shine

A friend of ours introduced us to Micheal Thompson and Oneway.  We love the two beautiful worship CDs we got on itunes--Shine and a Brand New Day--that clearly worship the God of all nations.

Here is the title song from Shine; it's based on Psalm 67.  Enjoy!!

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! 

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! 

The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

-Psalm 67

台灣我愛你 taiwan, i love you

praying for Taiwan

To find more videos like this and further info to help guide you in praying for the nations look here: http://prayercast.com/

infant potty training

My mother-in-law told me this past weekend  that all three of her kids shared one cloth diaper and that’s the only diaper she ever needed.  She went on to tell me that she started potty training all of her kids on day three.  Meaning that when they were three days old she started potty training them!

At first I was shocked.  Sounds impossible.  But, then I started asking questions and talking to Lawrance more about it.  Then of course I had to google it.

Here is what I found:

Throughout much of the non-Western world, infant toilet training is the norm. In India, China, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, the arctic, and parts of Africa and Latin America, parents leave baby bottoms uncovered (Boucke 2003; Sonna 2006; deVries and deVries 1977).

Diapers are considered unnecessary-—even disgusting. When babies have to pee or poop, parents hold them over a preferred target (e.g., a toilet, an outdoor latrine, or simply open ground) until business is done.

How do parents know when their babies need to go? By paying close attention. In these “bare-bottom” cultures, babies spend much of their days being carried around. Mom learns to read her baby’s cues. And-—eventually—-baby learns to hesitate until Mom gives her the “okay”-—usually signaled by a special vocalization, like “sheee-sheee” or “shuuuus” (Boucke 2003; deVries and deVries 1977).

Sometimes called “elimination communication,” this method is now being adopted by some parents in the United States and other Western countries.

There is also a pdf that talks more about “Potty Training” in China, where she gives the four basic steps to get started with training an infant to go where you want them to go.

The authors also state that parents in China can potty train their child so young because “there is an elimination awareness ’window of learning’ open from birth to about 6 months of age. If parents tap into this sensitive period, they generally have good results with toilet training.”

So, perhaps it’s not as shocking as I thought it was.  But one thing for sure is that it takes LOTS of time on the part of the caregiver (ie. mommy or, in many cases in Taiwan, grandma).  It depends on the caregiver always being near the child and being very vigilant about “reading” and “learning” the child’s signals.

And, it might be labor intensive, time consuming, and at times messy for mom, but it sure has other benefits too.  Just to start, think of all the money saved on diapers!

There is also a special way to hold a baby or young one over a toilet–made easier if you are using a squatty potty.  Many in Taiwan also let their children go outside over a drain.

And, in case your wondering, the vocalizations used here in Taiwan for “elimination communication” are a gentle, breathy whistle or a “shuuu, shuuu” sound for peeing and grunting sounds like “unh, unh” for pooing.

Here’s a CNN video of American parents using this concept:

I give props to my mother-in-law for her labor-intensive, money-saving way to raise my husband.  I’m impressed!  It becomes even more impressive when I realized she had three under three and used this method with all three of them!  She’s amazing!

i’m forever grateful

This song has been playing in my head, in my heart, and on my ipod for the last two weeks:

Popout

You did not wait for me to draw near to You
But You clothed Yourself with frail humanity
You did not wait for me to cry out to You
But You let me hear Your Voice calling me
And I’m Forever Grateful to You
I’m Forever Grateful for The Cross
I’m Forever Grateful to You
That You came to seek and save the lost

(Written by Mark Altrogge, Hosanna Music, 1985)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

love unreserved

Lawrance is leading worship this Sunday at the bilingual church we are a part of, and below is one of the songs he’s using.  I think it is such a pretty song.

In fact, I first heard it when our friends sang it at our wedding.  There is another version with the lyrics changed to make a wedding version of the song.



Since the song originates from Hong Kong, I can only find it online in Cantonese and English.  (Well, I did find it here, but I think the Cantonese version is prettier.)









