Glorygazing

Friday, March 9, 2012

Happy little eater...

It's definitely a contest between father and son for who enjoys the food more here in Taiwan.

As for Siah, he's loving a chair all of his own....

Who needs a safety strap? I've figured out how to stay put!

Isn't it clever, Daddy?

Hee, hee....I thought so!

Our view

We wondered how God would combine our desire to be in the city and our love for Asia.

Now we're beginning to catch a glimpse.

As I sit here, I can hear the din of hundreds of scooters zooming by on the roads outside my 16th story apartment. If I glance out the window, I can see buildings and skyscrapers until the smog covers up my view and I can't see past the thousands of lights that represent some of the 2 million people here. It's crazy city life and most of them are living in deep darkness. The other night around three a.m. I was awakened by the sudden boom of fireworks literally right outside my window. Daniel says it was probably from across the street where the hospital is and someone had probably died there. I laid back down wondering if they were spending eternity in hell or not. Given the statistics here, chances are not likely that they knew anything about the one True God. And the thing that totally stinks right now...beside the sewers...is that I can't communicate a word of the Gospel to anyone on the streets.

This gives just a glimpse into my heart struggles. Also, it gives me a glimmer of the reason we have any hope at all for any kind of situation: Christ died and rose again. It's the core of the Gospel and we can't get an inch away from it or we miss it all together. No amount of work or language learning can save anyone because Christ has already completed the work. It gives joy in the midst of darkness.

Here's a panoramic from one balcony:

And the panoramic from the other balcony. We're loving the fact our apartment is in the corner because it gives us two balconies to enjoy!

Yep, those are mountains in the wild smog yonder....

King of Heaven, please grow our hearts!

Moving day

Of all the times I've ever moved in my life, this last one was the most hilarious. We had been in Taiwan two weeks before finding an apartment that would fit our needs. The search itself was fascinating as we followed many dead-end leads. The apartment we finally found is pretty tiny, but it has a fantastic location...about five-ten minutes from school (depending on the lights), fifteen min. from the church, and walking distance from a supermarket.

It also has a great community room with a ball pit/playground for Siah, a ping-pong table for Daniel, and a nice comfy chair for me to watch....

We're up on the 16th floor.

That amuses me greatly.

The wind howls outside and almost drowns out the traffic below...except for the sirens heading to the hospital across the street.

Moving in wasn't the same fun party it's been in the past, but it was amusing in other ways.

For example:

Don't worry, Mama! I'm directing this operation. Everything is under control!

Our moving truck was a four-door car and two shopping carts!

What do you mean I'm not helping? I'm supervising!!

The elevator was only big enough for one shopping cart at a time. We also discovered that unless you have a passkey, the elevator doesn't move. It was pretty funny figuring that out. Fortunately, another resident helped us out. I can't remember how he fit into the elevator with us, but somehow we managed.

Honey, I'm so grateful right now that our apartment is furnished....

Daniel was amazing at getting things up to our apartment. After the initial load, Siah and I just hung out upstairs. David and Daniel took care of the tubs, suitcases, and other items we'd collected from friends from church.

Hey, Dad, have you thought about the logistics of getting a fridge up here? I don't think it'll fit in one of these shopping carts...

We did need to find our own washing machine and refrigerator. God provided both through someone at church and Daniel arranged to have rent a truck and two movers to help get it up to our apartment. They were pros at moving heavy stuff and managed to squeeze the washer through the kitchen door. I think the door frame was bigger by about 1 cm....

Now, we're working to make the apartment home. Soon, I'll post before we moved in and after we 'settled in'.

Mama, those bars on the front door are perfect for keeping the dragons out! Way to plan ahead.

I think I'm gonna love it here!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Siah's first bandaid

It was a beetle. A very large black beetle that is kept in a little box by boys who think such things are totally cool. And they are right. Siah thought so too. That's why he reached out to grab the huge bug. And the very large black beetle wasn't very keen on being grabbed, so it grabbed back and pinched Siah's thumb. Dad was there to save the day though, and he grabbed the beetle himself and flung it off Siah's thumb. The very large black beetle went flying through the air and thumped against the closet door. The boys put him away until Dad and Siah could handle not touching this beetle....

Dad?? What was that thing?!

More importantly, what is this thing now on my thumb?

I'll catch up later...

Though I have many things to add to catch up to today, I've decided to simply move forward and save catch up for a rainy day....

So...after two and a half years of planning and praying we are now located in

Taichung, Taiwan!

Ready for take-off. 15 hours of flight from LA to Taipei

Goodbyes were excruciating. Our final week before we left was so bittersweet. Hard to say farewell for now; encouraged by such a display of love poured out. We have an amazing family.

Our new mode of transportation....the scooter!

Life here is full of adjustment. From manuevering around tons of traffic to not having a clue what any of the signs say, it's an adventure to go from place to place. We spent a good part of two weeks looking for an apartment that was close to our language school. We finally found a great location and are moving in on Saturday, thus ending our four months of co-habitation with amazing family and friends.

Let the adventure begin. May we see even more of God's glory.