Just One Teacher

A Year in review

2011-03-20T23:18:00.001-07:00

I guess my writing is like the elusive ground hog. It only comes out now and then, and when it does it is a big deal. I however make no claim about the weather, but I know him who controls the weather.

Over the last year a lot has happened, as you can imagine. I will try to give bite size portions to what has been going on.

Back in February last year I had a friend who I served with in China visit. We traveled a bit here in Taiwan and it was good to see him and talk about old times, as well as what the Lord was doing in our lives. Also back in February I joined a group of friends and we traveled around Taiwan together during Chinese New Year. We spent the first part of our trip on the east coast viewing some beautiful scenery and enjoying some hot springs. The second half of the trip we stopped in two cities on the West coast, as we made our circle around the island, and did some outreach. We worked with two different churches and went out on the street doing performances and trying to talk to the people and invite them to church. One more thing that happened in February is I stated leading a Bible Study on Saturday nights at the cram school I teach at. Most of the kids are "encouraged" to come so they are really not that interested in studying the Bible, however I am doing my Best to at least plant the seeds and pray that God will bring his fruit in His Time.

In March I started meet with the college students again at lunch, however the attendance went to an average of 20 students per class and I was out at the school 4 times a week. I also started formally taking Chinese class at the same school, but different campus. My Chinese is still not good, but I have a teacher and classmates to push me along.

Also, at the end of March last year my roommate moved out to pursue his MA. He is living in California, working with a church. And last I heard he is going to travel to Mainland China this summer.

In July our team had a small team from the states come and help with a youth outreach. We had about 40 to 50 students show up each day for the two weeks we had the 'camp.' I found out recently that one of the youths wanted to become a Christian, but his parents would let him because they want him to be a Buddhist. Strange though because they have sent him to all the summer programs the church has had over the last 4 years.

In July a I got a Taiwanese roommate for five months. He is a Christian who was going to our church while he was down in Kaohsiung, and he helped out with the youth. Overall I found it a good experience. There were some difficulties, but that is to be expected with any roomate.

August, several partners left Taiwan to return to their respective homes in North America. This was a bit difficult, because I was(am) friends with them, and I lost the company of several friends.

In September the university started up again and once again I was working with the students. However this time I reduced how many times I was going out to the school so I would burn myself out.

November and December went by without any real big change.

I didn't do much for Christmas, but I was able to enjoy a nice Christmas dinner with some friends, so that was nice.

For New Year I just hung out with some friends. And I believe January was a bit uneventful, though I was getting ready for a break, and luckily one was coming up.

The big holiday here in Taiwan is "Chinese New Year." I went with some new friends to some hot springs for a day, then went with them to their family dinner. It wasn't an exciting time, but a restful time and that is what I needed. On a tangent note, I would like to encourage anyone that has an international friend to invite them to your home for a family dinner. They are far away from home without their family, and it is such a blessing to not have to spend those holidays alone.

As far as prayer request; Pray for my motivation. I didn't really have a summer vacation or even a break. I am a bit tired and could use a bit of rest. Pray that I am granted strength and endurance to not only carry on but also still be a light shining for our Lord.

As February ended and March has come upon us, I am getting a chance to come home for a short vacation, and see my dad get married. I look forward to spending time with my family and hopefully some friends.

As far as prayer request:
Pray for spiritual strength. This is a land where people have a plethora of gods, and there are idols and temples all over. And because of that there is a real spiritual battle that is being waged.
Pray for my Chinese. I need to learn more and be a better student.
Pray for Taiwan. According to OMF(Oversees Mission Fellowship) websight http://www.omf.org/taiwan "Taiwan is the only Chinese-majority society where spiritual breakthrough is still awaited"

Thank you for your continued prayers and I hope to be able to more responible in updating you.

Blessing as always in Jesus Wonderful name

Joshua

Three months already?!

2010-01-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that it has been a month since Christmas has passed and three months since I last did an update. I keep meaning to sit down and let you know what is going on, but life seems to get in the way of my plans at times.

Instead of apologizing, again, for not writing sooner, why don't I just catch you up on what I have been up to these last few months.

Girlfriend:
I don't have, but am praying that the Lord will her my way soon.

The Holidays:
The Holidays this year were much better than last year.
Once again I had to work on Thanksgiving, but was able to celebrate it with some friends and their family. Though I was able to enjoy some turkey and some traditional Thanksgiving dishes, it was the fellowship that made this holiday enjoyable.
I also had to work again on Christmas day, but I was able to celebrate Christmas with some friends that following Saturday. Things worked out where a small group from the College English Bible study were able to join the party of another OMF partner. We had a Christmas part where we talked, ate, talked, had a gift exchange, and then we took some time to tell the real story of Christmas and why we celebrate it. As you can see Christmas this year was much better.

A Fiancee:
I don't see one on the horizon, but I am praying for what I cannot see.

Work:
I am still holding down my two jobs. I work twenty hours a week, but don't let the number of hours fool you, twenty hours here at a cram school is equivalent to a forty hour job back in the states. I am still enjoying my jobs, and I believe that my bosses are still happy with me.

