Hiking with Formosa Plastics on Mount DaDong

  Last Saturday I joined my neighbor Wu Hai Qin to hike again with some of his coworkers from Formosa Plastics. This time we went to Mount Dadong, elevation 1975 meters, very close to Ali Mountain, and almost just as high an elevation (so I don't feel like I need to go to Ali Mountain quite so much now).

The weather was much cooler than my last hike last spring, and we hiked a little farther (though still only 9 km). With a some kids along this time, and some of the men who usually hike tougher trails absent or out of shape, I hiked faster than most of the folks this time around. But one guy was really "li4hai4": he carried his baby the whole way on his back both up and down the  mountain and finished in front of most of us!

Light in the Gloomy Darkness

 Yesterday afternoon after completing prep-work for this month's English classes in Western Yunlin, Taiwan, I emerged from hiding to discover that what has passed for a road (mostly dirt) in front of my house the last few months is even  less passable than before.

 

 

They've removed 3 feet of dirt, not leveling what remains, so that now it is impossible even to drive my scooter  back to my house at night, not to mention a car. To say the least, things look rather bleak outside, especially at night, since even the  street lights have been out of commission in recent weeks.

To brighten up the gloomy-looking neighborhood, I've decorated the small tree in front of my house, put up a string of Christmas lights on my second floor, and have another small tree inside. Although they're not much, may God use the colored lights to impart a sense of the hope we are reminded of in Christ every year this time of year:

 "But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish....The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." Isaiah 9

Another Good Day of Community Interaction

Sunday provided another good time of informal interaction with various residents of my town here. First, in the morning, I visited the breakfast shop run by the parents of Chris and Jerry (renamed himself as of last week), two of the new kids that started coming to my Saturday English activity 2 Saturdays ago. Two other boys who visited for the first time Saturday were also there. Since their parents run a rice shop right next door to the breakfast shop, I went back in the evening for a bowl of chicken rice and a serving of seaweed, supposedly good for the hair!

Before coming home, I stopped by to say hello at the seafood restaurant, where the Laoban told me for the first time himself that his wife was in the hospital. I'm hopeful that God will provide our team an opportunity to pray with her for divine healing in the name of Jesus Christ. On the way back over here, I passed by Lily (another of my Saturday kids) and her mom on their scooter and chatted with them at a couple of red lights.

Arriving back at my front door, Da2Guan1, the middle school son of the beef noodle soup shop I visit the most frequently, was waiting by my front door. He wanted to borrow a bag for his school camping trip. He also asked me to give him a bible in addition to the bible portion he picked up last time, so I gave him a 300 NT Chinese bible translated into modern Chinese. We also went through the first lesson of a evangelism/ discipleship/equipping course I've been taking recently but I don't think he was really tracking well with it.

Last but not least, Sakray came back over when he got off work from the seafood restaurant. In addition to asking me to listen to a few songs on his IPOD, he brought over some venison soup to share (I didn't tell him I had been to the same shop just the night before). He shared a few personal things and also invited me to join a group of his friends for dinner this Saturday before he heads off for basic training. Sakray also dropped by again Monday morning on his way to work as well, but we were having our team meeting.

Anyway, weekend visiting opportunities are more frequent than Monday to Thursday, so I'm thankful for the touches God gave me with different acquaintances again yesterday. In addition to our community service, proactively taking advantage of those kind of opportunities is pretty much the "main event" for us right now since we don't actually have a church at this time.

A Good Day Interacting with Community People

Living in the Taiwanese Countryside is truly something I wouldn't exchange for the big cities here.

This afternoon 17 or so neighborhood kids came over to my house for an English lesson in two separate classes. I open up my 1st floor on Saturday afternoons to neighborhood kids (plus a few parents) as a means of sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ in a practical way with no strings attached.

Amongst the kids today were several who were new. Today we spoke in a little more depth about American Thanksgiving, sang a song, read a story book on an unrelated topic, and played more Simon Says. One of the kids was really disappointed I didn't visit their breakfast shop again this past week, so first thing in the morning that is where I want to go.

After the informal English classes ended, I chatted with my neighbors on the left hand side, who just moved in about a month ago. It was the first extended chat I've had with the wife, who works with pigs when they are sick.

After that, I drove my friend and neighbor Mr. Wu on the back of my scooter over to a small shop across from the town temple which specializes in venison (they only open in winter). The venison noodles as well as venison hot pot were both very delicious! We were disappointed that another friend as well as Mr. Wu's family were not able to join us (he forgot to tell them this morning before he went to work not to eat dinner). However, now we have an excuse to go back again very soon!

Coming home, I chatted with my neighbors on the right hand side for about 15 minutes before declining an invitation to go with them to the night market in BeiGang.

From there, I helped my neighbors and good friends 5 doors down (the Dings)  install an old scanner I gave them earlier in the day. Mr. Ding, a wood carver by trade, only has an elementary school education, but he is very intelligent. I enjoyed some good guava and pear while we chatted and learned how to use the software.

Finally, coming home and having shut the steel door, I looked at the answering machine to see I had two calls. They were from my neighbor's 20 year old son three doors down, who works in a seafood restaurant across from the temple. He had dropped by a half hour or so earlier to tell me he's been told he will go to Chiayi on Dec 12 to start his mandatory military service.

Sakray wanted to come over and chat in person, but I told him I was about to turn in for the night. I'm looking forward to a good time of catching up with him tomorrow in the late afternoon over in the seafood restaurant, or in the evening when he gets off work. The boss's wife at the restaurant, the mother of one of our English students at Four Lakes Elementary School, has been hospitalized for over a week so I'm also hopeful to have a chance to visit with him as well.

Would I have had so many chances for spontaneous, friendly interaction with so many neighbors in Taipei, Taichung, or other larger localities where most people live in apartments? Not likely at all. This Thanksgiving weekend, I thank God again for all the interesting people and friendships He is giving me  in this neighborhood.

One Puppy Back

With reference to the last entry, one of the puppies also made the 10 km hike back. Amazing.

Seriously, I've got to choose some more enthralling topics to write about. However, this blog has been mostly about life in the Taiwanese countryside the past year...