There's nothing quite like sitting on my balcony watching a storm roll in at 5:30am with my Bible on my lap, worship music playing softly, a cup of coffee handy, and a fan blowing a cool breeze on me. Just a year ago I was doing virtually the same thing, but inside at my dining room table and with a single flower in a vase beside my Bible provided by the same woman who I had no idea would become such an integral part of my first year in Taiwan and happened to also give me the plants that I sit surrounded by at this moment. My friend Jill and her family have left Taiwan to be closer to family in the United States, but there is hardly a thing I do or experience in Taiwan that does not have their fingerprints all over it. What's the point? As I sit here reflecting on the last year of my life before a new year of work begins, I'm in awe of the people and experiences God has brought into my life. There are so many sweet moments I don't know how I could write them all down, but here are a few that stand out (and by a few I mean a lot). Feel free to skip this if you want- it's really for me. That being said, many people have asked me why I love Taiwan so much, and I think this might begin to unravel the mystery.
Hiking in the local mountains and talking about everything under the sun with new friends who carry so much more wisdom and life experience than I. Sitting by the pool asking hard questions and grappling with hard truths with Sharon. Cross-generational friendships. Long afternoon talks with a handful of students who really let me into their lives and hearts. Ridiculous 90s music karaoke and dance offs with the often too cool kids. Baking with students and learning to let go of control so they can learn. Learning the beautiful language of Mandarin slowly and awkwardly. Spending only 5 minutes of my hour long Chinese lesson actually studying Chinese because Ding Lao Shi and I have so many other interesting aspects of life, crafting, politics, culture, history, and religion to talk about. Slowly and painfully learning how to ride a scooter and enjoying the freedom and cool breeze that comes with it. Watching students enjoy a baseball game for the first time and learn the intricacies of the beautiful game. Hosting people in my home, including a group of women who graduated from Morrison over four decades ago. Sharing beautiful Taiwan with my big brother and grandparents. Being given opportunities to practice reconciliation and forgiveness with students and coworkers. Rare moments of crossing paths with my PFO people. Sweet times of prayer with the other Covenant missionaries. Bible study, good food and drink, long talks, and strategy games with Ellen & Gordon. Visiting Amy, Stephen, & Judah in the Philippines. Jumping in puddles. Movie marathons and junk food eating with students in my home. Laughter, accountability, and prayer times with Yvonne. Moments of breakthrough when students teach me something beautiful and profound about the world. Watching students put their all into sporting events. Afternoons spent playing game after game of Skipbo, Sequence, and Dutch Blitz. Drinking tea- a lot of it. Being challenged to live a more holistically healthy lifestyle because teenagers are watching and learning. Students laughing at my poor attempts to speak Chinese and being willing to help me study even when I am pathetic. Going to the market and understanding something spoken to me in Chinese. The opportunity to slowly learn how to have significant long distance relationships with friends and family.
I'm not saying life in Taiwan is perfect. I miss my friends and family scattered around the globe. I wish I could drive across town and see my brothers whenever I wanted. I wish I could spend time with the women my brothers are falling in love with and know them deeply. I wish I could be a part of the Restoration Abbey community of faith back in Vista. I wish I could take my 90 year old Nana to the thrift store once a week. I wish I could have dinner once a week with my old roommates. I wish I could sit by the pool at Mama Cindy's house and talk about life more than twice a year. I wish I could go camping with Sarah & Ezra. I wish Megan and I could share an apartment and babysit Genevieve at least once a week. I wish I could sit on the back porch in Temecula and sip wine with the Fords. I wish it weren't so darn hot at 6 in the morning.
I wish for so many things, but I don't regret my life. For at least this season of my life I belong in Taiwan. There is not a doubt in my mind that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, wrapped on God's warm embrace in Taiwan. Doing life in this community is easy in some ways. My home is nicer than anything I should ever have, friends are right across the hall, I have no commute, I can walk to get my groceries, and I have all the alone time I need to be healthy. At the same time in this place I sometimes feel like everything I do is being watched, my job makes it hard to connect with people my own age, doing life with teenagers is often heart breaking, it's obvious when I mess up, and when I do mess up it affects other people in a very real way. This last year has been challenging, exhilarating, sometimes lonely, and mostly fulfilling.
I can only hope that this next year brings more of the same with some different splashed in for flavor. I'm so thankful that this is what I've been called to.
In everything I give thanks.
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