Ministry:
With my new jobs I have a different schedule than I did before, so I have some time freed up to be able to get involved in a couple of ministries.
I have gotten involved with the College English Bible study this last semester. Currently there are four people involved in it. The couple that started it three years ago, Matt and Holly. A girl who is also an OMF partner, Carmen; another girl who teaches at the English school and goes to our church, Christal, and I. At the end of this school year Matt, Holly and Carmen will return to America and Christal and I will take over the College group next year, The Lord willing.
We are in the process of planning an Bilingual Bible Study on Sunday Morning hoping to draw the students who come on Tuesday to study the Bible more in depth. However there are some details that are needed to be worked out, so please pray for guidance and wisdom as we seek to start this new group as well as provisions to meet certain needs to make this happen.

Wife:
Pray, pray, pray that the Lord sends my parents a wonderful daughter-in-law.

I know I have rambled long enough so I will stop here for now. I will try to post again soon, but make no promises. I would also like to hear from you if you get that opportunity.

Blessings in the Name of Jesus Christ the Lord of all

Joshua

Legal

2009-11-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hey, I just wanted to write a short post to let you know I got my ARC(Alien Resident Card) today and I am officially legal. An ARC is not like a green card, it is more of an resident permission card that allows me to stay and work in the country. Without it legal documents cannot be signed in my name. Now that I have it I will be able to get a driver's license and drive legally. Foreigners are not allowed to get a license until they have been in Taiwan for a year. It is not the biggest headache that I have gone through but it is a pain. Anyway, praise the Lord that it is done and I will not have to worry about that for another year.

Blessings and I will talk to you later

Joshua

Organized chaos: Driving in Taiwan

2009-10-17T05:47:00.000-07:00

I believe that I have mentioned it before, but just as a reminder part of my daily activity to get to work is riding a scooter. With my last job I drove just under half an hour north, away from the city, to get to my job, and now I drive almost exactly 30 minutes south, into the city, to get to work. And for anyone who has not had the pleasure of driving outside the U.S. I will try my best to describe the experience.

Before I get into the explanation, let me preface it by saying that I have driven in many different kinds of conditions. From the back-roads of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, which is an experience in itself. To the crowded roads and highways such as Oklahoma City, Dallas, San Antonio, and what I personal consider the most arduous, Austin. I even gave my uncle and brother quite a scare when I was 15 my my uncle let me drive through heavy traffic in Titusville Florida (http://www.titusville.com/). At one point I looked over my shoulder to see if it was safe to change lanes and I saw my brother in the back seat through a towel over his head and I assume started praying at that moment that he would service that adventure. Which I guess his prayers worked because we arrived at our destination unscathed. That might also be the reason the only other time I was allowed to drive was on a back road at night after we had eaten out. But I have digressed long enough and need back to my driving in Taiwan, which is nothing like I have experienced in the States. Even including being driven through L.A.

Now let me set the stage. You may think I am joking or being sarcastic, but I could say that there may be as many scooters in Taiwan as there are people. For that reason most roads are made with extra room or an extra lane for the scooters. This can be anything from a line from the edge about four or five feet wide, we call those small shoulders in Texas, to a full size lane that a car can drive through, which they usually do. On major roads in large cities, there is actually a divide between the “scooter land” and the “main traffic;” sometimes it is questionable which is the main traffic except for which is the bigger vehicle. And scooters and motorcycles are not allowed on the Main interstates, which is a very good thing. This is part one.

Part two of understanding what driving is like, is realizing that the traffic laws are pretty much the same as those in the states, the rules of the road are vastly different. One way in which this is seen is when scooters are mixed with the rest of traffic. It is not this nice scooter, car, scooter car line that we see with motorcycles in the states. It is a mixture of cars and scooters moving around each other trying to find what space is available without smashing into each other. Think about putting large marbles and frozen peas in a jar then pouring them as fast as possible across a smooth floor. The sight borderlines the precision of a marching band as they weave in and out of each other and with rhythm and grace and that of a elementary school playground where kids are running in a hundred different directions. You know at some point someone is going to collide into someone, else and that it will not be a pretty sight. (FIND PICTURE)

Despite the danger and possibly the insanity of it, I still enjoy driving my scooter. I like the freedom it brings, as well as feeling the wind as I drive. I do wear a helmet which fully covers my head. I do this for two reasons. First, with my mom being a nurse and having studied a bit of anatomy, I know how dangerous a head injury can be to someone who rides a “bike.” Second, is being hit in the face by a bug while driving over 20mph is painful.

While I could still go on I believe I have written enough on this subject for now. Also, the fact I haven't been involved in a serious accident is a tribute to the protective had of God. Plus this is also a way you can keep me in your prayers. Travel mercies may not sound like a serious request, but if you have ever been in a
serious accident or know someone who has, Then you know the importance of not getting hurt; whether is is a couple of blocks away to the store, or on the other side of … whatever.

Thank you for all your prayers and words of encouragement. Know that you are in my heart and prayers as well.

