The following is my diary kept in the first semester of 2012 school year

Oct. 2
“Ex-DPP chairman confirms visit to mainland.” “Pro-independence groups not so anti-China anymore: DPP heavyweight.” “One-time Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Frank Hsieh said Monday he was willing to take the first step by his party in reaching out to China and confirmed he will head there Thursday for a five-day visit.”
This a good sign for a more peaceful relation between the sides of the Taiwan Strait in the future.
Today, I have a day off, and Spring accompanied me to eat lunch enjoying a good time in the afternoon. I still spent about hours preparing for the English classes and sent some reading materials to Xeroxed for the use in the next week. A student asked me to teach New Toeic in the web of the classroom, so I made some efforts to prepare for that. I prayed that God’s love can saturated me through the Holy Spirit,
so that I can have rich and abundant love to care about students. And as a self-employed freelancer, I still hoped that I can reach out to clients via the platform of the Internet. I have to do my best to earn a living to support Ian and Joy. This is my obligation and responsibility. I will pray for this, earnestly begging the Lord to open a new way for me.

Oct.7
Hsieh heralds good will as key to cross-strait ties. “Former premier hints he might meet political figures in Beijing.” “Frank Hsieh of Taiwan’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party, who is on a landmark visit in China, said on Saturday that sincerity and good will is the key to overcoming differences between Taipei and Beijing.”
This piece of news shows that the DPP is inclined to take a softer stand in dealing with its relation with Beijing. The pen is mightier than the sword. The positive interaction between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits would benefit Taiwanese people as well as mainlanders.
“Cabinet spokesman quits after revealing relationship status.” “Executive Yuan spokesman Hu Yu-wei resigned from his post late yesterday, after posting a controversial Facebook status confirming his relationship with a former student. Hu said that he is preparing the necessary paperwork and that Premier Sean Chen has accepted his informal resignation.”
This guy is not clear and clean in his relation with a female student, which can teach all teachers on campus a lesson. Improper sexual relationship can bring a downfall to a person for the temptation will definitely curse a man as well as his family. I ask the Lord to give me a clean heart and two clean hands, keeping away from all evils. In addition, I sincerely and heartedly ask the Lord to keep all my family members far away from all evils including adultery and fornication and any form of improper sexual relations. Amen.

Oct. 9
“China risks economic malaise, deepening unrest and ultimately even a crisis that could shake the Communist Party’s grip on power unless its next leader, Xi Jinping, pushes through stalled reforms, experts close to the government have warned.”
“China must reform or risk crisis.”
In addition, “British researcher John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan won this year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine on Monday for discovering that mature, specialized cells of the body can be reprogrammed into stem cells—a discovery that scientists hope to turn into new treatments.”

Oct. 13
It is to be remembered that a few of the students at Tung-nan University purposely did not pay for their own Xerox fee. Actually I am not happy for that. They not only did not buy the textbook but also did not pay for the Xerox fee they must pay by themselves. Their moral characters are bad all right, but I still have to serve them in God’s mercy. This can be seen as a golden opportunity for me to experience Christ’s generosity and sacrificing love. If I can cope with these difficulties, my relation with God would be deepened for I experience the depth and breadth of the love of Christ. The more I pray, the more I experience the love of God, who is glad to give all blessings to mankind and even sacrificed His only son for the sake of saving all sinners. Actually, these students are not lovely, but based on Christ’s love I am obliged to love them and serve them. It’s easy and natural to love those who are lovely, but it is hard to love those who are mean and low. I have to say to myself again that it is an unprecedented chance to experience the abundant love of Christ. I have to be confined in God’s spirit and have the heart of Christ in serving and teaching these students. I will definitely be rewarded in heavens. I am sure about that and my heart would be broadened for the holy service.

Oct. 15
“China’s rise is rattling nerves, but a comparison with another emerging power shows why the country may prove to be a gentle giant.” “As nationalist war-mongering goes, the anti-Japanese demonstrations taking place across China have been relatively tame. Chinese authorities have maintained tight control over the protesters, some of whom call for an armed response against Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea: Plastic bottle-throwing is allowed, glass bottle-throwing discouraged. For all the jingoistic talk, the marchers have been largely free of violence. China has far more to lose than gain by going to war. And yet the country’s conflicts with Japan and other Asian neighbors are a reminder of the potential dangers posed by China’s rise to global power.”

