"We're going camping now...."

Alright. Everyone sit down now. So.... What was Large group about?

"yes, Penny, thank you for raising your hand."

"Eggs?"

"Yes, there were eggs in the story."

"Andy, what did the eggs, that got smashed all over Trevor, mean?"

"Ru..ru..les"

"Rules, yes, or commandments."

"Can you keep all the rules that God gave us? Remember, if you break one command then God says you have broken them all!"

"No teacher! That is impossible!"

"You are right. No one can. What does the Bible say will happen if you break even one? Steven?"

"You die. But teacher this is not true. It is just a story"

"Actually, this IS true. It is what I believe, and it is what all the other American teachers in this camp believe. " "But I will tell you more of what I believe... Sure no one can be perfect, we all know that. And God knew that too. So He sent His Son, and came down as a man. He lived the perfect life for us, and then He died for us taking OUR punishment on Himself."

"Yes, Steven?"

"But this is Taiwan, and we believe other thing, you are from America and you believe other thing."

"Actually Steven, I have some Taiwanese friends that are Christians"
"I am not trying to force you to believe this, It is your decision and it is your responsibility. But I don't want you to die. So I have to say something. OK? If you have any questions please feel free to ask."

"OK."

This is very very close to what our class was like. The only other thing was that my TA Sally translated it as much as she could word for word. And she usually does not translate everything. So if there was a doubt in the students mind of what I was saying in English, Sally translated it in Chinese. I did not get any questions later from the students. But they seemed to respond to me in a different and better way after that. That day I went on to teach one of our country lessons and about a famous song 'Amazing Grace', and the story of John Newton and how he came to write that song. Usually our lessons are not so serious. But my 13 students and TA (Teacher's Assistant), paid very close attention.

I know I have not posted in awhile. And maybe some of you know why, and some of you do not know why. I am working on my testimony of what happened to me about a month ago. And hope to post it soon.

Thank you!

The girls here put on a "surprise" party for me on the 18th. Though I don't think I have ever really been surprised. :-) It was fun.

I spent the day of my birthday (the 20th) getting up at about 5:40am and taking a taxi to a bus stop, and then a bus to the airport. Me and 2 other teachers waited about 5 hours to take a stand by flight to a small island called Kinmen an hour long flight away. It is an island of Taiwan that is right along the shores of China. You can see China from the place I stayed (at some other IBLP teachers dorms). The Kinmen teachers got me a little cake, and a candle in the shape of a 2, and out side under the stars looking at the lights along the shore of China I blew out my birthday candle.

Thank you Lord for another year.

Tainan

Teresa and I went to Tainan for a quick whirl wind media trip. We left at about 6:20 no, wait... 6:30am (due to Teresa's morning eating rituals), and took a taxi to the HSR (High Speed Rail). We got into Tainan with Jean, a King Car rep. and went to the Broadcasting Station where we were given a tour and then asked if we would like to "hear our voices" which meant that we would get to use the REAL equipment to make a fun broadcast... no, it was not live. So we did.

Later we were taken to a school near by where we were escorted to a class room of about 40 6th graders. To
teach a class so that the media could come in and video and take pictures of us to promote their camps. We walked into a class room full of students and they all started whispering. then they just looked at us like we should know what to do. Teresa and I looked at each other and said I guess they want us to start teaching. It was a fun 40 minuets with the students. The media got their video and pictures and left.

I talked to a reporter as we were leaving and she asked me why I was teaching when there was other things that I could be doing instead. They always seem curious about that. I told her that I wanted to help/serve the Taiwanese people... and that really I thought that God wanted me here. She looked very shocked when I said that. We did not say much more as everyone was on their way out, but something sure made an impression.

Thanks for all your prayers.
Please click on the link below to listen to our broadcast!

http://usgirl21.googlepages.com/KCTainan.mp3
Everything said is not necessarily the opinion of the speakers, and every perceived mistake was planed to make you feel better about yourself. Don't try this at home without consulting your neighborhood broadcasting expert.

