March gone soon

March, 09

It has been too long, since I have written you, my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. The past couple of months, God has been working on me and refining away all the pride, selfishness that I would reflect God’s glory. That is why my name in Chinese means, ‘to bring bright light.’

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit,” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Praise reports:

1. I have improved much in my teaching. Thanks for your prayers!!! I still have my job.

2. My finances are better. God has been my all-sufficient provider!

3. There were some exchange students that came last fall. Two of the students accepted Christ before they left for China. Pray that they will continue in their growth, by finding a loving body of Christ and that they could be lights in China, especially to their friends and family.

Prayer points:

1. Pray that God would continue to refine me in the fire and I would be willing to go through pain and sorrow, so God can glorify himself through me.
2. Please pray for one of my co-workers, who is searching for God. Pray that he could find the true God and I could show him the truth with love.
3. Pray for the spiritual oppression in the city I live, Dashe. I feel a lone in interceding for this city and need a team of intercessors. Pray that God would bring intercessors for the city of Dashe, Taiwan. I’m hoping to start a team that will have people bridging the gap for this city every day. Please pray for this city yourself. God can break through the bonds of darkness! I need your prayers!!!
4. Pray against spiritual attacks on me. Pray that God would be my shepherd and my shield. I have been interceding for this city on my own, as it seems. Satan has been attacking me a lot because of my prayers. I have overcome because of the Holy Spirit living in me, but he is weakening me. Pray for protection against spiritual forces.
5. There are many temples in this city. Pray that God would open up the eyes of the people in Dashe and Taiwan to the lies that they believe. Pray they would see the true light that came into the world, the true God, Jesus Christ. Pray that the temples would close and go out of business, but there will be a harvest of people being saved in Dashe. Pray that from this coming harvest, there will be many churches planted in Dashe.
6. I started to learn to play drums and I also play acoustic guitar for worship. Pray that God will help me improve a lot soon.
7. There are three bible studies I help out during the week, whether leading worship or bible, or welcome. Please pray God would give me wisdom and help to lead properly.
8. An English club was started recently at a local university, close to where I live, to reach out to university students. Pray God would bring the right people and keep out the ones that don’t need to be there. Pray for those who are truly seeking after God. Pray for the harvest! Pray for wisdom on how we should lead this group.

Other stuff:


Weather: It's hot and humid now. This weekend, it reached above 30 degrees Celsius. At night, there is no airflow, so the humidity stays.

peculiar smells: There's a garbage smell because of the pollution. There is a transportable moving restaurant that sells stinky doufu. It arrives in the evening right by my apartment building and it's a horrible smell.

People like: people are very indirect in their speaking. I call it 'hitting around the bush.' I don't talk to my boss directly. I talk to my manager, who then talks to my boss.

Most difficult adjustment: Living independently away from the support of my family and the language barrier.

I’ll shut up and show you some of my pictures.

Check out Flickr for my recent pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31371934@N08/

We were joking around in a Woman's department store. Everyone was staring at us:

While my journeys have not been uneventful. They have been very busy and productive. I usually wake up around 7- 9 a.m. in the morning, depending on when I get to sleep or how tired or sick I feel. Then I will do some errands I have to do: usually going to the coffee shop to surf the internet. Then, I will come back home or have more errands. Then around 3:30 p.m., I have work. I usually try to do something exciting on the weekends. Sunday, I have church. It has been good to find many good friends while I am in the country. Truly that has been a concern, but it has all worked out.

Work consists of working at a Children English Cram school. This is an after school (private) English school with ages I am currently teaching from age 5-15. It is very difficult for me. I have to not only teach the material well, but also have games, manage the class, time management, and remembering people's names (getting to know them), etc. Basically, I am expected to do a lot with little training right from the beginning. It is difficult, but the Lord is bringing me through with his mercy and his amazing grace. That's work. I am talking to the teacher's and they are quite patient with me. They help me a lot and tell me or just write notes to me on how I can improve. They are very polite and understanding to me. It is really good to have teachers that I can work well with. I have improved on teaching because of their help.

I said earlier: I have to remember peoples names. Back in the states, I had trouble at times remembering a couple of names. Now I have to remember over a hundred child's names. This is a weakness of mine, but I'm working on it. I won't get into that. One class of only 6 made it hard on me. So happens after almost 2 months: I forgot everyone's name. Don't ask me how I did that. So I forgot everyone's names. One boy said he was Jack and the other said he was John when they were not Jack or John. Eventually they helped me, but they thought it was lot's of fun.

Stories of mine you may enjoy:

Early in the morning: I heard fireworks go off for about five minutes straight. It was 6 A.M. Guess what! It was pardae coming right by my apartment at about 6 A.M. They have a lot of marching bands that come by with many different groups with a Budhist theme. I didn't feel like being up at the time, so I put on my noise-canceling earphones and went back to sleep.