Oct.20
“Wealthy retirees may miss yearly bonus.” “Cabinet rep says no consensus reached on civil servant bonus.” “Most decision-making officials in the Cabinet are reportedly leaning toward excluding wealthy retired civil servants from receiving a year-end bonus.” “According to reports, Premier Sean Chen held a special meeting prior to the Executive Yuan session Thursday and discussed the matter, with most officials agreeing to exclude the wealthy.”
“Chinese power brokers agree on leadership makeup: sources.” “China’s three most powerful men have come up with preferred candidates to head up the nation’s new leadership, sources said, in a group that includes financial reformers but leaves a question mark over its commitment to political reform.”
“China may become more flexible toward Taiwan in the next three years under the expected leadership of Xi Jinping, an American expert on China issues said Thursday.”

Oct/27
“EU debt mountain grows to 90% of GDP.” “European national debt levels have continued to rise way above EU limits, official data showed Wednesday, as the eurozone debt crisis undermines government revenues.”
“The gunman who shot Kuomintang politician Sean Lien and also killed an innocent bystander on the eve of local elections in 2010 was sentenced to life in prison by the Taiwan High Court yesterday.”
These two pieces of clipped news are on the front page of yesterday’s China Post. This week I have been busy in teaching English in three universities. Generally speaking, the students in the nursing college are obedient and teachable. So are the students in National Open University. However, those students in Tung-nan University are relatively difficult to control and teach. I need more prayers to support myself in teaching there. I often heard of dirty words at that school so I felt uncomfortable and annoyed. The words were offensive and provocative. By Lord’s grace, I can stand firm.
As to my translation and writing career, I will persist in translating for the muster seed church to make more and more people to know the missionary’s good works in early days especially when American aid was still available. In addition, I will keep my promise to translate Uwe’s poems which are associated with Christianity into Chinese and make some comments on them.
I also pray for the works of next year. I believe my Lord will continue leading me to do good works for Him.

Oct.28
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company yesterday promised extra bonuses totaling NT$336 million to its employees to mark its 25th anniversary, plus a pay raise and assurance of employment stability next year despite the weak global economic situation.”
“Chinese investors evaded government controls to move more than US$600 billion out of the country last year and the outflow is increasing, fueling economic and political risks as communist leaders prepare for a handover of power, a Washington-based monitoring group says.”
“China moved quickly on Friday to announce it had formally begun a criminal probe into disgraced former senior politician Bo Xilai, hours after expelling him from the largely rubber stamp parliament and so removing his immunity from prosecution.”
“Hurricane Sandy—upgraded again Saturday just hours after forecasters said it had weakened to a tropical storm—is expected to make landfall in the eastern United States.”
The three pieces of news are on the front page of today’s China Post. There is no breaking news today. This morning my family as usual went to church to attend Sunday morning worship, listening to a sermon on how this world’s life will determine the eternal life. The preacher talked about the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, in which a beggar was saved from his miserable mundane life, eventually being welcomed by angels to the heavens. On the other side of the coin, a rich man had been tortured in the hell although he enjoyed a luxurious and lavish life on earth. It seems that this world’s vanity can not promise that everyman can be welcomed to the heavens. We have to keep a good relation with the Lord, respecting His words, walking on the path of peace and joy, and then we will have eternal life after we pass away.

Oct. 30
“In the very heart of Taiwan lies a lush wilderness, embracing forests of spruce and cypress, home to rock monkeys and black bears. Yushan National Park—just a half day’s jaunt from the city lights of Taipei by high-speed rail and bus—also boasts the island’s loftiest peak, Mount Jade, whose beauty was recently recognized by the international New 7 Wonders of Nature initiative. Hikers who make it to Mount Jade’s 3,952 meter summit understand why: looking across the miles of mountain peaks on clear days and down upon a serene sea of clouds on misty ones is the thrill of a lifetime. And for backpackers and other adventurers traveling in Taiwan, there are a lot of more thrills to come.”
Yesterday, I experienced Lord’s shepherding and grace and love in dealing with students’ complaints about the New TOEIC test. I thought that love is the biggest gift in serving students’ need of learning English. In this principle, I mailed two letters to assistants last night, who were told to say something to warm and encourage the despaired students who seemed to have a bad performance in yesterday’s test. After a long prayer, I enjoyed a good sleep last night, and after I woke up I got the email responses. Thank God for His grace which canopied me and helped me go through difficult times.