There a mold, here a mold, everywhere a mold mold

This was a tough EV for a lot of the teachers. Sometimes you get a team of students that don't respect you at all. And don't even seem interested in anything you have to say. It is those times that you have to just love the kids and do your job of teaching as best as you can. The Lord knows what we need, and what kids to send our way.

I'll be taking some things over to Kinmen for Teresa on Friday. So I pulled out the old suit case I got from my great grandmother for a graduation gift, only to find out that it had a nice thin layer of mold all over the out side. I just finished wiping it off and spraying it with Lysol and then using my hair dryer to dry it off. I know many of us have thrown things away due to the mold that gets on your things so easily here. You gotta love it!

Lynn is awake now! They have taken her slowly off the medication that has been keeping her under. She can have visitors soon.

13 days, and then everyone starts to leave Taiwan. I can hardly imagine our team dispersing.
Some of us are coming back for the next school year. Some of us are not. And then some of us hope to come back again one day. Only God could have picked the team that we have, and I am ever so grateful for each person here.

Me and my roommate Sarah. At the Dragon Boat festival in Taipei.

Quick Update on Lynn

Just heard today that she is off the breathing machines. She can now breath on her own! She has been under since the heart transplant, for 11 days. The doctors are keeping her asleep so that she may recover faster. She does not yet know that she has a new heart.

Wednesday the 28th

My sister Hannah just called me in hysterics! I could hardly understand her she was so excited. "Lynn has a new heart! Lynn has a new heart!"

I was shocked, I did not know what to say. "Really? When? How?"

Lynn was on a list. Being a heart donor is not so common here in Taiwan. It did not look good, but Lynn's husband Jack knew some of the doctors there. Guan xi is a big thing here, relationships, and knowing the right people, it helps you get things that others cannot as easily.

Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan's new president, just got into office in the last week or so. He elected a Senator that Jack knows. This new Senator (that was elected only because Ma Ying-jeou was elected) made a point that one of the first things he did in office was to help Lynn find a heart. Perfect timing. God's timing.

Mark 4:40 "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no Faith?"

Ps. 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

Wednesday

Me, Mom, Hannah, our Pastor and the church missionary went to the Hospital today. The Hospital is called Tai Da Hospital (Too Big Hospital), it is the biggest hospital in Taiwan.

Mom went in first. And then came out and said that Hannah should go with her. Everyone was having a hard time emotionally. God gave mom and Hannah the grace to actually go in and talk a little without losing it. Then it was my turn. I was having a hard time not crying, and if anyone knows me I am not the one to cry in public at all, it takes a lot to make me cry. I usually laugh at all the wrong times instead of crying. It is very embarrassing. Any way, today I was crying. Lynn's Mom, Dad, two sisters and Jack (Lynn's husband), and Jacks brother were there. Jacks brother was helping everyone in the robes and handing out masks for those going to see Lynn. I got the robe on, put on the mask and sanitized my hands with the sanitizer at the door. I went in the double doors and looked in the first room on my left, "no, this is not it, is it?" I was looking back for direction on where to go, and yes, this was indeed the room. I knew that she would look somewhat different, but I had no idea it would be this different. With all the tubes in her moth and nose and the swelling, she did NOT look like Lynn. But it was her. It was all I could do to talk... "this is Naomi, wu i ni Lynn, Ye sue i ni" (I love you Lynn, Jesus loves you). "How are you?" Ha, like she could even answer. I did not know what to say, but there was no response. Her head was slightly turned in my direction I could see her that her eyes were open just a little. Her eyeballs did not even move. It was like she was dead, and just barely alive. All I could do was rub her hand. I could not say more for fear I would brake down and sob. Mom and Hannah were not far behind. We told her we loved her and that we were praying for her. After we left Mom went back with the pastor and missionary (who's Chinese name escapes me, sorry). Lynn had meet the pastor one time when she went to our bible study. The Pastor asked Lynn if she remembered him. And then, praise the Lord, she made a very obvious and slow nod of the head yes. They shared the gospel, simple and clear.

