Taiwan Summer English Camp Mission

Hello everyone, this is Richard and I am in Taiwan!

These past two weeks I volunteered in the Summer English Camp at Yuan Ze University. We did the same camp for two weeks, and in total there were about 250 students, about 125 per week. The first week has gradually molded and shaped me to become more of a servant, similar to Jesus. He says in Matthew 20:28 that He "did not come to be served, but to serve". On the day I arrived at the campsite, Pastor Yao preached on this topic and humility, and how His people are to be completely humble and gentle as we learn from Christ's example of his meekness and gentleness. Throughout the camp, the American co-workers taught English, performed skits which had lessons on character, led small group, built relationships with the kids, led games and worship, and other tasks. In all of the joyful and strenuous work, much lessons were applied and memories made. On Sunday, there is a talent show, where the parents of the kids come and see their children perform. My group, group 3, performed a skit teaching the lesson that a major character trait in a Christian is love. The exhilerating and amusing skit begins with a bank robbery. As climaxing background piano music resounds in the ears of the captivated audience, criminals enter the bank and demand money. The workers at the bank, which are Christians, begin to pray. Their noises of pleading with God reaches the level that results in the criminals mercilessly killing the Christians. Where the criminals begin to have a spark of relief and delight because they are almost complete with their shameful task, police arrive at the scene and shoot them down. They also die, and the scene then turns to hell...dun..dun..dun! The criminals have ended up in hell, where they begin to grow hungry. They find food and chopsticks; nevertheless, the chopsticks are too long. Attempting to feed their aching stomachs, which is as empty as a balloon, they use the chopsticks to pick up food and try to put the food into their own mouths to selfishly satisfy their own personal needs yet facing the conclusion that they cannot eat because the chopsticks are too long. Upset and in deep pity, they ask the devil to allow them to gaze at the wonders of heaven. They see in heaven the Christian bank workers, yet, when they grew hungry, they did not use the extremely long chopsticks to feed themselves, but one another, impressing on the hearts of the criminals the love and kindness of Christians. Although this is not the most biblically based skit in the world, the lesson is that the body of Christ is to be selflessly and joyfully loving one another. Let us act to fufill 1 John 4:11-12: "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." With God's love overflowing like a glorious and abundantful fountain, the light of Christ overcomes the darkness which so depresses and entraps the lives of many. Yesterday, I received news that one of the girls that attended the camp began to go to church again. During the alter call on the second week, there was a great responce with floods of young people coming up. One of my goals for the summer is to continue to keep them in my prayers, pleading with the Lord to "turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word"(Psalm 119:37).