bit, until Christmas. The day after Christmas my SF church (Temple Baptist) is heading to India and I would join them for a mission at an orphanage our church sponsors. This would be an answer to a long-standing prayer for me. Our church sent a team there two years ago and I wanted to go but the timing wasn't right for me. Plus, I have several friends living there and others who love it and go often, so it's something I've thought about for a long time. (Not to mention the fact that in the world of evangelical missions, India is right next to China in the "two most populated and lost nations in the world" category.)

So, there are a lot of things to pray about and I would once again appreciate your prayers.

love to all of you,
Until next time, LC from the TW

Swollen ankles and a tired voice...

must mean I'm back at work in Taiwan. I arrived about 53 hours ago, and have already worked two days, teaching only 3 hours on Monday and 4.5 Tuesday. (I've got to get back in the habit of taking my vitamins, because tomorrow and Thursday are 6 hour days.) Jetlag's not been too bad, but I stayed up really late last night saying goodbye to Erin, my co-teacher and friend. She left today to return to her life in Canada. I'm really proud of her for finishing well. We were side by side in this endeavor for the most of this year, 'til I left at the end of June, and I sometimes felt like I was abandoning her in her greatest hour of need. But, she persevered, finished strong, and today she left a lot of students who love her. We got to scoot over to the beach last night for a few hours and watch the moon starting to set. It was great closure for two girls that have "survived" the work schedule and culture of Taiwan for a year. I will miss her.

So, I've still not heard from New York, but it's only been two weeks this Wednesday, which means it's just reaching the minimal amount of time. They said it would be 2-4 weeks before they let me know. Thanks to all of you who are praying with me/for me about this next move for me.

Sorry to keep this short, but I'll need to sleep now......zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Until next time,
LC from the TW

August is here...and so am I

Hey there everyone, just checking back in quickly here from San Francisco on a foggy, chilly Monday night. I leave for Taiwan on Saturday to resume my job until the end of September.

So...some of you have asked me about New York City and how my interview went, and here's my attempt to answer.

Well, thanks for everyone who was praying for me. I definitely knew people were praying. I arrived in NYC after an eventful day of travel (which of course is always welcomed), and made it to my hotel, where I'd never stayed before, without any problem. After a good night's rest, I got up on Wednesday to a sunny and warm day with several hours to solidify my thoughts on my teaching sample lesson before heading to my interview at 5:00. I was able to meet up with Rebekah Slick, a friend of mine that just moved from SF to NYC about 10 days ago. We hung out for about an hour before I went back to my hotel to change clothes for the evening.

So, I made it to the interview early, and sat in a classroom with 7 other candidates for half an hour before these two teachers came in to interview us. After some introductions, we each had five minutes to do our teaching sample. It was very regimented and felt really false, since we were all trying to teach to a chosen age group, mostly elementary, although we were all adults of course. Anyway, I chose to teach on the present continuous form of the verb "to be". After my intro, I told a story about a mother named "Be" (last name "ing") who had three young children and two older children. My lesson focused on her three young children called "is, am and are". (The older children are called "was and were".) Each of the children have some friends. "Am" is shy so she only has one friend, "I". But, "is" and "are" have three friends each. "He, She and It" are friends with "is" and "You, We and They" are friends with "are". The story made sure to point out that mother "Be" always goes everywhere with her children, so whoever she's with and whatever they're doing, "ing" is also there. For instance, if there's "am" in the sentence, there will also be "I" and you must have "ing" on the end of the verb, like "I am playing". Also, "He is running" or "She is laughing".

I ended my lesson with a game where the students had to unscramble sentences that included the present continuous form of the verb.

I think my lesson went pretty well, all in all, so thanks again for praying.

After we had all done our lessons, we had a short break before returning to the interview for group discussions. Our two interviewers had randomly split us into two groups, where we were asked to take part in a discussion about a real life situation in a public school in New York City. Of course there were some hard to navigate issues in the discussion, but I think it went alright.

We then had to write an essay on the same issues that were addressed in the discussion. We were timed, and I guess I did alright on that too.