This is an answer to prayer that we even had the chance to do this. She is still in very bad condition, we don't know how long she has. She still needs a heart transplant. The heart disease could go to her other organs and then they would not even give her a heart transplant. She can't talk and she can hardly move. If she is not heavily sedated then she is in great pain. Please keep her in prayer.... it works!

Tuesday

God is so good! I never even expected Him to answer my prayers in this way!!! This morning Mom told us all at the meeting that Lynn woke up. She is not gone! Praise the Lord! I am using way too many exclamation points, but I feel like an exclamation point right now! I was crying because she was gone, and now it is because she lives, I am so happy!

We prayed that Lynn would get a second chance and He has answered that prayer. Me, Mom Hannah, our Pastor and church missionary will be going to the Hospital tomorrow to share the gospel with Lynn.

One of Mom's unsaved friends who is a good customer of Lynn's and knows her well, emailed mom and said "Our prayers are answered!" She said after all this she is considering becoming a Christian.

To God be the glory great things He has done. So loved He the world that He gave us His Son. Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, and opened the life gate that all may go in. Praise the Lord. Let the earth hear His voice. Praise the Lord. Let the people rejoice.

以上帝的光榮，偉大的東西，他的所作所為。愛他的世界，他給了我們，他的兒子。誰取得了他的生命是一個贖罪單仲偕，打開了生活的門，所有可能英寸讚美上帝。讓地球聽到他的聲音。讚美上帝。讓人民高興。

Monday

I told Charity last night... I think we both cried ourselves to sleep. It could already be that she is gone. I think Mom is going to tell Hannah the news after she calls and confirms that she is indeed gone.

Where is coffee

Can someone in a coma be saved? I mean, be really saved, put their trust in Jesus as their savior. Did she really think about the things that I said about God? Did she see Christ and wonder who He was when she came to the Christmas party? Did the one time at the English Bible study make her really think about where she would go if she died?

Lynn was the one to really want to get to know me at first. I came into her coffee shop, it is right across from our house, it is called "Where is Coffee", no question mark just "Where is Coffee". I always wondered if it was supposed to mean "where coffee is", like "you can find coffee here!" Or "Where is Coffee?" like a question that is so obvious because it IS a coffee shop. Any way, I remember walking in, there was no one around, I started looking at the coffee contraptions and things she was selling, not sure yet if I was going to buy any coffee. Sorta pretended that I was thinking about buying a coffee grinder by asking questions about the ones she had and what one she would recommend. She knew a little English, said something about wishing she had studied English harder in school. She made a cup of coffee for me to try right then and there, I did not even ask for any. It was on the house! I told her I would not mind helping her with her English. And I told her I could not be paid, I said we would just be friends. She said, I'll give you free coffee! she was always smiling and had a twinkle in her eye. She was so excited! And and kept saying "I am so lucky!"

I did not visit her as much as I wish I did, but that is life I guess. She knew my little sisters too. She would watch them play in the park right across from her coffee shop. The girls would come in sometimes. And she took Hannah and I to the pet store so that Hannah could pick out some fish for her fish tank in the coffee shop. She was intrigued by Hannah's energy for life, pretty soon Hannah was doing the chalk art for her sign out front. Hannah also talked to her about Jesus at times. I would constantly try and pay for my coffee, getting away with paying for half once and then another time hiding the money under her laptop. She would "fish sit" for Hannah, and even transferred Hannah's fish into a nicer and bigger bowl so that she had a nice surprise when she got her fish back. The last time Hannah drew on the chalk board, Mom helped with the words, Hannah did the drawing and Lydia sat on Lynn's lap. Lynn helped her color in some of Hannah's work.

