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