Everything that has a beginning, has an end

The last words…
Well I will begin this blog with a quick update on what’s been happening for the last few days and then I will add my final reflections on my trip to Taiwan. I apologise for not finishing it sooner, but sleep was a necessity (sorry Aunt Marge!)

The Last Days
Our last two days in Taiwan were filled with a mad rush of packing and farewells, which meant we got little sleep. When I left Sydney my luggage was already over the 20kg weight limit and I forgot that I would be bringing back extra souvenirs so when I finished repacking my bag I was way over the limit. Thankfully when I checked in my luggage I smiled nicely at the airline hostess and she allowed me on and even gave me a good aisle seat on the 747.
It was really sad to say goodbye to our dear friends in Puli. They have been so good to us and we owe them a debt that can never be repaid. We bought them all some small gifts to say thank you and told them all they can stay with us in Sydney if they ever visit.
Dr Chu I think will really miss us. We had struck up a good friendship with him over the last 8 weeks and he took us out for lunch on our last day (to another steak house). We bought him a plant as a parting present as he is a bit of an avid gardener.
We managed to catch up with Sammy and give her an English Bible. Within a few hours she returned, having already read some of the Bible (she is really close to becoming a Christian we reckon) and bought us presents. I was given a beautiful scarf and we all got our last bubble tea to drink. Sammy said that the best thing that had happened to her this year was meeting us… which really humbled us… I pray that she would soon come to know Jesus and life in him.
On Wednesday afternoon we hoped on our last bus and left behind our temporary home to head back to Taipei. We stayed overnight at Vivian’s apartment again and got up at 5:45am to catch the bus to the airport. Pete and Jade’s plane was before mine so I spent about 6 hours sleeping no a chair in the airport waiting.
The plane ride to Singapore was pretty good and when we got to Singapore I had a 1-hour stopover. Singapore’s Changi Airport is really cool because you can make free phone calls to anyone in Singapore so I spent most of the time on the phone to my friend from Unichurch, Jeanne.
On the plane from Singapore to Sydney, we were served Dinner at midnight Sydney time and breakfast at 6am Sydney time which seriously messed up my circadian rhythm. During our time in Taiwan we had seen a film clip for a movie about this man who kept ‘screaming’ all the time and we had always wondered what this movie was about (because in it they kept showing these Asian people at Uluru in Australia). Well on the plane flight I managed to finally watch this movie and discover it was a Japanese drama about a girl with leukaemia who falls in love and her last wish before she dies is to see Uluru. It was actually a really sad movie but I’m glad I can finally understand what it was about.
Anyway, I got to see the sun rise over the land I call home (Australia) and I must say I felt the patriotism rise up within me as we flew over the Blue Mountains and towards Sydney. I was relieved to finally make it home safe and sound and managed to navigate my way to my house only to find that my flatmate John had decided to renovate his room and so I had to crawl over the hallway mess to my room and sleep.
However, sleep was not something that I was to get much of, for we had to traverse the Harbour to cremorne Point in order to see the famous New Year’s Eve Fireworks. Now as God would have it, we managed to end up sitting right next to Dr Cole, the doctor who had arranged my medical elective in Taiwan (talk about God’s sense of humour) A large group of Unichurchers watched the fireworks and we had a fun time welcoming in the New Year. It was such a nice night and a great way to cap the whole last 8 weeks, reflecting on what God has been doing.
Tonight I went to church and we had a small gathering of about 20 people (it’s university holidays so no one is here) and it was great to finally hear a sermon in English (yay!). We had some good conversations after church and did our usual Mc Donald’s outing afterwards. It’s so good to be home… but I ‘m already missing Taiwan a lot.

Reflections on Taiwan
In my very first blog way back in the start on November I said that I was excited and nervous about going to Taiwan. Looking back on that, I was probably justified to feel that way. There were a lot of things I had to be nervous about:

i) my lack of linguistic prowess in Mandarin – God was very gracious in providing English speaking friends for us in Puli. I can only imagine how hard and lonely it would have been if these friends hadn’t gone out of their way to help us day after day. In God’s grace I have learnt a little bit of Mandarin, but in this coming year I am planning to try to learn Mandarin more formally so I don’t sound like such an American.

ii) adjusting to the Taiwanese food and culture – okay, I’ll admit it; there were many nice foods that we ate in Taiwan… but much of what we ate was truly awful… I am very thankful for being back on a Western diet again. The culture was much easier to adjust to. I did at one point find the whole culture just too overwhelming, but God’s grace is sufficient and in his mercy he quickly gave me a break and allowed me to recover. I am glad that we stayed at the one hospital for the whole 8 weeks as it gave us a chance to develop good relationships with the people and see what life really is like here. We all felt that had we been to 2 different hospitals here we would not have been able to learn as much about the culture.

