Can a Movie Outreach Still Work?

Tried and True Method

Ever since the days of the prophecy “Big 3” men have tried to reach their cities through movie outreaches. It would be easy to look at what we’ve done here this week and say, “When’s that boy gonna get creative.” It’s such a simple thing. Find a movie you can preach on, and show it. Could anything be less complicated? In America, I could do a movie outreach in my sleep.

First of all there’s flyers. In California, no problem, a quick moment on the excellent and efficient So Cal Fellowship Graphics website. (www.scfgraphics.com) And flyers will be tastefully and artistically rendered with all pertinent information and delivered directly to your door. Note: No payment was made for this shameless plug, at least not YET!

Secondly, A few calls to pioneer pastors, who owe you one, and an announcement or two over the pulpit and a fully equipped ARMY, eagerly descends on your city to do battle with the principalities and powers of darkness; to snatch the souls of men from the very gates of hell. Sometimes they even pass out flyers, too.

Third, bright, shiny, newly purchased equipment is lovingly and gently set up and carefully prepared in pristine conditions for the comfort the visitors who come to your church to see the epic drama you will present.



Then finally it’s “Game Time.” Hundreds of open, hungry people show up, standing in line for hours to see the movie that holds the secret of salvation for them. They are literally making every effort to keep from throwing themselves on the altar and crying out, “What must I do to be saved,” before the movie is even over.

The words of your Altar Call drip from your lips. The response is overwhelming. The City is turned upside down. Okay maybe it’s not quite that easy.

But here, in Taiwan, it is only that simple for the men who have been here for years. I had a few struggles to overcome.

The first was flyers: Finding a printer was a little difficult. There is no phone book. You can’t just grab the yellow pages and look it up. And even if you could, I don’t read enough Chinese to recognize the Chinese word for printer. It does no good to drive around because I can’t read the signs, either. But, resourceful guy that I am, I called up Pastor Robert in Zhongli and he talked to his printer.

The second was the design: It takes special software and a special font to type in Chinese. I don’t have it. So each character has to be created by hand in a graphics program. But…you have to know the character to be able to do that; because of that a strategy was born. Aim for young people that are interested in learning English. So I made the flyers in English. Then I took a flyer that had the church name, address and phone number in Chinese and “cut and pasted” it onto my design. That way they could give it to cab driver and he could read it.

The Third was the language barrier with the printer: He had no idea what I was saying and I got about every 4th word of what he was saying. I understood marginally, he just smiled. So I had to ask Pastor Robert’s wife, Nicole, to communicate with him. Then I found out that I couldn’t design on 8 1/2 “ by 11” paper I had to use A4. A4 is a bit larger, so I had to fix it. Because of all this the flyers were received Saturday morning…the day of the event. I felt pretty stupid.

But my family and I, and a friend from the Zhongli church, Eugene, made it to the outreach. In two hours we passed out 700 flyers, and had an opportunity to witness to a number of groups of young (Middle School, High School and University) students. Three people made it to the event. We showed "Facing the Giants" and served popcorn and Coke. We got to know some people and contacts were made. One visitor, a teacher, wants to bring her entire class to see the movie. Maybe it will result in an inroad into the English School where she teaches. No one got saved at this event but we made some contacts and met a couple of people we can follow up on. Sunday morning we had two more visitors who did get saved.

Now I’ve got it figured out…Next month we are gonna TEAR IT UP!!

Vision Beyond the Horizon

The Vision

In light of the incredible investment that has been made to send us to this country, there is in our minds a sense that we must be fruitful, that’s the calling placed on all Christians, fruitfulness is an expectation. But I look at that calling in terms of what others have done to facilitate fruitfulness in my ministry.

We have entered into a sacred trust. While those others have never pressed an obligation on me to succeed: To reach certain numbers of people, or to bring about a financial return on investment. There is in me a desire to honor that investment, to honor the sacrifice that others have made.

I understand that none of us think that this is about nickels, numbers and noise, but about the winning of souls to the kingdom of God. It is my desire to diligently pursue my calling in God and honor the vision of Jesus Christ, which is clearly spoken to Paul.

Acts 26: 17 & 18

Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

I want to be able to give the same account for my ministry that he did in testifying to King Agrippa. “Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” I want to be able to stand before God and say the same thing. I want my vision to be His vision.