Blessings in the name of whom all blessings flow.

Joshua

Job

2009-10-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I know that I said that I would try to update every two weeks or so, and now it is almost two months. since I last posted. And I apologize for that. I was not wanting to keep writing that I was still looking for a job, which I did for nearly a month.

But praise the Lord I found a job about a month ago. It is part time and only provides 14 hours a week; compared to working 25 at my last job. However it is a job and it provides me with my ARC, Alien Resident Card.

I have also found another part time job that gives me six hours a week. So altogether I am working 20 hours a week.

I wanted to at least write this much before I let another week pass by without writing. Thank you all for your prayers.

Blessings as always

Joshua

Back in Taiwan

2009-08-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

I am back in Taiwan. I arrived yesterday and everything went smoothly. I want to once again thank everyone for your prayers, I know they made a difference on how everything went.

I am looking for a job, and I hope to find one soon so I can get back into a routine. However it is nice to have a couple of days here without having to work so I can settle in once again.

It has been interesting coming back because I don't feel like I have left home but returned. I guess one of the ways you know you are home is when you finally feel comfortable in the bed that you sleep in.

I don't have much to say now but I thought I would at least drop a line to let you know my status.

I know I am a blessed man based on all the friends I have and how wonderful everyone has been to me.

I love you and hope to hear from you soon.

Blessings In Jesus' Name

Joshua Banda

Heading back

2009-08-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

While I have not got to the point where I update weekly, I am at least trying to do it once every two weeks, or as things come up.

I am still in the states. I decided to for an extra week to spend time with my family. I have been spending much of the extra time with my mom, helping her work on the house.

The reason I was able to stay an extra week was because I was let go from my job. I did not want to mention this earlier because I didn't want to draw attention for myself but focus more on my dad. Now as I get ready to head back to Taiwan I ask for your thoughts and prayers to help me find a new job, and one that is suited for me.

As far as my old job, there was some tension between their expectations and my performance. I did my best to improve in the areas there were not pleased with, and for a while things improved. However I guess my employer was never fully satisfied with my performance though I did make efforts to meet their expectations.

The week that I flew back I told my boss that I would most likely have to take a leave of absence to see my step-mom, because here health had deteriorated. When I asked for some time off I was told that I could take a week off and that I would need to get back after that, it sounded bad but with everything that was happening I wasn't clearly thinking that I would need more time off.

Friday morning, my time, I spoke with the director of the program that I am with and he suggested that I take at least two weeks off and I agreed so decided to take his advice. I called a travel agent to get a flight out for Saturday. The travel agent saw that a hurricane was heading toward Taiwan, not the one that caused massive destruction, and advised that I take a flight out that night so I would not get delayed. (Do you know the difference between a Hurricane and Typhoon? The answer is at the end of this post). I called my boss and told him that I need to take at least two weeks off and that because of the Typhoon I needed to leave that evening and would not be able to come in to work that day. At first he reluctantly agreed to let me go, but after he had a meeting with the owner he called me back and said that the time I needed off was not acceptable and I did not give appropriate advance so he had to let me go.

I had a feeling that something like this would happen so I just let it go. Also because of that I have been able to extend my time at home and enjoy more time with my family.

I am still planning on heading back to Taiwan, I will be flying out Monday. I have been applying for some jobs but I have not heard back from any yet. I am not worried because I saw how the Lord provided everything when I had to leave and I know he will provide when I go back.

I still ask for your prayers when I head back that I find a job that suits me well and quickly so that I give the credit not to myself but to my Lord.

Thank you and I look forward to talking to you

blessings

Joshua

P.S.

The difference between a hurricane and typhoon is; a hurricane forms east of the International Date Line and a Typhoon forms west of the International Date Line

Road Warrier

2009-07-31T20:36:00.001-07:00

I know that I have said it before but I cannot thank you, my friends and family, enough for all your prayers over the last couple of weeks. I have seen the love of our Savior and Lord poured out in abundance for my father, family and me through so many people, words alone are not enough to describe.

While in Taiwan I was going to write about my adventures of driving a scooter in an Asian country and title it “Road Warrior.” However I will briefly share how I have been a “Road Warrior,” since I have been back.

The day after I arrive in Texas I drive from Temple to San Angelo, about three and a half hour drive. Not much for a Texas drive but you have to take in consideration that is almost the amount of time it would take to drive from Southern Taiwan to Norther Taiwan. The following weekend I drive roughly four hours to go to a family reunion just east of Lubbock on Saturday. Then on Sunday I drive another four hours to see a good friend outside of Dallas for a couple of hours then head back to San Angelo that afternoon, another three to four hour drive. On Tuesday after the memorial service go with my dad to Oklahoma to drop off my grandma, stay the night in Tulsa, and drive into Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we will be heading back to Texas where my dad will drop me off in Temple where I will spend some time with my mother. In the last two weeks I have been doing more road travel here in the states then in the last two years I before I left for Taiwan. But it has been a wonderful time of seeing family and friends, and if I could choose to do it differently I wouldn't.

