Mission
Costs per Person: International airfare Only
3
WEEK MISSIONS
Dates
of Project: 07/01/08 to 07/25/08
Applications due: May 10, 2008
Short-Term
Team Members Needed: 25plus to teach
conversational English in churches and summer
English Camps.
HISTORY
Located between
the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, about
1200 miles south of Japan and one hundred miles
west of China. The early settlers of Taiwan were
Polynesians from the South Pacific Ocean. They
lived in the coastal regions and did hunting and
rudimentary farming. The Chinese migration
started in the 15th century. In 1517,
the Portuguese Admiral, Andrade, arrived at the
island and was enchanted by its beauty,
coastlines and the mountain ranges, calling it
"Ilha Formosa" which means
"Beautiful Island". In 1626, the
Spanish occupied the northern part of the area in
order to trade with China. In 1642, the Dutch
expelled the Spanish from the island and shipped
the valuable commodities like sugar, camphor and
exotic spices back to Europe.
The year 1644
marked the end of the Ming Dynasty. Ming
loyalists moved south and retreated to Taiwan.
The most well known of these Ming loyalists was,
Koxinga, born to a wealthy Chinese trader and his
Japanese wife and who commanded a highly
organized fleet of 3000 sailing war ships and
vessels. In 1662, after months of fighting, the
Dutch pulled out of the island and departed.
Koxinga’s grandson eventually took power and
was crushed by the Qing Dynasty; it was the
beginning of 200 years of Chinese rule. Qing
authorities paid little heed to Taiwan other than
taxing some trades. Taiwan was actually a burden
to them, due to the British constantly
complaining about their sailors’ missing on
the island. There were typhoons in the summers
and causing damages to the ships, the shipwrecked
British sailors were hunted down by the
aborigines.
The Qing Emperor
ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895, after losing the
first Sino-Japanese war. The Japanese government
built roads and schools, established railroad
systems, agriculture and all major industries.
Its resources and manpower were important in
supplying the Imperial Army during World War II.
In 1944-45, American bomber B-27s and B-29s
bombarded the island day and night, trying to
diminish its industrial production. After the
bombings, the fire in the cities burned for days
and the civilian casualties took a toll. After
its surrender in August 1945, Japan gave up
authority of Taiwan. When the Communist Red Army
took over mainland China in 1949, General Chiang
Kai Shek led his army to Taiwan and with the US 7th
Pacific fleet’s protection, it halted the
Communists further expansion.
Today, Taiwan is a
modern industrialized island, clinging to the
fringes of an ancient culture. It’s an
island with a string of teeming cities, connected
by freeways at the foot of a glorious mountain
range. The capital, Taipei, is like other modern
cities in the world but if you step outside the
city limits you'll discover why Taiwan is known
as Formosa. Mountain peaks puncture a sea of
clouds, slick black volcanic rock wraps the
coastlines and waterfalls shroud themselves in
mist.
CULTURE
Although Taiwan is
a subtropical island, the mountains can be chilly
in the summer and snowy in the winter. During the
winter it rains pretty much non-stop in the
northeast, while the southwest is much warmer and
drier. Summer is hot and sticky all over the low
parts of the island, with drenching rains in the
mountains. Daytime temperatures in Taipei are
around 30°C (86°F) in the summer and 10°C
(45°F) in the winter.
Besides the
American convenience and fast food stores, there
are many local Japanese and European fast food
chains spread out in the cities. Both the
traditional open markets and the shining floor
supermarkets are available in the neighborhoods
and local shoppers usually have their own
preference and favorite stores to patronize. When
asked, people happily provide free advice that
can be very handy for the newcomers.
When the Chinese
escaped communism and moved to Taiwan in 1949,
they also brought cuisines from every corner of
China to the island. It turned Taiwan into a
gastronomic paradise. The styles include
traditional Taiwanese, Hakka, Sichuan, Hunan,
Cantonese, Peking (Mandarin), Shanghai, Mongolian
Barbecue, Islamic, San-Dong, Steamboat, Dim Sum
and Japanese. Each style of cuisine comes with
its own way of cooking and formula of mixing
spices. As a result, the appearances and tastes
are very different, nevertheless, they are all
delicious. Each city has hundreds of excellent
restaurants. This can prove to be a dilemma for a
family that wants to eat out too many options and
the kids are always fighting over which one to
visit.
