Hey y’all-
It’s 7:25 a.m. in Taipei and I’m writing this while having a cup of coffee, laundry is in the dryer, crap is scattered all over the apartment, and I’m trying to decide what to pack, what to trash, and what to give away….it’s my last day in Taiwan. Five months ago, I came here as part of a team of missionaries who were to use bluegrass music as a platform for evangelism in the Taipei area, specifically Banciao. We did that. So, let’s reflect, shall we?
We landed with no Chinese, no specific plan, and no idea how our music or message would be received by the Taiwanese people. The IMB assigned us to work with career missionaries who have been in Taiwan for 15-30 years, depending on which of the three missionaries one is talking about. This was a good and bad thing….the career missionaries, that is.
One missionary has been here a long time. This missionary is alone in a lot of ways and used to it. Leading a group of five seminary students was not a good idea. It failed miserably. We parted company and moved on……
The other two missionaries (a married couple) were easy to work with, caring, and willing to allow us to try and use our gifts and talents to reach the people of Taiwan. They were not so interested in giving “directives” as they were in trying to find open doors to the hardened hearts of the Taiwanese people. This relationship was not perfect (none is except one’s relationship with Christ, but you would expect me to say that, wouldn’t you?), but it was still good. Thank you to them and their willingness to take us on unexpectedly as supervisors.
Our knowledge of Chinese grew by leaps and bounds through the use of a private tutor by the name of Sam. She (Samantha) is a native Taiwanese young woman who was willing to try and teach five foreigners at one time. Bold. It worked as well as it could and we quickly were able to feel more comfortable in our new surroundings. Paul, the banjo player in the band, and I really enjoyed learning to count in Mandarin. Then, we could walk down the street, look at bus numbers, and practice. That was a big day for us…huge. Oh, I also ordered coffee (and other food at a few places) and did well enough to carry on the entire exchange in Mandarin. It was bad Chinese, but it was Chinese.
The plan never really seemed to come together. We came as part of a program that was intended for mentoring and education. However, we were seen as more of a ministry resource to be used. So, we did a lot of pioneer evangelistic work on a school campus in Banciao. That school is Chihlee Institute of Technology. A great place with great kids….I love that school. The mentoring, education, working side-by-side with career personnel never came together. So be it. We made a ton of friends, faithfully shared the Gospel with them, learned to love them, learned from them, taught them about America, and had a great time. Again, I love that school and those kids.
How was bluegrass received? Pretty well, I think. The people don’t have a concept of bluegrass, but they were receptive to live music. They seemed to enjoy our playing and the energy of bluegrass. They loved to hear Sarah sing. She has red hair and fair skin and that enthralls many Taiwanese. They had never heard of or seen a banjo. Paul helped them with that. Cameron played a violin in a different way…and called it a fiddle. Matt’s blue eyes and mandolin seemed to be equally attractive to the young girls. Me? I’m old and ugly, but they thought my upright bass was huge…
This is it for me and Taiwan. Will I ever come back? I was asked that question a lot by our friends here in the last few days. My answer was, “I don’t know.” But, I sure would like to. Maybe to serve as a full-time missionary. Maybe on short-term trips. Maybe to just vacation and visit some friends. I surely hope this isn’t the last I see of my Taiwanese friends and family.
It’s been fun, Taiwan. Zai jian…..
Uncle Jeff