Oct.31
“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun,” Mao Zedong once famously said. Though China’s post-Mao leaders have struggled to keep the military brass under tight civilian control, in recent months, as factions have divided the leadership of the Communist Party, political rivals have vied for military support. This year, many in China have taken a more hawkish stance on the maritime disputes that have flared between China and its neighbors over the South China Sea and a set of islands farther north known as the Diaoyu in Chinese, or in Japanese, the Senkakus. Some analysts see a link between rising nationalistic fervor and China’s once-in-a-decade political transition, which begins in early November when heir apparent Xi Jingping is expected to take over the party’s top post from President Hu Jintao. A lingering question, however, is whether Hu will also relinquish the chairmanship of the party’s 12-member commission that controls the Chinese Army. As one theory goes, is Beijing’s assertiveness in pressing its territorial claims this year could reflect efforts by Hu to prove his toughness and indispensability in order to remain in charge of the military for at least one more year.”
The above paragraph is quoted from the latest issue of Newsweek, which shows how political power struggle is being connected with the military brass. In recent day, I have been praying for the work in 2013, which will come in two months. On the one hand, I have to pray for getting the work of this semester well done. On the other hand, I need God’s mercy in His arrangement of my work in the coming year. As Scripture says, those who depend on Him will not have shame. I firmly believe that my dear Lord will wisely and kindly lead me as well as my family. Amen.

Nov. 1.
The rest of the world may have forgotten the anniversary, but a neglected border war that took place 50 years ago is now more pertinent than ever. Before dawn on the morning of Oct. 20, 1962, the People’s Liberation Army launched a surprise attack, driving with overwhelming force through the eastern and western sections of the sections of the Himalayas, deep into northeastern India. On the 32nd day of fighting, Beijing announced a unilateral ceasefire, and the war ended as abruptly as it had begun. Ten days later, the Chinese began withdrawing from the areas they had penetrated on India’s eastern flank, between Bhutan and Burma, but they kept their territorial gains in the West—part of the original princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. India had suffered a humiliating rout, and China’s international stature had grown substantially.”
These two days I have been observing the disaster caused by Storm Sandy in the east coast of America. New York city’s subway system was seriously damaged and the lines of people waiting for fuel were so long. Remarkably, New Jersey’s condition could be even worse than that of NY, President Obama halted his election campaign, concentrating on dealing with the rescue work.
Today, I handled the mid-term exam of my English class at Tung-nan University. By persisting in praying and relying on the ability of the Spirit, I am confident that I can do a good job. Praise the Lord.

Nov. 2
“A flight carrying the first group of Taiwanese travelers to enjoy visa-free entry to the U.S. departed yesterday evening for Los Angeles after a ceremony at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport marking the historic milestone in bilateral ties.”
“Taiwan has expressed sympathy for the United States, where Hurricane Sandy has wreaked severe damage and claimed dozens of lives, and is mulling ways to offer assistance for post-storm reconstruction, an official said yesterday.”
“China’s ruling communist elite began a closed-door meeting Thursday to finalize preparations for a painstakingly choreographed but still fraught transfer of power to a younger generation of leaders.”
This afternoon I took a rest and watched the good TV station, which was broadcasting an interview of a research fellow working at Academia Sinica. He was so lucky that assisted by his wife he could gain his BA degree and furthered his study in Hawaii, getting a Ph D degree. Likewise, I was so lucky that I could live in the church nearby Chenko senior high school, and my grandpa was willing to pay for my college tuition in the first year of my college life. Second, the Lord accepted my prayers and led me to serve at the radar station in Kinmen, where I could grasp a golden opportunity to prepare for the entrance exam of the graduate school. Third, I was so lucky that assisted by my wife I could get a Ph D degree in my late forties. Looking back over the past, I appreciated for God’s love and grace. I need to constantly and regularly contact Him by thanking, praying to Him, and especially by reading Scripture. Rooted in the soil of Christ which is embodied in His words, I as well as my family can grow so that we can have a bigger heart to care for and love people and neighbors. Faith and love support us especially in rainy days. I have to thank the Lord for the past and to be determined to rely on Him in the future.
And it is also noted that my only son Ian luckily has a good performance in his mid-term exam partly due to Spring’s help and largely due to our prayers. Thank God for this good and acceptable result. I am glad to pay my thanks to the Lord and the glory to God in heaven.

Nov. 3
“US employers added 171,000 jobs in October and hiring was stronger over the previous two months than first thought, pointing to a slowly improving job picture that could enhance President Barack Obama’s re-election chances. The unemployment rate inched up to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in September as more workers resumed job hunts.”
“A major packaged rice vendor yesterday said it is removing its products from the market due to pesticide residue concerns. King-Town Co. said it decided to recall all its packaged-rice products from the same harvest after tests commissioned by the company showed that some of them contained excessive levels of pesticide residue.”
Economy becomes a determining factor for Obama’s chances of winning the election. And my family used not to buy the packaged rice of King-Town Co. so it did not matter.
This morning my family went to the shop around the street corner to take breakfast and I gave my son Ian NT$350 as a cash president to rewarding him for his good performance in the mid-term exam. Thank God for giving my family enough food to eat. Looking back over the days of hunger and poverty, I lacked food and ate little in a few years. However, now I have enough to eat. In addition, I had a chat with Spring in the living room to tell her what was on my mind. With her companionship, I felt comforted and warm.
And it was also noted that in my dream of last night I dreamt that I told students that I stood here to tell you about professionalism and what course you should take during your life. I treasured the chances of serving students so I would do my best to do this. God have mercy and grace on me.