In the early days of oceanic exploration, it was believed that if a boat sailed out beyond the horizon that it would fall off of the edge of the earth. It took men with vision to pay for ships and equipment that could, in all possibility, result in a crushing financial defeat. It is difficult to imagine the trust that Ferdinand and Isabella had in Columbus. They, like Columbus, were ignited by the possibilities of Columbus’ vision. They can only be called people of vision. I’m thankful to partner with people who have that same kind of vision. I’m grateful for the investment and support of the Colton and Tucson Congregations, Pastor Strutz and Pastor Warner.

Typhoon Revival

The Rains of Revival

As Typhoon Parma was blowing up the Pacific Ocean past the Philippines with winds of 129 mph, another wind began to blow in Taoyuan: The wind of Revival. Arriving just days before the revival, Trevor Fong from Perth, Australia blew into town to preach for us. This is the first revival at the church since our arrival on the island.

Trevor comes well qualified to preach in Taiwan. He pastored the church in Zhong Li for seven years and understands the Taiwanese mindset. He spoke three powerful sermons, dealing with issues that are important to people’s lives. The first was on our response to God. In the audience were 2 university students who heard the message and responded.

The second sermon was on dealing with torment in our lives. This was powerful as a man in the church suffers with anxiety and insomnia. Last night, he told me that as a result of this ministry. He has slept 5 nights in a row without the use of sleeping medication. This is a record for him. Praise God for powerful preaching.

The third sermon dealt with reaching the lost and was an encouragement to the Nieds and to us. I believe that this revival is the beginning of breakthrough for our church.

Typhoon Parma

On my Facebook page, I gave a brief word about the typhoon. It traveled close to Taiwan but did not actually come up on the island. It veered off to the west and seems to be heading away from us now. We have received two solid days of rain but no winds. It is still close enough to turn and make landfall on the southern tip of the Island. This is the same area that was battered so badly in September.



This shows the track of the typhoon. You can see how close it came to Taiwan. Taoyuan is in the northwest corner.




Hualien Earthquake

On the day before the typhoon, a typhoon is a hurricane on the Pacific Ocean, (they’re hurricanes on the Atlantic and typhoons on the Pacific), there was an earthquake in the city of Hualien. At Hualien the earthquake was a magnitude 6.3 quake. For those of you in So Cal who have experienced many of these you can understand the size of the quake. We felt the quake in Taoyuan but it was a minor quake here.

On Facebook, I commented that Taiwan’s shaking. One of the comments that I got back was from one of my closest friends in High School. She said, “What does it take to get people over there to pray?” What indeed? Taiwan needs Jesus. As long as I’m here I’m going to be praying,

The Singing Trash Trucks of Taoyuan

In the distance you hear the melodious strains of Beethoven’s Fur Elise. It grows louder and louder as the source of the sound draws nearer. You begin to hear the neighbors in the street, talking and laughing, doors slamming throughout the neighborhood, finally there are flashing lights and voices. The trash truck has arrived.

The song is used to call the people out to bring their trash to the truck. In Taiwan, the truck slowly drives down the street and people bring their trash out. This happens every night. First the trash truck goes by and right behind it is the recycling truck. All trash must be sorted to be recycled.

You didn’t think I could do a blog without at least one reference to the trash business did you?

I wonder why they use Fur Elise. It seems to be a popular tune here. I have a friend whose car also plays that tune when the doors are open. Why not some Asian tune? Why Beethoven and not Yo Yo Ma? (I may have spelled his name wrong, but you get the point he’s an Asian Cellist.)

This seems like such a distinctly Taiwanese concept to have musical trash trucks. It’s a part of the Taiwanese mindset that beauty and function be combined. That same mindset is found in Chinese Characters, my Mandarin teacher would always say, “But it’s not beautiful,” when describing my penmanship. When she saw my penmanship in English she would say, “It’s not legible.” So, she began to accept my sloppy Chinese characters. This is how easily standards can be eroded. But I’ve gotten off track. The point is that Taiwanese people try to put an element of beauty into everything…even collecting trash.

I remember as a young route driver that I would sing opera arias on my truck, such as “La Dona Mobile”.

My version:

La Dona Mobile, I shot my dog today
The thieving little hound lies six feet in the ground

The actual version was a lot of Italian words that would have been too hard to learn. Obviously, I had no need to include an element of beauty in everything.

