Pictures Online

I've posted some pictures online at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Dongbees for your enjoyment. I'll be periodically updating my photos online.

Pig and Emerging from the Forest

So I was exploring 18 Peaks Park in Hsinchu and there was a person walking her pig. It was so cute ... and scary. I thought the thing was going to attack me at first! Unfortunately, my camera ran out of batteries so no picture. At the same park, I was wandering the trails and decided to take a trail that looked less traveled. Eventually, the path became somewhat dangerous to traverse. There were loose, round peddles on the trail (the ones you found on a stream bed). and the path became extremely steep and rough. Bugs were biting me, ants were crawling on the path, and a lizard darted in front of me. Eventually, I could see the path connecting to a paved road. Civilization! Apparently, what I thought was a path had eventually turned into a rain drainage slough-like path thingy. I emerged from the woods, with my shirt covered in sweat like a marauding bandit. This guy walking on the paved road curiously looked at the drainage ditch I emerged from. There are also a lot of - what I believe to be - abandoned alters scattered throughout the park. Kinda creepy. Here are some pictures:

Once of the lizard creatures I battled in the woods. Seriously, this dreaded cold-blooded reptile was no more than a foot long!

One of the active alters scattered throughout the park.

Not the above mentioned path, but one of the many perilous paths winding throughout 18 peaks park. One miscalculated step would mean eminent death or just really dirty clothes.

Elevation actually exists in Taiwan. I was heaving and sweating like an air conditioner halfway up this monster. I finally conquered the dreaded beast.

A shot of the beautiful park with the city in the background. Land is a precious commodity in Taiwan. A contrast between tranquil breathtaking landscapes and chaotic structures of concrete and metal exist on the island as in many other countries.

Three Lessons on House Building

Matthew 7:24-27: Three Lessons on House Building

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

1. When we build our house upon the rock, God strengthens us to endure the storms – not avoid them. I'm sure we've done this quite often. When hard times hit, we begin to wonder why we are going through this tough time. We try to recall what we possibly did or didn't do to cause this calamity in our lives. While the parable does not exactly focus on the causes for these turbulent times, we can see that the rains, floods, and wind occurred on both the house built on rock and the one build on sand. The rains will come, the flood waters will rise, and the winds howl. However, the principle of building a life on the foundation of godly living will help us last through the difficulties, struggles, and persecutions which will inevitably come.

2. Building on rock is a proactive process and conscious action. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Building on rock does not merely consist of hearing Christ's words. We can go to church on Sunday and read the bible every single day while still building our lives on sandy soil. From Jesus' parable we come to a realization that building involves the conscious act of putting the teaching of Jesus into practice. First, we must take time to hear God's word through biblical study and sound biblical exposition. Our ears open and hearts soft. Second, we must diligently and patiently establish a routine of putting Christ's teaching into action. As we dedicate our lives to self-discipline, we are establishing a foundation which will carry us through the stormy times.

3. Our survival is based on the foundation of our homes and not necessarily on the quality of the building. The outcome of the foolish man's home and the wise man's home was dependent on the foundations they built on. There was no mention on the quality of their homes. This is not to say that if we build our lives on “biblical foundations,” we have the right to build crapily on rock. However, when we evaluate our lives, we have to remember that life boils down to the fundamentals. Are we living life with Christ in charge or are we the foreman of the construction site? When we – first and foremost – diligently establish a firm foundation in Christ, our house will endure despite our sometimes flawed and sub-par building skills. I mean, yeah, we fall short so many times, but God still carries us through. On the other hand, when we build the most extravagant mansion on sandy soil, there is bond to be a great collapse down the road. Sometimes we think we are safe with our quasi-religiosity until our lives begin to cave in. We excavate the wreckage and realize that our lives have been leaning on the tender twig of self-reliance rather than the sure rock of Christ.