Nov. 4
“Power, fuel ease storm woes, but many still waiting” “Deaths at 102, 3.5 million homes and businesses without electricity” “While power returned to much of Manhattan and fuel supplies were headed for the disaster zone, residents of some of the hardest-hit areas faced a long wait for electricity and help after Superstorm Sandy’s devastating strike on the U.S, Northeast.” “With the U.S. presidential election just three days away, at least 3.5 million homes and businesses remained without power in a region choked with storm debris and long gas lines reminiscent of the 1970s-era U.S. fuel shortage. Angry residents wondered when their lives would return to normal.”
The U.S. presidential election is approaching, and the reconstruction after Hurricane Sandy is under way. Today’s church sermon was on the footprint of the church in the past ten years. By looking back over the church life in Sinchuan in the past fifteen years, I feel that the importance of God’s words should be highly highlighted so I keep regularly reading the Scripture with Spring every day. In addition, prayers and regular church going also play an inevitable role in our spiritual life. /Now I have established a home meeting on every Saturday night. Our family sing hymns and read the Scripture and pray together, which helps my family to be unified in Holy Spirit and nourished by God’s words.
This afternoon I prepared for the two English classes of next Monday. I prayed for each student and designed the contents and procedure of the classes. And it is noted that I bought a bag of chocolates for tomorrow’s use. The monthly monetary budget is tight, but I still have to try my best to take care of the students both in mind and spirit. God knows my heart and I will be rewarded for His justice. Love conquers all and love never fails. Love is the best gift in serving people’s needs.
This morning my family also offered our tithe to the local church, believing God will take care of our home economy. Ian has been taught to keep a practice of offering in church meetings.
I invited a brother surnamed Chen to drop into a café drinking a cup of coffee and having a small talk He was planning to start a business next year and his son was already entering the department of dram at Taiwan University. I offered to converse with his son and treated him a coke or a cup of coffee. And I would like to give him two textbooks of drama for free. I shared some experiences of my teaching at school but his responses and words were not so nice and encouraging. I don’t need to expect too much from these church brothers. Though as weak as a sparrow, I still need to care about others, showing understanding, sympathy and grace to them. This is a way for survival. Men need to care about each other, helping and supporting each other.

Nov, 8
“Obama revives ‘hope’ with re-election” “Glowing with triumph, U.S. President Barack Obama revived his old theme of hope Wednesday, telling Americans ‘the best is yet to come’ after defying dark economic omens with a decisive re-election win. The 44th U.S. president and the first African-American to claim the Oval Office was returned to power after a joyless election which appears to have deepened, rather than healed, his nation’s political divide.”
“Taiwan congratulates Obama on 2nd term” “President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday congratulated his U.S, counterpart Barack Obama on winning a second term in the White House, saying that he is confident the countries’ ties will continue to develop.”
“Democrats hold Senate, GOP keeps House” “A newly re-elected U.S,. President Barack Obama will once again deal with a divided Congress as Democrats handily retained control of the U.S. Senate, while Republicans kept their solid majority in the House of Representatives.”
The world is changing and Obama has won his re-election. Since Mitt Romney is not an orthodox Christian, I prefer Obama to Romney. And based on President Ma’s pro-American foreign policy, the two countries’ ties would be deepened and strengthened.
Today due to Lord’s love and mercy, I said something nice to comfort the students who failed in the mid-term exam at Tung-nan University. I know I have to keep praying to be sustained in my service in this semester. Experiencing Christ’s grace is the way to keep serving these students. Surely, I also feel comfortable while I am treating their cases in a nice way.

Nov. 9
Today is America’s Thanksgiving Day. I also need to thank God in several ways. First, thank God for giving me opportunities of serving young men on campus again after I had been hospitalized for such a serious mental case. Second, thank God for my wife’s royalty and faithfulness to me and the Lord and to the family. It’s really God’s grace which makes her so strong and firm in supporting me and the family and even the local church. Her prayers and tithe and regular going to church set an example for my kids to follow in their life. Third, I need to thank God for moving Br. Liu Yuan-chen to help me and give me opportunities of serving the young students. Finally, I need to thank God for His great words which comforted me and strengthened me in the past. His instant and immediate words did support me and help me. This is a great day and my heart of full of appreciation and thankfulness.
And it is also noted that due to the once-in-a-decade power handover in the Communist Party, the theme of the peaceful unification between two sides of the Taiwan Strait has been highlighted in China’s top-level political meeting. Despite the status quo of Taiwan, Taiwan has been positively and actively interacting with China either in trade or in culture. It can be seen that a peaceful unification would be the historical trend in the foreseeable future. Hopefully, in addition to Confucius value, the biblical truths can be valued and preached to the Chinese and Taiwanese. Love, holiness, humility, gentleness, and other core of value of the Bible should be respected and practiced.
And thank God for Joy can recite Psalm 23 which will be read in tomorrow’s family meeting. Thank God for His kind and wise works and grace. Praise to the Lord and God in heaven.