Lastly, we had a 25 minute interview one on one with one of the teachers who had been interviewing us. I got to go first, as I was the only one who'd flown in for this event, and she had some mercy on me. There were some tough questions during that part of the evening, but I did my best to be honest, even if I didn't know much about that subject. Since I was first to go through this part, I got out early, and it wasn't even dark outside when I left the building. I got back to my hotel in time to watch "So You Think You Can Dance".

As I was walking back to my hotel that night, I had to take a deep breath and sigh a prayer of relief. I knew I had done all I could do at that point, and that's still how I feel. I will know something within the next three weeks and will certainly keep you posted. It was great to know people were praying for me and that I would be in God's will throughout this process. I would thank you all for continuing to pray for me around this decision as God lays it on your heart.

I've had an awesome vacation, and now I'm gearing up toward teaching in Taiwan for the next several weeks, starting one week from today. I'll keep you posted on that too.

Take care, until next time.
LC from SF (after NYC and OKC! ;)

Is July over yet?

well, I've been on vacation for 4 weeks, and I get confused on what day it is, so I thought I would ask.

The funny thing about having a blog is you never know who's reading it. I started my blog because I had moved to a strange and new place and needed an outlet for sharing my experiences. Then, I started to bore myself with the constant complaints, so I didn't write as much...then, well, you probably know what happened then...if you read the blog.

The other funny thing about having a blog is I feel there's no need to write if I'm around all the people that read it (all two of you...thanks mom and dad.) Today, however, I realized that I often write on this blog to gather prayer support when I need it and to share my thoughts on things as I see them. Today I feel inspired enough to write again, and here goes.

Here I am in the states, lovin' the vacation vibe, (it's Saturday morning and I'm at Claudias in San Francisco...the sun is shining so clearly I can see a mountain on the other side of the bay, that I'm sure I've never seen from her deck before.) As good as it feels to be on vacation, I'm just starting to think about getting back to work in two more weeks. I'll leave San Francisco August 9th, arrive in Taiwan on the 10th, and start teaching again on the 11th. I've resigned my job, as many of you know, but I have to return to teach for 7 weeks 'til the end of September. What comes after that is a little up in the air, but this is what I know...

I will be flying to New York this Tuesday morning, only for two nights to interview with the New York Teaching Fellows program, for a potential job teaching ESL to children enrolled in one of the 1450 New York Public Schools. For more info on this program you can read all about it at www.nycteachingfellows.org. It looks like a solid opportunity to do a lot of what I've been doing in Taiwan, but in a context where everyone around me speaks English, and I'm familiar with the culture in which I'm living. I'm only a short plane ride from family and friends, and maybe, just maybe, I'll get the chance to sing with one of the most awesome gospel choirs of our time. I hope to get to audition for the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, and be involved in the ministry of the choir for a couple of years, before the Cymbalas retire. They've been at the church for so long, I think they could retire anytime, so I'm anxious to get there.

So....I will interview next Wednesday evening in New York City. If I am accepted into the program, I will start my 7 weeks of training on November 3, finishing on December 19. During that time, I will be placed in a New York City public school somewhere in one of the five boroughs (Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, and the Bronx), where I'll be mentored and learn the system. Also during the training, I will be alerted to job openings and get to go on interviews to try to secure a teaching position in the system. When I'm hired, I can begin work at anytime, and my Masters degree classes will begin in February. Once I'm hired, I will have to find a permanent place to live as close as possible between Brooklyn and wherever my school is. (I'm responsible for finding my housing during training, so I'll be looking for a temporary solution during that time.) Before all that happens, I have to pass two standardized tests on October 18th in NYC. These are the LAST (Liberal Arts and Sciences Test) and the CST (Content Specialty Test). Woo hoo ...tests!

All of these things are exciting challenges for me, which will require a lot of praying and listening to God so I can know what's best for me. On my own, I'm a failure. I know that. But with God, all things are possible. I can't even explain what it is about this that makes sense to me or appeals to me, I just know I have a deep desire to do it... and so I take one step at a time. The next step is flying to New York, going through the interview (which involves a 5 minute teaching sample on any topic - I've got to figure that out this weekend... aagh!), and seeing what happens then. Thanks for praying that I will be in God's will throughout this process.