Lyrics in Chinese:

常聽說 世界愛沒長久，
哪裡會有愛無盡頭？
塵俗的愛只在乎曾擁有，
一刻燦爛便要走！
而我卻 確信愛是恆久，
碰到了你已無別求：
無從解釋、不可說明的愛，
千秋過後仍長存不朽！
誰人受 痛苦被懸掛在木頭？
至高的愛盡見於刺穿的手；
看！血在流反映愛沒保留，
持續不死的愛到萬世不休！
惟求奉上生命全歸主所有，
要將一切盡獻於我主的手；
我已決定今生再沒所求，
惟望得主稱讚已足夠！

Lyrics of the English version (not a direct translation, so it’s more “singable):

I’ve always been told love won’t survive
Promises will turn into lies
The world just thinks love comes and passes though
It never lasts pure and true
But I still believe can last
It’s your unfailing love that gives me rest
You were there when I needed you most
I’ll never walk all alone
On the cross you died and took away my curse
Love so wondrous no one ever could deserve
Your bleeding hands proved your love unreserved
You’re my greatest joy and treasure on the earth.
Make my life a fragrant offering I pray
Help me Lord to serve you truly every day
Through tears and joy I’ll give you all my praise
Let the whole world know your love and grace

microblogging with students

This is my eighth year to teach a writing class. Each year I thing I change something about my approach.

One of the things I love to include in my writing class is some kind of journal or reflection or discussion. I want them writing on a regular basis something that is not “academic” in addition to the academic essay they are working on drafting and revising.

A couple of times I did handwritten dialogue journals back and forth with my students. Another year I did an online discussion board where the students discussed topics among themselves. I’ve also tried giving a list of prompts and just having students write each week the answer to which ever question grabbed them.

But, this year, I think I’ve stumbled upon the jackpot. I had them all set up microblogs on typepad.

Each week I post a video from youtube, and their task is to summarize the video in less than three sentences and then respond to the video somehow.  Typeapad makes this really easy for them with their built-in “reblog” feature. I told them to aim for at least 150 words with each microblog.

I gave them a list of possible ways they could “respond”:

• How does the video make you feel?  Why?
• What do you think is the main message of the video?
• To what extent do you agree or disagree with the main message of the video?
• How can you apply the main message of the video to your own life?
• Think aloud about what the video makes you think about.
• Reflect on the video and what it means to you.
• Write a short story inspired by the video.
• If you were in the video, who would you want to be?
• If you can talk to someone in the video, what would you say or ask?
• If you could change something about the video, what would you change?
• Write a poem.
• Describe what the next video in this series would be.
• Write a song.
• Write an academic style paragraph.
• and MORE . . . . . .

So far, I’ve shown them:

• Piano Stairs–The Fun Theory
• The Black Hole
• The Death Crawl (a clip from Facing the Giants)
• I Love Living Life (recommended by a student)
• Where is Matt? (ok so that’s the title I gave it)

My goal is to show them videos that are either creative or thought-provoking or inspiring.  I have a few more in the reserves, and I’ve also required each student to recommend one video that they think their classmates would enjoy responding to. (If you have a suggestion of a video they might like writing about, I’ll gladly take it.)

So far, I’ve been so pleased with the depth of the responses I’ve been getting from my students, and the quality of their summaries (a skill they must have) has improved in just a few weeks.  And, a great part is that I think they are really enjoying this assignment.

I am really excited when students enjoy learning!

heaven’s eight blessings 天國八福

Last night, someone shared a video of the “Eight Blessings of Heaven” on Facebook.

Lawrance watched it, and since it was really catchy I asked about it.  He simply said, “oh, it’s the eight Christian blessings.”

And then the cogs in my brain started turning.  First I thought: “That’s really cool.  Some Chinese person who knows that eight is an auspicious number meaning blessing and fullness created a neat way to share truth.”
Then I thought: “Hmmm, I wonder how they choose only eight.  I wonder what those eight blessings are.  I wonder if they’re truly biblical.”

Fast-forward to today.  Lawrance found another video with hundreds of people dancing in the street at an event called “Kaohsiung for Jesus.”

I wanted to watch it for myself, so he sent me the link.  It was only then that I realized that “Heaven’s Eight Blessings” were the “Beatitudes”!

So, um, yeah.  That’s pretty biblical.  I never before realized there were eight of them.  I have no idea if that number had significance to the immediate culture Christ was “opening his mouth and teaching” to, but it sure does have a lot of significance to the Taiwanese and Chinese!  How cool!!!

