"I Miss it Every Day of My Life"

by Pastor Dennis Brown

Ten years ago, when I announced to my church in Philadelphia that I had accepted a call for a church in Taiwan, a woman approached me afterward. She said she was interested in my announcement. She went on to share that she and her husband had lived in Japan for a number of years. I said, “Well, how was it?” Her response was, “I miss it every day of my life.” As she explained further she mentioned how they lived in a large house in a suburban neighborhood, but that people didn’t know each other well. She also said life in Japan was much simpler.

As I come to the end of ten years in Taiwan, I feel the same: I will miss it every day of my life. And if you ask, “What are the things you will miss the most,” here are a few:

First, the Taiwan people. We have all seen the t-shirt, “Taiwan… it will warm your heart.” I resonate so much with that statement. While I love my own country, every time I would return and land in the Taoyuan airport, I would say to myself, “Thank the Lord, I am back in Taiwan.” A friend of mine said the same thing after traveling to China. The Taiwanese have warmth, gentleness, and respect that I think is unparalleled in all my travels. I have been in so many countries of the world, but Taiwan is unique.

Second, the neighborhoods. I recall someone saying that parts of living in Taiwan were “magical.” I do not think that is an overstatement. When I walk through my neighborhood between the church and the apartment, it is filled with little shops (changing a lot)—coffee, hair-cutteries, boutiques, sneakers, barber shops, electrical, plumbing, hardware, ethnic eateries, and even an Indonesian spice shop. There is a minimum of multinational chain stores so it feels more human, authentic, creative, and alive. That, combined with the young people in the night markets at night gives a feeling of life and energy. There are also moments of humor, like the day you met the young man in the 7-11 in his pajamas. It is never boring.

Third, the geography of Taiwan. I recently took a tour on Highway 11 between Hualien and Taitung. It was stunningly beautiful and serene. You could walk to the ocean and pass a couple of grazing musk ox with hardly a soul around. If you looked to your right, you could see the blue of the mountains, and to the left the spray of the ocean. And if you breathed deeply, you could catch the scent of pineapple or other tropical fruits growing. And then, when we went back up on Highway 9 in the Rift Valley we went to a mountainous area that felt like you were in Switzerland. I must have taken a couple hundred pictures. This is just one of the memories I will always carry with me, and it will doubtless draw me back as much as I am able to in years to come.

Friendship Church. I planned on staying for only three years, but the people, the country, the church grew on me, year after year. I loved the diversity of nationalities, the youthfulness, the teachability, the humor. It got into your bones. So I will carry Friendship in my heart to the end of my days. At the end of Romans, in chapter 16 (where we will be on this home stretch of messages), Paul greets twenty-six people by name. He was not simply the greatest missionary and theologian of the world, he was also a great pastor who loved his people and tried to know them by name. In the Old Testament, the priest carried the names of the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed on his breastplate into the presence of the Lord. I hope to do that with you after I have gone. Someday, I will say with Paul in Romans 15:32—“by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”

5 Questions With...Rev. Tim Yates

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? When we were preparing to come to Taiwan to teach at Christ’s College in 1991, we met former Taiwan missionary Diane Poythress in Philadelphia for some orientation to Chinese language and culture. She had worked at Friendship with the Chinese section while she was serving in Taipei and knew of their need for a pastor at the time we were preparing to come. She encouraged us to commit to FPC from the start. After we moved to Taiwan, we were able to borrow a van and drive to FPC each Sunday. I was guest preaching frequently during the year FPC was searching for a new pastor, and was involved with the elder search committee, until Tim Conkling came in 1992. [Rev. Yates eventually served as Senior Pastor of FPC from 2002 to 2008.]