I have been having a great time on vacation...beginning with seeing everyone in San Francisco for two days before flying to Toronto, seeing an old friend of mine from Scotland now living in western Ontario, meeting my friend Michelle's fiance (now husband) 4 days before their wedding, taking part in all the fun festivities surrounding their July 4th wedding, flying off to New York City for a vacation for four nights and five days, then back to San Francisco for a weekend before flying to Oklahoma to see my family, R.V. camping at the lake in southern Oklahoma with my parents, nephew (wife and four kids), niece (and husband), brother (and wife), and my cousin. (To read a sweet entry about my Oklahoma vacation, check out my nephews family blog at kmanderson.blogspot.com.)

Now, I'm back in SF, recovering and thinking a lot about next things. Looking forward to the adventure, and not without a little bit of trepidation. Vacations are a good time, eh? Maybe I'll post pictures later...maybe not. ;)

Well, like I said, it's a beautiful day in the bay area, and ... what... oh, yea, there it is...the sun is calling me to get out of my pj's and go out to enjoy it. Gotta go.

Until next time,

LC from SF (not TW ... at the moment)

Whoosh!!!...there goes June!

That's what it feels like so far, and I'm not complaining. I shouldn't be so time-obsessed, but I'm sure there are many things which God still wants to perfect in me, so add it to the list and keep praying that God will do a great work in me.

This morning, I'm up early to go for a job interview at a university near my home. It sounds like a good opportunity in many ways, but won't pay as much, and it's only part time, so if you don't work you don't get paid. That's a problem here since universities take July and August off, as well as 6 weeks in the winter. However, it's a good chance for me to get to know the system and perhaps have influence in the university community. I'll go to the interview, see what they have to offer, and pray that God will give me wisdom to do what He wants.

The other options are for me to continue on here at my current job through next March as I had been planning, or to try to get a job in a government elementary school. For the pay and number of teaching hours, as well as the paid vacation time, the government elementary school is definitely the way to go. The government recently changed the laws so that I am now qualified to teach in these schools, so I feel it's something I need to consider at least.

Always on my mind is the countdown to when I get to see some of you, just 2 and a half weeks til I fly to San Francisco, and I'm excited. I am past the point of seeing things in terms of weeks or even days here, and have been plodding along the last few days trying to make it through one class at a time, so you can tell my brain (and body) needs a break. The constant barrage of "Teachuh, teachuh, teachuh!" is a sound I am totally over. It reminds me of being in charge of a group of people in ministry and hearing my name over and over, until all I wanted was to change my name. I guess leadership comes with that price to pay, everyone wanting to get your attention and ask you a question. Sometimes I want to retire from my personality, and right now, that's what I want with regards to being the "teachuh!"

It's time for me to bolt out of here for my interview, so this will be short. I just really wanted to check in, say "Happy June" to everyone, and ask once again for prayer support as I make some tough decisions about my future in the next few days, while juggling my day to day responsibilities as a teacher. I also need to be motivated to get my ministry position filled while I'm gone for six Sundays traveling. This has proven to be a challenge in a time when I don't really want another challenge.

Thanks for praying. Let me know how I can pray for you.
Until next time, LC from crazy TW

You know when...

you're feeling emotionally drained and you can talk about it, so you know you're still o.k.? Then, sometimes, you're so emotionally drained that it kicks into the way you feel physically and you can't really talk about it 'cause it takes too much energy? Well, I've been feeling so weary emotionally here over the past month, that I've just been putting one foot in front of the other and not had much joy, certainly not enough to write an entry in my blog.

So, my sincere apologies to the likes of my sister who was telling me yesterday that she checks my blog everyday, and she's been beyond bored with me lately...I've been bored with me lately, too. Show me a teacher who isn't at the end of their rope in May each year, and I'll show you the exception to the norm. It stands to reason that as we near the summer, the kids are getting more excited about the break and so are the teachers and administrators.

It is no different here in Taiwan, where we maintain this schedule year round, but still long for a break at this time of the year. I am exhausted, AND it's that time of the year, AND I'm not anticipating being off in four short weeks, so my attitude wavers from positive to negative on a daily basis.

