Loving Jesus

Lacy was setting dinner on the table when the doorbell rang. Who could it be? White shirts, ties, backpacks.... Jehovah's Witnesses. I stepped out the door and 45 minutes later returned to cold dinner. As I talked to them, I skipped the part about debating with all of their false teachings. I told them I disagree, and the Bible is the only holy scripture. But I kept on talking, and spend most of the time talking about the love of Jesus. I told them how he is personal to me, how He has blessed me and provide for me. I told them how He is faithful to me and my family, and how he has been faithful to restore my life and bring restoration to me. How he is gentle and how He loves me. One of them was American and one was Taiwanese. I thought that the Taiwanese was almost in tears. I asked to pray for them before they left. They accepted. I prayed a prayer of faith over their lives, and they walked away. "Come back any time if you want to talk." Here I get to share the gospel... and someone rang my doorbell to come hear it. :) Praise the Lord. We prayed after they left that every seed that was planted would be watered and they would come to Him and be great soul winners for the true gospel of Jesus.

On A Scale from 1-10... stinky tofu gets a -75. YUCK!

If I were to rate Taiwanese food on a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 2. Yeah, it's not that good. I think we were expecting Chinese food, which when served in China (not America) gets a higher score of 6.

Just for fun, I will rate a few more things, on a scale from 1-10.

Traffic craziness: 4 (considering countries like Haiti, traffic here is more managable)
Neighbor noise: 8 (with only 2 points left, my nerves could use some peace and quiet)
Drinks: 7 (Keith's favorite: milky sweet tea with tapioca balls in it - fat straws suck em up)
Views: 7 (Taiwan is a land of extremes. Beautiful sunsets behind the mountain and over the river, but turn around and you might see the grey water canal with a rat running in it. It gets a 7 for both beauty and for shock factor, depending on where you're looking.)
Cheap prices: 5 (compared to the states, it's cheaper, but compared to China it's more).

So if I think of more things to rate, I'll get em up here. Or if Keith has more to contribute. Or of course, requests are welcome! :)

So we have been here for 3 months and we are starting to figure out how things work. You can't imagine how many things there are to figure out. From "how do I pay my electric bill?" to "Are there bathrooms in public?". From "Is this Zhong Shan North Road?" to "How often will people raise their voices fighting outside our window?" The list goes on and on (Is this 30NT per apple, or per pound of apples?), and slowly... slowly.... we are learning each thing day by day.

So if I were to video tape for you what an average trip to the grocery store was like, you would see for yourself the amount of physical work that is required just to keep our family fed. 690 steps to the subway (just guessing), 7 minute subway ride, 759 steps to the store, 10 NT to use the shopping cart, getting bumped and pushed all through the store as the aisles are always packed, 20 minute wait in the check out line (Jeremiah has usually already lost it by this time), bring your own bags or pay for new ones (like .30 per bag), 759 steps back to the subway, this time carrying groceries and pushing Jeremiah's stroller, 7 minute subway ride, 690 steps back to our apartment, 18 big stairs up to our floor, unlock both doors, and fall onto the chair in exhaustion. And we do this multiple times a week because you can only buy what you can carry. If we just can't take the trip home, we catch a taxi, but not too often because it's a $5 ride.

Going to the grocery store, going to the park for Jeremiah, going to church, exploring the area, going to friends' houses, going to YWAM, going to the post office or the doctor... it has all been by foot and public transport. And often times it leaves us exhausted and stressed, with little emotional reserve left to deal with the rest of life. Especially for Lacy, the physical demand of life here has really taken a toll.

So as you can now understand the need, you can understand why we are really excited about trying to get a car for our family. It would be a huge blessing, and really change part of what our daily life has looked like and required of us. Hopefully it eliminate the problem of having to spend all of our energy just on the tasks of taking care of ourselves, and have a little left over for the more important things of life. We have found a Canadian man who is selling a 1994 VW Vento (like an older Jetta), and it seems to be a really well kept car, with only 70K miles on it during it's 12 years of being driven. He is asking around $2200 USD for it.

We have $400 already given to us for the car, so we are praying that God would lay it on the hearts of 18 people to give $100 towards our transportation need here, or 9 people who could give $200 each. Would you pray about being a part of seeing this goal reached and this need met for us here in Taiwan? Thank you!

We have new pictures up for you to see from the last two months. Here is the link:
http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=lacy+haugan&AID=4060874

Also, Keith has written a few reflective thoughts about ministry and the people here in Taiwan. Read them below. I personally think they're pretty good. ;)

Thank you to those of you who support and pray for us. We certainly need you... life is quite challenging these days! May the grief on God's heart over the lost be lessened as we join together to bring them home. Use us Lord...

Keith and Lacy... and Jeremiah who just turned 3

You're a Christian, right?

The young man asked... I could see this young Buddhist looking at me intently as I began to share with him. I asked him, 'Tell me about your family.' He said, 'I'm from Malaysia.' 'Why are you in Taiwan?' I asked. 'I came for schooling.' As we began to talk more I asked him if his family was Buddhist also. He said no, he had two sisters who were Christians. I thought to myself, I have found a key! So I continued to share about Jesus with him. He was very interested and wanted to talk more later. These little conversations happen at 'The Rock' coffee shop all the time, opportunities to share Jesus with people from all over Taiwan and the world. One conversation, seeds are planted, and they are one step closer to knowing Jesus. It's also a great place to have a great cup of tea!

by Keith

Jesus, among other "gods"...
As we got close to the temple the air was filled with smell of insence burning in the temple. So many idols holding poeple in bondage and fear. As we walked into the temple I felt like I was walking into another time. The walls and ceiling were black from decades of idol worship, a strong hold for the people here. As I looked out across the temple court yard, behold a Church right next door. As people came to worship idols at the temple, they would see the church. The thought came to mind, 'Jesus among other gods'. I began to pray that Jesus' name would be known here, that He is the name above all names that He has come to set the captives free. I learned a lot that week about Asia and I found myself having a great deal of respect for the Asian believers as I learned that many have to give up important family traditions and customs. Jesus is not just one among many gods but but he is the true God, the Creator God, who desires all to know Him, and how He loves us.