I may be a bit tired from all the traveling, but I have been extremely blessed by the time I have spent with loved ones; whether it is my family by birth, or my family in Christ.

I still don't fully realize it, and I may never, but I am coming to see how blessed I am to be surrounded and loved by so many people. I may not have great sums of money but I can see that I am truly wealthy in ways money cannot buy.

I truly love you and will write again soon

Joshua

Another day

2009-07-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

It has been about a week since I left Taiwan and came home in a flurry of events. Since I have been home I have not done that much except spend time with my dad. He is doing well, his church has been an incredible blessing to him. We have not had the memorial service yet, we will do that on Tuesday next week.

Ever since I made it back everything seemed to be surreal, while I know that my stepmother has passed away it still doesn't seem real is a sense. I am not denying what happened, it is just that the weight of what has happened has not hit me yet. However I know that we all go through grief in different ways and in different stages.

In the mean time I am just resting when I can and helping my dad as I can. There is more that I could say, however at this point I am still processing what has been going on. One thing that is certain and is the source of my strength and confidence is that we have a redeemer. Paul said that to be ascent from the body is to be present with the Lord, 2Corinthians 5:8, so it is our comfort, our joy, our hope that even though Connie is no longer with us that she is in a coveted place, that being in the presence of Jesus.

Thank you all for you well wishes and prayers

Joshua

A quick overview of the last couple of days

2009-07-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

As you most likely know by now I have made it home to my dad's and that my stepmother passed on from this earth on Thursday July 16, 2009. However, because I was traveling I did not find out that she left us until I arrived in Texas on Thursday morning.

I will try to be brief but a lot has happened over the last couple of days, and I am still reeling from the all the transitions.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been talking with my dad about Connie's condition. Early last week I got the feeling the I should start planning a trip home soon. By Wednesday I figured that I should head out within a week or so and I spoke with my boss about it. Thursday my time (Taiwan is 13 hours ahead of Central standard time), I got the word Connie had 2 or 3 days left so I stared to plan on leaving on Saturday. Friday morning (my time once again) I made made calls about getting plane ticket for Saturday as well as tell my boss that I need time off. I found out there was a typhoon coming toward Taiwan and it would be better to head out that evening so I would not get delayed so I booked the ticket for Friday evening.

So I packed some stuff, made quick arrangements and left Taiwan at 8:30pm. I flew from Kaohsiung where I live to Hong Kong, to L.A., to Dallas and finally landed in Austin Saturday morning at 8:30. I made it home in just over 24 hours, which is the fastest I have ever made it across the ocean, it usually takes over 30 hours so I know that the Lords hands were in my traveling. I would also like to thank everyone for your prayers.

I spent Saturday getting adjusted to the time change and getting a bit organized for my time here. Sunday afternoon I left Temple and arrived safely at my dad's Sunday evening.

As I have stated earlier I did not hear about Connie passing away until I made it home so it was a bit of a shock, and to tell the truth the weight of it has yet to hit. I know that she has finally made it home with our Lord and that is comforting and in a way I am jealous because she is in the presence of Jesus. But I am also sorrowful that she is not with us and that I was not able to say one last goodby.

Anyway I will keep you updated on what happens.

I love you and ask that you are blessed with the peace that only comes from Jesus

Joshua

No title

2009-07-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

Although I was planning on planning on writing on the stresses of driving in Taiwan for my next post something more urgent has come up.

As I sit to write this I am in the process of making plans to head back to the States because I recently got the news that my step mom will soon pass away. Right now I don't have all that much to say but as I process this I will keep you informed.

Blessings

Joshua

A Long Awaited updated Part 1:The Holiday Blues

2009-03-21T00:38:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a long time since since I last posted and I greatly apologize for not writing earlier. I could give a couple of excuses why I have not posted before but I will refrain and just let you know what I have been up to these last few months.

The last time I posted was before Christmas so that is where I will start. Christmas is supposed to be be a joyous time when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and I usually celebrate Christmas. However this year I was somewhat depressed being away from my family. Most of you know this is not the first time I was away from home for Christmas, but this year I truly felt like that I was away from my family. The years I was in China I served on a team that was really close. We all lived in the same building or building complex. We all had relatively the same teaching schedule and did many things together as a team. My teammates we essentially my family away from home, and when Christmas came we celebrated together as a team or better yet as a family. I do have fellowship with other believers here but I do not have a group of friends like I did in China. Most of the other partners live in downtown Kaohsiung which is half an hour away, and the partners that live nearby have different schedules so we rarely see each other throughout the week. To add to my burden I also had to work on Christmas day, which I have never had to do before. I know that there are many believers who have to go through much worse circumstances, but all these things just came together and made me feel down on Christmas.

New Year's was better; Though I usually don't do anything special for the New Year I got a three and a half day weekend. Yes I had to work on New Year's Morning. Since we Had the extended weekend my roommate and I got on our scooters and went to a place about two hours away and spent two days in the mountains. We stayed in a small village called Maolin. We went hiking at various places and just drove through the mountains stopping at different places to enjoy the beautiful scenery. It was a good time to get away to relax a bit see the how beautiful this island can be once you get away from the city. I was not able to take picture since I still don't have a camera but fortunately my roommate has one so we were able to take some incredible pictures. Because it is a bit difficult to post on this blog I placed them on my facebook page, you can see them there.

