Day 1: October 29 — To untrained American eyes, Taipei looks and feels like any modern, westernized international hub.
Walk down any number of streets and look! There’s a McDonald’s, or a Starbucks, or even a Cold Stone Creamery. English is abundantly spoken, although improperly phrased from time to time.
My favorite thus far is the poster for karaoke that offered pleasant music and a “smoothing voice.” I’m pretty sure that it should have said “soothing,” but perhaps the Taiwanese know something about their karaoke that I don’t.
However that is based on a cursory glance, having spent less than 24 hours in a new city and a new country. Obviously, there is more here than meets the eye.
So we walked parts of the city today, Jen snapping photos and our interpreter, Fancie, explaining the sights and sounds, while giving us history and perspective into this fascinating country.
And though we talked to a few people with the hope of delving deeper into the Taiwanese mindset toward faith, it turned out that the most compelling story came from our own new friend, Fancie. If her testimony is any indication of what God is doing in Taiwan, we are in for a powerful weekend.
Q/ How did you get involved with the Festival?
A/ All the churches in Taiwan heard about this Festival and everybody…most of the churches got involved. And of course they were looking for volunteers for all sorts of stuff. Because I had already translated in the church, they sent emails asking if you’re available. And I said yeah, sure. Actually, before I received the email, I had started praying for the whole festival and the different prayer points which you can pray for…for the festival, the translation and all that.
So when I prayed for that, I didn’t realize that I was going to help. But I prayed for the stage [the venue], the technical part, the weather, stuff like that.
Q/ How long ago did that happen? When did you start praying about it?
A/ I think people heard about it this year sometime, earlier this year. I started praying about one month ago, a few weeks ago.
Q/ What’s it like being a Christian here in Taiwan?
A/ Now, it’s easier being a Christian. More and more people are becoming Christians. I’m from the south and I’m from a very traditional family, my family is Taoist. Their religion is Taoism. They worship to different gods and ancestors.
So in the beginning when we became Christians, it was very difficult. Not like in China, but we surely have family persecution. My sister was the first Christian in my family and she wasn’t allowed to go to church on Sunday. She got hit by my dad.
Q/ She got hit?
A/ Yeah, when she was a teenager…she was the first Christian. It wasn’t easy at all. You have to make certain choices for Christ. It’s not easy. We have a big family, extended family: all the uncles and aunts, my grandma…It was difficult.
Q/ So how long have you been a Christian?
A/ Fourteen years.
Q/ And how old are you now?
A/ Thirty-three.
Q/ So you became a Christian while you were a teenager?
A/ Yep.
Q/ What brought about that change, especially with a family that’s deeply Taoist?
A/ My sister was the first Christian in my family. She became a Christian when I was, 16 or 17. I told you she was banned from church, hit by my dad…I was blaming her too. And she told me that she was praying for me. She gave me a Bible for my 17th birthday.
I read it sometimes and meanwhile I wasn’t a happy kid. Since my childhood, I wasn’t a happy kid. As a teenager, I also had a lot of struggles, even considering committing suicide…family problems. So after I received my Bible, sometimes when I was going through a difficult time, I would read it. And somehow I think the Spirit spoke to me.
When I was 18, one of my classmates invited me to go to the English Bible study with her. She wasn’t a believer either, but there was a free English Bible study. She said, “Oh do you want to go with me? Because I don’t want to go by myself.”
So we were both not believers, but ended up going to church for the first time. And we were both somehow deeply touched by the love there, by God’s presence. So eventually we both turned Christian.
I believe the power of prayer. I believe that because my sister prayed for me and she gave me the Bible, it really did something.
Q/ You said that you have a big family, but only a few of you are Christians?
A/ My sister was the first one, my brother was second and then me, the third one. My mom became a Christian after I went to Holland. And my dad is like half and half.
Q/ Would you say there’s more subtle persecution for Christians in Taiwan? Is being a Christian more or less accepted?
A/ Nowadays, it’s more acceptable. There’s no problem at all talking about it and sharing about your faith. Of course, it’s not always welcome if you share about your faith in the workplace. But you have the freedom to be a Christian.
Q/ How do you live out you faith as a Christian in Taiwan? Do you make it a point to go witnessing door-to-door, or is more how you live your life in relationship to people?
A/ I think it’s the latter. I think because your faith makes you live differently. Today you interviewed the three young people. What they said is the general Taiwanese attitude: no faith, no religion. Actually, they didn’t say this, but what they care about is making money. So most people care about being rich, getting rich.
And sometimes you don’t care about how you get rich. It could be illegal ways. They recently found out that the ex-president did a lot of illegal stuff. They are discovering all this corruption. But for a long time, they would say, “It’s all right, as long as you get rich.”
But as a Christian, you want to be honest, caring for others. Stuff like that. It’s just different. You don’t want to live for money. You want to live for God.
Q/ So becoming a Christian changes, in a very outward way, the way you live your life?
A/ Yes, definitely.
Q/ One thing that happens a lot at Festivals is the cooperation and follow-up of churches. Is that the goal here in Taiwan.
A/ That’s what we hope for, yes. We don’t want people to just get excited for one night and then disappear. We want to disciple them.
Q/ Change that lasts a lifetime, not just one night or a weekend?
A/ Right.
Q/ What kind of follow-up will the churches be doing with people?
A/ Teaching them how to be radical for Christ.
Q/ Inviting people to be a part of church afterward?
A/ Yes and to really know God. To not have another religion or a new religion, but to have a relationship. I think that’s what churches are looking for. To know who God is. People have so many idols. They worship so many gods in the temple. Like in the Buddhist temple. You have families who have small altars at home.
It’s also part of Taoism. If you go to some local restaurants or food stands, they might have an altar. They can represent different powers.
Q/ Do you think that there’s a good deal of spiritual warfare, as a result of that?
A/ Absolutely. Absolutely.
Q/ Have you encountered any of that personally?
A/ There is idolatry and deception. Sometimes you can feel it. A few weeks ago, I was going to meet a non-Christian person and I had to take a taxi. When I went into the taxi, I could feel it. It was just so dark. This person had all these different symbols and there was a different presence there.
So when we share the Gospel, we want to tell people who the true living God is. It’s different from the god they used to know.
Q/ Do you think it gives people a sense of freedom after coming to know God? To come from that sort of background and that sort of presence?
A/ Yeah, I think so.
Q/ Is that what you felt?
A/ Yeah, definitely. I never ever want to go back.
As the Festival quickly approaches, please join us in prayer. Pray for Franklin and the messages that he will be bringing. Pray that the people of Taiwan will learn of that new freedom that Fancie talked about. Finally, pray for Fancie and others like her. They are living out their faith in powerful ways, inviting friends and family to experience the same life-changing presence of Jesus that they’ve encountered.