2. What do you do Monday through Saturday? I am responsible for three different roles at China Reformed Theological Seminary here in Taipei. Each has varying time commitments at various seasons of the year. First, I am the Academic Dean, with the job of preparing the quarterly faculty meeting agenda, leading the faculty in implementing relevant decisions of the board and faculty, planning the fall seminary retreat, choosing the topics/texts and arranging the speakers for the weekly chapel schedule, and meeting with students and seminary visitors as needed since we don’t have any administrators above my role. Second, I am Dean of the M.A. Biblical Counseling (MABC) program. I designed the six-course required and elective curriculum in 2002, adding two new courses in 2014, and I teach 3 classes each semester in this program on-site at CRTS, and serve as thesis advisor to MABC students. Finally, as Dean of the Distance Learning program, I have implemented the administrative structure for our Distance M.A. in Christian Studies. This has also included supervising the video recording of most M.A./M.Div. classes, revising all DVD course syllabi from 2009-2015 to facilitate lower individual maintenance, hiring a grader, and transferring the system to total online formats in 2016. I am also a missionary under Friends of CRTS, supported by numerous churches and families in the U.S. Recently, I have been spending time writing, editing, and publishing my own books related to my teaching ministry.

3. What is something people might be surprised to know about you? I ride my bicycle back and forth to work from JingMei to Taipei Arena. It is about 16km round-trip. I’ve been using a bike recording device with an odometer for about the past year and a half, and have recorded most of my rides, recently passing 3000km of recorded riding.

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? The concepts and practice of discipleship--passing on what I have learned and experienced to those of the next generation who will be faithful to teach, build on, and apply what I’ve taught. In my Chinese seminary teaching context, the specific discipleship challenge means the appointment of new, qualified faculty to train the next generation of CRTS students. This would be a man with training in biblical counseling (preferably a CRTS M.A. Biblical Counseling graduate who also has an M.Div.), pastoral and counseling experience, a doctoral degree, Chinese fluency, ordained with Reformed faith commitments, and the exegetical skill to apply Scripture to new challenges of the next generation--not just copy previous received material, but internalize and re-examine Scripture, and transmit it for a new generation. This transfer is further "complicated" by the fact that most candidates for the Biblical Counseling degree at CRTS are women. Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest (Matt 9:38). 

5. What is your favorite book of the Bible? Probably Philippians, since it is my most often quoted book in personal discipleship and counseling. Paul’s God-centered optimism about other redeemed sinners as God’s-works-in-progress has been so helpful to me in shaping joyful, encouraging attitudes towards Christians with growth struggles (Phil. 1:3-6; 2:2).

Our Sister in Tanzania: Update from Michelle Ko

July 2018

“Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading”.  --Oswald Chambers

After two weeks of searching under the hot sun for a suitable and secure house to rent and not finding anything, the perfect place was provided--with a little (or I should say a lot) of renovation.

Taking time to pray and asked God for the decision making, I felt at peace to fix/renovate a house that is located behind a Tanzania pastor's house. Pastor John, who is semi-retired, has helped me very much since the first day I arrived. He is also a board member of SIM Tanzania. I got to know his family very well and feel safe to stay close to them in the granny flat which is located in their backyard. But the granny flat is unlivable and needs renovation. Therefore, for the last two weeks, I have been very busy buying building materials and getting a few workers to work on the house: repair the floor and walls, install tap water so I can have a shower and a toilet inside the house, etc. Thanks to pastor John’s kindness that the total cost of renovation is my rental in advance.

Here are some pictures of my new home (before renovation):

Each day I struggle to use my limited Swahili to communicate with workers. It's a big challenge communicating in another language. But by God's grace and with some help I have overcome all difficulties. The house should be ready in early July. Then I will start to look for furniture. We don't have Bunnings/Home Depot or IKEA where you can get almost everything in one place. I need to go around the area on my bike to look for different things and prices. For some things, I will have to go to Dar Es Salaam (the capital city which is a 10-hour bus journey). The house is totally empty and I need basic items (such as a pair of housecleaning gloves) to set up my home.

Praise and Prayer items:

• Thank God that I got a good used bike that enables me to get around easily
• Thank God for His provision to find a place to settle
• Thank God for Pastor John's family welcoming me to stay close to them
• Thank God for every opportunity to practice Swahili
• Pray for the renovation be done smoothly and my home to be set up
• Pray for my work permit to be granted by the end of July

Keep trusting,

Michelle
"The Coast, For Christ, By the Church!" --SIM Tanzania