Watch and see for yourself, how Taiwanese have turned the “Eight Blessings of Heaven” into a dancing chant:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

(Matthew 5:3-10 ESV)

“tai ke” dance

What started this post was this video posted to facebook by one of my former students.  It was filmed at our school:
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___So, let’s back up a little, first what is 台客 (tai ke)?

This is actually quite difficult to answer.  I’ve heard the term “tai ke” could be likened to the term “redneck” or “white trash.”  Meaning it is a certain subculture that is looked down on by the mainstream culture because of class, economic standing, and/or beliefs.

Lawrance also likened it to the hip hop culture–a subculture that is proud of who they are and where they come from that sets trends in music and clothing.

The New York Times says it is “a phrase that originally meant ‘redneck’ but has now come to encompass a youth-focused lifestyle that celebrates both the déclassé (flip-flops, Long Life cigarettes) and the haute (Gucci, Macallan).”

But, this seemingly simple term for subculture also is seeped in socio-political, historical implications.  Historically, tai ke was “used by those post-1949 mainland Chinese arriving in Taiwan with the KMT regime.”  At that time, “the term connoted ethnic discrimination towards native Taiwanese and was used specifically to articulate perceptions of their unsophisticated outlook and behaviour” (Taike rock and its discontent).

See, literally “tai ke” means “Tai guest.”  So, the mainlanders were calling the Taiwanese and Hakka people who had been on the island longer than them–guests.

But, now, thanks to Wu Bai, who has been called the king of tai ke, and the commercial efforts of music companies, the term’s negative meaning has “been subverted and is now given a positive touch to mean ‘coolness’ and confidence” (East Asian Pop Culture).  Wu Bai sees tai ke as a “direct expression of national culture.”

However, if you ask local Taiwanese people about what is “tai ke” they won’t refer to the historical or political implications.  And, most won’t tell you that it means “cool and confident.”  Instead, they will begin describing stereotypical actions of the people they consider to be “tai ke,” telling you how they drive, speak, and even chew.

Here are some things that are stereotypically thought to be “tai ke”–people who wear white and blue plastic slippers outside, have low education, chew betel nut, smoke and drink heavily, have cheaply dyed golden hair, wear imitation name-brand clothing, and hang out around temples or internet cafes, and participate in temple parades.  There are even more stereotypical characteristics and behaviors; but, more than actions and behavior, being “tai ke” is a possessing a certain attitude.

So, nowadays, telling someone who is not “tai” they are “tai” is meant to be an insult.  It would be like telling someone they have no class or are being disrespectful.  But, those who actually are “tai” find pride in being “tai.”

And, while most people in Taiwan look down on things that are “tai ke,” there is also a sense of pride across Taiwan for some of the things that have come out of the “tai ke” subculture because it is uniquely Taiwanese (This is especially true in southern Taiwan).

“Tai ke wu” is one of these things.

OK. So, that brings us back to what is 台客舞 (tai ke wu)?

It is a group dance–similar to country line dancing in that lines of people do the exact same moves at the same time.  And, that lots of people know how to do the dance.

And, like the fact that the subculture is mostly about a embodying a certain attitude so is the dance.  As I was searching for videos, I saw one Taiwanese celebrity explain that although the foot work is easy, the arm movements and attitude that one has to portray is what makes the dance so special and difficult.

Lawrance pointed out to me that since the dance originated from people who participate in temple parades and hang out at temples, they naturally incorporated certain movements and feeling from temple parade marches that are made when carrying an idol down the street.

