Xushan village in Liuying, Tainan is known as “the village of angry ghosts”. A forgotten and neglected village of working class families and elderly. The neighboring village where we live is called Guoyihou, named after the drums and flags seen here in the military camps when the Japanese occupied Taiwan.
What is the spiritual condition of the working class Taiwan? Barrels line the fronts of shops and homes. The flames inside twist and dodge as fake money is burned to please the gods and ancestors. Red stained lips and teeth reveal the desperate desire to numb life’s troubles by chewing addictive betel nut. During the day, dysfunctional relationships are hidden by smiles and perpetual busyness, but evening reveals shouts of anger and disappointment pounding through neighboring walls. As the spiritual soil in Taiwan has been hardened by generations of idolatry, superstition, and ancestor worship we have to be creative, flexible, and patient to reach the working class with the Gospel.
Our vision is to see people radically transformed; the community set free from spiritual bondage, families restored, individuals know their sense of worth that stems from Creator God who is sovereign over all and yet intimately cares for each one.
In partnership with a local Christian school teacher and a local church, the JiaEn ministry team seeks to meet both physical and spiritual needs of children and families in our community, and strive to see lives transformed through God’s Gospel of hope.
Our after-school programs assist 40+ children and youth with homework and English. We provide meals for many of these students. We also lead two Children’s Sunday schools and a Saturday youth group. We do regular outreaches throughout the year for Easter, Christmas, Zhongqiu Jie, as well as summer and winter camps. Slowly the kids' behavior has begun to change from angry, disinterested, sad, disrespectful, and refusing to talk, to kind, helpful, engaged, hopeful, and happy. The villagers have started to take notice and have been deeply touched by the care for their children.
We come alongside the adults in the community through farming with them in the fields and making home visits to talk over tea. We connect with people through BBQs, hiking, and outings. Recently, we've started a mom's quilting class to connect their life stories to Bible stories. We have even begun to disciple a few new believers. God is on the move!
Yet there is much left to do. So we continue to press on in prayer and persevere in building relationships and planting seeds. Join us in praying Isaiah 61 over our villages with us. That God will bind up the brokenhearted and proclaim release to those held captive in darkness. Ask the Lord to convict people of robbery in their burnt offerings and to clothe them with garments of salvation, a cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. Pray that people will be released from their shame and receive a double portion of God’s grace and everlasting joy.
Funds for the JiaEn Ministry Project will enable us to purchase supplies for our after school programs, outreach events, and Bible studies. If there are physical needs within the community, these funds would provide clothing, bedding, household items, and food to those families in need.