Despite realizing God's care and protection in life's many trials, I still have the ominous feeling that something is going to collapse soon. I'm one to become very legalistic in my viewpoint, and lately, I've been very exhausted with “godly” living. I mean have you ever wondered what's the point? Sometimes following Christ seems like such a strain. Sometimes it's exhausting having an obligation – or feeling like you have an obligation – to go to church a few hours every Sunday, spending quiet time, having to reach out to non-believers with seemingly no significant results, and restraining from indulging in sinful behavior. Life is hard when you desire and try to live worthy of God's calling and fail so many times. Something is going to collapse. Some decide to abandon this “restrictive and confining” religion while others decide to fall into the embrace of Christ. At this point, when we are hanging on to the last rung of hope and strength in our lives, we must look onto the faithfulness of Christ. Reach for his hand and grasp onto the blessed assurance of a God who saves. God will remain faithful because He is faithful, not because we are. At this point, I'm going to keep fighting – no matter how many times I'm defeated – because God has never stopped fighting and caring for his chosen people. If you're going through a hard time: embrace God's grace, meditate on his Word, and fight the lies of Satan and this culture. Many times, life is not as bad as it seems when we view our calamities from a spiritual perspective. Peace.

For Your Listening Pleasure

Just a random audio clip. Hope you enjoy it. Listen.

(Thanks to www.americanrhetoric.com)

Alumni Dinner at the Grand Hyatt

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail to attend an alumni dinner in Taipei on a Monday evening. I figured it was a great excuse to skip out on class, visit Taipei, and I couldn't turn down the prospect of a free dinner in one of the ritziest hotels in the capital. The Grand Hyatt sits next to Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. I sent the day strolling the street markets, visiting Longshan temple, and perusing the extravagant mall in Taipei 101. The was action packed to say the least, and I neither have the time nor energy to write about my experience in full. My visit to Longshan Temple on the west side of Taipei was very intriguing. Arriving early afternoon, the temple was crowded. The entrance was full of people with incense sticks bowing toward the alters. And people threw red crescent pieces of wood on the ground. They are used as a means to communicate with the spirits. Based on how they land, the answer is either yes or no. To the side of the main foyer, were shops selling various merchandise to offer to the spirits such as bags of fruit, candy, or flowers. There was one main alter and three or four supplementary alters in the back, each with people burning incense and bowing to the alters. Every alter had tables filled with offerings in front of them. Outside of the temple stood Buddhist monks asking for donations and flower peddlers selling flowers to offer to the spirits.

From my experiences, I felt like the temple was essentially a business. People were willing to pay homage and shell out money for blessings. They honored the gods so they could be blessed by them. Ultimately, the ends to their devotion and worship was to bring prosperity to themselves. Give a little now so I can get a little more later. However, as these observations were going through my mind, I thought, wait-a-minute, this is no different then the state of the church in America. Millions of dollars run through this temple just like millions of dollars run through the American church. Basically, we have become a business. Go to church on Sunday, give a little money, read some Bible, sing some songs, donate some time, and maybe we can get some blessing from God somehow. Isn't that what religion is after all? A bargain, an exchange, a trade? We give something in order to get something else. Sometimes we haphazardly fling open the Bible looking for answers just like the people casting the red chips in the temple. Sometimes we bargain with God. If I do this, will you bless me? Sometimes we go to church simply because we've been going to church our entire lives. Sometimes we slap a Christian label on some merchandise and start peddling our goods in the pews.

In a lot of ways, we love to worship ourselves. We like to bargain with God. But the question is: do we think we can bargain with God? Can we cut him a deal and have him sign on the dotted line? I don't think the answer is that easy. Abraham bargains with God, and God constantly promises to bless the faithful and invoke wrath on disobedience many times in the Bible. However, God can't be like the gods worshiped at the temple. When we are worshiping God through this foggy window, are we actually unknowingly worshiping the reflected image of ourselves?

The way we interact, the way we know, and the way we understand God goes so much further than mental reasoning. I'm talking about something which stretches to the soul. There's a difference between the way we think we know who God is and the actual way we act when we are around him -- which is 24-7. People can claim all these theological truths about Christ and Christianity, but do they actually live them out? You may know the five points of Calvinism and all these fancy words, but do you still come before God and before your brothers and sisters in Christ filled with pride, selfishness, greed, and arrogance -- and I'm talking about the pride which is so subtle that you barely even notice? I can honestly say that God is still working on that in me. I have to stop writing... Sometimes the prideful arrogance and greed which permeates humankind -- myself included -- leaves me tired and a little bit angry. I know that I shouldn't be so critical and judgmental. However, whenever I do think of Christ, I find hope. Blessed be God; He my light and strength.

