Paul & Kari Smith~ Taiwan

Greetings from the Smith family in Taiwan.  For those who don’t know us, I will give a short history of who we are, how we got to Taiwan, what we do here, our affiliation with Southern Hills Church, and what you can do to help us.

 Nine years ago our family moved to Hot Springs.  We loved the town, the people, and the church.  We made many close friends.  You took very good care of us when we needed it.  I could have stayed in Hot Springs happily for the rest of my life.  But God had other plans.  I had a growing desire to teach missionary kids overseas.  It had been in the back of my mind for several years, but now it was moving to the front.  After a year I took a position at Sunshine Bible Academy outside Miller, SD.  During the year I made inquiries and went to a job fair for Christian international schools.  I got a call, an interview, and took a teaching position at Morrison Academy in Taichung, Taiwan. This school has been teaching missionary kids and business kids for almost 60 years.  So in the summer of 2004 we moved to Taiwan.  We have been here seven years and we love it.  I have taught World History, US History, PE, and various Bible subjects.  In the Spring I am an assistant track and field coach.  Teaching the children of missionaries is an important support for the missionary community.  Knowing that their children will receive a good quality academic education from a Biblical perspective attracts and keeps missionaries on the field.  It frees them up to do their ministry.  It is also a witness to the business community as many of our students do not know Jesus personally.  Some come to know Christ and are discipled during their years at Morrison.   Next month I will give you an update on what it is like at a Christian international school and to teach these kids.  They are just like your kids in many ways and yet have their own unique set of issues to deal with.  If you would like to know more about Morrison Academy you can check out their website at www.mca.org.tw. 

Taiwan is a beautiful country.  It is very mountainous and has a long varied coastline.  The Portuguese called it Formosa (beautiful island) when they first visited it.  It does live up to the name.  I have enclosed a short Power Point slide presentation of pictures of Taiwan we have taken in some of our travels.  We love the mountains and the beach.  The country produces a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as large quantities of rice.  The rice fields look beautiful after they are planted. Taiwan has a population of 23 million concentrated mostly in three large cities; Taipei in the north (5 million), Taichung in the middle (2 million), and Kaoshung in the south (3 million).  Most of the population lives on the West side of the island because that is where the flatter land is.  Mountains cover the rest.

The people here are generally very friendly to foreigners.  We live off campus in a small gated community.  Our neighbors take good care of us.  The area around Morrison is called “the village.”  We have gotten to know some of the local business people in the stores and restaurants we frequent. Even though we don’t know the language very well, we are still a witness.  People watch what we do and how we act.  They do notice a difference and sometimes want to know what causes that difference.  Spiritually the country is very dark.  There has never been a spiritual revival here.  The vast majority of people practice a combination of Buddhism, Taoism and Taiwanese folk religion.  Ancestor worship is a huge part of the culture.  When a person becomes a Christian it is a big deal as it goes against the culture.

The church we attend meets on the Morrison campus and includes people from countries all over the world.  Currently the only continent not represented is Antarctica.  Services are in English.  During the school year we have a bible study in our home twice a month that includes mostly Taiwanese Christians from our church.

One of the things we do not have to do is raise financial support.  I am paid directly by Morrison.  What we do need is your prayer support.  I know some of you do pray for us.  Keep up the good work.  Pray for the missionaries here as they minister in a very spiritually dark land.  The spiritual warfare is tough.  Pray for the Morrison staff as we teach students from a Biblical world view.  Pray for the people of Taiwan that they may come to know Christ.  Pray for the Taiwanese church that they will be strong.

Your friends in Taiwan,

The Smith Family

e-mail addresses:

Kari: smithk@mca.org.tw

Paul: smithp@mca.org.tw