what was supposed to happen: take off at 12:50, arrive in Japan at around 3-4something. Then depart from Japan at around 6 something, arrive in Taiwan at around 9:30 pm. Go on the U-Bus to transfer to the high speed rail for the 10 something one and arrive in Kaohsiung at around 11 something. The plan failed.
What really happened: we didn't depart till around 1 something pm, arrived in japan at around 4 something, left at around 6 something, arrived at around 9:40 pm, couldn't catch the high speed rail time for 10:15 and took the U-Bus directly to Kaohsiung (5 hours), arrived in Kaohsiung at around 4 am, and the police took us home =)
The battle between God and Satan was present from the start. Friday, bill was supposed to give Calvin the Djembe bag but he forgot and arrived an hour before we were supposed to leave the plane at the airport. Praise God he even came and praise God we made the flight on time. I guess God delaying our flight was so we could make it on the plane. Our plane didn't take off on time because the tv/PA system wasn't working properly so it had to be reset and then a tire had to be changed. so we all waited for a good 20 minutes until we actually knew what was going on and then it took another 10-15 minutes until we actually took off.
I was fasting the plane ride to Japan so i could only drink and when the time came for me to eat, i ate and then had stomach problems afterwards. I have a sensitive stomach and my stomach didn't lke the fact that i hadnt eaten anything and then it wouldn't digest the food. Then when we were landing, Calvin had a major jaw problem. His jaw i guess, couldn't handle the pressure and he was basically in tears (silently) from the pain. He also had a headache during the plane ride.
So that was Satan attacking but God came through and when we were in Japan, i realized that we werent going to make the last high-speed rail time so i freaked out for more than half our layover time (2 hours) trying to figure out how to use the payphone. Everyone that helped me was really nice and genuinely wanted me to get my call through. The money exchange guy was really nice, and all the guys i asked for how to use a payphone were really nice. The problem was that i put in money for a phone card that basically wasnt accepted in any of the pay-phones and the number to manually do it, didn't work either. it was supposed to work for ppl who had cell phones or something. so i basically spent $10 US on a phone-card that i now don't know how to use. But an indian guy showed me how to use the coin way and i finally got through.
When we landed in Taiwan, again everyone was really helpful AND i knew the language, finally. haha. I didn't know the adresss to the church so on the U-Bus transfer stop, i asked a random guy to help me write down the address and talk to ai-hua. he was really willing and he told us which was our bus. When we were in kaohsiung and people were getting off at stops, i asked the lady next to me which was my stop, she asked the bus-driver and the bus-driver was willing to drop us off at the church because it was close to where he had to park the bus. It was really nice of him but he missed the stop and dropped us off at the police station so me and calvin could ask him. the policeman was the only "mean" one in taiwan that i encountered. He seemed only willing to point us into the right direction and let me use the phone, but the guy in there wasnt really willing to give me the phone and then i was so nervous that my chinese became all jumbled up and i had to show my passport and be questioned for why i was coming to taiwan and everything. after talking with ai-hua, they agreed to drive us to the church and we arrived there with ai-hua (praise God) awake to unlock the door for us. God was really with me and I am so thankful that I was able to feel His presence from the beginning. I know a lot of people were worried that i was doing this trip basically by myself since Calvin doesnt know the language and we basically traveled for a whole 24 hours.
I basically had 2 hours of sleep, due to my jetlag and we arrived on the first day of actual missions work, so there was basically no time for me to be tired. We taught at a school/church in the late afternoon (2-4:30) and then went to tsao ya church for a praise night at night. I started getting tired at the end of the english camp at the school/church. We had a time of prayer/worship from 5-6 at Tsao ya church and im pretty sure i fell asleep or i kept on drifting so the prayer time wasn't that effective for me, but God had grace on me and gave me a little more energy to press on for the praise night.
After the first like 3 songs, priscilla decided to go into a time of prayer where i almost fell asleep again, and then was called to DO a prayer furnace. I had never done one before, just been prayed for under one and i was completely jetlag. but this was all in God's plan and I stayed awake the whole time and really tried pouring into the kids what i felt by the holy spirit. i really pray that as this is our last day with the kids today, they felt the holy spirit and a stirring in their hearts and they connected that with God. All of us have been fervently praying for the youth to accept their hearts at the tsao ya church.
i was praying for a girl named jenny who priscilla introduced me to who was buddhist/christian. i knew she was still confused about who God really was and praise God, she really accepted Christ today, by herself, tears in her eyes. I can only pray that she continues her relationship with Christ and that Christ can pour into her everyday and let her know that she is loved by God always. I did a lot of work that first day, and if it weren't for God pressing me on, pushing me towards my limits to do His will, i know i would've passed out by 1 pm. Praise God He knows our plans for us and because of that we should not worry for the days to come. It's all in God's hands.
I am really trying to understand prayer during this trip and as God is really revealing Himself to me with my heart, helping me connect with Him during morning MTL (meet the Lord) time. In the beginning Psalms, i sense David's urgency for Christ in everything and i am praying for that Urgency in Taiwan. I want Him to present not only in the places that we serve but even after we serve the churches and ALL OVER Taiwan. He will come and reign and remain in this place.
We lift our holy hands up...we want to touch you...we lift our voices higher and HIGHER and higher to you.
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