MISSION
From junior high
to college, English is taught as a required
second language in Taiwan, yet, there are very
few native, English-speaking teachers in either
public or private schools. As a result, students
may be able to read and write basic English to
pass exams, but few are able to converse fluently
in English. The students have a great desire to
learn conversational English; all that is lacking
are instructors who speak English as their native
tongue.
OSM expects a huge
number of students to sign up for the summer
project (as they have in previous years). For
many of them, it will be the first time they have
ever walked into a church environment. We are
expecting a total of 25,000 students to attend
the program in 100 churches this coming summer so
the number of students that will be accepted,
will depend on how many Americans are able to
make the trip. "We need more (English)
teachers!" said one pleading pastor. The
efficacy of our efforts now depends on how many
Americans are able to teach/witness in the
program. It will be a life changing opportunity
for the students who will be touched by Christ's
love, and for the Americans who cross the Pacific
Ocean and reach out.
A tiny seed can
turn into a giant tree. A little help and a small
decision made here can have a significant impact
on our world. "... Open your eyes and look
at the fields!" Jesus says. "They are
ripe for harvest." Please pray and seek
God’s calling for you to join us for a 2 or
4 weeks’ adventure to share Christ’s
love and bear fruits that will last for eternity.
Vision
Soon after WWII, General MacArthur begged
American missions organizations and Christian
denominations to send 5000 missionaries to flood
Japan with Gospel. The devastation caused by the
war had provided a fertile ground for Japanese to
hear the truth. Sadly, the hatred toward Japan
remained deep. In the following years, there were
barely about 95 missionaries arrived in Japan.
Today, the average congregation in Japanese
church is about 25 persons; with around 0.007% of
population are Christians. The western churches
failed. When the Soviet Union collapsed in the
late 1980s, the churches were basically stymied
and stunned, at a loss as to how to handle the
suddenly wide-open doors to the millions of
equally shocked Russian and Eastern European
people. Ten years later, the western churches are
still in disarray and confusion, not knowing how
to effectively approach the former Eastern Block
nations. Many doors have since tighten or closed
within this area.
We should not let the scenario be repeated again
in China. China is one of the major evangelical
frontiers of the 21st Century. Joining the WTO
(World Trade Organization) and the anticipation
of being the host of the 2008 Olympic Summer
Games have made China more sensitive to
international criticism and opinions in handling
human rights. We believe that the continued
improvement of the economy and the modernization
of communication technology will force the last
major communism regime to eventually open its
doors for the freedom of preaching the Gospel. It
is our goal to evangelize Taiwan's population of
23 million and help them grow and develop in
their biblically sound faith within the local
churches. It is hoped that many of these people,
who have no culture or language barriers with the
people of China, will become future missionaries
to move ashore and merge with their brothers and
sisters in the Mainland for the final harvest.
Approximately half of western China's populations
are currently Muslim. They are Arab-Chinese. They
have retained their Arab language and culture for
centuries, even under the Communist control. In
the past 50 years the situation has changed very
little. Beginning with the trades on the Silk
Road, friendships flourished through mutual trust
between the people of East Asia and the Middle
East. There has never been a war between these
two areas. On the other hand, ever since the
Crusaders in the Middle Ages, suspicions lie deep
between the Arabs and Western countries. It would
be easier for the Gospel to come from the East
than from the West, since many have tried to
reach the Muslims. Evangelism to the Chinese
Muslim population could be a critical point to
closing the last gap and bringing the Gospel back
to Jerusalem through the Middle East by our
former-Muslim brothers and sisters in Christ in
western China. As it says in Revelation 22:20
"Yes, I am coming quickly." when the
preaching of the Gospel completes a circle on
earth, it will certainly hasten Jesus' coming
again.
OSM is encouraged by the unity displayed among
the Taiwanese churches, and is anticipating about
100 churches partnering with us in the Taiwan
program this coming summer. We are looking for up
to 1200 Americans and Canadians to join the
summer mission teams of 2004 to Taiwan. Christian
churches and schools are welcome and encouraged
to send teams to join this mission.
Life is a journey. Let's travel together and
serve our Lord!
Official Name
of Country: Republic of China
Area: 35,563 sq km (13,731 sq mi)
Population: 22.5 million
Capital city: Taipei (population 2.7
million)
People: Taiwanese (84%), Aboriginal (2%),
Chinese (14%)
Language: Taiwanese, Mandarin Chinese
Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, Christian
(0.75%)
Government: Democratic
Republic
President: Chen Shui-bian
GDP: US$247
billion
GDP per head: US$16,100
Major industries: Machinery, electrical
equipment, electronic/computer good
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