Sharon's靈修筆記Devotional

１２月１３號，應Tim牧師的邀請，我們拜訪了他的教會，Grandvalley community　church,並且在那邊演講。為了讓演說的型式生動有趣，我們採用問答的方式，看起來像個脫口秀似的。

第一次用英文來在幾百人面前談自已的想法，確實是讓人感到緊張，就算是預先擬好了演講稿也是一樣，反正最後也是半脫稿演出，不完全按照講稿來行。

1.      Introductions

My name is Sharon, my husband Daniel and I , we come from Taiwan. We have been here for 6 weeks already.

I was a teacher in Taiwan , and I taught children English as a second language for many years.

2.      Sharon

a.       How did you come to Brandon?

When I first heard about Brandon 13 months ago , I couldn’t get too much information about this city on internet, except the website of Brandon University. At that time, Daniel was trying to have a chance to be Canada, to work or to apply his theology PHD in Toronto University.

It was a tough year. Daniel had made his mind to go somewhere else away from his own country, which I didn’t understand why , but I didn’t want to leave my family, my friend , and my students, and my comfort zone. It was a upset situation, because we just like a ship with 2 captains and 2 different directions.

After 2 times of interview in Taiwan, we spent 2 weeks in the end of August to be here and in Winnipeg, to have the final interview with the supervisor of the Alliance Church. At that time, I decided to follow God and my husband’s decision , even though I didn’t know what it will be . I did that for 3 reasons:

1.      God gave me a message about this journey. I realized God never promised that it will be easy but he promised that it will be worthy. I know that God is much bigger than me, so that it’s always good to follow his will more than try to figure ways out by myself.

2.      I understand that Daniel was being called to be a pastor and a prophet of nations long time ago, as a wife, I will glad to see my husband to fulfill his calling.

3.      I understand that family is so important to me, I cherish my own family more than others. I know that when the time comes, in the end of my live, and I look back , I won’t be satisfied if I were successful only in work and finance but not in my marriage and family.  So I will support my husband and maintain my marriage by going the same direction.

b.      What does it me to be “new” in a country, community or culture?

New means great opportunity to start over, but also means great challenge.

As a newcomer , I realized that how tough live could be in the beginning. We don’t have a vehicle, we don’t know any directions, we had no experience of living in North American and have a new live in a different country. Without any help, we are just vulnerable as a baby.

I also realized how much we are blessed, we had a good host family to support us and many resource from church. I know that not many new immigrations are as lucky as we are, that’s we are here for, to be a bridge of different cultures.

Give up many things to be here. We invited to a Chinese couple’s home to have supper there, than I found that they have to borrow pans to cook for us. I couldn’t help out because the wife has only one knife for cooking everything. The house is so empty with no furniture, the kid has no toys to play but only the stone and wood outside and the husband have to work overtime almost everyday to support the finance of family.

Now I understand what the saying means, it said : I always complaint about I have no shoes to wear , until one day I saw someone has no feet.

c.       What do you hope others can learn from your journey?

Compassion.  This is what I learned from this journey. 

You never know how much you can help, by giving your time ,  and support. Live can be really different, when we care enough. We are here to be the bridge of different cultures , and you can be the one to make things different. And I believe that will benefit both sides.

3.      Daniel 

a.       What is it that you dream of by being used of God?

b.      What do you see as the needs in the Chinese community, both physically and spiritually?

c.       What are you doing to see your dreams  that God has given you to come true?

4.      Conclusion

a.       Invitation to partner

Prayer for the church and Tiens

 以下是Daniel的採訪部份：