John McCall - March 2020 Update
Taiwan
Dear friends,
As we all join in prayer for the world community, especially the most vulnerable countries and people groups, I wanted to share a few glimpses from this part of the world:
+Taiwan has always been a mask-wearing culture. If people have a cold or are concerned about catching a cold, they will wear masks. So, this pandemic has just increased the number of people wearing masks in public to around 95% of the population. When you are in a public space, and everyone is wearing a mask, you only see the eyes. We tend to study the mouth and its expressions, but with everyone's mouth covered, you learn to study eyes. And eyes communicate a lot. They express fear when someone close to you coughs. They communicate a smile when the smile lines show at the edges of the eyes. They communicate a greeting. We are learning to read eyes here. And it is wonderful how many eyes respond to a smile with another smile. In this age of fear, the eyes communicate that we are one family on this earth. The eyes make a connection one-to-the-other. I have been grateful for the many times each day I see eyes that smile at me.
+We have been living with the reality of this virus here for two months. So, we just had our second toilet paper run. The first time happened about a month ago when someone in Taiwan posted online that the paper used for masks is the same paper used to make toilet paper. Immediately folks rushed to the stores and bought out all of the toilet paper. But the government assured people that there was plenty of toilet paper available. So just as quickly, the shelves were again full of toilet paper. But with the news from the U.S. this week, that there was a run on toilet paper there, Taiwanese got nervous again. This weekend, people were again filling their carts with toilet paper. The premier announced yesterday that toilet paper factories are only producing at 60%, so he assured the people that there is plenty. I assume that next week, the shelves will again be full of toilet paper and that Taiwanese are using precious space in small apartments to store so much extra toilet paper. We are influenced by so many voices each day that the voice of calm and reason is often not heard.
+I teach in Jiangsu Province in China and have many former students and friends there. So, for the past two months, I have been in contact with a good friend and leader in the church in that province. I have been impressed with his perspective on this crisis. In Mandarin, the character for crisis has two parts: danger and opportunity. He wrote me when the outbreak was at its worst in China, and everyone was confined to their homes, "Now in our city, it is as if someone pressed the pause button and this huge city suddenly becomes quiet and stops. People keep their distance from others, and since everyone is wearing a face mask, you can't see the facial expressions. But, for me, the good thing is that God is giving the Chinese people a time to be quiet and slow down from the fast pace of our lives to ponder the true meaning of our lives." He also wrote me yesterday, saying, "In our province, by the Lord's leading and the prayers of so many around the world, the good news here is that for the past 29 days, there are no new reported cases in our province. All of the 631 infected people have been discharged from the hospital and have fully recovered. Jesus Christ continues to connect us together all over the world. We are truly one in Christ. Let's keep praying for God's grace and leading as other countries face great challenges." The statistics of this pandemic are real people with families and friends. As we pray and care for one another, we use the opportunity in the danger to be agents of Christ's peace and to love one another.
+I have always liked a simple song by John Bell from the Iona Community in Scotland, where I have been an Associate Member for 35 years. Its words say, "Don't be afraid; God's love is stronger, God's love is stronger than my fear. Don't be afraid, and I have promised, promised always to be near." (you can listen to it online) That is how I am seeking to accompany the Taiwanese people and the people of the world, as we together rely on God's strong and tenacious love and lean into God's promise always to be near.
Prayerfully,
John McCall
Read more about John McCall’s ministry HERE.
THE NEED
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts totaling $10,000 for support funds for John McCall’s ministry. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.