The Chinese New Year was the best holiday that I have had thus far. I got a full week off and I went up to Taipei to visit a friend who also served with ELIC. The weather was a bit cold while I was there, but I enjoyed being able to see my friend and being able to see some of the more famous tourist sights. During my time in Taipei I got to talk with my friend about personal and spiritual disciplines in life. Through our conversation I have come to see there are three areas in my life that I need to focus on: The first one is my debt. Though I came to Taiwan to pay off my loans I have decided that I am going to be more active to pay off all my debt so that I do not have any financial burdens holding me back from serving my Lord. Second is my relationship with my Lord. Now I know that may seem a bit strange to hear, but as I look over the last few years I see that my relationship with my with my God has not been what I desire it to be. I have been going through periods of intense seeking and then simple neglect. I have come to see that I need to have a more stable and consistent walk with God. The Last area I will work on is finding a wife. My friend made a comment about Proverbs 18:22 where it says "whoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord." The idea that he pointed out was that find implies that one is looking. This may open up a big discussion, but I am not going to start that here, if you want to know more then you are just going to have to write me.

Through all the difficulties that I have faced thus far one thing assured me that I am still in the right place. That even when facing some of the problems I have gone through over here I still rather be here serving as a teacher, serving my Lord than being back in the states in the "comforts" of home.

Thanks for your time and I should have a couple of new posts within the next week. Blessings in Christ Name

Joshua

2008-11-30T02:59:00.000-08:00

Well I have been here in Taiwan for two months and it has been about a month since I last posted. I will give a glimpse into my life as what I am doing but there is something more weighty that I want to write about.

First the glimpse. Monday through Friday I am at work from 2 until 9, which means I have to leave my apartment about 1:30 on my scooter and drive up to Gangshan where I work. I spend roughly a hour and half preparing for my classes, that is all four for you teachers, eat you heart out. I get 30 minutes for a break to get something to eat then I spend an hour listening to students work on memorizing spelling words and sentences. Then from 5 to 9 I teach four different classes; they range in age between kindergarten and junior high, and each one of them has its own personality, both the students and classes. After I get home I will either pick up something to eat from a local “restaurant,” or I will cooks something simple for dinner. I will also play a game on my computer or watch some movie that I was able to get my hands on to relax. If you are wondering about my morning schedule, well there really isn't much of one. I will get up anywhere between 8 and 10, depending on how tired I was from the day before and also depending if I have a appointment that day. I will take some time to do my devotional then I head out the the local coffee shop where I check my email, though that will change soon because I have finally gotten my ARC, Alien Residence Card, and will be able to get phone and internet in my apartment. Once I finish checking my email and surfing the web I come back home, do a few things around the apartment, have lunch and prepare to got to work. As far as the weekends are concerned, well my schedule is even more non existent, I think I have done the same thing on the weekend only twice or three times since I got here, but that will be for a different post.

Now for the more weighty matter. In the last month I have seen two things have have just about made me cry and for two different reasons and in two different ways. The first happened about a month ago as I was coming home from checking my email on a Sunday evening I say what seemed to be a parade. I just made it to the bottom of my apartment building when I saw them coming down the street. Since my apartment looks over the street I thought I would just watch from my balcony. Over the next forty five minutes to a hour I watched the procession of different groups pass along the street as they were wearing beautifully decorated costumes that were highly detailed in their color and how they were made; also a number of different musical troupes passed by with either some kind of wind instrument or drums, you could hear the drums echoing through the streets for what seemed like miles. Yet despite all the beautiful colors and rhythmic sounds I did not enjoy watching the people as they passed by; for everything that was being expressed in the parade seemed to have some link to Buddhism. Buddhism is not a religion of peace and tranquility as some would try to lead you to believe, but of fear of demons always tying to find ways to appease the gods. If you ever go into a Buddhist temple you will be struck by how the people inside burn incense and other 'offerings' to various gods hopping to gain their favor.
Seeing people like this did not bring out any joy or happiness, but a deep sense of sorrow for them, and it reminded me that without the good news of Jesus there is no true hope.

The second thing that I saw just today did not make me want to cry tears of sorrow but of joy. At the church I have been attending since I got here, three people were baptized, one of them is a friend. To see the contrast of people who have no hope and people who have found hope is just overwhelming.