Nov. 18
This week I served students in their mid-term exam. Happily, four classes of the students had a normal performance in this exam based on my prayers and diligent teachings. Thank God for this acceptable and pleasing result. The average score of the students are estimated to be 80. And I also invited Br. Liu to have lunch together on next Wednesday. I have been praying for him especially for his marriage, which he told was not so happy in the past years.
In addition, the challenges which I need to face in the remaining days of this semester would be the teaching of new TOEIC. It is remembered that a student promised to offer me the teaching materials. I prayed, hoping that she will fulfill her promise as soon as possible. And I will teach the grammar about adjectives this week. On Tuesday I will get paid for the teaching hours of the first half of this semester.

Nov.20
“Antarctica is the last pristine wilderness in the world. A place so fragile a footprint can last for decades. In 1991 39 governments agreed the Antarctic Treaty, closing Antarctica to mineral exploration for fifty years. It was a landmark decision, and the greatest victory in environmental history.
The nations who agreed the treaty did not do so without encouragement. It took seven years of campaigning by Greenpeace and others to bring about the agreement. For five years activists lived in a permanent camp on Antarctica, enduring extreme conditions to bear witness to the polluting activities of governments. In 1988 these peaceful activists prevented a plan to dynamite penguin habitats to build an illegal airstrip. It was a sign of the fate that waited for Antarctica if nothing was done.
For 40 years Greenpeace has campaigned for life, peace and progress. In that time we have never taken a donation from a government or corporation. Our independence and the courage of our volunteer activists have won many famous victories, like the protection of the Great Bear Rainforest.”
Today Spring took a half day off, having lunch with me, conversing, reading the
Bible and praying together. At the noon time, I found that my payment was not remitted to my personal account as predicted. Actually, I felt uneasy and my mind was in anxiety. I know that I am so weak and fragile that I have to turn to the Lord for help and immediate salvation. However, after conversing with the Lord, I felt somewhat confident that the money will be remitted into my account before 5:00 pm. And actually I was relieved from anxiety for the money comes as predicted. Thank God for this. Thus, I will donate my tithe to the local church, making good use of the money to support my family and to raise my kids.
Thank the Lord for He arranged all things to let me have the opportunities to teach at universities, and for He strengthened me and gave me love and wisdom to teach the college students. I can not teach without prayers and God’s grace. I really felt thankful for God’s grace. My heart was warm and my mind was open to the Lord’s instructions. Praise the Lord.

Nov.25
Today is Sunday on which I go to church as usual. The worship is really wonderful but the sermon is so boring that I fell asleep. In these two years our family practiced giving tithe to the local church. And I will continue practicing giving tithe in order to keep a spiritual communication and union. Nov. 22 was Thanksgiving Day. Looking back over the years after I had been hospitalized for mental disorder, I have to thank God for His kindness and faithfulness. Based on this, I will rely on God and trust God in every way, especially my finance and health.
This afternoon Ian took an official English test by which can measure his English learning in the past one and a half years. I think Ian can pass the test and establish his self confidence in further learning English. I am so happy that he has made great progress in his English. Thank the Lord for this especially for his English teacher Rebecca, who has been teaching Ian so nicely and patiently.
In addition, in terms of the world situation, American State Secretary Hillary Clinton flied to the Middle East to seek peace for Jerusalem and Israelis, which have been targeted by rockets from Palestinians for the past month. The State Secretary has been trying to engage in peace negotiation for the two sides. It is apparent that the American government has sternly backed Israelis, the chosen people of Jehovah.
And in Taiwan, today some civic groups staged a protest to warn the KMT government not to sacrifice the welfare of labors in order to please business sectors. That is, they urged the Ma government to turn left to take care of the interests of the workers and laborers. President Ma was labeled a bumbler in economics, and now he faces a challenging economic situation in Taiwan. My wife Spring has been a civil servant for more than two decades, and now her future pension would also be influenced and cut due to the worsening finance of the current government.
And I have to do some translation for Prof. Uwe next week. Hopefully I can help him in some way. I pray for another peaceful and enjoyable week of teaching college students basic-level English. God will be me and my family. Amen.

