Recently, one of our missionary friends invited me to climb a mountain. We have been trying to plan this time of fellowship for several months, and finally got it marked our calendars. Mountains here in the Taipei area are really just steep hills. I was looking forward to spending the day with Becky, and when I awoke to see the morning was wet, I was determined to not let a little rain deter me for I was looking forward to the outing, plus the opportunity to get to know her better.
Becky lives about a 20-minute subway ride away, at the Hsien Tien MRT station. Both of us seemed glad that neither us let a little rain keep us from our outing. She led me down the pig trail that would take us up the backside of the mountain. As we began the steep climb, we had to stop often because I quickly became short of breath and obviously had a much lower energy level than Becky. Three times a week Becky climbs this mountain for physical exercise but admits she rarely slows down long enough to enjoy the scenery. I definitely had her at a turtle pace - so she enjoyed sites she normally overlooks. The hill is laced with tropical greenery and lined with stepping-stones that an individual or groups of Chinese have strategically placed to compliment the trail. Becky knew which trails to take each time we came to a fork. We saw a squirrel, and often stopped to listen to the birds. We stopped at a covered bench area along the way, for a time of sharing, learning about each other’s ministries, and our families.
After a mid mountain rest we headed out again. The timing of what or should I say “who” we met along the path was obviously in HIS hands. While on a level portion of the trail, we were discussing what would it take for an out pouring of God’s Spirit to be received upon the people here in Taiwan, when suddenly we approached a fallen tree, blocking the path. A local Taiwanese man was on the other side of the fallen tree using his pocketknife to cut away some of the roots. With his hands, he was scooping sand from the roots, attempting to make the path passable. When he saw us approach, he said, “The gods knocked down this tree”. We stopped and talked a few minutes, thanked him for his work to clear a path, then squeezed by the base of the tree to his side of the path.
I need to clarify, the man and Becky are speaking Taiwanese, and I get the translation in English from Becky. Becky was an MK (missionary kid) who grew up here during her teenage years so she knows Taiwanese very well. As Becky and I headed down the trail, the Holy Spirit nudged me to stop and pray for this man. Awed by the fact that we were discussing an outpouring of God’s Spirit at the time we came upon the man and the tree, we stopped to discuss this. The man turned around and acted like he wanted to talk with us, so we retraced our steps to visit with him.
We stood there for about 45 minutes conversing over our religious beliefs, because that was what he wanted to talk about. He asked her what was our religion, and he handed her a writing tablet and she drew out the gospel message and talked as I stood there and prayed. He told Becky, “Interpret for her”. He was very polite and wanted me included in the conversation. Well we soon found out, he was very zealous for his own religion…. in his gods…. all the gods. He pulled a necklace off from around his neck and placed it on the tablet. As he pointed to the ying & the yang symbols in the center of the gold pendant, he spoke about happiness to life and pointed to the blocks that form a circle of paths around the outside of the ying/yang. He believes that all the paths of life, and religions in all the gods lead to this peaceful utopia. I pulled my silver cross ear-ring off my left ear and set it on the tablet to point him to Jesus, the person of the cross, who is the only way to eternal life and peace.
The man evidently had a little exposure to Christianity years ago, but his interpretation of the cross was way confused. Becky spent some time explaining Jesus death on the cross and how His death atoned for our sin, making it possible for us to have a relationship with God. I pulled a bi-lingual gospel track out of my backpack and presented it to him (when presenting a card to the Chinese - you use both hands and slightly bow). I told him this would explain more. He pulled out his business card and handed it to me (Chinese style) with a polite smile. He continued speaking of his religion, saying it was very ancient and then he pulled an old Chinese book out of his bag that was lying next to the fallen tree. Emphasizing that the book was very old, he opened it and began reading (as if it’s age had validity). I asked Becky what it was, and she said more of the same philosophy/religion utopia stuff. I pulled my Bible out of my backpack - and turned to Genesis 1; reading “In the beginning God created” and Becky interpreted.
After a few minutes, Becky said, “Fran, I think we have gone as far as we can with him. I just asked him if I could pray for him, asking God to reveal Himself to him soon and that he will come to know Him as the One True God”. Becky prayed in Taiwanese as he respectfully stood there. Then I said, “ask him if I can pray for him in English”. He seemed open, so I prayed while he once again stood there attentive and respectful. We were both a little surprised when he declared he wanted to pray to the gods for us; to ask them to bless us. That felt weird; however void. He had kicked off his sandals for his prayer, and then explained how he was removing all barriers between the heavens and us.
This man knows four languages (Taiwanese, Mandarin, Hakka and Japanese), yet no English. Here is a man who is typical for Taiwan. He is zealous, and very smart, but so spiritually misguided from the truth and deluded by traditions of religions. Only the truth and the Sprit of God can turn him around. Please pray this man will one day begin a personal relationship with Christ. Only Christ can free him from religious confusion.
After saying goodbye to the man, Becky and I soon arrived at a picnic table under a pavilion that looked out on Hsien Tien and the river. It was a hazy day from the rain clouds (which didn’t bother us much), and we could faintly see downtown Taipei, where our husbands work at the mission office. We shared our sack lunches and prayed together before coming down a swift path on the front side of the mountain. Becky was a true joy to be with and I hope we can do this again sometime.
As much as I enjoyed spending that Thursday with Becky, on Friday I was back to my usual schedule, preparing the next BSF lecture. The upcoming lesson covered John 1:19-51. When I read verse 39 “they spent the day with him”, I reflected back to the day before on the mountain with Becky. I prayed “Lord, I want to just spend the day with you. Just as I spent the day with Becky yesterday to get to know her better, I want to spend the day with you. I want to know you better. ” The Lord honored that prayer and he ministered to me in a very personal and memorable way that day. I was able to use this as a clear illustration in the lecture the following Wednesday, encouraging the women to “spend the day with Jesus to get to know him better”. The Lord Jesus Christ is always there for those of us who have placed our faith in Him; he wants us to spend time with Him through Bible study, prayer, and his ever-present indwelling Spirit.

Oct 5, 2002
By Fran

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