As I end this message I cannot but think of anything more important than the words of or Savor and Lord when he said in John 4: 35, 36 “do not say that it is yet four months, and the harvest cometh; lo, I say to you, Lift up your eyes, and see the fields, that they are white unto harvest already. And he who is reaping doth receive a reward, and doth gather fruit to life age-during, that both he who is sowing and he who is reaping may rejoice together;”

Goodbye to a friend

2008-11-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

With all the burdens and needs there are out there it might seem strange to want to take time to stop and shed a tear over the passing of a dog, but when that dog has been your pet for over thirteen years, it is less of an animal or pet and more like a friend or member of the family. Killa came into our family when I was still in high school and before my brother went off into the Navy. As a pup we kept her in the garage and as she grew up we would let her stay inside the house while we were home and the we would put her in a small pin in the back yard until we returned. It was always comical to watch her burst out of the pen when I got home because she had so much energy pent up during the day while I was at school. Even though she was a pit bull, she was more playful and loving than anything else, in fact she would rather play keep away with a ball or stick than bark at anyone. As she grew up she saw herself more as my mother than as my pet I believe, because the only time you could get her riled up is if she felt that I was threatened. It would be humorous at times when my girlfriend would come over how Killa would do everything possible to insinuate herself between us as we would sit together on the sofa.

When I went off to college mom would tell me of how she would mope for days, but when I came home she was only excited to see me and ready to play as if I had never left. As I was away for school or when I was in China I was noticing that mom was collecting more pictures of the dog than of me. As she started to grow older and was not able to play as much that did not stop her from showing her enthusiasm of seeing me by wagging her tail and wanting to sit by me so that I could scratch her and she never grew tired of licking my arms even when I got tired of her doing it.

Even though you might say she was just a dog, she was one of the most loyal and trusting friends I have ever had. She made me laugh, she would sit quietly by if I needed to cry, and she was always happy to see me.

She was my pet and friend and I will miss her

Bye Killa

Quick recap

2008-10-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

As I sit down to write this letter I am amazed to think that I have been here for one month. There are two ways in which I mean that. One is that I am amazed that only one month has passed; in the four weeks I have been here I have rented an apartment, found and started working at a job, bought a scooter, and done a host of small daily tasks. One day I was wondering why it was taking so long to get some paperwork done so that I can get my residence permit, then I realized that the paperwork was not taking long, it was just that everything else was going so fast.

On the other side of the coin I am also surprised that it has been a month since I arrived. With how busy I have been the time has just flew by. All the adventure I faced on my way to get here are still fresh on my mind. From my impromptu garage sale at the church, to heading down to Texas and having my car break down on me, spending time with my family my, and a long and safe travel from Texas to Taiwan. Hey that last part rhymed, maybe there is a rhyme and reason why I am here.

I look back over the last month, two months, even six months, even the last couple of years and I am amazed how so many things just worked and pushed me in this direction, and I can only praise God for His goodness. Even though not all things are like I expected, I can see that I have been placed here for a reason. While I have my own opinion and ideas why I am here I have a feeling that I may only know the tip of the iceberg of why I have come to this corner of the world.

Sorry I don't have any pictures this time, but I am still without a digital camera, and I have been a bit preoccupied to look for one.

As usual blessings and I pray that the God of our fathers' be with you and keep you

Joshua

Smokestakes, School, and Scooters

2008-10-10T05:11:00.000-07:00

As I get settled into the "routine" of daily life one thing is certain and that is my routine is not boring. With that said, I the reason I haven't updated my blog in the last week in not for lack of material to speak about, it is filtering what I enter. I am not trying to censor my comments based on anything except I do not want to inundate you with basic information. Plus I guess that so many things that I am encountering are either things that I expected or that I do not think that much about. Even at home we all find different things noteworthy.

As I get up and start my day I have the wonderful luxury being able to look out over the city I live in, because I live in a building that is several stories taller than most buildings in the area. So as I gaze upon the city where I live I am struck by the sheer number of smokestacks from the oil refinery and plastics plant that are in this city. Now I will not be so bold in my sarcasm to say that it is a beautiful sight, mainly because you cannot hear the inflection in my voice. Also it reminds me of where the money is coming from that is paying for parents to send their kids to school so people like me can have a job.

I am reminded how connected we are with each other because these plants sell material all over the world, the greater percentage most likely being sold to the U.S.. For all the money we are investing in this country, I wonder how much am I investing in the people so that they have a greater reward than a paycheck at the end of the day.

I have started teaching at my school and I believe that I will enjoy working there. I am fortunate that I have teaching experience and have also worked with kids so I am not starting from scratch, but I had some humbling experiences already that has shown me that I still have much to learn about teaching.

As far as my teaching schedule, I get to the school at 2, spend about an hour and a half preparing for my classes, from 4 to 5 I work with the students as they have to memorize spelling vocabulary and grammar phrases. From 5 to 9 I teach my classes, I have four different classes that I will teach and all classes are at different levels. Making the changes definitely keeps me on my toes, plus my classes will go back and forth between different floors.

Now I almost forgot to mention that my school is not actually in the town that I live in but about 30 minutes away by scooter. Yes, among the things I had to do is get a scooter so I could get to work. I would not mind taking a bus to work, I did that often when I was in China, except there are none in the area that I live. Dashe is a "small" city just outside Kaohsiung, so there is no public transportation to speak of. But I digress. So every day I get on my scooter and make my track to the school where I teach. One of the good things about where I teach is that most of my ride is out in the country so I don't have to constantly fight with traffic. Now I could make many comments about my scooter ride to and from work, and I guess as I continue to make the trip and have more exeriences I am sure that I will in later bloggs. For now I will just say I enjoy getting on my pigglet, at only 125cc's it is not quite a hog, and zooming up to school. It gives me time to metaly prepare for teaching and at the end of the day it helps me wind down and release tension.