I was at the bank to open up a bank account with my boss. I guess I asked more than I bargained for. There was a pretty young lady that worked at the bank that was probably about my age. While I was having my banking needs met, some of her co-workers started talking amongst each other and were trying to set me and her on a date. My boss asked me: Would you like to go on a date with her?

Of course, I felt very embarrased and started to blush. I wasn't used to getting asked out on a date or match making (this culture values it). I didn't say anything after that and they could see I wasn't interested.

2. Getting my ARC (my working Visa) seemed like one of the hardest tasks. My work didn't know what they were doing. I had to go to a the imigration office with someone at my work. He was expose to know where I needed to go and what I needed before we went there, so we wouldn't have to make multiple trips. NO, he didn't. We went all the way to Kaohsiung city for nothing. The imigration worker said, 'Oh you live here, you need to go to Ganshan.' So we went to Ganshan. They said you don't have this paper work. Then, the next morning, I went to Ganshan later that week. We forgot something else, so I had to go back. Then we went the same day at 2 p.m. that day. Then I finally got approved and they would send my ARC in a couple of weeks.

My ARC will help me get phone, internet, get a scooter, health insurance. Basically, my life is much harder without it.

3. My Rambling, non-sense mouth. When I'm tired, I am the most non-sense kind of guy who needs to know when to shut up. I was with a friend riding on the back of his scooter. I talked on and on and I sure did not know what I was talking about and he sure didn't. There was no train of thought. I told him later, just tell me to shut up. I'll thank him later. Actually, I'm learning to shut up more and listen more. There is much wisdome in this (James 1:19-20). Let's just say it will keep you out of trouble.

I have met people from all over the workld: from England, New Zealand, Turkey, Ukraine, China, etc. I have met many good friends and good Christian friends too!

I have traveled a little in the country. Have went to Kenting, up south where there are nice beaches.

Anyways, enough of my non-sense, rambling writing. I'll put up pictures on Flickr soon. I'll get internet within a couple of days and I'll update it then.

Hope you enjoyed some of my stories.

All I can say is God's Grace is suffient and he is taking care of every need of mine. Keep praying! I see God working in mighty ways. I have been praying for, but I would like you to specifically pray for me that God would lead me to people who are searching for the true God. God has lead me to several people who are looking for the the truth. Jesus claims to be the light of the World in John 8. He claims to be the only truth. Not only that, Jesus states, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed," (JOhn 8:36). This is in context to slaves.

Maybe you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Lord means He is in complete control and Savior is He saves you from your sin or bad things you have done. Jesus Christ has trully changed my life and I believe Jesus Christ wants to set people free. Basically, we are seperated from God by our sins (Romans 3:23). That is why Jesus Christ came. In 1 Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

This is a longer blog because I don't update as much.
E-mail me if you have any questions or blog me. Chris

After over a month here

Me in Downtown Kaohsiung.

My roomemate put it best. It feels like we have been here for a very short time, but it also feels like we have been here a long time. It is hard to believe how much stuff was done in the past couple of weeks. Within a couple of weeks, God has provided abundantly. Over the past couple of months, the Lord has tested my faith much, but I have joyously been able to see the Lord's hand through this time. Now that I have been able to see clearly the Lord's had through all this, I am able to trust Him much more and leave it up to him.


The other day, I did not know how we were going to pay our rent. My roomemate encouraged me to trust to the Lord as we have seen how much the Lord has already provided for us. I worried much, but soon I gave it over to the Lord. The next day, the Lord provided for us abundantly: Josh and myself. It made me think about the Israelites in the desert and how the Lord provided for them with the bread and water. He also provided shelter from the burning sun and guided them through the night. I forgot that, just like the Israelites did. Please pray for me that I would know the Lord as my provided and my guide and I would trust Him.

The Lord gave me answer to my prayer this morning and told me through Matthew 6:25 saying not to worry about your life. Truly, one day is enough to worry or think about. I take the Lord at His Word.

Work is getting much better. I am starting to get used to it and having some fun too! I enjoyed myself a little today at work. It is hard work, but I have always enjoyed my major. It only is my major. I should.

In a couple of weeks, I hope to get my ARC (my workers Visa). I need this to stay in the country, to get my phone, internet, buy a scooter, health insurance. Pray that I would get this soon.

I have enjoyed a lot of hiking in the mountains. I have went twice with different people and I enjoy it. I am glad I don't live in the Downtown Kaohsiung and not have much hiking. There is a lot of hiking.

The only problem is: how to get there. I don't think I will be able to get a scooter for two month. I'm trusting the Lord and we will see how the Lord will provide. A scooter is not necessary at this time.