However I did also have many things to be excited about:

i) opportunities to meet with local Christians and see how church works in another culture – God is the king of all nations and he loves Taiwan as much as he loves Australia. He has saved many people there and is transforming them into the likeness of his Son. I thank God for them and pray that they will continue to be built up into Christ who is the head of us all.

ii) opportunities to talk to non-Christians about Jesus – although we had to use English (I don’t think my one phrase in Mandarin “Yesu ai ni” (Jesus loves you) would have been very effective) we managed to talk to quite a few people about Jesus and we are planning to keep on talking to Sammy via email as she reads the Bible. Please keep praying for her, that God would work in her life and that she would come to believe in Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.

iii) opportunities to learn about how missionaries live and the struggles and joys they have – spending Christmas with a missionary and talking to many other ones gave us a good chance to ask them about their lives and see first hand the things they have to deal with (such as the blatant idolatry and false gods here) Some things here are very different (such as ancestor worship), whilst some things are not that different (worship of material possessions and money). I have come to realize my laziness in praying for and supporting our missionaries. They work so tirelessly and deserve our full support wherever they are.

iv) opportunities to see how medicine works overseas – the Christian doctors here work long hours to provide a top service to the community here. Whilst the health standards and practices are a bit different… human bodies still work the same way here and so medicine is quite universal wherever you go. Things like TB were a big surprise and made me realize just how good our health care is in Australia.

v) opportunities to hang out with my best mate and his wife – Pete and Jade are absolute legends! Both of them were such good companions during the last 8 weeks. Even though they have only been married 4 months they were kind enough to spend time with me and make me not feel like a ‘3rd wheel’. We had many interesting chats as we did our ACME Bible studies each night and it was good to talk through Christian issues with them. They made me laugh and supported me when I was finding it tough. Thanks so much Pete and Jade for your friendship over the last 8 weeks, we have so many good memories I’m sure we’ll laugh at for years to come (“Put up your right hand if you want to play ‘Beans’…” and we wont mention what was boiled in that wok!)

vii) opportunities to have a holiday – before I left Sydney, one of my pastors at Unichurch (Ken) said “Make sure you are able to have a holiday while you’re there and enjoy yourself”. I am glad I heeded his advice and managed to squeeze in some relaxation amidst the hectic 8 weeks. This will probably be my last proper holiday before I graduate and begin working as a doctor so I am thankful for the time to unwind and enjoy God’s creation.

viii) opportunities to grow as a Christian – I am so thankful to God for what he has taught me over the last 8 weeks. I have learnt a lot about God’s faithfulness and sovereignty whilst overseas. He has provided for us in ways that words cannot describe. When we lacked a place to live, he provided 3 different houses for us. When we couldn’t find a bank to get money out, he provided people who would take us out for dinner so we wouldn’t need to pay. When we missed home, he provided phone calls and emails. When we just felt overwhelmed by living in another ‘world’ he gave us the strength to persevere and enjoy our time.

I have been reminded of just how amazing my Lord Jesus is. As we have been reading the Bible, I am humbled to see how my Lord came to earth and gave his life for mine. That he should love me even when I was his enemy. That he died a death that I deserve in order that I might become one of God’s children and share in his inheritance. This is the most important thing in life. And many people do not yet know this. Many still live as God’s enemies. They need to hear the message of salvation that we have been given and repent before he returns. This message is for all people… whether in Sydney or Parkes or Taiwan. I don’t know what my future may hold. Having been overseas has given me an awful lot to think about which I will probably need to spend in prayerful consideration. But whatever my future holds, I know that God is in control and that he wants people everywhere to trust in his Son. I pray and ask him that my life will help to further his purposes in this world and that whatever I do may bring glory to him who died for me.

Thankyou everyone who has been praying for me and emailing me and reading this rather long blog. It is with much sadness that I close this chapter of my life. Hopefully I can talk to you all individually soon and tell you more. But for those of you who wish to view a select few photos form my journey (with captions) you can visit http://members12.clubphoto.com/jimbo934526/guest-1.phtml which has a brief overview of my trip.

“And they sang a new song, saying ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10

Glory be to God!

Yours in Christ,
Jimbo