I guess this is where I will leave you. I will add some pictures as I can, but for now all I can do is borrow my roommate's camera and take select pictures. Most you you already know I have a facebook page and I have posted a few more pictures there.

I hope to hear from you soon and I will continue to update you as events here continue to unfold.

Blessings

Joshua

Long update for a couple of long days

2008-10-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

I first want to apologize for what will seem like an endless post but when I get started I sometime have difficulty in editing myself. In the shortest abreviation of my situation I arrived safely and am staying busy.

I arrived as scheduled on Saturday morning and to say that Saturday was a big day would be a bit of an understatement. I was picked up and took to the apartment of another OMF partner to set my luggage while we ran some errands. Since it was 10:30 when we got to the apartment and I hadn't eaten for some time, I asked if we could go some place for a bight to eat. He took me to a local restaurant and we ate and spoke for some time. (Jerrod, I just want you to know that I was thinking about you when I ate that wonderful bowl of noodles) At 1:00 we had appointment with the manager of the complex to look at an apartment that I and another partner could rent. After looking at the apartment we signed the papers, made a down payment and was able to move into the apartment that day.

I guess that you could call the apartment bare bones as far as furniture: at least it had a washer, sink and stove, refrigerator, small end table, coffee table, bench that could be used as a couch, two chairs, bathrooms with western toilets, and bed frames. When I say be frames I am talking about twin size boxes that were built about a foot high and as wide as a twin mattress, but if you caught it already there were no mattresses.

OK back to the story, the people whose apartment I dropped my stuff at, had a few things they loaned us until we got the necessary amenities, among which was a small mat that I could put on my box; now I will say that the mat was better than just sleeping on the box alone, but I would not say that much better. I chose a room, unpacked my stuff and thought about going for dinner. It was only about 4 or 4:30 when I got my stuff unpacked and I know that I did not want to go to sleep until around nine to help adjust to the time change, but my feet were sore and slightly swollen from being on them for so long so I laid down to allow better circulation. Nine O' clock when I wake up from my impromptu "nap" I decided I might as well just try to force myself to sleep all the way to the next morning to get adjusted to the new time.

Oh yeah I almost forgot to tell about how after 30 plus hours of travel and stepping into 85% humidity I was ripe for a shower, so after I get my stuff in the apartment I turn on the shower to find that there is no hot water. Now the water was not ice cold, but I can most assuredly say that it lacked any heat, yet despite cold water I grit my teeth and take my first of what ended up as 4 cold showers.

Between the hard bed and the jet lag which I was enjoying, I got up at 4:00 in the morning knowing that I just wold not be able to sleep until I was tired. I did my devotional, took my second cold shower, and started to piddle around my empty apartment. Not having food in the apartment I went out and got breakfast. After I got back and did a few other things on my computer until my roommate finally showed up. He spent the night with the people he had been staying with. We spoke a bit and he got unpacked.

I went to a local Chinese Church that morning and afterwards I was hoping to do some shopping but because a typhoon was landing on Taiwan I had to adjust my plans and stay in for the rest of the day. I had a great conversation with my roommate, whom I will tell you about later.

On a side note, which seems to be half my writing, there are to things that have struck me as being different from China. One is there are very few internet cafes. I was expecting not being able to get internet services for some time so I thought I would be able to go to a local internet cafe, but because Taiwan has developed so much in the field of technology most people have their own computers, so most there are relativly few internet cafes. The Second difference that struck me that I wasn't expecting is the amount of scooters there around here. I knew that there would be less bikes and more scooters, but the truth of the matter is there are hardly any bicycles and a tremendous amount of scooters here. I may elaborate more on that later.

Anyway, I go to bed, fortunately a friend brought us a couple of extra padded mats to loan to us, and while it is still a far cry from a bed that we are accustomed to sleep on it was also much better than what I had slept on the night before. I got to bed about 9:30 but between jet lag and new allergies that were now plaguing me I once again woke up about 4:30 Monday morning. I spent the next hour in a futile attempt to clear my sinuses and get back to sleep, but resigned to the fact that I would not be getting back to sleep, so I got up, did my Bible study, prayed, and did some work on my computer.

The coordinator for the partner program, David, picked me and Chris up and we met another partner who we had lunch with. Afterwards we were going to go to IKEA to get some mattresses and furniture for the apartment, but David got a call from someone and found out there is a teacher who is leaving Taiwan this week and he has an apartment full of furniture that he was just going to leave behind. We call him and ask if we can have his furniture and he says if we make the arrangements to pick up the stuff then we can have it. So I thank God in How he provided for that need. We do end up going shopping at Costco, yes they have one here, for some basic needs such as food, then come back to the apartment. After we get back I go with David and another person to visit a school for a possible job. Now I live in a small city outside of Kaohsiung called Dashe so there are not to many jobs here; so we drive 30 minutes to where the school is and interview with the director\part owner. I was thinking that I would get a scooter about two or three months after I got here not thinking for a moment that I would be in need of one my first week. I tell the person that I would like a couple of days to think about the job and get back to him. I return home, do some more work on my computer take my 3rd or 4th cold shower, I've lost count by now, and go to bed.

