A message of hope in Wanhua
15/11/2011 9:00 am <>
“Come in!” smiled “Paul” as he opened the door to his small apartment. This was our fourth meeting to talk about Christianity. As I went to his couch, I passed the, now familiar, ramshackle collection of Catholic, Mormon, and Buddhist literature and almost knocked over a couple of empty liquor bottles on the floor. Paul is a working class man who used to own the restaurant next to the park where our Wanhua Hope Team does outreach. He is a spiritually minded person who is looking for something real to hold on to. Other team members have known him for a long time, giving me an opportunity to meet and follow up with him.
I was a bit nervous as my language ability is still limited, but I knew my team were gathered together praying for us. As usual, Paul and I shared from our lives before he asked me many questions about the Bible. We looked up answers in either an OMF mini-Bible or in an easy to read translation of the Scriptures. As we talked, he admitted he had been hurt by people who he thought were friends and he could not see how he could forgive them. But as he heard how Jesus forgave those who were killing him, he began to weep. He said that he now saw how Jesus could empathize with his hurts. This in turn led to a time of us weeping and praying to God while bowed down on the floor. He even went so far as to finally admit he had a drinking problem and needed help. I rejoiced, but know that this is only part of the healing process for him.
We parted with an embrace, and I hurried on down to Green Park. It was a cool and breezy afternoon. The core members of the Wanhua Hope Team plus my 2 boys and a few Taiwanese co-workers were there. These blessed people have come from different churches around Taipei, and their service is invaluable. Gathered around the toys on the play mats we set up were the usual crowd of children. The elderly in their wheelchairs sat around the perimeter chatting and watching us. Those on the team not playing with kids were scattered throughout the park, encouraging, witnessing, and befriending the Taiwanese adult onlookers. Then we gathered those we could for a simple program. Usually a Bible story is told with flannel graphs, puppets, picture books, drama - anything that works. This time, it was a simple mime depicting the creation story. Sigrun asked the children a couple of follow-up questions. Then I strapped on my guitar and led the crowd in singing “How Great Thou Art” as well as a children's song. The sun was setting as we prayed for people. We spent some more time talking before going home. Some will chat politely but superficially while others unload their deep burdens asking, “Can your God really help me?”
On Tuesdays and Fridays, we pray and plan. We seek guidance from the Lord, methods are refined for the park outreach and other ministries, and ideas are gradually developed. As a newly formed team, we are in deep need of the Lord's power and wisdom. The need for a center in the community that would act as a church, a safe haven, and a place for special activities is particularly on our hearts. Thank you for interceding for us and the people of Wanhua.
David Jansen - Wanhua Hope Team
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