So anyways, the Vice President of Taiwan, Anette Lu (Lu Hsiu-lien) was at the banquet! I was - at one point - like five feet away from her. Apparently, she is an alumni of the University of Illinois.

(I'll post some pictures of my trip to Taipei later.)

7 - Eleven

So they have 7-Eleven in Taiwan, and they're pretty abundant. I've seen three so far during my short stay on campus. They sell the standard convenience foods such as wasabi chips, breads, and lots of drinks. What is quite popular here is the wide assortment of microwavable foods ranging from chicken sandwiches to pasta to Chinese fried rice. There also is a huge assortment of instant noodles - none of those crappy kinds they sell in the States. During checkout they usually ask if you want to "add heat." In other words, do you want the food microwaved for you. In many ways the local convenience mart serves as a place to get decently tasty food quick and cheap. In fact, many students claim that the microwave food tastes better than the cafeteria food.

What I found interesting here is that when they give you the receipt - they always do, there is a 8 digit number at the top. This is actually a lottery number. So every time you purchase something, they give you a lottery ticket. There is a lottery drawing every few months or so. I think matching the last two digits means you win like 200 NT ( $6 US). The reason they do this is because the government collects taxes from the store's earnings, and receipts keep tract of how much the stores earn. Essentially, the lottery number is a way for people to make sure the store gives you a receipt. No one really plays the lottery at the university so there are boxes set up where you can donate your receipt to charity.

One thing that I am really thankful for at this university is the opportunity to interact with other international students. I think that being an international student has opened my perspective to realize how hard it can be to manage the everyday. I've realized that at home, I've taken a lot of things for granted and not known how challenging studying as an international can be.

Church in Taiwan

I went to a church called Zion Church in the heart of Hsinchu. I haven't been so blessed in a very long time. The word to sum up the experience would be: family. From the moment I entered the church, I felt like I actually belonged somewhere since my arrival in Taiwan. Someone took the time to drive me to church, two random people took me under their wings, I exchanged emails with some guy that I met, I met tons of friendly young adults, and I was treated to - as someone described it - tofu pudding (doe hwa). God truly provided a means for me to be blessed today. He allowed me to meet Peter, s student from Tsing Hua, going to my home church who gave me the email of this professor. The professor invited me to the church he attended. Going to church was like a cup of fresh water. There are actually people who truly shine with the love of Christ.

Zion church is more charismatic in style. Generally, the people are very animated during worship (i.g. raising hands, a lot of alleluias and amens). There was a session of corporate prayer and a laying of hands at the end. I haven't heard an Asian congregation so adamant and unified in their amens during the sermon and prayer. To be honest, I haven't felt so much energy, excitement, and hope at a Christian gathering in a long while. God really energized and reinvigorated my soul. Even though Taiwan and Hsinchu are rather spiritually dark places, the church had so much hope to see God revive their city. The basic gist of the message was to trust and rely on the faithfulness of God to extravagantly bless his people. We must not sell short the desire of God to bless his people to the fullest. Man, God is good.

I'm also going to start meeting weekly with a student from NCTU who went to UIUC last semester to go over the gospel of John. He really is a great guy. He took me and Bernard around Hsinchu and to the night market for some delicious snacks. He is investigating Christianity and seems to be full of questions. He has a unique passion and perspective on life that I am drawn to. I hope to introduce Jesus to him without imparting my opinions and misconceptions. I think that "religion" has disoriented his conception of who Jesus is and what being a Christian is really about. My hope is to merely introduce him to the person of Jesus through the Word and let God do the revealing. I also hope to continue to grow deeper with Jesus as we meet. Prayer is always appreciated. Once again, God is good.