By Tuesday morning my allergies had subsided a bit so I was able to sleep all the way to 5:30. After I got up I did my Bible study, listened to sermon and took a half warm shower. We learned that the water heater needs a battery to light the furnace, so we got one and it started to work. After Chris got up and took care of some things we went out and had an early lunch. He needed to pick up some pictures that are needed all kinds of different identification papers; one our way back we stopped by a bakery that I had seen earlier and wanted to check out. As I was looking over their selection of delectables, we noticed that people inside were using their computers, so we attempted to inquire if they had internet use. After making some gestures and getting even strange looks from the people who work there we were given a card with the word "broadband" on it. With great excitement we made our way back to the apartment, grabbed our laptops and returned to the coffee shop to get connected to world wide web.

I was able to make contact with some people, but I had to leave because of a prior appointment. Since there was no way to get in direct contact with us, David and I went to a couple of different phone companies to see if my cell phone could work with a local service provider. Unfortunately it does not so I had to buy a cell phone. When I got back to the apartment I ran into another partner and made plans to meet her and another couple for dinner. Afterwards I went with them to a Bible study. By the time back it was around 9:30 and I was thoroughly tired. So I take another warmish shower, then turn in.

Praise the Lord I was able to sleep until eight, so I get up and literally praise God for the rest I was able to enjoy, I am still not fully recovered from my allergies but most definitely much better. I get ready for the day, do my devotional, have breakfast then David picks us up to take us to a hospital for a physical examination, a needed step to get resident visa. After we got back Chris had to go to his school early for some training time, and I crashed for a couple of hours. David calls and tells me that he has gotten a hold of someone who we can talk to about a scooter. We head out check out a local school to see if they need a teacher but they are to small to provide full time work. We go look at a couple of shops and finally decide on a scooter to purchase. We make arrangements to pay and pick it up tomorrow, then we both head home. I go to my apartment grab my computer and come to the coffee shop so that I am able to let you my wonderful friends know what I have been up to.

Over the last couple of days there has been many things that have happened, I have definitely had highs and lows in just the short time I have been here, but as I have said before God has been faithful and as I look to balance a few things out I know that as I seek His face He will provide.

As always blessings in His holy name

Joshua

The Journey Begins

2008-09-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, what about a journey of 10,000 miles? I understand the meaning of saying, but let me tell you about the first couple of steps that I have made so far and some of the trip up that I have encountered.

Last Monday I set off from Northwest Arkansas to head down to Temple to spend time with my mom, then I planned to see my dad for the weekend in San Angelo. In Isaiah God say that your plans are not my plans and your ways are not my ways. Now understand that it was God's plans for me to spend time with my dad first because when I was almost halfway through my trip the transmission on my vehicle started to act up.

With my Transmission not shifting into 3rd I could not accelerate beyond 50 without doing any more damage than what was already done. After 2 hours of driving at what seemed like a crawl, I made it to the Oklahoma Texas state line. I pulled into a dealership and had them test the transmission to see what they could find. After another hour the mechanic told me that the problem most likely is internal and any repair would cost around two thousand dollars, I'm sorry 2,000 dollars. OK now my car is not worth 2 thousands dollars.

After getting the news I tell the mechanic that I need to make some calls and figure out what I am to do. I call my dad and he tells me that he will come from San Angelo to tow me back to using a car trailer. I drive to the nearest Walmart and spend an hour walking around, thinking and praying, and realizing that I am not good at waiting I contemplate slowly making my way in his direction to cut down on the distance we will have to tow the vehicle. After more prayer and confirmation from my dad I head out. So over the next four hours I drive for 30 to 40 minutes stop at local Walmarts for about that amount of time and then start again.

At nine I find myself waiting at a Starbucks on the far West Side of Ft. Worth; now remember I left at nine in the morning for what should have been a 8 hour trip, and I find myself 4 hours over the scheduled time at about half the distance of the scheduled trip.

My dad picks me up and we get to San Angelo late that night, or should I say early the next morning. I spend a couple of days with my dad then my mom comes and picks me and my stuff up and brings me to Temple. My joke now is that that is the furthest I have ever driven to avoid having to drive through Dallas.

So here it is, the day of my departure, I have all my bags packed and everything ready to go. I have learned a bit about waiting on the Lord and also trusting Him in both the small and big steps. I also learned that I cannot always do it all in one big step, but that there are times that I need to take small steps, rest, reflect on where I have been and plan on where I will be going.

In it all I have found God to be faithful, and as get ready to travel I am assured that He will be faithful as I take the next couple of steps.

Blessings in His wonderful Name

Joshua