Drink ‘n’ Dive

So, I figured I’d be a helper and tell you all why it is I have been flown to Taiwan, besides the fact that y’all know that I LOVE travel and why not?

My presbytery (most of y’all know I’m an Elder at my Presbyterian Church, right?), Pacific Presbytery, has a sister relationship with a presbytery in Taiwan – Ping Tung Presbytery. A pastor (Stone) from Taiwan went to Nicaragua with my delegation, and told us all about his presbytery’s 40th anniversary celebration on April 2, 2006. He invited us all to come, and I thought about how great it would be to go! And then thought nothing else about it.

As you’ll read, if you choose to read really old news (i.e. the March 3rd entry), I was trying to figure out where to go the weekend before my potential microbiology class started when I received a phone call from my Executive Presbytery, Linda, asking if I would be available to go to Taiwan. I thought about it and called her back and said yes. I found out a little under a week later that my job would be to try to talk to the Ping Tung Presbytery’s mission committee about how to work out a mission partnership.

I was to leave on the 29th from LAX and fly with two other people to meet Linda in Taiwan. She is on an advisory council for SE Asia (drool) and would be traveling around there with others for a bit and then meet us. I found out that there was one other person from the Mission Interpretation and Promotion Committee (Charles) going with, and then another pastor from the Presbytery (Laura). I’m the only Elder – everyone else is ordained. At the next Presbytery meeting, I met up with the two other people I would be traveling with and then didn’t meet up with them again until LAX on the 29th.

So, that’s why I’m here. I received the itinerary on Tuesday and found out that we were going to meet with a seminary (the oldest in Taiwan) and then participate in the 40th anniversary celebration, talk with the mission committee and then go on a tour around the island. We will end up in Taipei to meet up with the General Assembly people and to fly out on the 8th of April.

It’s an amazing turnaround, and as my church’s Presbyterian Relations Elder, it’s fun to travel with the presbytery! I’ve learned a few Taiwanese words, and hope to learn a few more.

I just wanted to let all of you that I don’t talk to on a daily basis know why I’m here. It’s not that I quit my job and ran away like last time. Although, I’d like to run away and head back to Thailand right now. Anyone want to meet me there? My passport is just getting broken in!