The other interesting thing is that there is a social component to trash collection. The neighbors stop and talk and laugh with each other and the trash collectors. When was the last time you stood and talked with your garbage-man as he collected your trash. Most of us don’t even see the garbage-man and their trucks never make any noise more musical than “whirrrr crunch bang bang bang.”

We're not in Kansas Anymore

Arriving in Taiwan

We’ve arrived in Taiwan. We blew in, like thieves in the dead of the night. For us this was a momentous thing. We’re Americans but as of this moment we are Americans living on foreign soil. I hope Taiwan is ready for us. We’ve tried to prepare ourselves for this moment. But even with the preparation, I think Asia has some surprises in store for us. In fact I’m sure of it.

But for now we’re here. We arrived at 5:25 am Monday morning after 13 hours on the plane. Fortunately, we slept through a lot of the flight. But it felt really good to get up and stretch a little as we went through customs.

One of the meal choices on the plane was a food called Congee. This is a type of rice soup. Only Emily was adventurous enough to try it. I have eaten it before and kind of liked it until I talked to Scott, who described it as “That rice that old Taiwanese women chewed and spit back into the bowl.” I was grossed out enough to never be willing to try it again. It’s really just rice, cooked until it is very soft, with some other ingredients added. But Scott ruined it for me. I’ll have to pay him back sometime.

Costco

We spent our first afternoon in Taipei, first at MOS Burgers, where I had an Octopus Burger. It was delicious and the tenderest Octopus I’ve ever eaten. Then we went to Costco.

Costco in Taiwan is the same as in the US. Even the layout of the store is the same. They have the same types and quality of items as in the store at home. But then they have some typically Chinese things as well. For example, look at these interesting Pizza Choices available at the Costco Kitchen:

Hawaiian Pizza – Pastrami with Pineapple (Pastrami…on Pizza?)
Seafood Pizza
And that old Italian favorite – Peking Duck Pizza

I like Pizza well enough and I like Peking Duck as much as the next guy. But I have a real issue with Peking Duck Pizza. It just seems so wrong. (I didn’t see anyone eating it either, which might say something.) I can’t imagine Don Corleone ordering a Peking Duck Pizza. It just wouldn’t fly in the old neighborhood.

All the signage at Costco was in English and Chinese. The shoppers were friendly and seemed eager to talk to foreigners. As I hung out, waiting for Brenda and Melissa, a number of people smiled and spoke to me in English. That never happens in So Cal, probably because hardly anyone speaks English in So Cal anymore.

I think the next thing on the agenda is to get my driver’s license and a scooter. I need to be able to get around and get some things done. Scott is working so I need to work it out to get around on my own. I need to be able to hop on my “bad motor scooter and ride.” So I’ll close on that reference to an old Rock ‘n’ Roll song. Who can name the band that sang that song?

Taking the First Few Steps

Moving On

It was quite an ordeal to get it all sorted, sold and packed. We even wound up calling a guy in to just haul a bunch of it away. I think it’s interesting how people develop an attachment to stuff. I am guilty of this a bit myself. I sold my truck at the "Sale of Sales." I had to do it. At the very least, if I shipped it to Taiwan I would have to drive it around and around because there’s no way I would be able to park it anywhere. It had to go. But as the guy who bought it backed it out of our driveway I stood there thinking, "That dude’s driving my truck." I was even kind of sad. "I know, I couldn’t believe it myself."

But by the time we were ready to leave…It was all gone. Brenda was heroic, in that she let me say at the end, "It all goes. All of it. No junk left behind." And not only did she let me say it. She even let me do it. We didn’t realize how stressful it is to live with a lot of STUFF. Every book you read about de-stressing your life has a chapter about getting rid of stuff you don’t need or use. So I’m proud of her, she did it and I believe that she will maintain our new "clutter-free" way of life, although I think moving halfway around the world, is a tough way to determine what you need.

That last week was the most stressful week I’ve spent this side of JIMCO. (A train re-railing company where I used to work.) Nothing worked out simply. We had to pay the shipping company in cash. But our bank wanted to put a hold on the money until after we left. The bank the check was drawn on wouldn’t help us, because we weren’t customers of that bank. I spent 2 days trying to make that work out. It finally worked out thanks to Rosa and Guillermo.

