2007 Suzuki Swift

Thanks to the generous giving of friends and acquaintances back in the States the last couple of years and particularly in recent months, I was able to buy a car today. Since coming to Taiwan in 1997, it's my first vehicle. Actually, it's my first new car ever. I should be able to pick it up in a few days.

Originally I had planned to buy a good used car, but a very good deal through a strategic  acquaintance, as well as making use of work special monies over and above my designated vehicle account, enabled me to make the purchase. Lord willing, in recent weeks I have purchased adequate English-teaching materials, tables and chairs, equipment and other work-related resources to reduce the load on my work special fund for a couple of months. Furthermore, I still have enough left over to cover vehicle maintenance costs until the mission's help kicks in.

The Suzuki brand is well-known in Japan and elsewhere outside the United States for its small economy cars. The Swift is a tiny 1500 cc liftback, but a medium-tall guy like myself can sit comfortably in the front seat. I certainly won't be breaking any speed barriers, but the Swift has a reputation for good gas mileage, which was a consideration for me in today's market.

My contact is a Taiwanese Christian man who manages a Suzuki-owned body shop. He has helped numerous pastors and missionaries buy used and new vehicles through his extensive web of influence which run far beyond his own company and brand. A coworker of mine just bought a used vehicle from a different manufacturer through him late last year.  In this case, the gentleman I was connected with was a younger classmate who just took over the top job at a Suzuki dealership this past month, having previously worked with my contact elsewhere.

Though Suzuki didn't lose any money on the deal, I feel a little sorry for the saleswoman who sold me the car and will process it for me (well, not too sorry) . All the commission she would have normally made on a sale were forfeited in this case. It's an especially bad year for new auto sales in Taiwan (January was down 17% from a year ago), but that's how guanxi (relationship networks) work here in Taiwan. My contact assured her that he was very-well connected and would help her make money next time. Maybe I can send some business her way in the future as well.

I suppose I will continue to wonder how much better off I might have been with another Toyota. I've driven three in years past and was always satisfied. This time around I especially had my eyes on the Toyota Yaris, just introduced last year to the Taiwan market. However, many people feel the price is outrageous for what you get.

In summary, I think I made out OK today with the budget I had. Because the car I purchased is last year's model, and because I also bought my first year's insurance through Suzuki, there were several other sizeable discounts that kicked in. However, there were only 5 of last year's model available island-wide in the stripped-down version I bought. So I had no choice of color. It'll be black for me this time around, which will be a little hotter this summer in our semi-tropical climate here. Stay tuned for my next post, when hopefully I'll actually be driving it around...

Brief Taste of Freedom (Escape Attempt from Alcatraz)

I unbuckled the hook and removed the food tray from the bird cage which along with the other two was sitting on the back porch balcony. They've been sitting outside ever since I came down with pink eye a few weeks ago. I turned my back and walked about 5 feet away to refill the food tray. In the space of 10 seconds, my Indian Ringneck (not a Green Conure as I previously supposed) somehow opened the food tray door, squeezed itself through the opening, and walked up to the top of the cage, all without me hearing it (This isn't a complete surprise; before I started locking the door shut a month ago, I would sometimes observe the bird with its head peering out curiously through the door at the wide world outside, but I never imagined it could squeeze through the opening).

I quickly weighed my options. I could lunge at the bird but it would most likely immediately take off, being as it has never had any inclination to be friendly with people.  Instead, knowing the bird would be hungry for its favorite snack, I gently put the food tray on the top of the cage, and proceeded to gently move the cage indoors.  No luck. The bird took flight. In that split second I knew I could violently swat it down, but I didn't want to hurt it. So I watched it lift off with amazing speed flying up  behind the row of houses and off into the wild blue yonder. Oh well... there goes $1,400NT down the drain! Easy come, easy go.

I walked downstairs and proceeded down the street in the direction I had seen the bird fly. I did so with low expectations since only a few months before I had unsucessfully sought out an errant lovebird which flew away never to be seen or heard from again.

As I walked the 50 yards back to the house I saw my neighbor Mr. Chen standing curiously out front. He said he had just seen a very strange bird he had never seen in the wild before. I followed the direction he pointed and walked around the corner in the opposite direction. The bird had flown 3/4 of a several hundred foot-long circle, and was lying on the ground in front of a house under a car. Strategic mistake: instead of fleeing for the open fields directly across the street he flew right back into the clutches of civilization!

With a word of explanation to the person in the house who wondered what in the world a foreigner was doing so comically on their property (God's sense of humor in arranging a divine appointment?), I scooped up the bird. It made no attempt to fly away or bite me, and we returned home. I guess 10 minutes of freedom was enough for one day.

Easter Picture Story-telling

Much as I did last Christmas, I thought this Easter season I might cover the first floor storefront windows where I live with artwork depicting the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. I spent a good part of my weekend printing color prints and scripture references.

