Weekend in Chiayi

We spent the weekend exploring more of Chiayi. It has been our home for three weeks, but there was still a lot that we had not seen. On Saturday, we went to a local craftsman's home to make pottery. It has been a long time since I have been able to using a pottery wheel, so it was quite a challenge. I eventually was able to muster a side dish bowl that will be quite useful at home when I cook Korean food. The area around the shop was absolutely lovely with open spaces filled with rice paddies.

We then ate dinner together with Judy dand her family and then walked around Chiayi park. It was beautiful to see the park come to life at night. As the sun went down, the park came to life with lights and the elderly doing various activities. We joined a group of older ladies practicing drums, trying to learn a series of rhythms as they tried to give us directions in Mandarin. It was quite a sight! They were very sweet and laughed with us as we tried to keep up.

We then went to the top of Chiayi tower, which is located in the park. It was late, so we were the only people in the observatory. It was beautiful to see this expansive town from above, the dark expanse below lighting up as it go darker.

Sunday morning we went to church at two different Lutheran churches in the city. We first went to the service with the missionaries with the service translated in English by one of the members. Once again we had those earpieces as we listened to the service. It was quite bittersweet knowing that this would be the last week I would be worshiping with these friends in Taiwan. Even though we were only there for a month, the pastor and members were so welcoming and were a great encouragement for me. After this service, we went to Pearl's church. Pearl is one of the teachers at CELA and one of two Christians in the office. She has incredible faith and continually tries to answer her coworkers questions about Christianity. We attended her church's first English service, which was a combination of praise songs and a Bible study. It was nice to attend a very informal service and have some discussion time with the members.

On our way back to the Practice Hotel, we came across several families burning ghost money outside their homes and stores. The middle of August is the beginning of Ghost Month for the Taiwanese, a superstitious time where people believe that the dead return to the living world to pay a visit. Taiwanese believe that during this time they should leave food and burn paper that is called Ghost Money for their dead relatives and other wandering spirits. These acts ensure that the coming year will be prosperous.

It is something that I think is very unique to Taiwan. The Communist revolutions on the Mainland have pretty much wiped out any remnants of traditional rituals. Japan and Korea both have some form of ancient superstition (namely Shintoism, which is still annually recognized by the Japanese, and for Korea Shamanism, which is only utilized by the most superstitious for things like future plans) but both of these cultures do not practice their traditional religion with as much zeal as the Taiwanese.

For the majority of Taiwanese, this time of year is filled with fear in failing to complete ritual. Many of the shops were closed today because of the belief that this is the day that the spirits visit in search for food and Ghost Money.

It breaks my heart especially to see the terror on face of children as they witness their parents fearfully burning paper and leaving food on their doorstep. Most of the kids in the camp have talked about how they dislike this time of year because they are afraid of the ghosts. It has been a great opportunity for me to share that they do not have to fear these spirits, because God is so much greater than them. I think it is hard for them to understand this concept when the fear of ghosts permeates in so many aspects of society, especially in Chiayi. I continue to pray that the Light will shine through the darkness that continues to seize so many people in Taiwan.