Love, Care and Serve: Taiwan Mission Trip

One of my dreams was to go to another country before I reach 18. That would have been easy but I had three problems. First, I was broke. Second, there was no way I could escape out of my being broke. Third, the audacity of my dreams of going abroad became even more depressing because I was broke. But though I'm an earthly pauper princess, my Father is rich. Beat that!

It was the 2nd World Conference on Youth and Community Service. It seemed like an impossible dream too. But with my Mom's persistence, insistence, sheer grit and prayers, and with the help of a lot of magnanimous church members, the impossible became possible.

We arrived there in Taiwan evening of December 24. And stayed in Taiwan Adventist College, a dreamy place. The cold was almost unbearable though. I'm a tropical flower you know. I need the sun! I had to put on petroleum jelly on my face every night just so they wouldn’t dry the next day.

I chose teaching as my community service together with two pretty Malaysians. I don’t have pictures with them though because I saved it on Friendster. And the latter is nonexistent now. Plus my micro SD card broke down. Double whammy.

Before leaving TAC, we visited Sun Moon Lake, a tourist spot near the school. There were soon-to-be newlyweds having their pictures taken because it was really photogenic.

Here's what happens behind the cam!

Just one of the places we visited. We stayed in a student hostel in Taichung, Taipei, ha d lectures in the morning and tours in the afternoon.

This was like their version of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Except that this was for the honor of Sun Yat Sen.

We were able to visit Taipei 101 too, the highest building during that time. It also boasted of the fastest elevator with a speed of (guess what) 1,010 meters per minute. We  reached the 89^th floor in just a few minutes. Amazing. The first five floors or so housed shops, sort of like a mall. We had to pay 400 Taiwanese dollars to reach the 89^th floor.

A view from the top.

We stayed near their MRT bus stop and near the night market and got to shop a bit. Though prices were not exactly at their minimum since there were a lot of tourists.

The best thing about my Taiwan experience though weren’t the place I got to see. It was the realization that indeed we are a part of a big family, transcending cultures, races, languages. That is, the family of God. And that our purpose is to love, care and serve for Him.