Just trying to take it one day at a time. It seems like I started at a rate of sprinting when I started. I started fast and have been going still. It is hard, yet I will continue going.

I also may begin starting my Chinese lessons soon.

There are a lot of things I hope to do, but because of my ARC and trying to figure out till my pay, I continue to try to do the best I can for the time that's left.

Got to go,

Chris

3 weeks later.

I am alive and just fine. The typoon that pased through a couple of weeks did not affect me or anybody around where I live.

Funny things or very different.

1. Back in America, you hear the ice-cream truck and the music. The same music is when you need to take out your trash. After over 20 years, I feel like I am being tricked. I think about ice-cream, but only find a cone full of garbage. What a pity!

2. Many of the people are indirect to people. Ex. I was being slow and going through my bag. My friend, was waiting for me as he wanted to go to his room and take a shower. He was waiting for me and asked if I would like to go to his room. If it was more direct, It might be (America): "Come on, let's go. Hurry up. I'm hot and sweaty and I need a shower. Let's go to my room."

"Another one of my co-workers, wanted to give me some suggestions, but didn't know how to be too honest. She told me I am good at teaching advanced levels, but here meaning was that I needed to use simple English with students.

3. I'm an English Teacher. That's funny in itself. I remember back in college being one of the worst at grammar. I improved a lot and it was a lot of hard work. But this is one of those funny moments God does. His grace is humerus too. Too think: English teacher. I'm learning English as I'm teaching.

4. I stand out a whole lot. I'm white, blonde haired, and blue eyed. I get many hello's and girls following me like I'm a movie star. Really, I'm not that good looking.

5. Many Stares at me. It is especially funny when a bunch of us OMF'ers walked down the street towards church. We stood out quite a lot.

6. Talking about non-sense. A good friend I met in Taiwan, Jonas and myself talk about some of the most non-sense stuff and laugh about it. If I was talking to an intellectual person, they probably would tell me I'm full of rubbish.

7. I do have serious conversations to people. I'm not that out of my mind. Thank you very much!

8. The only internet connection I have is in a coffee shope. Donutes. It is kind of like 'Starbucks' plus the hip hop music. I try to talk to people on Skype and they get headaches from listening to the hip-hop English music. It's very dirty.

9. Getting lost!!! I have gotten lost so many times, especially in Dashe. First I have no sense of direction. Second, I the roads turn this way and that. If you go North, then it changes to East.

10. Top one is my sleep. I usually sleep like a baby. I am out. Lately I have been having a lot of stress from my new job and I think about it a lot, especially in my dreams. A couple nights I started to sleep teach. I found myself, standing up, in my night clothes, and with my finger pointing or writting on the board, as if I was teaching to my students. They are children. Thank God I have relief and I'm not sleep teaching. I truly was able to get some rest from teaching Children.

Many times I get excited. I'll have to tell myself or my friend Jonas will say: "Calm Down! Kids are cute."


Enough of my interesting non-sense that actually has some meaning, only if you understand me.

Travels To Taiwan

Travels to Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Many struggles does a man go through, but greater joy is when someone follows Jesus Christ.

First of all, I want to thank everyone for your continued prayers. It makes me realize that our God is bigger than I could have imagined. People from all over the world, especially in America are lifting the burden off the people of the Taiwanesse people. Thank you for your service in prayer. It is so encouraging and my burden seems lighter because of your prayers for me. As well, I want to continue to pray for you, so let me know what’s on your mind. That’s enough of the intro. Let me get to what’s going on here.

The picture above is the second day I arrived into Taiwan. I was going through Jet-leg at the time, so that is why I was able to get up early enough to catch the sunrise. I got up around 3:30 or 4:30 A.M. From where I lived in Chicago and in Taiwan, it is a 13 hour diffrence. If it is 7 P.M. in Taiwan, then it is 6 A.M. in Taiwan. Jet leg took awhile before I got adjusted.

Struggles over the Summer.

God truly does our weaknesses to show His strength. Over the whole summer, I was way over in my debt in finances and I had no idea the Lord would provide, but I trusted him by faith. After I graduated from Moody Bible Institute with Bachelor’s Degree in Youth Ministry and Bible in May 2008, I had to work a lot. Indeed, I worked 1 full-time job for Moody and 3 part time jobs at various times. Some weeks, I worked as much as 80 hours. The Lord provided for me and also gave me rest. Sometimes I felt I very sick and I think I became an insomniac over a couple of weeks. Indeed, two weeks I had absolutely no money. Over a two week span, I worked over 100 hours for landscaping and raised support. When I cam to the country, I had about $1,500. I owe very little debt right now as well. Talk about being hard-working. God’s grace is sufficient.

