Taiwan Trip
On October 3rd, I headed back
to Taiwan for the second phase of my work there this year. The last trip took
me to Taichung to translate in a gospel meeting and also to Hualien for a week
long effort with the brethren there. This trip involved a weekend with the
brethren in Taipei, a lectureship in Taichung, and two full days with our
brethren in Tainan.
This was my 50th
mission trip since 1985. My first trip was made while living in Taiwan. On that
first trip, I traveled to Thailand, Pakistan, Singapore, and Malaysia. I am so
thankful I have been able to do what I can in helping to spread the gospel
around the world to strengthen and encourage the local brethren in all of these
places.
I am thankful to report another
uneventful flight to Taiwan. After I arrived, brother and sister Jao met me and
drove me to the hotel where I stay while in Taipei – The Taipei Teacher’s
Hostel.
On Saturday morning, I went to purchase a
new computer to use in my work. My old one had become “not very reliable.” I
know it will take me a little time to get used to the new one, especially since
it has Windows 8, but it should serve me well for many years to come.
In the afternoon, I went to the apartment
of Jason and Nathalie Brzozowski. They have a five month old son named Lucas.
They live in NanKang, which is near the international airport. The other
members of the Taipei congregation also came for the afternoon class. After the
class, we went to a nearby mall for dinner before closing out the day.
On Sunday morning, I spoke to the
congregation on the subject, “Living the Christian Life.” We had planned to do
some sight-seeing in the afternoon, but because of the wind and rain of a
nearby typhoon, we decided to call it a day.
On Monday morning, I headed to Taichung.
I took the High Speed Train from Taipei to Taichung. It is about a one hundred
mile trip made in less than an hour. This beats taking the bus which could take
as much as three hours.
After eating lunch, I taught a class via
Skype to the father of some of the members in Batu Pahat, Malaysia. After the
class, brother Yo took me to Costco to buy some things I needed for the week.
Since the lectureship did not begin until Thursday, I had
time to spend with the Yo family and to take one day to go and visit the town
of Lugang (Deer Harbor), which is located in Changhua county. I visited some
places my family had seen thirty years ago. When you are visiting a place that
has over a three hundred year history, thirty years does not affect it that
much.
The lectureship began on Thursday night.
I was the speaker for the first session of the lectureship. My topic was, “Are We
Tough Enough?” My lesson dealt with overcoming problems in our lives. There
were about thirty people who attended from Taichung, Taipei, Hualien, and
Kaohsiung.
On Friday, I spent time working on preparing materials for future
events. Also, the second night of the lectureship was at 7:30 PM. Brother Wang,
from Hualien, was the speaker. He delivered an excellent lesson on the subject
of boldly serving God. There were a few more in attendance for the services on
Friday night.
Saturday was a full day of lectures in
Taichung. Brother Jao and brother Wang were the speakers for the day. They both
delivered excellent lessons that were very encouraging. Again, there was a very
good number in attendance. The fellowship was also excellent.
Sunday was the last day of the
lectureship. I spoke at both the Bible class and the worship session. In the
Bible class, my topic was “Defending the Faith.” In the worship hour, my topic
was “Magnifying Christ in My Life.” We had 38 to attend the morning services.
After the morning services, I had the
opportunity to have lunch with Libby’s aunt. It was good to visit with her
again. Then, in the afternoon, several of the brethren went to a nearby town
which is known for its wood carvings. It was good to spend some time with John
and Michele Yo. Their son, Ben, will be going to Singapore next summer to begin
art school. He is a very talented artist.
On Monday, I headed south to Tainan for
two days of teaching and visiting in and around the section of Tainan, called
Yu Jing. We arrived in Yu Jing about noon, had lunch and then had classes from
2:00 – 3:15 PM. After the class, we made visits in the area until dinner time.
After dinner, we had another class from 6:45 – 8:10 PM. We then made the one hour
drive back to brother Wang’s parent’s house to spend the night. I went to bed
about 10 PM, exhausted.
Tuesday morning, after breakfast, we were
out the door at 7:30 AM to begin a morning of visits in two different sections
of the city. Both of the visits were of non-members. One of them was the father
of Yolanda Wu. He is three days older than my mother. He lives in a
Veterans’ Retirement Home. We arrived in Yu Jing about noon for lunch. We then
had another teaching session from 2:00 – 3:15 PM. Just like Monday, we followed
the class with visits in the area. After dinner, we had our final session from
6:45 – 8:10 PM. We made one more visit before heading back to brother Wang’s
parent’s house.
On Wednesday morning, we headed for the JiaYi
City High Speed Rail Station to board the train for Taipei. We arrived in
Taipei at 10:00 AM after a one hour and twenty-three minute ride.
I had the opportunity to take care of
some last minute activities in Taipei before getting ready for bed because I
was planning to get up at 4:00 AM to get ready to head to the airport.
I did get up on time and made it to the
airport and had a very smooth and fast trip home. This is the first time I have
ever arrived back in Atlanta before 3 PM. We actually arrive at 2 PM. I guess
the 138 mph tail wind helped! I was also able to get about six total hours of
sleep on the two flights.
Thanks to James Guyton for being
there to meet me at the International Terminal and to get me home by 4 PM. We
made our traditional stop at Chick-fil-a in Suwanee for my large cup of iced
tea.
After getting all my luggage put away and
getting all of my dirty clothes washed and put up, I got a good night’s sleep
on Thursday night. Friday was a busy day, starting to get caught up on other
projects.
Thanks for all of your prayers and
support that made this trip possible. It was a busy two weeks. We were also,
with the help of various brethren, able to purchase a number of Bibles to use
in the various works on the island.
I will depart for Singapore-Malaysia on
November 19th. I will be there until December 23rd.
Please keep this upcoming effort in your prayers as well.
*************************************
2013 Southeast Georgia Lectures in Richmond
Hill, GA
It was my privilege to speak on the
lectureship in Richmond Hill on October 27th. Riley Nelson
is the good preacher there. My topic was: “Let Us Love One Another” (1 John
4:1-11. It was good to see many faithful brethren attending this weekend event.
It was also good to see old friends and make new friends. I am thankful for the
hospitality shown to me while I was there.
*************************************
Materials Available
Through the distribution of our DVD’s
and radio lessons, and now having the lessons on YouTube, more people
are becoming aware of our website. There are sixty Chinese lessons currently
posted there. You can access them at: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCoJC. I update my Facebook
page all the time. Be sure to check my Facebook wall for pictures and
news about my trips and activities. Be sure to check out my website: www.grubbchinese.org.
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SPEAKING SCHEDULE
2013
Nov.
19-Dec. 23 – Singapore-Malaysia Trip
Nov. 22-24 J.B. Gospel Meeting
Nov. 27-28 Four Seas Lectures
Nov. 29- Dec. 1 Melaka Bi-Lingual
Dec. 6-8 – Section 17 Gospel Meeting
Dec. 11 Taiping
Dec. 12 Kampar
Dec. 13-15 Ipoh Bi-Lingual Meeting
Dec. 17-18 Kluang
Dec. 19 Lim Ah Pin English
Dec. 20-22 Chinese Meeting Lim Ah Pin
Dec. 22 Lim Ah Pin English
2014
Jan.
7-Mar. 18 Fishers of Men/Chestnut Mtn.
June
2-4 Chinese Asian Bible Lectures
–
John M. Grubb