Saying all that, TODAY is a good day! This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

It's Sunday, June 1st for me, and I'm getting ready for worship. It's communion so we're singing songs about how much Jesus loves us. I'm looking forward to the day because I've missed the fellowship. Last weekend, I went camping with some friends and wasn't at church. Then yesterday, I had a pretty solitary day, staying home, talking on the phone, running a few errands, baking banana bread and watching movies. I needed it, and I enjoyed it, but I'm ready for the fellowship today will bring.

After church, today, I will scoot over to Chudong to give out the awards at our school's annual speech competition. I am the M.C. and have to give a "short speech", at leas that's what the organizer of todays event has told me no less than two times a day for the past two weeks. (These people repeat themselves A LOT!) So, today will be a little different than normal, and also a day to be proud of my students and others at the school. I need this day. Sometimes I feel I'm not making a difference, as I think I'm too close to the process to see significant changes, and the process of language learning is so slow at times it seems like nothing has changed. But when you hear a child that speaks very softly in class with his peers, standing on a stage with a couple hundred people looking at him, and he recites a speech by memory, strong enough to be heard and judged, you can see something's getting through.

Well, must get going here. Rehearsal begins at 7:45, so I'm dashing.

Until next time...sooner than last time, let's hope...LC from the TW!

A good Friday, a relaxing Saturday and Sunday, and it's...

Monday again!! The weather is beautiful this morning and I'm in a decent mood to enter the week, so that's a blessing. I'll tell you about yesterday in a moment, but first let me explain the picture and video.

Friday, I gave E2 a party, sort of, since they had done their final test and we'd talked about it, I took them some snacks and we went out to the courtyard at the back of our building to play some games. Lee-Sheen is my little wonder child, with whom God's given me favor, and to whom I've referred in earlier blog entries. So, he's in that class (and in B3) and he was being his normal 2nd grade self, playing with his friends outside. I don't often get to see this side of Lee-Sheen since I'm always teaching him and he's always studying very hard and trying to finish assignments. So, I made a video of the kids playing and him talking to the camera.

The picture below is from the last class on Friday, it finishes at 7:35 and then I get to leave, which is always a happy time. I am currently teaching 17 or 18 classes a week, each lasting 90 minutes, so by the time the last one rolls around each week, I'm usually really tired. Friday was no exception, and if you read my previous blog you'll understand some of the reason why. The kids were all sort of chatty and giggly and I had to keep them on task, trying to help them understand the difference between noun, verb, adjective and preposition, which I think is too difficult for their level, but that's another topic. I was wavering between discipline and fun most of the class period, but I was getting pretty close to my edge by the end of it. Then class was over and I dismissed them, but these three stayed behind, looking embarrassed but determined. Finally Cosmo, the wonder child, burst out with, "Teacher, I love you, Happy Mother's Day!" followed by a fit of laughter on the floor then he, Mavis (the glasses) and Angel all gave me pictures they had drawn on pieces of notebook paper. I had to take a picture with them because they were so cute and pleased with themselves, (and because the co-teacher walked in right at that time.)

That was Friday. Saturday I met Julie for 10 breakfast and didn't return home until about 1, which was great. Julie's my American friend here (though she hardly qualifies after living in Taiwan for 9 years!!) She's great to talk with and we were both unscheduled lazy girls so we just took our time chatting and catching up.

Sunday worship went well, and I believe because God knew where I was emotionally, He sent two people to encourage me after worship. It was great to hear that worship matters to people, although I know it does from leading and sensing the Spirit inspiring the body to worship. But it's always good to hear people say it. A Chinese gal, named Joy, whom I'd never seen that I know of, approached me after service to say that each Sunday when she leaves she has the worship songs on her mind all week. I thought that was awesome and it's certainly one of my goals as a worship leader so that was encouraging. Then I grabbed this South African lady I know here to chat with her about something else, and she was also encouraging. Thank God for those two conversations.

The rest of Sunday had moments of relaxation and good conversation, wishing my mom Happy Mother's Day on the phone, and making chili and mango sticky rice (not to be consumed together). We invited friends for an early evening meal, and there were 8 of us. All of us satisfied and happy, everyone left and the house was still again by 9.

So, I'm pleased to have had such a good weekend, and now look forward to the week of teaching and reconnecting with each class.

