Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
I want to start off by thanking all of the people who went on the Taiwan mission trip last year, because their testimonies convinced me to go on my very first mission trip this year! What they shared led me to serve God and others in a new way that I wasn’t used to. I had to leave my family for the longest time I’d ever been away from home and go to another country I had never been to, where the weather was hot and humid, and where I didn’t speak the language very well. But all of that didn’t matter after having such a wonderful experience on the mission trip.
After arriving at the school to prepare for the camp, which was a couple days before the VGM camp started, I felt pretty nervous and uneasy. I was worried about my inexperience, the language barrier, and how the kids would view me. I felt like I had no idea what I was doing or should be doing. I began to focus too much on myself and my flaws and lost sight of the bigger picture, which is God’s plan to lead the children to know Him.
But after the first day of camp, especially after seeing all the cute and hyper 1st and 2nd graders in my group, all my worries were washed away and I refocused on what was important. Thanks to God and my amazing team, every lesson, game, and song, went by so smoothly and enjoyably. A fun part for me of the first day was when we gave each kid an English name. The kids had trouble remembering their own names and each other’s, but that didn’t stop them from running around together and play-fighting. The kids also surprised me because they weren’t as innocent as I thought. Although they all loved drawing, the naughty boys drew private parts on their drawings, laughed, and called themselves poop! Still, even after one day, I loved the kids in my group. They all had such distinct personalities.
The second day of camp was one of my favorites. I got to play soccer with several kids during recess, and learned that you can amaze them if you kick the ball really far! That day I also began to find out about cultural differences and misconceptions the kids had about Americans. I remember during recess one of my kids asked me why I was so tan if I was from America. It made me laugh and realize that he thought all Americans were pale or white! Another highlight of the second day was when my team had the opportunity to tell Bible stories to our kids. Those Bible stories about Jesus (that we had heard so many times and gotten bored of) were shocking and exciting to the kids. I remember telling the story of Lazarus, and as soon as I told the kids that Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave, a couple of them screamed and hid behind a desk. And then I had to explain that Lazarus wasn’t a ghost, but a real person that Jesus had brought back to life. That day all of the children listened so intently and were eager to know more about Jesus. Thank God that these children had such open hearts and were curious about Jesus. The experience helped me truly understand what Jesus meant when He said in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
On the third day of camp, I learned that I really enjoyed teaching English to the kids. I never knew that watching kids yell “I FEEL ANXIOUS” could be so exciting to me until then. I realized that the energy of the kids made almost everything we did fun and really tiring at the same time. Also on the third day of camp my team got to make our first home visit. We visited our student Hank’s house where we had a really nice time. It was entertaining to see how one of our most talkative students in class became shy when we came to his house. But thankfully we had many opportunities to share a little of the Gospel with Hank’s dad, who was very open and friendly. Hank was even willing to sing the Gospel songs we had taught in the camp for his dad, and also performed violin for us. God kept opening doors for us to spread the Gospel in some way while we were on our mission trip.
On the last day of camp, everything went by so quickly. But what stuck in my mind was all the performances we watched from each group. My group went first, and sang the song “Huo Chu Ai” (Live Out Love). During the performance, most of my kids sang and did the motions, but some were very mischievous and hid behind the piano onstage or laid on the floor! Another memorable part of the last day was when we visited the orphanage where many of the kids came from. We got to hear some stories, learn about how the orphanage was run, and understand the background of many of the orphans. It was sad to hear about how many children’s families weren’t able or willing to take care of them, but I was glad that most of the children knew about God, the one who could love and care for them.
To finish, I just want to repeat myself and say that the Taiwan mission trip was an amazing experience full of good memories that I will never forget. I learned so much along the way and met so many supportive, hard-working, and God-loving people on the Taiwan team. I also got to know people from our own church better on this trip, and I am so thankful that I got to work with so many awesome people. The two most important things I have taken from this experience are:
1. Love never fails. Although there were language barriers, God’s love was still fully shown to the kids at VGM. I began to understand this when I saw how Michael and Jenelle spoke love and kindness through their actions towards the kids, despite not speaking Chinese.
2. God can use any person he chooses for His glory. It’s important to trust that God will always make sure that His will is fulfilled.
Overall, I believe that the work our mission teams have done at VGM this summer has made a positive impact on these children. I am honored to be a tiny part of God’s big plan to spread His love around the world. I hope that some of you can join the team for next year’s VGM!