Nov. 27
Today I stayed at home to prepare for teaching materials and tried to spend more time reading the Bible to set my mid right. I have to prepare myself in mind and heart by praying and meditating on God’s words in order to get my remaining teaching work of this semester at three universities well done. And I look forward to God’s grace, expecting the Lord to assign me proper work chances in the next year. Besides preparing for the teaching materials, I also translated two poems for Prof. Uwe today. Unlike the previous weeks, Spring did not take a half day off today, so I was alone. Solitude was companionable, and staying in solitude offered me a chance of spending more time to be with the Lord. Thank God for today and for everything.

Dec. 3
I did not go to church for Sunday morning worship yesterday, for I felt so weak in my body and spirit. Last Friday I was informed that my application of the assistant professor certificate did not pass. At that moment I felt so down, but I still picked up my strength to finish my teaching of two hours. Thank God for my wife Spring phoned the staff trying to know the reasons for my failure in application. I could accept their explanation of my failure, and I was determined to go on in order to get somewhere in the future. In addition, I would also pray for my regular meeting in the local church of spiritual bread. Lord, please give me grace to be rooted and stand firm in the church. As to my workshop, I need to pray to see how the Lord will lead me in my career. Rejoice always, and keep going.

Dec.4
The café was so noisy that I felt uncomfortable in translating Prof. Uwe’s poems. However, thank God for a delicious piece of cake and a cup of hot black coffee. I translated two poems into Chinese, and some lines of the original text were hard to understand. As one of Uwe’s students said, he was hard to understand. Anyway, I am obliged to do something for this foreign friend for the sake of my conscience.
Moreover, it should be noted that my psychiatrist gave me new medicine this morning in the hospital. The side effects will be decreased if I take this new medicine. I will try it during the coming winter vacation. I do enjoy Spring’s companionship today, conversing with her always in a very pleasant atmosphere.
And Thank God for students gave me a cross-shaped ring as a Christmas gift for me. This gesture showed their appreciation for my service of this semester. I treasured their warm hearts and would pray for my remaining service. One female student also said something nice to encourage and support me. Thank God for everything. The feedback from these students encouraged me and warmed my heart especially when I felt weak and downcast. Praise the Lord.

Dec. 9
Toady is the Lord’s Day on which I used to go to church for a Sunday worship.
This morning as usual my family offered our tithe to the local church. A couple of handicapped women with the nicknames of sunshine and raindrop were invited to our church to witness their life stories. Despite their physical disabilities, they both owned a family and kids and an ordinary job. It was Lord’s grace that helped them to open their heart to the outside world and grew up in mind and heart, and thus now they could even comfort and encourage other people.
They had a good voice and thus they sang a few songs created by their team to the audience. Life was hard all right, but the words of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit were powerful and encouraging. I needed to go to finish my teaching of this semester, doing my best to serve the young people. God will be with me and my family,
Yesterday afternoon I read the latest issue of Newsweek of which the cover story was about the discovery of Genghis Khan’s tomb. The emperor has been the icon and the god of the race of Mangolians, who thought that it was the emperor whose spirit helped them to gain an independent and self-sufficient life. The statue of the emperor was located in front of the Parliament. It should be noted that many teams of archeologists coming from all over the world came to Mango to search for the tomb of the emperor, who was supposedly full of gold, silver and loots from his conquest of the then-known world. As a person said, when the tomb was discovered, the world would end. I shared this cover story with my family members in our regular family meeting on Saturday night.

Dec. 15
We attended a Christmas bizarre and party at Joy’s kindergarten. I ate a lot there, for a diversity of foods were displayed and sold there. There were rice dumplings, fruits, bottled water, and so on there. Ama’s rice dumplings were the favorite of common people. And it was amazing that an elderly pastor acted as a clown performing very excellently on the stage. Meanwhile, he also preached gospel during his performance.
In the afternoon, after taking a nap, I had a regular prayer in which I mentioned the name of each student in my classes in this semester in order to bless him or her and bear peaceful fruits in the end of this semester. I estimated that the workload of the next semester will be greatly reduced, so I will have much more time to read and write and improve my English. Thank God for whatever situation He planned to lead me in. Don’t lead me into temptation and deliver me from the evil one, for His are the power and glory and kingdom.
In addition, I met a few acquaintances at the Christmas bizarre and party. And I learned from a friend that a new construction will be built next year and the office of the muster seed church will move there. For the recent two years I have been voluntarily translated English articles for the muster seed church. In other words, I had a spiritual fellowship with the church. And I will donate NT 1,000 to the kids of the orphanage around the Christmas time. Hopefully, this will comfort them and benefit them.
In addition, there was a massacre at an elementary school in America today. A gunman shot more than twenty persons at that school. It was really tragic, so the American society and the international community were immensely saddened for this.

