Real Taiwanese Experience

Well I guess I'm really seeing and living the Taiwan Life now. I'm staying with Vision's (one of the camp councilors) family in the town of Keelong for the weekend.
Example #1 of how Taiwan life is different, instead of petting a dog, I got to pet a puffer fish(video of this to come soon). It was like playing with a balloon that is breathing in your hands. We also had a "snack" at 11:30 at night which was essentially a full meal.
Vision's family runs an orphanage just down the street from their house, and we are planning on going to play with the kids tomorrow We might also make a trip to the coast since it is so close, or go to the lake and go swimming. This will definitely be an interesting cultural experience over the course of a weekend.
Oh yeah, this week was another great week at camp. Instead of being a foreigner helping the team at camp, it really feels like I'm just a part of the team here now, and it's really a blast. Like I mentioned before I even got speaking parts in the play that goes on over the course of the week. I think I did fairly well, and I know the councilors have a fun time teasing the way I say things, but it's all fun and entertaining. Besides teaching and running sports like I have all along, I also spent a large chunk of time filming the other activities that were going on. The camp pretty much films everything that goes on and takes tons of pictures for a camp video and promotional videos later, so this week I helped with the documentation. They also like to have a video ready for the kids to take home with them at the end of camp if possible. Well this week there wasn't anyone set for making the video so I took on that task as well and had the pleasure of sifting through about 75 gigabytes of video for a 5 minute video. So lets just say the video got done, but I grabbed a total of 30 minutes of sleep that I grabbed while the computer was processing some video. Sleep is calling me so I'll try and get some pictures and/or video up whenever I get a chance.

Another Camp Gone By

So I had every intention of trying to post more during this camp, but as seems to be the case, it just flew by in a blink. It was a great week, and the kids were even better than the last. It seems like every new group comes in more and more ready to talk and have fun.
This weekend I'm heading home with one of the councilors that lives in the far north of island. It should be a lot of fun. I'm being pushed out the door now, so I'll make sure to come back and fill in the week and weekend plans, and maybe try and get up some more pictures or video. I will say this, there has been major talks of expanding my role in the skits next week after my stellar performance this week!

Another Camp

Back at camp again!!
This week we have new group since ours left. They are from Alabama and are just a bit younger. By a bit I mean I was the youngest of our group, I would be the oldest of theirs. They seem like they are excited and ready to have fun with all the kids.
I think I've been here long enough that the camp people think I'm actually Chinese. They gave me two speaking parts in the 4 part skit that they run every week, and yes the whole thing is in Chinese. I think they just get a kick out of most of my lines, I just hope the kids have any idea what I'm saying. I'm also now leading some of the Chinese music, so this week is the same kind of camp, but it's going to be a whole new experience for me.

The Mountains and a Waterpark

Since the rest of the team left on Friday, we've had a break from camp for the weekend. So Friday, Elizabeth(the other American staying till the last camp) and I got to tag along with a highschool/college group from the church of several of the camp workers to a waterpark! It was definitely a lot of fun, even being the only two foreigners in the entire place. We did go a lot higher and faster than anyone else on most of the rides, so being bigger than anyone else there sometimes has it's advantages. After the waterpark, a group of the kids took us to a night market and tried to get us to try all kinds of local street food, and it was all good. Elizabeth really enjoyed the baked potato with bacon and cheese.
Saturday, Ron(the camp director) took us with his family up into the mountains. It was a lot of driving to and from, but definitely worth it. The ride up consisted of a lot of fog, and the ride down was almost all rain, but at the top we got enough clear to see some really nice views and enjoy the mountains.
Today after church, we head back to camp, and get to meet the next team that is coming to takeover after our team's leaving. It should be a lot of fun, and I'm really glad I've gotten plenty of rest this weekend so I can make it two more weeks.
I've started a flickr account so I can post more pictures if you care to take a look.

My current Flickr Pictures

Oh and as I sat here typing this I experienced my first earthquake. Apparently there were 15 while the team was here, but I never felt one and no one pointed any out. This one was a 5.4.