There are several videos on youtube showing students doing the “tai ke” dance. Here is what seems like the most watched “tai ke wu” video on youtube.  It starts off as a group dance, but dancers back off one by one because one guy is so much better than the rest.  All the shouts and screams coming from the sidelines are people expressing their admiration for how great he is doing.  This was funny to me at first because originally I thought he was doing a poor job (kinda sloppy on the moves), but the more I learned about tai ke wu the more I realized it was all about embodying a certain attitude–and this guy’s got it.
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___I liked this one that invited their teacher to join in, and she did.  Throughout the video, everyone is impressed with the middle student’s dancing ability–again, she’s got a certain attitude going.
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And finally here is a modified tai ke wu (an aerobic exercise version) on the news . . . with all ages participating and the mayor of Kaohsiung promoting it.  In this video, you can see people in costume dancing as gods on stage–this is what Lawrance was talking about . . . and we’ll get into more in depth tomorrow.
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qing ming jie

Last Monday was Qing Ming Jie (清明節), known in English as Tomb Sweeping Day.  If I am remembering correctly, it is the only holiday in Taiwan that is not based on the lunar calendar–here it is observed every April 5th.  But the Wu family observes this holiday a week early.  It was my first time to see a family as they worshiped their ancestors at their tombs.
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We woke up early and were on the road before 7 AM on Sunday, March 28th.  About an hour later, we arrived at the temple that houses the urns of Lawrance’s paternal grandparents.

__It was already quite busy with other families worshiping.

__While waiting for the rest of the family to arrive, I snapped a few photos.  This is a tree that is worshiped right outside the temple.

__Families would start by placing their offerings on the altar.

__Then they would light incense–making sure everyone had at least three.  First, they would bow facing away from the temple–this would be to the worship the “god of heaven.” This here is a photo of our family worshiping.

__Here is what worship to gods and ancestors looks like in Taiwan. This is called “bai bai.”

__Next, they would move to the inside incense holder in front of the “main god” of the temple to worship. This might also be one of the only times an entire family worships together. Corporate worship is not commonplace in Taiwan.


__Then they would move on to the side rooms and/or the back rooms depending on how many sticks of incense they were holding. The back rooms house other idols.


__Since it was the proper time to be worshiping ancestors, the rooms where the urns were kept were actually off limits because there would be too many people present.  So, the side rooms served as another location to leave offerings to ancestors.


__After everyone in the family had deposited their incense, we waited a few more minutes and then Lawrance’s dad declared it had been enough time, and everyone went back to retrieve the paper money they’d brought to burn and the offerings, this time namely fruit.


__Then we headed over to an open pit for them to burn the paper money.

__Here Lawrance explains some of what we were seeing:

__In this video, he explains one of the papers that was being burned to the ancestors:

__After all the paper money that our family had brought was burned, we return to Lawrance’s dad’s car and drove about 10 minutes to the home where his dad was raised. But, getting out of the parking lot proved interesting. The photo below was taken from inside L’s dad’s van . . . yeah, it was just a tad crowded at the temple that day.  What you can’t see is that there are cars parked on both sides of the road–the woman in red got of the red car to help her husband . . . AND we both (our car and their car) and MORE cars lined up behind us.  It was one of those surreal “only in Taiwan” moments for me.


__I plan to show photos from the rest of the day, which includes how the Wu family worshiped the 9 generations before grandma and grandpa, as well as reflect on some of the implications a holiday like this has on Christian believers later this week in other blog posts.

on my heart today

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me

But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood

–Keith Green

Same song recently recorded at a church in Ohio.

my groom sings to me

I am SO excited by what a good friend handed to me last night!!  She passed on to me a CD of videos from our Taiwanese wedding!

Here is the first thing I saw . . . Lawrance singing to me a song entitled "Vows" after we had exchanged our vows.  I got giddy just listening to it last night!! 

My Groom Sings To Me from amanda wu on Vimeo.

I LOVE listening to him sing . . . and I often ask him to sing me to sleep.  I am blessed!

typhoon update

As we watch the news this morning, we are learning of more and more damage and destruction the typhoon and the after rains of the typhoon have caused--mostly in the south.

The entire township of JiaShen in Kaohsiung County has been pummeled by mudslides and flooding.  Over 1000 people in this township are unreachable--no contact can be made to determine whether or not they are alright.

**UPDATED 1:00 PM Monday**  Some people from JiaShen have been located.  They are distraught because on one hand they are safe, on the other hand their homes are gone and family members and friends left behind. 

In addition, the TV news stations are reporting 20 dead and 30 missing throughout Taiwan.

Further, the train on the west coast couldn't go further south than ChiaYi because of all the flooding in the south.  And, here in Tainan, the city has currently stopped providing water.
**UPDATED 1:00 PM Monday** We've been told our water will be off until the 12th. 