Although I doubt European art from 500 years ago is especially appealing or relevant to my working-class/farmer Taiwanese neighbors (see pizza post below!), I do want to learn how to use pictures and story-telling in order to share Christ here. So at least it's a start.

After having already printed out a couple dozen images and located scriptures in a modern Chinese translation, I figured I might as well spend a little extra time to put it all on my chinese blog to share with a few local acquaintances who might not know the Easter story. 

Missiological Implications of the Pizza Disaster

I just had one of those "this activity certainly isn't turning out the way I had planned, but will maybe make for an interesting blog entry " moments. Earlier this evening I brought back a Hawaiian pizza from the city to share as an expression of friendship with two neighboring families. I called ahead so they knew the pizza was coming, although I encouraged them to eat something first as I'd be coming a little later and there might not be enough to fill everybody up.

The reason I thought of pizza is because of my neighbors has a brother who briefly had a pizza business years ago. By way of background, pizza long has been readily available at urban outlets such as Dominos and Pizza Hut here in Taiwan, at least longer than the 10 years I've been here.  But like movie theaters, pizza just hasn't trickled out to the countryside. Speaking of movies, last fall I tried to start a movie night, thinking that showing quality family-friendly movies might be a practical way of serving the community and gradually introducing Christ, since the closest movie theater is 45 minutes from here. Well, the movie idea didn't get anywhere with my immediate neighbors. One acquaintance from not too far away in his early 30's told me this past week he's only been to a handful of movies in his life.

Well, as you might be able to guess by now, the few who came over for pizza politely ate a few bites, but when pressed to eat more, insisted they were already full. Colloquial English translation: "Yuck! We're not used to eating this!" Just like I occasionally observe back in the States, I'm reminded again that not anyone is able or willing to step across cultural boundaries to live in a manner foreign to their upbringing. On a far more amazing level, nor were any of us able to cross the divide into the infinite magnitude of God's presence. So Christ voluntarily stepped out of time and into our world of limitation, bearing our suffering and shame.

With regard to the pending missiological question of how to most effectively share about what this God has done in Christ to my non-pizza eating, movie-going friends, tonight's debacle bears at least two conclusions worth noting:

1) Beyond simple open-houses to let people see what a foreigner's house looks like from time to time, it's probably not a good idea to attempt many more activities based upon western, urban activities, holidays, or interests (this is a bit of a no-brainer). These are most likely doomed to fail!

2) Some have recently re-emphasized the connection between idol worship, particularly that of the goddess Matsu, and spiritual opposition to Christianity in this area, one of the least-reached areas in all of Taiwan. I agree somewhat there is a spiritual connection and so was moved myself two years ago to stump for  the town with the famous "Matsu" temple here to be the hub for our new church planting efforts. HOWEVER, it's possible to overstate this. Perhaps just as significant is the anthropological observation that, being agriculturally-based, this area is very, very conservative and resistant to any change or outward influence of ANY kind, NOT just with regard to spiritual things. To make a long story short, in this traditional society, the same neighbors who don't go for pizza or watching movies aren't going to fall for what they perceive to be a foreign religion. Christ must be experienced in forms and activities which are entirely comfortable and indigenous for the working-class farmers and others who call this place home. May God's Spirit show the way.

Two Instances of Divine Protection

Rarely a day goes by when I don't thank the Lord for protection while driving either a car or scooter here. Monday afternoon I was just a pedestrian though.

After the conclusion of Taiwanese 2nd language study, I wait at the intersection in front of the crosswalk for the light to turn red. I make my way across the street. A delivery truck madly makes a  left turn and comes bounding toward me. In a split section I jump out the way, missing being hit by the absolute narrowest of margins! Had I been slower due to age or infirmity, a mother with a stroller, or been looking the other way, it would have been over. Looking back in anger, amazement, and relief, I see the driver only has one hand on the steering wheel.

An hour later, I'm driving myself. Making a left in town as absolutely no cars are coming from the other direction (there is no light here), a vehicle suddenly and rapidly accelerates from the curb diagonally across. He obviously hasn't looked for oncoming traffic. I narrowly miss him as I slam on the brakes. It's one of those slow-motion moments when I feel that God in his amazing design of the human body has sharpened and intensified our reflexes.This near-incident, though probably not life-threatening, would surely have decimated the mission vehicle I was driving.

In both instances, I initially feel a fleeting moment of anger at the way so many people seem to drive here with utter disregard for the safety or lives of others. During a recent lesson on driving in my Taiwanese textbook written 30 some years ago, my instructor comments that things are actually better now! However, within milliseconds anger quickly melts into a feeling gratitude and a prayer of thanksgiving:

I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. Psalm 121