Lynn is one of those we pray for on a constant basis. People that we get to know here, people that God just puts right in front of us. To love and be a light to, and share the reason for the hope we have, and to share the purpose to their life.

Why am I crying? I pray that she will make it, even though it is impossible. I know everything is possible with Christ. But as Hannah has been praying "your will be done, in Jesus name. Amen".
God knows the bigger picture. This world is not all there is. God has a plan, and even though we have made a mess of things, God is working everything together for good.

Dad and Mom went into the shop this evening. Her husband Jack took Mom's hands and said. "she is not OK... She will not be OK"
Mom said "I know".
We knew that before the only option was a heart transplant. She had collapsed at the Hospital. She'd already been to the Clinic before, and they said "take this pain reliever, and you'll be fine. It's just a headache." She would have already been gone if she had collapsed at home.
Jack, came back to Mom and Dad, and took Mom's hands again and said "tomorrow she will...." and then made the sign with his finger that means death/dying. All we can figure is she is so bad off, that after about 15 days in a coma, they are going to "pull the plug".

It is now 39 min into tomorrow. Please pray for Lynn and her husband and family. She did not have any children, just a few Chihuahuas and fish. :-) Please also pray for those we are in contact with all the time. That we will say what God wants us to say. Of course there are regrets and what ifs. But Christ is the author and finisher of my faith, and He is that to all the rest of His children, and I can rest in that.

Happy Birthday Yoda!

C          C7           Dm7
Father in heaven how we love you
    G                 C       F     G         
We lift your name in all the earth.
          C           C7                Dm7
May your kingdom be established in our praises,
         F                          G
As Your people declare your mighty works!

          G             C   C7     G    Dm7    
      Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
             G                    C
      Who was and is and is to come.
          G             C   C7    G    Dm7
      Blessed be the Lord God Almighty
              G         G/B C
      Who reigns forevermore.


Oh God most Holy we adore you,
We lay our all before you throne.
May the fragrance of your presence be about us
As we purpose to worship you alone!

©1984, Scripture in Song
Words and Music by Bob Fitts 

Happy Mothers Day!

I'm off to Gou shong

Today was different.... it was interesting.... it was .....Fun!

And I think it will continue to be that way for the rest of the day.

Sarah's letting me use her backpack. I really should have brought one with me from the US. I had no idea how many little weekend "trips" I would be taking while here in Taiwan. Teresa called me last night and asked if I would like to go with her and Grace to Gou shong (spelling?). And today I asked Dad about it some more, and so I'll be going!

One of the teachers fallowing their class today brought in this coffee making contraption, you know, the kind that you put the ground coffee in and you light a fire under the water and it boils up into the coffee and then seeps back down? kinda looks like a science experiment.... actually it probably is. Anyway, she gave me coffee today in cooking class! after all the thousands of students and teachers I've seen that has NEVER happened, even close. No teacher ever thought of bringing in refreshment for the English teachers.

I better go... it is 3:37pm and I need to pack the rest of the way and get out the door to leave at 4pm.

12 more weeks of solid, no holiday, teaching, starting tomorrow morning. And then it is goodbye to many that I have grown to love over this year that we have spent living, and teaching at the EV.

Here is what your day might look like at the EV...

Hit snooze a few times, Wake up, try to open eyes, climb down from top bunk, try not to step on Sarah's hand laying on the last step of the ladder. Find Air conditioner control turn temp UP!
8 girls, one bathroom... ya, we've got this down! or so we thought, until this morning. Get ready for day, Go to the living room (14 of us share), get a cup, if you can find one with your name on it. Go to trash room where refrigerator is, Grab something out before it bites you. Look at your cell phone "yikes! One more minuet, and I'm late!"




Making pizza


Meeting in Airport, hope no one is carrying drugs today, pray (we need it!), make sure first class room is set up, kids come in, 20 more than signed up (but that is OK), pick up your team, "Ah! How did I get the team with 16 boys?" Be happy! Because we are the Happy School Teachers, right? Even though we have taught the class 1000 times act like it is your first day every day, It is for the kids.

