It's mind boggling to think that I wrote my last entry having only survived 5 weeks of teaching. 5 weeks seems like 2 days now that I've been a teacher for 8 months! Nearing the end of the year, I look back and find myself having mixed feelings about this first year. There are no regrets whatsoever about my decision to move to Taiwan. I know with out a doubt that God Himself called me here. It was confirmed today as I doubted my abilities to follow The Great Commission that He pulled me quite literally from the ends of the earth. He chose me, and will be with me wherever I go, on whatever task He desires that I undertake. Here's proof!
Needless to say, it has been quite the year (July 2009-present). First there was the transition to Taiwan, which proved to be quite a bit more difficult than I imagined. It is only now that I feel like I can really go out on my own and not feel completely overwhelmed by the fact that I am illiterate. Two of my key phrases are Wo ting bu dong (I don't understand) and ní huì shuo yingwén ma (do you speak english?). So all this has made getting around a little more difficult. Add the fact that I do actually own a scooter now but am too terrified to ride it around, and you've got a girl who can't do much but walk into the village and spend money on cabs. I am getting better, though.
Back to the year, though. For those of you who aren't facebook friends or don't regularly keep tabs on me, 2010 got off to an awesome start when I officially became the girlfriend of a man who's been a great friend for a while. His name is Samuel Lago, he lives in Chile (I do embrace challenges, don't I?), and though being in a long distance relationship has not been a walk in the park, being with him and watching God heal us of past wounds and gracefully allowing us to progress rather quickly in our love for each other has been wonderful and worth the pain. Thankfully, the wait to see him will soon be over. In less than seven weeks I will be home for 2 months!
Here are Sam and I, Christmas Day 2009
Coming back to Taiwan after such a wonderful visit home was not easy either. It took me a few weeks to get used to the idea, and when I started to, tragedy hit. My close friend, Maca Yunge took a week off to go down south and vacation with friends. It was pretty rainy where she was, so on a clear day, she and her hosts including their cousins and a few adults decided to go down the river on rafts. They had done this many times before, but noticed that the water was a little higher and rougher than usual, and there were branches of trees that had fallen into the river. Just the same, they decided to take the plunge and would get out if there seemed to be any danger. I don't know all of the specific details, but I know that the raft that Maca was in flipped over, and she floated downstream getting caught in a very strong current. Her life jacket got caught in the branches of a tree and she was pulled under water, unable to get out. After two hours of trying to free her from the branches, and calling the firemen, her friends had to come to terms with the truth. It is one of those things that you dread when you move overseas. I received that dreaded phone call February 10th, hours after the accident. It was shocking, devastating, but mostly, unbelievable. To this day I struggle to accept the reality of what happened.
Maca and I, December 29th, 2009
One of the lessons that has been hard to learn this year is that regardless of the difficulties that we face, we must continue. Despite my grief, I had 20 second graders who needed their teacher, and I had to find a way to pull myself together. So I did. Barely, but I did. There were a few weeks there where I had serious doubts about my ability to pull through. I wanted to go home, I wanted to give up. Each day felt like this impossible mountain I had to climb. So I leaned into the Word of God, day and night, through and through. Sam would read Bible verses to me until I fell asleep. Sometimes it felt like the only way I could sleep. So I trusted God, but it was hard to keep a positive attitude.
I remember the first day I actually felt like I was doing okay. It was February 28th. If you live in Chile, you probably know why I can actually remember the date. My roommate Natalie and I were sitting in our dining room watching Everwood. I remember thinking to myself "today's been pretty good!" Then the doorbell rang. It was Elaine, the 1st grade teacher. She asked me if my family is okay, but I had no idea why she was asking. That's when she told me that there had been an 8.8 magnitude earthquake south of Santiago. I went absolutely ballistic. It was hours before I heard if my family was okay. I knew my parents were at the beach, but could not get ahold of them. Sam lives on the 13th floor, and I imagined his building collapsing. I had this one morbid thought: "I may have to fly home to funerals..." Sam texted me to tell me he was okay, but it was 3 hours before I heard from my parents, who felt the quake to a lesser degree, and went back to sleep. Ha! My best friend Maureen was okay, but her boyfriend was at the epicentre. My brothers and I worked together from overseas to try and find out if our loved ones were okay. It was a nightmare, but I am incredibly grateful that all of my loved one, EVERY one of them is safe.
So that sums up February.
I guess one of the positive aspects of this years events is that it has brought me to an understanding of what dependence and perseverance are. That I need both of them. I need dependence on God, and perseverance in faith to move forward. In all of this, God has been faithful. He has brought me back to Him countless times, crying, kicking and screaming.
So that part of the year was rough, but there have been countless blessings since. For starters, I am the proud teacher of the most incredible second graders to walk the face of this earth. I'm not just saying that. My kids rock! I was also blessed with the opportunity to go to the Philippines in March to a teacher's conference, followed by helping lead the Morrison Highschoolers in a mission trip to Boracay. I'll save that for the next entry because my eyes are starting to hurt and I have to go to dinner. The next entry will come sooner. Promise :) For now, enjoy pictures!!!!
With Denzel Faith, a little girl from a feeding site in Boracay.
The incredible landscape of Boracay, Philippines.
Brian, Ellen and I on the plane ride back.