Thanks for your prayers and thoughts many of you have expressed concerning my friends Todd and Timberley and the tragic loss of their daughter. I believe some of the mystery has been settled as I spoke to mutual friends this weekend who heard that the accident involved a bike and a car. I assume this means that Anna was riding her bike when she was hit by a car and killed. Please continue to pray for this family as they grieve and determine their future plans.

Until next time, LC from TW

Cosmo, Angel and Mavis

E2 Video

If it would only snow tomorrow...

we would have "enjoyed" all four seasons this week. I can't believe the weather this week in Hsinchu. We have wind most days, so if I tell you it's been windy, you must know it's been VERY windy. That said, on Sunday, it was so humid and hot, I changed clothes about four times I think. Then in the night, it turned cold. I mean really cold, and by the time I scooted to work, it was raining and windy! That continued on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the clouds parting late in the evening while I was in class , so I drove home last night in a mist rather than deluge. Now it's Thursday morning and the sun is bursting through blue skies and I can feel the heat returning. Global warming I guess!

Weather report finished, I have to tell you something very serious and sad this morning. I have friends all over the world, because of my faith and my journey with other like-minded people. A couple that I've known since before they started dating, live in Indonesia with their two children. Todd and Timberley, are from San Mateo, California and Richmond, Virginia, respectively and they got married in San Francisco at FBC about a dozen years ago or so, after meeting and dating while we were all in seminary together at GGBTS. I met Timberley in '89 when we served as journeymen in the same class at the IMB. I would have visited her in Cyprus when I was living in Scotland but George the 1st started the Gulf War about the time I was set to travel there so I went to Spain instead. I was living in the dorms at GG with Timberley when she started crushing on the intellectually attractive Todd. So, I got to be part of the processing for her while they dated and were engaged. I was at their wedding at FBC after I helped them become associate members so they wouldn't have to pay to get married there.

I haven't seen them much in the past 6 years or so, because they've been serving overseas, but I had met their two children, Samuel, who is about 11 I think and Anna, age 9 or 10, in California when they were on sabbatical. Todd is a professor at a seminary now. I receive their monthly updates and prayer requests so I know what's going on with them.

This morning, I opened a somewhat cryptic email that said their daughter, Anna, had gone to be with the Lord after an accident yesterday. I am in shock and cannot imagine what they must be feeling. But, as they said in their email, they know that God is in control of all things, and they have peace that she is with Him. Wow! I can only ask that all of the people who read this would just take a moment to ask God for comfort and clarity as they deal with all the aspects of something like this happening. An accident...in an international setting...where they live as witnesses in a land of militant islamic believers...their heads must be spinning with all the decisions they must make for their future, not to mention just having to accept the loss and God's will when it comes at such a personal cost for them and their family.

Pray for Samuel, who was Anna's constant playmate since birth, for Timberley as a grieving mother. and Todd who has lost his little girl. With all the songs and books out on relationships these days, I think we all know that fathers have a special place in their hearts for their daughters, and Todd is a strong man of God, which will help sustain him through this tragic time. This family has been sold out to God for many years and they have deep love for their people group, so I ask God that they would have peace about how to continue life on these new terms. I've included some pictures that Timberley's sent me over the last year of their family. You can see how young and sweet Anna was. Full of fun and adventure, as is true for so many children who grow up in an international setting.


Anna getting braids on vacation. Sweet girl!

Todd and Timberley, Samuel and Anna
on vacation in Bali.

MK's often make life more interesting for themselves
by playing with bugs and animals in their
country of residence. Here Samuel and Anna
have slugs on their neck and face and their mom
sent it to me with the subtitle "Sam and Anna's pets".

So, thanks for praying for this family!