Say good bye to kids, sign autographs, give high fives, Go back to the airport for another meeting, download.

After school, meet with Taiwanese friends, tutor, shop for groceries, wave at every kid that looks like they are in the 5th grade, you've seen about 6000 and they all remember you, you think every kid looks familiar, but your aren't sure. Make dinner in living room, wait your turn for the one electric burner, flip the breaker back on because someone decided to use the hot water at the same time, take 10 minuets to throw away your trash, is this general garbage, general plastic, general paper, etc? Stay up way to late debating and talking in the living room, tease Teresa for brushing her teeth for an hour, climb back into bed, eves drop on the others still awake in girls dorm, you can't help it really, the walls are paper thin, read Bible/do devotions, make sure alarm is set for next morning. Go to sleep.

And there you have it. Though there are variations... this is just a taste of EV dorm life. You gotta love it!

Sometimes we try too hard to "have fun". And end up being disappointed. I think it is because we have certain expectations that we make, as well as unconscious expectations. If we leave those all to the Lord and we decide to rest in Him, then the joy/fun will come. And it will be the kind that is most likely free of selfishness and unfulfilled expectations, but full of true joy in the life that He has given and the unexpected things that come our way. I like surprises, but it is hard to enjoy surprises if I know exactly what I think I need or want. Because when the surprise comes, I may see it as not my plan, or something that is going wrong. Instead I should take the unexpected things that WILL come, as from the Lord.

The only reason I say any of this is because I am still learning this very thing... Not even sure how it came out. I just started typing and this is what you got, I was not even consciously thinking about this subject. Must be that God wants me to learn more about it...

And as I see it from the verses below, this is the end of the matter...Our expectation should be in the Lord!

Here are some verses I looked up that encouraged me on this subject...
Ps. 10:4 - The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Prov. 11:7 - When the wicked man dies, his hope [for the future] perishes; and the expectation of the godless comes to nothing.

Ps. 92:5 - O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

Is. 55:8-9 - For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Prov. 16:3 - Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Ps. 62:5 - My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

Ps. 39:7 - And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You.

Rom. 9:33 - As it is written, Behold I am laying in Zion a Stone that will make men stumble, a Rock that will make them fall; but he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall not be put to shame nor be disappointed in his expectations. [Isa 28:16 ]

Teaching to a student's heart <3

The new semester is starting out well. One thing that I am learning is when I think I have a "bad group of kids" it is probably not there fualt. It is mine. When I truly care and interact with the students as I see them, even only for 2 days. The attidude of the teacher toward the students, directly impacts how the kids are going to interact and respond to you. So even if I am "teaching fine" and getting the right words out, if my heart is not in it then the students know! But even if I make a mistake in a class, but my heart is toward the students to love them and care about them, to show them the love of Christ, then they respond so well! There is always an exception, and if I love them still, even correction that may be needed, is taken better.

Happy New Year!!!

2007 Has been a wonderful, and yet at the same time, hard year. But I praise the Lord for what He only can do through every circumstance that He has given to me.

After Dad retired, me and my family traveled and stayed with friends and family for about 9 months before settling down in Normal, IL, near Dad's two brothers. There was a lot of prayer about what the Lord had next for us as a family. As many of you know God placed us here in Taoyuan, Taiwan. We have been here for about 4 month or so, and plan on finishing out the school year in Taiwan. God gave us the opportunity to teach on a voluntary basis, as we get to know some of the Taiwanese people and share the love of Christ with them.

I have been teaching English at the English Village, tutoring one on one, and learning Chinese. I have always liked learning about different cultures, so I keep my eyes and ears open as I learn about Taiwan. Some things I have learned are; don't give a clock or an umbrella as a gift to a Taiwanese person (it's like a death wish), and even though the tiles on the sidewalks look dry... they are probably wet underneath and when you step on them you will get very wet with very dirty water.

