Encounter Taiwan
The Taiwan Encounter Team visited Taichung City from 7 to 15 July 2024. The team comprised of four Singaporeans (Valerie, Michelle, Jodi, and Joey), one Indonesian (Litha), and one Australian (Scott Fisher, Team Leader). The objective of this trip was to encourage and work with the local church leaders and members in bringing the gospel to their communities through children’s ministry.
The team partnered with Mark and Milly Tzeng at Hui Lai Li Assembly where Mark is serving as a full-time worker. Together with the church and Taiwanese university students, the team helped run programs in the one-week bilingual children’s summer camp, aimed at sharing the gospel with the children. The team taught English Christian songs, memory verses in Mandarin and English, introduced their cultures, and cooked a dish from their home countries with the Taiwanese children. This trip also brought CrossConnect Alumni and students together – Scott (2019), Valerie (2017–2019), Mark and Milly (2018), Litha (2024), who were able to connect and encourage each other as gospel partners in the field.
Reflections & Thanksgiving:
The Teams:
- Despite only 12 children signing up for the summer camp, God encouraged us through our initial discouragements when we were able to personally pray for each child on the last day.
- Spending a week in the same church and with the same group of Taiwanese people allowed us to build relationships through the camp, meals, and outings together. Taiwanese people take time to warm up to newcomers and with limited opportunities to connect with other Christians the week together was helpful.
Mark & Milly Tzeng
The Singapore team with sunner camp kids
Valerie
Valerie’s:
- The unique experience for the Singaporeans was our involvement in translating between Mandarin and English (booklets, PowerPoint slides, and scripts). I was greatly encouraged that my friends were intentional in including Scott and Litha in conversations with the Taiwanese and in the daily briefings, which were in Mandarin.
- This was Joey’s first mission trip, and prior to the trip she was unsure how she could serve God. I encouraged her to serve with her translation abilities and she was our greatest help in translation. Praise God!
- As Mark and Milly shared their joys and struggles of serving in a church surrounded by the Chinese honour-shame culture, I could identify with them and was in turn encouraged to continue serving in my local church. It was also encouraging to see Mark and Milly in action leading their team of young adults to serve God with old friends and new ones.
Litha
My mission trip to Taiwan taught me that mission work is not just about helping others but also about God’s work within me. The theme of “Helping Friends & Making New Ones” truly resonated throughout the journey. As an introvert, I often find it challenging to step out of my comfort zone, especially when I’m the only one representing Indonesia. However, God gave me the courage to build new friendships and help others along the way.
One of the most memorable moments was meeting a fellow Indonesian missionary on the plane. Our deep conversation encouraged me before I even began the mission in Taiwan. Despite the long hours of travel and varying weather conditions, I didn’t get sick at all, which I believe was God’s provision.
Once in Taiwan, despite the language barrier, I was able to bond with the children using simple gestures like sharing snacks and stickers. God gave me the wisdom and courage to share the gospel through a fun activity during my presentation about Indonesia.
This mission taught me that helping friends, whether old or new, and building relationships across cultures, is a powerful way to share God’s love and fulfill His mission together.
Scott
In July of this year, I was blessed to have the opportunity of connecting with old friends in their mission field of Taiwan. Mark and Milly Tzeng studied at CrossConnect in 2018 and we formed our friendship there. It was a wonderful experience to serve with them both in their ministries in Taichung. In the time I was there, I saw how they are working with children in their community and the connection they have with the youth in their church. It was such an encouragement to see how friends I had made through the Kingdom are working in their fields for the Kingdom.