On a personal note, I enjoyed a weekend of feeling well and had a great worship experience on Sunday morning, but woke up Monday morning with clogged sinuses again. I don't know if it's a recurring sinus infection or what, but it's pretty uncomfortable to live with, so I've had a hard week. I hate always complaining about life here, but the most honest thing I can say is it's difficult to be here. This week, because of being so exhausted and discouraged about being sick all the time, I've been entertaining the possibility of coming home for good this summer. I really don't want to, and don't have peace about doing that, but the entertaining of said possibility is something that keeps coming to my mind every time I blow my nose, or feel uncomfortable. Yesterday, during A11, I lost it on my kids because they just could not shut up! I have a new boy in that class who is older (in a class of younger more serious learners), and before he came to my class he walked past another class and gave them the middle finger, so you can see how charming this one is. His name is Victor, and he's been in my class 3 times now. Since the first day, he sits right under my nose, and still he manages to wreak havoc on the rest of the kids, changing the dynamic of a class that had finally gotten to a manageable place. He gets everyone all riled up and yesterday they all thought they could say, "Teacher, teacher, teacher..." multiple times each to get my attention. Well with 14 kids in a class, it doesn't take but one time each for me to start to lose it. So, they had to endure a 30 second loud lesson on what they can and cannot do to get my attention in the future. I then called up the Chinese assistant to reinforce what's o.k., and what's not o.k. in Teacher Larissa's class. We'll see tomorrow if they remember it.

I am longing for the weekend. Today is Thursday so it's very near, but I'm staring my longest day in the face and now feel so heavy because of the shocking news about Todd and Timberley's daughter. I am facing nothing today like what they are facing. I think I will do well to remember God doesn't put on us more than we can handle and all things work together for our good according to His will and His purpose.

Gotta grade some tests. Thanks for praying.

Until next time, LC from The TW

Another Friday morning...and

I'm feelin' fine. Looking forward to the weekend, as always. I've been really exhausted this week after double duty last week, but thankfully it's been pretty uneventful. I have a lot of extra responsibilities to take care of this morning at school to finish the week a little better ready for next week, so hopefully I'll get to work early today.

Thanks to all of you who prayed for me last week. I totally needed it. The upsides to my taking that on were 1) the children were a welcome change to the children I usually teach, and
2) the co-teacher turned out to be a Christian Chinese lady that goes to the Chinese language service at my church, so she was great to hang out with for a few hours a day.

What does welcome change mean? Well, the children I usually teach have such limited language ability that I'm constantly having to slow my speech and choose my words carefully, then evaluate how I can better explain myself when I'm met with the blank stare of not understanding. This is tedious to say the least, and it's often discouraging and frustrating for me, and no doubt for the children. However, the children at Hsinchu International School (HIS) were mostly speaking English well for 3 and 4 year olds. It was like taking care of preschoolers back in Oklahoma when I was 15. The biggest challenge everyday was keeping them interested in whatever activity they were doing at the time, and making sure the three Japanese boys (Shogo, Ryota, and Masatoshi - no lie) weren't planning the next invasion of China in their daily summit meetings. (These three would speak Japanese to one another in these huddles that looked very intense when the rest of the children would be playing at recess. It cracked me up. When do these patterns form in children. Intensity at age 3? Wow!)

So, HIS was a great diversion to my routine, and I welcomed it. I was thinking this week, that although I was actually in the states just 11 weeks ago, it really seems like it's been much longer since I was there. It feels to me like I've been gone for 8 months or something, which I guess I have in total.

Anyway, please pray for me to be encouraged in the remaining 8 weeks until I get to take a 5 week break this summer. I'm excited about the plans shaping up for my trip to the states and Canada. I'll be singing in my friends wedding on July 4th in Toronto, so that will be a blast. The following day, I'll go to NYC for a few days with a couple of SF friends to enjoy the sights and culture of New York. I'm really looking forward to seeing friends and family in San Francisco and Oklahoma as well. And then I'll come back to Taiwan to finish my contract, which I've extended until next March. I'm excited, but exhausted too. Thankfully, I no longer have a cold (but with children sneezing in my face on a regular basis that could change, so thanks for praying for my health.)

I will post some photos of the children later this weekend. What a crack up!

O.K., must run. Until next time, it's May, and I'm in Taiwan! Aagh!!
LC

Hump Day...

and I really need a few prayers to finish strong this week. Monday morning, my friend Julie called me to ask if I could sub at a really easy job for the mornings this week, 8-12. I went to see the school and meet the class and co-teacher, and was so impressed with everything, I said I'd do it. Yesterday was my first full day to start at 8 and finish at 9:15, and now I'm facing three more of those, so I need prayer. You may ask why I would do this, but I guess all I can say is it seemed o.k. to do it, the job is pretty easy, (although it's watching over 12 pre-K kids, including 3 precocious little boys), the co-teacher has great English, and I found out yesterday she goes to the Chinese speaking congregation at my church, so that's cool. The extra pay I'll get this week will pay for my rent for a month, and that's handy since I'm looking at being gone for a whole month this summer, spending instead of earning. AND, on the health front, my cold is gone since I'm pumping my body with Vitamin C and water every day, so my energy is a little better.

