By We arrived in Taiwan a week before the conference, so we had the opportunity to blend in other places. In addition, we wanted to have more opportunities to coordinate and fellowship with local brothers and sisters. We could also learn more about their family life and church life. So we chose to live in a saint’s home. Then we wanted to have the opportunity to mingle with brothers and sisters from other places in the hotel where 80+ saints stayed as well; we chose to stay in the hotel during the conference so that we could concentrate on the message content. Thank You Lord for giving us the opportunity to organize all our schedules. We felt the presence and provision of Christ and the church at every moment from beginning to end!
First of all, because we wanted to have eyeglasses made in Taiwan, a sister in Beitou introduced an eyeglasses company that was run by a brother who lived near their home. We had never met this brother before, and he welcomed us very warmly. As soon as we arrived in Taiwan early in the morning, we went directly to his shop for an optometry eye exam. His wife immediately made a pot of coffee and snacks, and then went out to buy some traditional Taiwanese breakfast items for us. This was our first breakfast in Taiwan.
On the Lord’s Day, the couple took us to the Lord’s Day meeting, and then there was a love feast, all at a saint’s home. We enjoyed this gathering very much. Among them was an 89-year-old sister who came for the first time. Her daughter and other saints had been praying for her for a long time. She finally chose to be baptized while we were there that day. After the baptism and love feast, the couple took us around for a scenic tour nearby on their own, which wasn’t arranged through the church. We were truly touched by their heart for the saints!
During the first church visitation tour, we were arranged to be hosted in the 10th district of Taoyuan. We are also very touched by the detailed care of this host family. On the first night, they took us to an Italian restaurant for dinner because they were concerned that we would not be used to traditional Chinese food.
At their home, we also participated in the Tuesday night prayer meeting and the Thursday night home meeting. This was also one of the highlights for us—being with the local saints there.
We can testify that every brother and sister served closely together. We really admired the testimony of oneness in their coordination and fellowship!
We took a tour bus and visited many scenic spots. Even though it rained those days it never disappointed us, but only warmed our hearts! Brothers and sisters with a total of five tour buses went to restaurants for lunch and dinner, so we had big meals! In my tour bus, we blended with Irvine, Anaheim, Riverside, and New Zealand. The people sitting in front of us and behind us were brothers and sisters from New Zealand, so we took the opportunity to get to know them. In the bus we prayed every morning, sang hymns, and everyone shared their testimonies. Some of the testimonies concerned how they come to the recovery, and some brought us to tears. We all exercised our spirits more to enjoy the portion of Christ from every brother and sister! I suggest that if you can take a church bus tour, the best experience is in the bus!
One of the most touching things is that every time we got off the bus to go to a scenic spot, there will be serving brothers standing there in the street corners to watch to prevent us from becoming lost. Many times, we didn’t see anyone else, but we would see the brothers standing there waiting patiently in the rain and cold weather. We just needed to ask them where the restroom was or where the return bus was, and they would help us immediately. They were all just so sweet and we were truly touched by their serving in a somewhat hidden way.
The people who served us just wanted us to eat whatever we wanted, and they delivered it to us almost immediately. For example, we once mentioned that we like to eat ice cream. They knew what our favorite flavors were and had ice cream ready for us right away. Also, a sister mentioned milk tea to her hospitality when she was on the way to the love feast, and they immediately got out of the car and bought it for her to drink. And they even bought more so myself and others don’t have to share it too. Also, when we were having a love feast at the Xinji Building on Friday, we just asked a sister if she had any coffee. She asked what kind of coffee we wanted, and then she immediately went to the street to buy it for us to drink. Although this seems to be an outward thing, it tells us again and again how meticulous and considerate their shepherding is. It is really difficult to do it if it is not done in the spirit. We have truly witnessed one of the reasons why the brothers and sisters in Taiwan are able to do so well in the gospel.
This trip to Taiwan caused us to pray that through the 35,000 saints in 79 countries, the Lord would constitute the new man much more. May everyone receive Christ as the crown of righteousness when the Lord returns to establish His kingdom; this crown is not just merely an outward matter. In His coming, it is Christ Himself who is the crown of righteousness. We are so thankful to see the testimony of brothers and sisters all being one.