Going Home

Sorry about the big break in posts, but it seems like camp has just been non-stop. This second camp was elementary age kids, and they were ready to play and didn't show up shy at all. These kids would talk to you for minutes at a time without stopping or pausing to think we didn't speak chinese. Even after telling them, most kids would just ramble on and on, and it was very fun to see kids so happy to just be at camp and having fun. As soon as I can get them off my camera, I should have some more pictures up.
Every one had another great week even though most everyone is tired and ready for the trip home. I think I've even heard some first meal home planning and constant a/c hope.
This really has been a good group for this trip and we showed up with a lot of stuff prepared and not much of a clue what we'd do or how we'd be used, but it worked out very well. Everyone laughed so much sit-ups wouldn't even be a better work out. So now the group splits up and people are heading in a couple different directions. Mom(Beverly), Lee, and Sheri will be heading home today. Sally is already in Australia. Bob and Nancy are headed to Japan for a week. And I'm staying here for 2 more weeks. The camp needs some labor help and runs for two more weeks so I've volunteered to help and am now here till August 5. So please keep checking back for more hopefully regular updates and pictures.
Please keep everyone in your prayers as the majority of the team travels today and me as I work two more weeks of camp.
Thank you.

The National Concert Hall

Taiwan 101

Sunset at Damshui

From Sheri

Hi all,
Lots and lots has happened over the last many days...you can go to the BLOG and check some stuff
Camp went very well...we made a lot of friends...the kids really began to open up after the 2nd day...a lot of them could speak English fairly well but were shy about using it.
We had a great campfire on Wed. night...Ron gave a very, to the point, presentation of how the kids will have encountered Jesus during the camp and how they might respond.
Thursday the kids left and we took a train to Taipei. Ginann fixed us a great meal...rice, chicken and SALAD!!!!
Friday we we walked at least 2000 miles or possibly more...my dogs were barking!!! But we saw lots of things: Chang Hai Shek Memorial, a handicraft market, the Palace Museum with lots of China's treasures ...which were beautiful and then we took the MRT to Damshui...about an hour from Taipei
to watch the sunset...which was beautiful and then ate at a really great Chinese restaurant. When we got home I CRASHED..I was so tired!!!!
Oh yes, when we were leaving the museum, there was the MOST BEAUTIFUL rainbow I have ever seen...it appeared to be very close and we could see both ends of it and the
the colors were so distinct! So cool!
We are going sightseeing again today...flower and jade market, the 101 building...
a really TALL building in Taipei(the one in the picture above) and tonight we will go to a night market...I'm sure I'll be whipped again tonight.....but God is good and we all have been well and are surfing the humidity.
Next week we will be working with the younger kids and they do not speak English...so please pray that we will be able to establish relationships without language!
We go back to camp on Sunday afternoon.......
Please keep up the prayers...we all appreciate them.
Blessings,
SheriQ

Whirlwind week!

So as you've noticed we've missed a few days here and we can blame it on the internet and not our own laziness. The internet went out at camp for the last few days we were there.
We are now done with the first camp and sitting comfortably yet very tired in Taipei. The rest of camp was an absolute blast, and none of us wanted to see the kids leave. They were all wonderful and nice and we became attached quickly as they started talking more and more and most of them were completely out of their shells just in time to be done with camp.
Over the three days that you missed, we had a massive water war, played many songs and played many games. The peanut butter and jelly song in the previous video was sung about 10,000 times as it was the punishment song. Anytime someone was late or caught without their name tag, this song was used. Wednesday, we did have a hotdog roast for our lunch and a lot of the kids really seemed to enjoy hotdogs and french fries with watermelon. A lot of them really liked the s'mores we brought as well. Overall it was a really great time with great kids.
Everyone is doing really well and having a great time as well. We are very tired and ready to sleep by the time bed time rolls around but ready to roll on when the sun comes back up.

Here in Taipei we did have a great day sightseeing yesterday. We all went to the chang hai shek memorial yesterday morning as well as a market that was close by. After lunch we went to the palace museum and headed out to the boardwalk where the river meets the sea for sunset and a very lovely dinner with Jenny, a Taiwanese local friend of the Franklins. The sunset was very pretty and the food was amazing. The wind and water were very rough as we were getting the back end winds of a typhoon at the other end of the island. It was a very nice day in Taipei but like everything else we've done, very tiring. Today we are headed to the jade market, and we get to go up in the Taipei 101, the tallest occupied building in the world. I'm very much looking forward to that and the night market that we are going to head to tonight.