Dec. 18
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Dec. 25
Today is Christmas holiday. Two days ago I received Prof. Uwe’s email in which he told me that he was touched by my love in action for I had translated a few poems for him. These translations served as a Christmas gift which showed a cross-cultural resonance with his American poems most of which were derived from biblical verses. I did spend much time translating these pomes for him, so his kind response was a comfort to me as well as my family.
I can take a short break of about one week from my teaching job, and then I need to accompany students to finish their final exam. Finally the winter vacation will come and I can have a long period of time to contract the Lord, read the Bible and prepare the future work. I still need to watch in order to get everything right at the end of this semester.
In addition, President Xi of China called for a Chinese dream which refers to a powerful nation in the 21st century. China’s military capability and economic power will lead to the rise of China in the world stage. And America can see China rise in the Asia Pacific region although America still intends to contain her. Despite the collapse of the ethical doctrine of Confucianism during the Cultural Revolution, modern China has been pushing for a cleaner government, respecting the rule of law. Anyhow, Chinese renaissance might become an extreme nationalism, which would make the world situation unstable.

Dec. 30
With the new year approaching, we have four days off, so I can have a longer period of time to enjoy my family’s companionship and presence and to prepare for the remaining teaching services of this semester.
The state-run firms’ employees can have a big year-end bonus, which reflects the social injustice. Tax payers have to pay for their year-end bonus despite the fact that the state-run firms are in red. In addition, the pastor proclaims today that he will establish several church branches in ten years and will raise money to build a church building. Actually he has his own ambition of enlarging the church, but what
I care is my home economy and how much my family members can grow in love and faith, and how much we can know the Bible better. Reflecting on the church history, such kind of personal ambition did not work and contribute nothing to the spiritual welfare of the believers. God knows.
And yesterday Br. Wu and his wife visited my family. We treated them a big hot-pot meal at a restaurant nearby. They also brought a nice present for my kids and my family. We exchanged opinions on the church life and prayed together. Their local church has been on a wrong road for a long time, so they can not be nourished in spirit in the church meeting. And now they left the church and only attended the home meetings to read the Bible with other saints. Br. Wu did his military service in Kinmen with me. And he helped a lot in the past. He is indeed a true friend. May God bless him and his family.

Dec. 12
Since I have prayed for my work of 2012 for a long period of time, God answers my prayers, working miracles to pave a way for me. Surprisingly and amazingly enough, the nursing university and Tun-nan university both arranged some classes for me. This is indeed recognition of my work of love and faith in the past semester. I have been praying for students and earnestly prepared for the teaching materials. And now in God’s grace I reap the fruits of peace, which is also a great comfort to my heart and soul. I pray to the Lord that I can have a bigger heart to serve more students both in professionalism and character. I pay thanks to God and am determined to keep a closest relation with God in His spirit and words to serve from my inner life, which mingles with God’s life and words.
In addition, my family canceled our trip to the national Kenting park for a certain signs showed that the trip would not be peaceful and restful. We will stay in Taipei during the Chinese New Year, i.e. Spring Festivals. I need rest and time to restore my soul. Amen.

March 23
With the start of the new semester, I face challenges in teaching English compositions and English listening comprehension abilities. I also have to experience more and more love of Christ so that I can love my kids, wife, and students as much as possible. In addition, I feel that the regular church meetings in Spiritual Bread Church can not build up me and feed my spiritual need so I decided to go bask to Baptist Church to seek a fresh spiritual supply.
And recently Brother Liu often asked me to translate some materials for the sake of him. As these materials are so somewhat difficult to translate, this work more or less forms kind of pressure on me. I admit that I have to experience more grace of Jesus Christ to maintain a good and constructive relation with him and to mutually benefit each other. He used to complain about everything, and this is indeed his weakness. I have to endure it and pray for it. Anyway, he is still a dear brother in the Lord, who needs to be respected and helped.
It should be noted that I paid my tithe in the summer vacation to Spiritual Bread Church; however, the donation can not bring about the spiritual supply to me. And a mutually constructive relation can not be built in this church. So I decided to leave.
God knows the heart of everyone and the situation around me
And I am scheduled to have a medical checkup in May. Hopefully, the indexes of health can show a good and positive sign. I am sure to be responsible for Ian and Joy, and I am eager to continue working until Ian and Joy graduate from a university. I ask for the grace of Jesus Christ.
One month passed in this semester, and I still have opportunities to deepen and better my service of the students. As a well-known preacher said, the love of Jesus Christ is the only assurance for a man to do something great. It is expected that a Sunday-morning church \visitor, the church meeting can warm me up, more or less empowering me in order that my service of my family and students can be improved and nourished.