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Here are some scenes from the typhoon:

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We are safe and dry.  Those we know and love are safe.  But, my heart is hurting for Taiwan right now.  I picture my friends in Meinong dealing with the flooding once again--they've had a rough go of it in the past few years.  My heart aches for the entire township that is missing and unreachable.  On our knees for Taiwan.  Lord have mercy.

happy father's day!! and a typhoon

Today is Father's Day in Taiwan. Here's why:

Daddy in Chinese is "BaBa."
Eight in Chinese is also "Ba." So, August 8th is "BaBa."
So, Father's Day in Taiwan is August 8th. 

Actually, many people here are surprised to hear that Father's Day in America is not August 8th but rather in June. 

Today is also the 2nd typhoon day in a row.  Typhoon 莫拉克 has been perhaps the biggest typhoon I've ever experienced.  Officially 6 have died and over 20,000 have been evacuated.

We've had heavy rain and wind for two days in a row now.  It was dumping 3-6 feet of rain per hour.  And, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, "the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 144kph."

Signs, plants, and mopeds have been down all over our city, streetlights aren't working, tree limbs are in the streets, and intersections are flooded. 





We took Lawrance's parents out to lunch despite the typhoon, but other than that, we've been locked inside.

So, I'd like to let Lawrance introduce his parents to you.  So, please meet my in-laws:

china is exporting mandarin

I have a myriad of thoughts about this . . . some good, some bad.

HT: On the Eastward Journey

chopstick world

Funny video made by Taiwanese college students about using chopsticks.

It shows how you can eat with them (which are all very true things I've seen people do), shows how to separate them in different humorous ways, and then shows some alternative uses for chopsticks.

Here are a few more alternative uses for chopsticks:

--after collecting several (like 20 or so) you can play "pick up sticks"

--testing if a cake is done (similar to the "toothpick test")

--stir drinks (Law often does this instead of using a spoon)

--test to see if oil is hot enough to be used for stir fry

--beat eggs (actually VERY common use here)

--all kinds of craft projects (like making stick or shadow puppets)

--make a rubber band gun (I've had students use this as their topic for their "how to" speeches)

--or collect 7,382 used disposable ones and make your own canoe

There are many more, but I currently have a brain freeze.  So, do you have any other ideas??

faith like potatoes

Lawrance and I picked up this movie based on a true story yesterday afternoon not knowing what it was all about . . . .

It was EXCELLENT!  We both really enjoyed it.

I don't often recommend movies . . . but this I would recommend.

Has anyone else seen it yet?  What'd you think?

nifty video: you are here

I enjoyed watching this video which portrays the Gospel in a powerful way.

You Are Here from ItLooksGood on Vimeo.

Catalyst West Coast Opening. The Biblical story in four images.

confessions of a newlywed who surrived "extended singleness" #1

Here is the first of several confessions I've been thinking about  . . .

Before, watching others fall in love, get engaged and marry was VERY bitter sweet.  I was happy for them, but the pain it caused inside could be intense, the struggle it reawakened difficult.

Now, I love weddings!  I love watching people fall in love!  I've even cried in joy at youtube videos of strangers weddings and even teared up watching this news reporter propose on air to an anchor! 

It's so fun to be able to experience sheer joy at watching people commit to marriage! :)

And, you know what? It's fun to have a husband who celebrates right along side me as we watch (and sometimes encourage) others as they fall in love. :)

language classrooms can be noisy

Here's proof from one of my classes last year:

The first video is of students debating for one minute on simple topics like "tea is better than coffee" and "watching news on tv is better than reading a newspaper."  I tell them "outside yes, inside no" and then they have to support the opinion I've given them.  Since they only have one minute to discuss the topic, they get really loud really fast.  I love it. 

The second video is of an activity I'm going to do in class tomorrow.  Each student has a partner--one sits down with a pen and paper, the other runs back and forth from one side to the other.  Why?  Well, they look at song lyrics, memorize a line or two, and then run to dictate that line to their partner.  First pair to finish wins. 

Of course not all of the activities we do are this noisy . . . but I do love it when my classroom is so loud I can't think.