When we got to the train station, they wouldn’t let us check luggage or take our computer. If I can’t take luggage, it makes train riding difficult. They wonder why no one wants to ride the train. Finally, we drove Joseph’s truck to Modesto and they flew up to collect it. But we got here thanks to Rosa and Guillermo.

The final step is to get on a plane and just go. We will do that on Sunday at 1:40 am. We’ll just sleep our way to Taiwan. We’re working things out to make that happen. There’s a few flies in that ointment as well. But it will happen and we will get there.

Don’t think it’s all been hard and difficult. Some things have happened that have blown my mind. For instance:

1. My brother-in-law Ron got us tickets to fly Rosa and Guillermo to Modesto for $37.50 Business Class. Those are $300.00 tickets.

2. The shipping company made it possible for us to take things we didn’t think we had room for without it costing us any more money.

3. The cleanup guy was able to respond on 1 hours notice, and did the whole job.

And this: Aldein met this woman at work who is from Taiwan. That girl came to the US and got saved. Her pastor is also from Taiwan and his sister-in-law owns a private English School in Tao Yuan City. He arranged for me to be an English Teacher at that school in the afternoons. I’m going to meet the woman and determine if it will happen when I get there, but he seemed like it was a pretty definite thing. What an amazing thing to have happen. It sounds like God to me.

Acknowledgements:

Thank you to the people who showed up to help us pack. Rosa, Guillermo and Joseph Rodriguez, Olivia Duran, Andy Duran, Betsy Herrera, Rebecca Sanchez, Paul Work, Brian Sundstrom, and Anthony Sanchez. (Olivia thank you for all that you did above and beyond the call of duty.)

Thank you to the English Class the English class, Yan, Zhimin, Sammi and Bingjing for their help and the Jiao zi. (Dumplings)

Thank you to the neighbors Greg and Zorrie White who came and brought food, prayers and good cheer the last night we were in Riverside.

Thank you to Rosa and Guillermo Rodriguez for all they have done for us throughout the years. They were an incredible blessing to us in the last weeks helping to make it happen. They helped us to handle things that looked impossible. Their willingness to do whatever it took, made those impossible things possible. (Thank you to Joseph for letting us use his truck.)

Thank you to Duane and Barbara Thompson for their thoughtful gift. We are blessed to have friends like you.

Thank you to the Colton Church for their commitment to this Missionary endeavor. Without their commitment this wouldn’t be possible. We go representing you.

Thank you to Pastor and Brenda for their trust and their willingness to believe in us. Their faith is inspiring.

Thank you to Pastor Warner and the Tucson Congregation for their help in the relocation.

Finally, thank you to all who have encouraged us with their friendship during these last weeks.

Deconstructing Life in Riverside

Getting “Visa’d”

We have received visas from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. By treaty with the US, Taiwan has no official embassy. The US has no official embassy in Taiwan either. Those duties are contracted to private organizations. The Taiwanese organization in the US is called the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. In Taiwan the American organization is called the American Institute Taiwan. These organizations handle all consular type operations in their respective countries.

We had to make a couple of trips to LA to secure visas. In preparation for the first trip, I filled out the visa applications, took the visa photographs, and gathered paperwork, like an introduction letter and set off to the Office. I had gone on the internet and looked at what was required and thought that I had put it all together in a nice package. But bureaucrats are the same in any country: Even when they’re working for a private organization. In addition to the things I had included I also needed:

My Children’s Birth Certificates (I had to prove they were mine)
My Marriage Certificate (I had to prove she was my wife)
A Certificate of Ordination (I had to prove I was legitimate)
A Statement of Qualifications (I had to prove I was qualified)
A Letter of Invitation from Taiwan (I had to prove I was invited)


The lady that was working with me wanted to make it easy for me to know what was needed so she gave me a nice list to follow – Written in Chinese. But when I told her I couldn’t read it she very patiently explained each thing necessary. Now you might be thinking, “That’s the way it should be.” But these people were incredibly busy. They were working very quickly. I’m used to America…I go to the store and ask for something and they tell me we’re out of that…just because they don’t want to take any time helping you. After I turned in all the paperwork that was needed it only took 24 hours to receive the visa. Maybe it’s better that the government isn’t involved.