All in all, I know the week will fly, but what I want prayer for is...patience with all my kids. This has to come from God as I'm not naturally gifted in this area (as you know) and when you throw in normal weariness from long days with living in this foreign context, I can be pretty crabby. Pray that my usual classes at my school will run smoothly and I will be gracious to ALL my children. Big prayer!

Speaking of prayer, thanks for praying for Lee-Sheen and his parents. The father met us after church for lunch, but LS and his mom came to church!! Big praise. We had a great afternoon and I was so happy to finally get to connect with the father, as I have never had an opportunity before. His English name is Frank, and as I said, her name is Jean, so keep praying for our relationship when you think about me.

I have a free day on Saturday to recover from this week, and I get off at 7:40 on Fridays now, so I'll check in at the weekend to let you know how God answered your prayers. Thanks again for loving me from a distance.

Until next time, LC

It's the weekend...

and I'm getting ready to go down to Taichung today to spend some time with my friends, Otey and Cheryl and their three kids. Their oldest, Hannah, is in Seussical the Musical at her high school, and I love that show, so I'm excited to see them do it. I'm in a fat hurry, but I wanted to quickly tell you two things that I've experienced this week. (By the way, I posted a few pictures from my trip to Thailand so you may want to look at my previous post again.)

Last Saturday, I got up at the crack of dawn, drove over to Chudong, met up with 10 of my co-workers and got on the bus from H-E-double toothpicks (sorry, but it was!) to go up into the mountains of Taiwan where there is an aboriginal village of farmers. One of the gals who worked for Kang Ning was born in that village, one of nine children, and she now lives in Taipei. She was our guide and we had a blast, (once we got off the bus...winding roads, with potholes that touched middle earth, for two hours, me with a cold and on medicine, I was pale and wanted to hurl, but never did!)

There are many details about this day that I could share, but I must just say the highlight of the day was meeting our guides parents and some of her family. Her father, apparently was a minister in the Presbyterian church in the village for 30 years, and we met him and his wife. Their countenance was amazing and it truly gave me a different and welcome impression of Taiwanese people. This has been a prayer request for awhile, so I am thankful that God answered my prayers. When I spoke to the man about his life (through his daughter as our interpreter), he said that the whole village was Christian. This really did my heart good to hear. After lunch, we were relaxing around their lodge (a huge retreat house with traditional bunkbeds that will sleep 10 people each), and one of his granddaughters came in to turn on the television. I took my Ipod off my ears when I saw she was watching a worship service. It was Joel Osteen from Houston and no matter what you think of him, his worship team can play and the worship leader was bustin' out with How Great is Our God! I started singing and Anne (our guide) came in and started singing it in Chinese, and again, my heart swelled with excitement. Wow! It was cool.

Well, that was a week ago, and I've needed to post this all week, but haven't really made the time to do it, since I was full of the cold all week, and just had the energy to teach and come home to my bed.

However, one last story about my student Lee-Sheen, with whom God has given me favor. Lee-Sheen started out in a lower level class of mine, but quickly proved himself to be in the wrong class level. He's very bright, and his English is great, so I promoted him within a month or so of being here. About 6 weeks ago, his mother asked if we could put him in another class of mine, since he likes me, and she wants him to have four days of English class a week, rather than just two, which is the norm. His mother's English is very good, and we have had some very good conversations. Several weeks ago, she talked to me about coming to church, and expressed real interest in it. Then this week, she asked me again about it, and I told her that I really believed Lee-Sheen would benefit from being in Sunday School with all the children at our church, since he is an only child, and he is a little A.D.D., and can be demanding. She immediately got that, and said, "O.K., what time does it start? We'll come this Sunday!" I really pray that she and her husband will come together, that Lee-Sheen will have an instant connection to the teacher and to some of the other students, that the worship and sermon will pierce the heart of these people and that God will have His way in their lives. So, if you think about it, no matter when you read this, lift up this family, who's priorities seem to have focused, up to now, on material things. Her name is Jean, and I don't know the father's name. Thanks.