Some of the almost 5000 students who have come through the EV http://picasaweb.google.com/USGirl21

Anyway, I am sure there is more, but I am tired and I need to go to bed.
May the Lord bless you all as you seek Him first.
Naomi

PS - to see the video of the Christmas play that us teachers at the EV did for the Christmas party for our Taiwanese friends, please fallow this link to my roommate Sarah's Xanga. http://video.xanga.com/me8883er

Happy English Village

We have been in Taiwan for a little over 3 weeks now.
There was much preparation the first 2 weeks…planning lessons and buying props to set up the class rooms. Not all of the teachers were here yet, some teaching at camps the others still in the US.

Shong and I at the Press Conf in Taipei.

Shong was a big help to us as we prepared and worked out some of the initial “bugs”, she is a girl that you can count on to get things done. Wes kept us all in the know, as much as possible, and gave tips on teaching, and explaining the “guidelines” for our team. My Dad “preached” the first Sunday we were here. He has brought good counsel for us and for Wes as the leader. Mr. Sun, the president of the King Kar company that is sponsoring us with the government, has been so kind to us, even thanking God for us and our hard work. He is quite the visionary, and it is a blessing to try and help carry out the vision that he has for the Happy English Village.

All teachers are here and accounted for now. It was especially nice to have us all together when the Media day came. It was crazy with all the media running and stepping all over themselves just to get a good shot or to be the first to a class room. We learned a new meaning of being flexible, as TV reporters would come in and ask that we re-do some of our lesson over and over again so that they could get a good camera angle on it. The children loved it! They were so excited to think that they would be on TV, or in the newspaper. Even the Mayor stopped by some of our classrooms, and at that time the teaching with the children was stopped completely as we stepped aside and all attention was on him, giving him the respect he deserves. He encouraged the children of Taiwan to take the opportunity of coming to this Happy English Village in Taoyuan.

We have about 120 students come in on Monday through Tuesday and another 120 on Thursday-Friday. So far we teach 5 classes a day, for 40 min each. So at the end of the two day English Village immersion, the kids have visited 10 classes. We have… the Library, Bank, Store, Hotel, Clinic, Drama, Science, Cooking, Dance, and Airport. We will be adding other classes later.I have been almost exclusively teaching in the Bank. And so it is my “baby” at the moment. We have a very real looking bank room. Teller windows, computers at the desks, money counter, a customer number machine (as the kids wait in line we call their customer number), a big flat screened TV with the Exchange rates updated in real life time, and to top it all off, we have a real ATM machine! Though, we only withdraw EV (English Village) dollars with it, not real money. Each child experiences the bank in a vary real way. They take a number, deposit money at the teller window, and withdraw money from the ATM.

I have already been able to share about why I am here with my family. I hope as we serve the Taiwanese people by teaching English to the children, that the love of Jesus will show forth from our lives, and that we can tell them that Jesus loves them, and that Jesus wants to know them! Please pray that we will continue to have the energy and the joy of Christ evident in us as we teach the same lessons to probably every 5th grader in Taiwan this year. :-)

Taiwan?

It looks more and more like I will be going to Taiwan with my family. We don't know for sure yet. But what we do know is that the Lord wants us to be willing and ready to go.
The plan is for us to be in Taiwan for the school year to teach at an "English Village" that will be set up for around 20 teachers. My parents would be part of the leadership of the team. We will be teaching many different parts of our western culture in our village...not sure what those are yet, but it should be interesting. Young Taiwanese students will come through and visit these different classes. At least this is my understanding so far.
The Company that would be sponsoring us and the other teachers know that we are a Christian organization, and seem willing to let us use the class rooms that they provide for other christian meetings. This will be a good opportunity for us to get to know and share the love of God with the Taiwanese people that we are around.

It will be neat to go to Taiwan again...English Camp Teachers - February 03 at Sun Moon Lake