March 29
Thank God for everything, especially Ian’s success in his speech contest of this week. I prayed for Ian, and now he got a prize in the speech contest. How thankful I am to the Lord, Who took care of Ian and cultivated him in everything.
I also paid thanks to the Lord for Joy, who was so innocent that she used her mouth to “massage” me last night to please me. I was so pleased by her naïve and innocent behavior. She seemed to love me so much that she said to me that she kissed me six times when I had been asleep. My soul was comforted by her childish act.
Joy came into the world for Spring’s unexpected pregnancy. She was indeed God’s additional and abundant grace to this family. We lost a baby during the first pregnancy; however, we got a baby unexpectedly. This was actually God’s grace.
In addition, Spring’s love of me was so affectionate that she constantly comforted me when I was depressed or sad. Thank God for the heavenly grace.

April 25, 2013
I experienced a setback yesterday. I was recommended by the translation center of Chenchi University to attend the oral test which was held by Taipei MRT to select a part-time English advisor. Despite oral interpretation is not my professionalism, I still braced myself for the challenge, and finally I finished the test with dignity and honesty. For this test, I fast and prayed about two hours asking the Lord to give me wise words and proper chances for future work. God’s sovereignty and mercy paved my way, although I admitted that I was so weak and fragile. Ian needs at least 11 years to build himself up; that is, earning a BA degree and learning certain kind of professionalism. And Joy needs 16 years to become a college graduate, who will be basically qualified for applying a minimum-wage position. What role do I need to play during the process when they grow up? I need health, jobs to sustain, support them. I need to have more sincere prayers to ask for God’s help.

April 28, 2013
“Wifredo De Jesus, better known as Pastor Choco, embodies the true definition of what Christ said the church should be. As the senior pastor of New Life Covenant Ministries, one of the fastest-growing churches in Chicago as well as one of the largest Assemblies of God congregations in the nation, Pastor Choco encourages others to go out into the community not just with words but with his own actions. Under his leadership, New Life is reaching out to the outcasts and forgotten in our society—the homeless, women suffering with addiction and prostitution, and young people in gangs.
But his influence spreads far beyond the Chicago area as vice president of social justice for the nation’s largest Hispanic Christian organization, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. With Hispanics playing such a large role in the expansion of the evangelical church in the US and their vast influence on the political landscape, Pastor Choco is and will continue to be a strong, ardent voice on the direction of our country. “
“As China embarks on period of renewal, the role of Xi Jiping, its new President, is central. Each of the five generations of leaders since the founding of the People’s Republic of China has represented a particular aspect of the Chinese experience. Xi’s is that of the children of those Chinese who traversed the purgatory of the Cultural Revolution. He found his own life disrupted, as he was sent to the countryside for seven years.
Xi is convinced his generation’s hardships gave it the strength to face the challenges of adapting China to the consequences of is success. He has put forward a sweeping reform program designed to move millions to the cities, streamline bureaucracy, reorient the economy away from state-owned enterprises and fight corruption.
In foreign policies he has posed a key question, Can two great, partially competitive countries substitute cooperation for conflict? The answers of both sides will determine the world’s future. Based on my meetings with Xi, his answer will be both thoughtful and forceful.”

May 29
This week something marvelous happened in my teaching of the students at Tung-nan University. Last week I was angered for one or two students said dirty words in class, and a few students slept in class. It seemed that there were no students listening to me. Despite this, I was encouraged by Chair Ho and supported by my wife so much that I conquered the crisis this week. The atmosphere of the classroom was changed and I enjoyed a peaceful teaching this week. God worked in Spirit, and I reaped the peaceful fruits. It was under God’s sovereignty whether I will leave the current service or not. I sincerely asked the Lord to give me love, grace, and mercy, and show me a clear way of how to continue serving Him at school via teaching and caring students.
In addition, I lost track of Prof. Uwe, which had not responded to my e-mail for some unknown reasons. I still need patience and grace to know what really happened. God knows everything.
It should also be noted that my son Ian developed a good public relation this semester. He was elected to be a leader and a member of the school students’ association. I am proud of him now. Unlike me, due to a healthy family and good faith, he can develop and embrace a good public relation. Thank God for this. Glory and praise belong to God.
My daughter Joy will be formally admitted to a nearby elementary school. I am obliged to work for her and Ian\. I sincerely ask the Lord to help me to continue working for at least fifteen years. I need to take a good care of myself and my family.