Missionary Kevin Stellick
Fall 1995
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. I know that I have heard the above quote a number of times throughout my schooling years. Some might feel that such a quote is syrupy and/or too emotional. When we try to convince someone of something we often focus only on the facts to make our case. We expect the facts to speak for themselves and we use this factual approach to try to convince people that what we have shared with them is vitally important for their lives.
Can we do that when it comes to evangelism? Can we present the facts about our personal sin and our need for a Savior and expect that our hearer will suddenly fall over backward in utter astonishment at what we have revealed to him? Perhaps at times this may happen. Perhaps that person had previously heard the Word of God and was ready to really hear what God had to say to him. If so, praise be to God.
But what about someone who knows nothing about the Bible or Christianity? Can you present them the facts and expect to see a change of heart? Doubtful! God's Word is powerful and will change hearts but the Lord also uses human instruments (Christians) in carrying out his work .
When you add in the fact that the Taiwan/Chinese culture is totally different than the Western culture of the USA, you then have a small glimpse into the challenge of evangelism in the country of Taiwan. The Chinese are a relationship minded race. In some ways it really isn't far from the saying: It doesn't matter what you know...It's who you know that counts. That holds true in many cases. For example: a landlord may evict a tenant so that he can rent out the place to someone that he knows. The relationship with the landlord tipped the scales in favor of the landlord's friend.
I want to use the word relationship in a positive sense, like a friendship and not as a way of getting something you want through someone that you know.
Relationship Evangelism is what we are working on in Taichung, Taiwan. It is really the same idea which is behind the Friendship Evangelism used in WELS congregations in the States. It is a simple concept: Share Christ with those people closest to you, family, friends and relatives. If you boil it down it comes down to relationships, doesn't it? We don't have family and relatives in Taiwan but we have been working on building relationships with neighbors or people that we meet. These are the people that we are trying to reach out to.
Surveys have been done among recent converts to Christianity and by overwhelming numbers they stated that they were brought to Christ by a friend. Not some big program but a loving Christian friend. Because of a relationship with a Christian they were brought to Christ.
In our relationships with people we often share many personal thoughts and feelings. We open up and really get to know one another. It is in this kind of setting that the facts of Christ's love can be shared and received by someone with whom you have built a relationship.
It will always be the good news of Jesus that changes hearts. At the same time, the Lord has chosen to use clay vessels (us) to carry that message to others. If you care enough about someone close to you sharing your faith in Jesus is a natural expression of love.
China's foreign policy has been based on the one China principle since the foundation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. This means that any country that wants diplomatic relations with the PRC has to agree that the Republic of China (ROC) (Taiwan) is an integral part of China, and that the Communist government in Beijing is the legitimate ruler of the island of Taiwan.
No country can maintain diplomatic relations with both the PRC and the ROC. There are currently about 20 nations in the world that recognize the ROC as a country. It is because of this policy that the PRC is annoyed at the US actions which allowed the ROC President Lee to visit the US this past summer. That was the first time that an ROC president has visited the USA since the US switched and began recognizing the PRC in 1979. Prior to 1979 the US recognized the ROC as a country and maintained US military bases on Taiwan. The US still has economic ties with Taiwan but no official gov't ties.
The PRC is now accusing the US of creating two Chinas. On account of President Lee's visit to the US, the PRC's Ambassador to the US was removed from Washington DC. Visits between the two countries were canceled, talks on missile control were postponed. Not helping matters any was US citizen, Harry Wu's arrest and month long imprisonment in China. He was released in September, shortly before the UN`s Women's Summit in Beijing, China.
The relationship between the ROC (Taiwan) and the PRC (China) has also been strained. Talks between the sides have been postponed or canceled as punishment for what the PRC calls a series of wrongdoings. Tensions have escalated as of late as the PRC has held two military exercises within 100 miles of the island of Taiwan. The missiles the PRC fired during the exercises caused much unrest among the people of Taiwan. Pray for wisdom for the leaders of all involved nations and pray for improved relations.
When a typhoon, or hurricane as it is called in the US, is howling outside your door it can cause a few inconveniences. When 125mph winds are blowing they can pick up and throw anything that is not secured. We take the time to bring indoors the bicycles, potted plants and even the grill.
Taiwan averages around 20 tropical storms a year, some of which turn into dangerous typhoons. Most of our typhoons come from the southeast and so they hit the island on the east coast.
The island of Taiwan is two-thirds mountains and the east coast is almost all mountains. The majority of the people live on the west side of the island. The mountains protect the west to a degree, although high winds and torrential rains can cause severe crop damage and destruction to buildings.
Precautions when preparing for a typhoon include storing up an extra supply of drinking water (the tap water is not drinkable), a weeks worth of food, candles, matches, flashlights, batteries and an extra supply of batteries. If the tap water is all you have left for drinking you can add 5 drops of bleach per gallon of water to make it drinkable.
Crank up the fridge and the freezer to the highest setting so that when the power does go out the food will be able to last a bit longer. One window in the house should be left open a few inches to avoid creating a vacuum in the house which could cause the windows to implode.
A local English radio station gives up to date information about typhoons. As I write this, Typhoon Ryan is hitting Taiwan from the southwest. The government has called off school island wide and all government agencies are closed. It had been raining for three days straight but has begun to let up. The radio said that the typhoon seems to be veering away from Taiwan. Now the sun is even trying to break through the clouds.Without typhoons our small island would have water rationing or shortages. With the typhoons brings the possibility of mass destruction. We thank the Lord daily for his gracious protecting hand.
This coming December, my family and I will be in the States for our first furlough. Our mission policy is that we are on the mission field for 22 months and then return to the States for a 2 month furlough. During that time we hope to present our WELS mission work to many WELS congregations. A slide show and a display will be offered giving you a glimpse into the culture of the Chinese people and our work here. We pray that the presentations will also help you see the need for reaching out with Christ to those who do not know him. You don't have to travel around the world to share Christ, you can do it with your family, friends and neighbors!
Give Thanks!
Many people have sent us notes of encouragement and we thank you
for that. It doesn't take much to brighten up someone's day. Your
cards and letters have been a blessing. Keep them coming! Thanks
again!
Kevin, Sarah, and Hannah Stellick
Email and comments to Kevin
Stellick
October 29, 1995