Good morning - it's me, Lee! In a nutshell: imagine me at Possum Kingdom having been in the sun and water for several hours - also include racing all over the lake with the wind racing through my silky tresses! The time at the camp is fun and extremely rewarding. Lots of great kids, counselors, staff, etc. The people in Taipai are so friendly and always at the ready to try a little of their English. I fall into bed exhausted and looking forward to coffee in the a.m. I'm the only coffee drinker in the bunch - so I make up for them! Jane C., pls e-mail or contaact by phone Jo.W. and convey my love and prayers to and for her and George. I am devastated at this news - esp. right upon the heels of our other recent loss.
love to all of you - thank you for the personal prayers for us here, esp me re the heat, etc. God is ever faithul! lee h

First Day of camp!

Today was a really fun day. We started the day practicing lots of things and teaching the councilors all of our songs and dances.
All the kids started showing up in the early afternoon, although we were put way behind schedule by a bus load of the kids getting caught in a heavy storm and arriving very late. We are all quickly making friends with all the national councilors and now we just have to get the kids to open up come out of their shells and try to speak a little english.
This evening we taught several of our songs to the group and even got the whole group doing the cotton eyed joe in two big room sized circles. They all seem very enthusiastic about singing and dancing and that just makes leading and teaching that much more fun and easy.

Finally at Camp

Being Sunday and all, we took a trek to Church today. It was held in the basement of the English Christian School in Taichung. It was obviously a smaller church and made even smaller by the fact that it was summer and a lot of the members are currently traveling. It was a nice familiar service with some "Jesus Jingles" as Bob likes to call them and a nice sermon on Romans 12 and 1 Samuel. Worship the giver rather than the gifts that he has given us and use our gifts to worship him.
After church we had a great lunch of, that's right Chinese food. It was by far the best food we've had so far and the most liked by many of the members of our group as the sweet and sour chicken was a welcome sight of most of the women.
From there we headed back to the house we've been in since our arrival and the ladies cleaned as Bob and I left for camp, were we spent the better part of the afternoon wiring and installing the air conditioners in our rooms. So everyone felt a great relief as that last wire was crossed and everything began to cool down.
Tonight after our steak dinner in town, we met with the Taiwanese councilors and played some games and got to know each other. Tomorrow our campers arrive the whirlwind week is off and running for sure.

Catching up

So we've left off a few days so I'll try and do a quick recap...Our flights went very well for the most part, we even had extra space to stretch out on the long 13.5 hr flight to Taipei. Bob and Nancy did miss their connecting flight from LA to Tokyo, but that go them put on the same flight as the rest of the group so it really worked out for the best.
On Friday, we took a tour of the English school in town and most were given the chance to rest and recuperate so jet lag wouldn't get to anyone too bad. Bob and I however got an advance view of the camp we will be staying at as Ron took us out there to help run ropes for another group of campers that were renting the camp and wanted to climb. So not only did we get a early tour of the camp but we got to hang out with and help some of the age of kids that we are going to get to help this next week. They were so excited to climb and happy to be having fun and so encouraging to each other as they all tried to get up the wall(we assume it was encouragement since it was in mandarin!), so we feel really good about the camps and the kids that we are going to be spending camp with.
We did have a fun food mishap last night as Lee ordered Cuttlefish expecting "Cuddle" fish which ended up being little squid. Mom and I were the only ones willing to try and it wasn't bad, it wasn't great but it was cooked with enough garlic that if you could get past the rubberiness, it was tolerable.
It does seem that no one is having too bad of a time with jet lag which is great. They did give a lot of downtime in these first couple days to help people build back up and we should definitely be ready for camp when it starts Monday.

--Kevin

Hot and Humid

Well...what can I say???? It is hot and very humid but we are all doing well. Today we met with Ron, who is the camp director, and got our plans for the first camp situated for Monday.
Sunday we are going to church and late that afternoon we will move to the camp.
We really are a good group....we laugh lots and this morning we had good time of sharing.
Well it's getting time to think about eating AGAIN!!! We'll check in later.
Thanks for all the prayers
SheriQ for the group

Packed?

I'm not, in fact I haven't even started. I know it's going to be a long night, but I blame it on wanting to adjust to the Taiwan time ahead of time. We're definitely all excited about the trip tomorrow and some are more nervous than others, so we just ask for you to pray for everyone's nerves and readiness as we spend our last nights at home tonight.

Getting Ready

We can count the days with just the fingers on our hands now, we're leaving in less than a week. It's time for packing and finalizing plans.