So welcome back Team Canada from Cambodia!! =D =D Two days ago, the short-term mission team from VCMBC officially wrapped up... some headed home, while others are spending some more time exploring Asia.... and partaking in consumerism =P
From skyping the short-term mission team and looking at their pictures, I couldn't help but compare myself to them. The team and I left Vancouver on the same day, arrived in HK as our pit stop, and then I went on my way to Taiwan while they went to Cambodia. In two weeks time, the short-term mission team managed to do SO MUCH - from visiting the historical sights of Cambodia to witnessing to children to holding a Coffeehouse for university students. And what have I been doing? Well... trying to settle in, learning my way around, and doing training at work. It made me feel very unaccomplished...
I know that I've been very impatient with God. I want Him to show me who He wants me to minister to NOW and everything. But in these short two weeks, my eyes were opened to what mission really is. Missionaries are really just ordinary people, with ordinary jobs to make a living. They spend time with their families, cook for themselves, and go to church on Sundays. So what's the difference between being a Christian in one's own country and going off to another country? That's a question I've been exploring with Gloria (who arrived a week before me). We decided that as missionaries, you are more focused on ministry, and have more time to spare and minister to the people around you. You're more available, and the fact that you're a foreigner really draws people to you. People would wonder why these foreigners are in their country when we have no ties to them.
In the last two weeks, I've specificially targeted the shops near my apartment. Surprisingly, my level of Chinese is considered pretty good, compared to the other foreigners in Taiwan (So all those years of Chinese School and the four years of Mandarin in high school are actually USEFUL!). So I've been trying my best to use mandarin whenever I buy things, and lo and behold! as soon as one sentence comes out of my mouth, the locals look at me and ask me where I'm from --____--"" It's not that they don't understand me, but I have a horrendously strong Cantonese accent! And that's when I tell them that I'm originally from Hong Kong, but grew up in Canada. And the next question would be: "What are you doing in Taiwan?" And I'll tell them that I'm a Christian who's doing ministry work here, as well as teaching English at cram schools. The people are SOO friendly here! They always smile at you, and are really intrigued by people who speaks English!
Before coming here, I feared that people would treat me as less of a foreigner because of my Chinese roots. For example, when the locals see some of the Caucasian Partners, their reaction towards them are obviously different than how they interact with me. So I wonder if that would hinder my ministry here, because I don't "look" like a foreign missionary. But.... I see that because I look like the locals, they are less intimated by me! I guess not many people are fearful of a tiny Asian girl that speaks English here =P
I also went to the New Life Church today... more on that later =P
Good night!
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hehe I told you Taiwanese people were intrigued by English speakers. If anyone gives you a hard time start speaking English really fast! lol
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about the productiveness of the two weeks...remember they planned out like every hour of those two weeks, but you've always known going to Taiwan that you won't find out until you get there! the two time-frames are also totally out of proportion.
lol taiwanese people could always pick out my mom was foreign too once she spoke mandarine. Remember Taiwanese is different from the mandarine that we're taught too.
Slow down my friend :)
ReplyDeleteThe mission team did a 200m sprint whereas yours is more like a marathon.... so pace yourself >_<
I was like you too when I went to China, "why am I sitting around eating feasts after feasts, when I came here for other things". Obviously, my plan was not there to do mission, but I had, what I thought to be, bigger and better plans than sit around and settle in.
ReplyDeleteBut the settling in is crucial to your work in the next year, cause once you get started, you won't have anymore time to "settle in". Like the others have said, you are there a much longer period of time, so the phase of settling in will do you a lot of good in the long run.
Be patient Iris, I'm praying for you.
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