A Year in review

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?!

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

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

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

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

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

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