Dear Friends and Family,
I had the privilege of experiencing both the kindness of
Taiwanese for foreigners and the goodness of God last night in a special way. God
is so… so… GOD. Let me tell you about
it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday evening, after classes
were over, though I was tired from camp, I decided to go to violin lesson
anyway. I asked Jenny to call a taxi for me. Soon, I will be able to call on my
own, but not yet. The taxi arrived and whisked me away to the train station. I
picked up a ticket to take the usual route to Chiayi on the local train. Since
I take this route quite frequently for weekly violin lessons and for visiting
friends, I know exactly how long it takes, what the stops are in between, and
where to get off. From the train station to the music studio is only about a
seven minute walk. The route is almost like an old, familiar friend.
Upon finishing my violin lesson,
I decided to go to McDonalds, which is a block back toward the train station.
It is 7:00, and I’m starving! McDonalds is very courteous to me, practicing
their best English, and delivering my food to me as soon as possible. I stopped
to pray for a few minutes before biting into a delicious Big Mac. The sandwich
disappeared so quickly, that one would think I had help. J
By now, it is more than time to
head home for a good night’s rest. Checking the schedule board, I purchased one
local train ticket home to Douliou. Trains can be tricky, especially since it’s
all in a foreign language, so I checked which train I needed to board three
times, and from which deck it would be departing. (We’ve boarded the wrong
train before.) Then, when I got out to 2A, I checked one last time. Sure
enough, this IS the right train.
God graciously gave me thirty
minutes in an empty train depot, before the train arrived, to talk to Him. How
wonderful to enjoy His presence uninterrupted. He has been teaching me so much
about Himself, His holiness, and my sinfulness.
The train arrived, and I grabbed
a seat and pulled out a book, The God Who Is, by Sproul. -Might as well
use the thirty minute train ride to learn. After about twenty-five minutes, I
put away my book and started paying attention to the stops, in case the train
arrived early.
Much to my surprise (and maybe
horror), the stop was NOT Dounan. It was not Ershuei. It was not a name I
recognized. Had I gone too far? No, I think I would have noticed. I know the
route pretty well now. Besides, if I went too far, I would still recognize the
stops on the way to Taijhong, the next major city north of Douliou.
With a prayer for guidance, I
decided to call my team leader, who has been in Taiwan longer and knows more
Chinese, to see what to do. She asked which stop I had passed- Nanke. Then, Jo
asked to speak to someone -anyone- on the train who would know where exactly I
was. As it turns out, this is NOT the right train! And now, I was fifty minutes
south of where I had left, and an hour and a half south of home. I wanted to
cry because I just wanted to go home; but I got off the train and looked around
for a uniformed personnel to help me.
A few moments later, I spotted
the agent taking the tickets. I had landed in a small town, where there were no
machines to take your ticket upon exiting the station. Handing the man my
ticket, I smiled weakly and said, “How do I get to Douliou?” The agent looked
at my ticket, looked at me, and looked at my ticket again, then shook his head.
Another gentleman in line and him discussed which train I should take, and then
told me where to go. “2A” he said. Then repeated himself just to make sure I
got it, “2A!” The gentleman made himself responsible to make sure I got to the
right place, and then entertained me until the train came with pretend drums.
The next train that arrived was
not a local train, for which I had a ticket; but my self-appointed gentleman
guide told me to get on anyway. (At this time of night, they just want a
foreign, single girl home- no matter the train.) He took me on the train, found
an empty seat, and then asked “You are sure you know when to get off?!” “Shi-a”
I answered. Yes, I did know where to get off. It’s the getting on that I have
trouble with apparently.
“Thank You Jesus, for Your help,
and for Your angels in disguise.” What a relief to know I was for SURE going
home this time. I settled down for the very long ride home and opened my book
once again. Ironically enough, the chapter was about God’s predestination in
the events of life. What a privilege to know a God that is not hampered by my
mistakes. His wisdom is complete and His love is vast.
I called Jo to let her know I
was on my way home, but I might be a while.
About half an hour past before
the conductor came through. I knew he would charge me extra for being on the
wrong train, but I didn’t “technically” have a ticket for where I ended up in
the first place. He took a look at my ticket, now re-marked from my previous “destination,”
shook his head, and said “Why don’t I just charge you like you are going from
Chiayi to Douliou on a special train. Does that sound good to you?” I was in
disbelief and relief. “Hao-a. Xiexie! Xiexie ni!” The extra charge: 25NT. That’s
less than a dollar in the US. The receipt was marked that the charge was 145NT,
but I only paid 25. God is so kind! That was definitely an unexpected blessing.
I finally arrived at the station
in Douliou, relieved and oh-so-grateful to be home! I reached in my pocket for
my phone to call Jo, and, mei-you. It wasn’t there! Hmm. I had thought for sure
I put it in my pocket after talking to Jo last time. Searching futilely, I
decided it had disappeared for good. What a night.
By this time at night, feeling
very disoriented, irresponsible, and frustrated, I did not want to walk home.
The taxi delivered me home, where I told my team leader I had finally made it
home, took a shower, and went to bed. “Thank You God for home, and for Your
protection and care tonight!”
Getting lost in a foreign
country is not one of those things on my list of desired experiences. It’s not
like I said, “When I get to Taiwan, I want to eat squid-ink noodles, learn
Chinese, and get lost.” However, I am grateful for the experience because it
gave me a chance to experience the protection, care, and direction of my
Almighty Father. Language may be a problem for me, but God knows every
language. Direction may be difficult, but He is the Ultimate Guide. He WILL
take care of His precious daughter.
Thank You Jesus, indeed! I love You!
~Barbara
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| "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, 'This is the way, walk ye in it,' when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." Isaiah 30:21 |
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