Gotta run.
Until next time,
LC from TW

Anne and her parents in front of their house.
He's 62 and the mother is 56.
It's a hard life in the mountains, I guess,
but they have faces full of joy.

(Sorry about the angle!)
This family entertains guests from the
lowlands regularly, and here the father
is singing a traditional song for us.
It was very moving.

The only good thing about...

not being able to breathe through my nose is I don't have to worry about holding my breath on my scoot home going past the street vendors selling stinky tofu. Yep, I came back from Thailand with a cold and my nose is so stopped up I can't smell or taste anything. Last night after work, as I rounded the corner into this small market street on my route home, I was reminded of how fortunate it was to not smell that rotten smell. The Taiwanese call it Cho Do Fu, but all the westerners call it STINKY Tofu, because it is strong and smelly. I don't know how they do it, but they season it with all kinds of funk and then deep fry it and the smell wafts through the streets. You never know when you're going to pass a vendor selling it, but you can't mistake it when you do. I once asked several of my classes if they like it and I didn't have one person tell me they didn't like it. They all said, "It's delicious." They may have been showing off that they knew the word delicious, but seriously, I think they all love it. It is apparently the national dish, according to one of my co-workers, Sharon, who has informed me that I have to try it before I leave Taiwan, or I cannot say that I've lived in Taiwan. (Why can't milk tea be the national dish?) I guess asking a Taiwanese person if they like stinky tofu is like asking someone from the south if they like fried chicken. Or, asking someone from Texas if they like Dr. Pepper. (My supplier in Hsinchu ran out of Dr. Pepper about 3 weeks ago, so I've not had any for awhile.)

Anyway, all that rambling, to say I've got a cold, even though it's hot here. It turned off hot and humid this week and I was able to ride the scoot to work without a jacket for the first time in 6 months I think. It will soon be unbearably hot in our apartment I'm sure. Alas, I cannot be pleased when it comes to the weather.

Speaking of hot...it was hot in Thailand. My friend, Julie and I had a very relaxing three days and four nights, although now, on Friday morning at the end of a busy week, it seems like we were there a month ago rather than a week ago. Thailand is a tropical Asian experience replete with street markets selling black market wares, the tuk tuks (open air cabs for two plus people run off a motorcycle engine), the smells of green curry and pad thai, and the people begging on the streets. I saw many people from around the world walking the streets and markets of Bangkok and Pattaya (pat tuh yuh), and got to use my Irish accent on a young Irish guy who approached me in the street to see if I wanted to join his party in the bar for a bucket. (Apparently the bucket is the preferred container for mixing drinks and consuming them in Thailand amongst western tourists.) He was funny, although he was drunk. As soon as I mimicked his accent he asked me where I was from. I told him San Francisco, and he told me he was drunk. As I walked away, I thought, it was kind of funny, and really sad at the same time.

One of the things I liked most about doing this short vacation was seeing the looks on my kids faces when I got into a limo at my school on Thursday evening, and then getting dropped off at school with one hour to plan for the day on Monday. I couldn't have planned this or executed it any tighter, and many of you know how I relish the challenge of tight travel plans.

I also enjoyed just getting to take my watch off for a few days, getting two massages in one day (one delivered to my room - luxury), sitting by the pool (fully covered), and eating some of the best food I've had in months (green curry giant prawns!)

What I didn't enjoy about Thailand - our resort in Pattaya was on a dirty beach and our view was of industrial cranes. When we walked around the town, the prostitution was really in your face, and one couldn't just ignore what goes on in that country. Please pray for the people of Thailand to come to know the Savior.

Well, I've got to scoot, so I'll close for now.

Until next time, LC in TW


Julie on the beach being intellectual.

Eating Mango Sticky Rice in Bangkok.
Nothing intellectual about me!

Our cute little taxi guy taking us to the airport
at 5 in the morning. Ugh! Nice taxi though!

Julie in the Burberry Taxi at 5 in the morning.
Vacation over!

Just one of many funny things we saw in Bangkok.
In this funky boutique hotel lobby where we stayed,
these were the bathroom doors. At first, I really
wasn't sure which one to go into...lol!