New town, new beginnings, new stories
12/09/2011 9:00 am <>
Every child is told that when they write a story it must have a beginning, a middle and an end. Right now I feel as though I have been placed at the beginning of many different stories. We have just moved to Chiayi, entering into a new neighborhood which has given us great opportunities for meeting new people. We pray and hope that each person we have met is at the beginning of their own wonderful story of salvation.
On a humid Saturday morning I made the trip to Chiayi to clean our new house ready for moving day. A middle-aged lady smiled and welcomed this strange foreigner, even braving to speak to me. She told me she lived around the corner, and that her daughter and son-in-law lived directly opposite us, pointing to a house with boxes and boxes of bottled water stacked under the awning outside. A few days after we moved this woman welcomed us further by helping us to work out the garbage system, as the singing trucks rolled past our front doors. I hope that as we wait together on the corner, I will have the chance to share some of our life-changing stories.
Moving day dawned with sweltering heat and humidity, adding to the chaos as we emptied one home and moved on to fill another. In the middle of the disarray we were visited by the son-in-law, welcoming us to the community with one of those boxes of bottled water. Since tap water is not suitable for drinking, this was a hugely thoughtful gesture. They are obviously very religious, their elaborate ancestor room visible from our bedroom window, an incinerator precariously strapped to the railing of the balcony, and a huge sacrifice table carefully placed outside their house on the last day of Ghost Month. But in the evenings, the street lit with light escaping from various windows, we have noticed them sharing a cup of tea outside, a tradition we someday hope to join, so we can share our stories of the creator God who loves us.
A new town means a new market for me to explore, so every few days I go and buy fresh food. One of the joys of summer is the delicious mangoes, and so I have already become a regular customer of the mango lady. The last time I went, I was rewarded with a smile of recognition. Though a small beginning, I pray that one day she will ask what draw Chiayi could have to a foreigner. “I’m a storyteller,” will be my answer. “Would you like to hear a story?”
The exciting job of choosing new shower curtains found me in Carrefour, pondering the colorful patterns on offer. A sales lady smiled at me, leading to a brief conversation about my surprising ability to speak Mandarin. “Are you a teacher?” she finally asked. “No, I’m a storyteller.” Our conversation finished and I moved on. A few minutes later she came looking for me. Curious, she wanted to know where I told stories, and to whom. I explained that the stories are for anyone, at any place; yes, even at McDonalds. To my excitement, she gave me her name and number so that I can contact her and arrange a time to come and tell stories.
Four beginnings. Four unfinished stories. What will be the middle? How will they end? I invite you to pray with me for happy endings filled with the joy of knowing our Saviour, endings which will last for an eternity, singing praises with us in heaven.
Bronwyn & Johanna Lihou - Chiayi
Back