God has shown me that I merely need to be faithful in trusting that he will do the transforming work in people. I've always had this burden of needing people's acceptance of me and the Jesus I follow. During my stay in Taiwan, God is continually lifting my insecurities. He has taught me to share Christ crucified even in the midst of rejection. God is continually teaching me the principle of sowing seeds, but letting God do the growing in people's hearts. During my stay here, may my heart be as good soil for God's word, may I faithfully sow, and maybe I'll even be able to reap the harvest of the Lord.

On a final note, my arms are full of bug bites for some reason. Americans probably eat too much meat - attracts the mosquitoes. God is good.

Three Pictures for your Viewing Pleasure

The bathroom in our dorm room is more like a shower closet. There is a sink to the right and the toilet is across the hall. Yes, the sky blue loofah is mine. On a related note, toilet paper comes in packaged squares like Kleenex. It's been fabulous using pre-sized squares.

A shot of southern Hsinchu from the ninth floor of graduate dorm 2, the place I'm staying. As you can see, the tall concrete structures are standing in the midst of rolling green hills.

Tons of bicycles line the edge of this baseball field just outside the dorm.

Trip to the Department Store

It has only been less than 4 days here on the Island and I feel like I've experience a month's worth of experiences. Nonetheless, I still have a great deal to learn. I came from complete disorientation the first day to a comfortable feel for the campus today. I still have not wandered off campus into the city by myself. The campus is full of walking paths and peaceful scenery while the city is bustling with scooter bikes and a dizzying whirl of bright lights, interesting smells, and the deafening sound of traffic. I can't wait to explore the rest of Taiwan.

I've been sleeping the last few days with a rolled up sweater as a pillow. A pillow was too big to pack in my luggage. Willy, the graduate student which I live with, offered to take me to the nearby mall. So he picked me up at 8:00 pm on his moped. I was nervous at first. I had never ridden on a moped, and I did not want this to be my last moped experience. Nonetheless, I donned the spare silver gray helmet that Willy had taken from his seat compartment and off we went. Willy probably could feel my nervousness and I was a little bit concerned that my jitters would cause us to be strung across the pavement. Either Willy is a more cautious driver or he drove more conservatively for me. I could tell that he was not weaving in and out of traffic more than the other moped drivers. They would run red lights, narrowly miss other mopeds, and weave in between cars and buses. There were mopeds everywhere. Hordes of them waiting at traffic lights, and countless others parked on the sidewalk. I tried not to entertain the fact that any miscalculation or off balance during turns would mean our faces being plastered against the asphalt. My knees occasionally shook from the adrenaline of this first-time experience. The ride wasn't even that scary or dangerous by Taiwanese traffic standards, but the excitement of feeling the air rush past my face and my body shift weight as we weaved in and out of traffic was exhilarating.

We finally reached the department store. If it weren't for the Chinese lettering, I could have believed I was in any department store in the States. Florescent lights brilliantly lit the shiny, plastic covered merchandise. Sale here, sale there. Impulse items by the cash register. We did not have as much time as I would have like to peruse through the store and compare prices; Willy had to get back to the lab. Just like America, every item has hundreds of variation. There were countless number of pillows to choose from. An extra 100 NT for a pillow with anti-bacterial filling. Ten different pillows felt and looked exactly the same. The detergent and toothpaste were much the same. Fifty different brands of toothpaste and detergent. I just chose the Colgate equivalent and picked a brand of detergent that had decent looking packaging. "As long as the clothes get clean," Willy told me. Once I had the items in hand, we were off again.

Willy hadn't eaten dinner yet so we quickly pulled a u-turn and stopped in front of a small street vendor. He was frying some bacon, onion pancakes [chong yew bing], and eggs. First, he would dump a circle of egg onto the skillet. Then he would take your fillings of choice, probably some bacon, cheese, and Chinese cabbage, heat them on the skillet and place that on the semi solid egg. Then he took the pancakes which had been frying on the side and covered up the filling. After a while, he would flip the pancake, paint on your sauce of choice, fold it in half and stuff the Asian calzone into a paper sleeve. They were delicious. Meanwhile, as he was doing all of this, his wife had thrown him a pack of cigarettes and his son was throwing a tantrum next to him. Willy told me this vendor was a popular destination for locals. I could see and taste why.

Long story short, the pillow is infinitely softer than my rolled up sweater.