Besides work, I also had much preparation as the Lord had laid the burden of the Taiwanese people on my heart. Over the whole summer, I went to a Chinese Church in Chicago (China Town). It had three different congregations. I went to the Mandarin speaking service. There I was able to meet many people from China and Taiwan. Everyone has been very helpful there and are true servants. I took a class in Sp. 2008 that introduced me to the Chinese language. After that, the summer came and I spent a couple of hours learning Chinese everyday.

I also have been writing worship songs, poetic (story) songs, and different stories over the summer. I hope to publish sometime and I have a vision for a book that the Lord has put on my heart for almost a year I believe.

So, you can see why I was a insomniac all summer.

I am grateful for all the prayers I have from you. God is already doing much work here and is providing for all my needs. There are three different churches praying for me and have provided for me financially (Fern Cliff Evangelical Church in Iowa, Full gospel Church of Chicago, and Chicago Chinese Union Church). I thank my God for the “Partnership of the Gospel,” (Phil. 1:5).

So back to Jet-leg

My trip from Chicago to Taiwan to finally getting to sleep was only 20 hours. Not bad, In comparison to others and only one transfer in Japan. And get this, the cost of following Jesus is humorous and quite releasing. It isn’t burdensome at all. My whole life was in two carry-on bags (1 duffle bag full of clothes, 1 guitar), 1 small travel suitcase, and 1 back-back. I had so much stuff I had to get rid off back in the states.

I arrived safely. David Ulstrom, who is the Coordinator with the Organization I am partnering with (OMF). He helps the Teaching English partners in Kaohsiung area. He picked me up from the airport and took me to the temporary housing with a couple, Matt and Holly. They were really helpful and kind.

Some of my cooking.

The next day, David showed me around a little and we went to the school I may be working at. They were open and the next day I arrived, I found a job teaching English. The school I am working at is Joy School. It is located in Dashe. Dashe is a suburb of Kaohsiung. I barely had any money and I saw the Lord’s hand very clearly already in so many ways. This has been a venture teaching English and I never taught English to a class before. It is hard and difficult, but I am improving a lot. I like my Boss, William. The teachers I am working with are Jonas, Stella, Daisy, and Mandy. All of them are really helpful and take a lot of time to show me around. As well, they make comments and suggestions that have helped me improve.

The next day, I was able to meet the other English partners who were teaching with me. It was good to meet everyone. It’s encouraging to know I’ll have fellow believers while I am in the country. I met everyone for bible study and lunch. A couple days later, I was able to meet with my roommate. His name is Joseph. Later, he will give an intro about himself.

David Ulstrom to the Left. My Roommate Joshua to the right.

Here’s downtown Dashe.

Here’s a map of Dashe.

My roommate came in on a Saturday and moved that same day here. This is the complex

Where we live.

Don’t forget ‘Breakfast and Beautiful,’ the local breakfast joint close to where I live.

I go to breakfast here a lot.

From our apartment-

A lot of the partners traveling back to Kaohsiung from a OMF conference. We met

A lot of OMF missionaries in Taiwan.

The Train’s coming!!!! Chu Chu!!!

Here’s Dashe at night.

a walk through the streets.

Here’s a little Poetry from me. My testimony shows how the Lord has brought me from the darkness

into the Light. My Chinese Pastor, back in Chicago, has helped me come up with a Chinese name.

It literally means to bring bright light.

My mission in life is to bring the bright Light and Hope only found in Jesus Christ in Taiwan and wherever I am.

This picture is for the poetry below. This is from my Client, whom I did landscaping for many years.

Light Bearer

By Chris Sherman

I cannot stop myself from being a witness to the Light that has come and saved me from myself.

I must continue to deny myself daily, to take up my cross and follow the Light

That though I cannot see far in front of me,

I continue going

To the unexpected.

I have had to leave everything behind.

I have had to leave prior dreams, family, my country, my former life,

And yet,

I consider it all but loss

For the sake of my Savior Jesus Christ,

Who took my dead and broken body,

In the deepest darkness of my soul,

And saved me with His great strength.

How could I deny my Savior?

Yet I have done it over and over and over again.

The Lord has never left me nor forsaken me,

He has never let me go. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

I bow my life before Him that I may be a difference in this world

For His light that I bear never lets me go!

He lives within me and I am a witness to the Light

That people from their deepest darkness, their deepest secrets, their deepest sorrows, their deepest regrets, they’re hearts that are so far away and so dark will find the Light.

May my life draw people to the Light that can save.

This journey,

Hard,

Many losses,

Sorrow,

Pain,

Yet within this is my joy to my Savior, the Light, who has saved me

From my deepest darkness.

“John himself was not the light; he was only a witness to the light.”

-John 1:8-