OUR BLOG

Day at the beach

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:13:40 +0800

We had the whole beach almost all to ourselves because of the cloudy weather. It is also, The Lunar Ghost month, so many Taiwanese will not go near the water because it’s where the ghosts come and go from. A big bonus about sub-tropic weather is that it’s still hot even when there's clouds. So both the holiday and the clouds gave us all the beach area we wanted. We took about an hour and forty-five minute train ride to the beach and got to spend about five hours playing before having to head back. The boys never left the water and we brought back a whole container of "Special" shells.

First Day

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 11:11:30 +0800

Summer has ended (almost... it’s still pretty hot!) and September is the beginning of our new year. Both boys are back into school and Seth has had his first few days at his new Chinese school. The adjustment is going well and we are extremely blessed for his two teachers. They are working very hard to help Seth learn the language and to adjust to his new environment. Kendric (we can’t even believe it) has begun his “6th “grade year of homeschool. He is enjoying the new books and subjects. This year is all about the body! He’s already flipped through a few of his books and told us, “I know how babies are made!” Some of his “facts” were a bit off, but funny none the less. So, pray for Jen, and me, as we go through the process of teaching the “Birds and the Bees” in scientific detail. :)
As the boys get settled into there new year Jennifer, and I, are looking to God for our next step. These past months have been awesome and we see more and more our purpose for being here. Our Chinese classes continue to go well and our understanding of both what is being said and what to say, increases with each passing day.
We love hearing from everyone and please keep us posted on your lives. We have the “best” people behind us.

Dragon Boat Festival

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:44:58 +0800

From the Dragon Boat Festival: We had a great afternoon with our friends and watched many boats get capsized. The person on the front of the boat hangs out as far as he/she can to grab the flag. It's also traditional to try and stand an egg on it's end. If successful it means good luck for the rest of the year. We ate a traditional rice shaped like a triangle and steamed in a long dried leaf instead. Something I found to be real funny was that most of my Chinese Co-workers or other friends have never been to the festival themselves. Most said, “we only watch it on TV, it’s too hot!”

Language Classes

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:28:56 +0800

At the end of month (June) we will have been here in Taiwan for six months, and as we have shared before, it becomes more and more our home each day. Since we got here we have been able to negotiate the language barrier well enough to settle into our home, get documents, meet and build relationships (w/English speaking Taiwanese), and live day-to-day. Yet, as you can imagine there are huge opportunities that are missed because of not knowing Chinese. We did begin a CD program, but found that the pronunciation and grammar like most of these programs are based on Hong Kong, or China, Mandarin pronunciation and grammar. The pronunciation or words used are different enough to make anytime we used the words we were learning more about why it’s wrong than about communicating. Plus, we are not learning any characters so as to be able to read or pronounce words. The other drawback we found was not being properly taught “tones.”
We had looked into schools, but we wouldn’t all be learning. To be effective all of us need to be practicing and saying all the same things.
So just over a month ago we began with a Chinese tutor in our home. She meets with Jennifer, Kendric, and I, for a total of 2 hours two days a week. The classes have been going very well and we are picking up all the things we were missing with the CD program. Being immersed in the culture is also a big help and we are excited about what God will do to help us understand quickly all that we are being taught.
God faithfulness in provision, open doors, and divine connections are witnessed each day and the time for His church being opened is approaching. Continue to hold us in your prayers and expect with us for all the fulness of His blessings.

Our Wulai Day Trip

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 09:34:06 +0800

This last weekend I didn't have to teach on Saturday so we were able to plan a trip. With some suggestions we decided on Wulai. It's an area in the mountains just outside Taipei that is home to the aboriginal Taiwanese. The area is of course spectacular visually and fun to visit for the different aboriginal foods and hot springs. There is also a ton of trails, a river that has both cold and hot water, and a beautiful park that has a pretty interesting ropes course that the kids just couldn't get enough of. The weather had been pretty cool and rainy, but on Saturday it cleared and was warm. We took the MRT to the end (about a 40 minute ride) and than boarded a bus that winded up into the mountains. In all it took us about an hour and a half to get there. The first thing on our list was to eat and a fellow co-worker suggested a restaurant that he had eaten at several times. The food was outstanding with two famous local dishes that we just has to try. One, were these little fresh water shrimp that were fried and salted and eaten whole (so, taste-tastic!) The other, was fried bees. They were served with green onions and a light sauce along with some fried basil. Oh my, were they good! I wasn't really sure what to expect flavor wise and was really surprised by just how tasty the dish as a whole was. It most definitely was Yum-tastic! After lunch we made our way through the small town and hiked up to the second village section. On the way, we stopped by the river to let the boys play for a bit (Seth of course fell all the way in) and found that pools of water next to the river were filled with hot water (140 degrees). Some pools had cool river diverted into them and made for a nice place to soak your feet. After leaving here and getting to the second village we took a gondola up to the main park and spent the rest of our day playing on a crazy ropes course, playing with some tiny frogs, and just taking pictures. With all the business of the last couple months it was great to get out and explore another part of Taiwan. During the whole time we were there our boys kept saying, "this place is so beautiful!" "We just love Taiwan!"