Taiwan Church News
3419 Edition
September 4 – 10, 2017
Headline News
A Skin-Graft With Love: God’s Boundless Love Witnessed In Medical Ministries Of Dr David Landsborough, His Families And Likewise Brave Missionaries
Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong
To praise and commemorate the spirit of love and sacrifice, that Dr David Landsborough and his families had shown to their beloved Taiwanese over a century’s service, the 12th Tsai Jui-yueh Cultural Forum was held at Rose Historic Site, Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Directory, presenting speeches & seminars interwoven with the performances of dance and drama.
According to Tsai Jui-yueh Cultural Forum, the reason for organizing such a forum to review the family of Dr David Landsborough is due to the contribution of these like-minded western missionaries and their families, like Rev George Leslie MacKay at Taipei and Dr James Laidlaw Maxwell at Tainan, dedicated to Taiwan medicine is too historically unprecedented and influential to be ignored, not to mention that their missionary spirit are still inspiring us up to date.
Rev Zeng Yang-en, a church history professor of Taiwan Theological College and Seminary and convener of this cultural forum, expressed that this event combining liberal arts with social histories in Taiwan could be an experimental platform to promote the value and idea of Christian concept of beauty.
Rev Chhoa Lam-sin, PCT Associate General Secretary, remarked that the early stage of PCT missionary ministries always began from the medical service in order to show Taiwan society the invisible love of God in a concrete shape. And this is exactly what Dr David Landsborough and his families had served in central Taiwan over a century’s medical ministry in pious devotion and compassionate empathy.
Citing 70% cancer patients admitted by Taiwan’s west-coast hospitals, Dr Liu Han-ding, a physician specializing in cancer treatment at Taitung Christian Hospital, delivered a sharp criticism at the neglect of the poor during medical education. Many Taiwan medical students in their school days were deeply encouraged by what Dr Albert Schweitzer had done for the poor and marginalized in Africa, yet seldom would dare to serve in an relatively under-developed eastern Taiwan, Dr Liu said, adding that in comparison of PCT’s pioneering missionaries to initiate their medical ministries from a peripheral Taiwan society in 19th century, current Taiwan’s medical education desperately need an overhaul casting the service to the poor as a priority.
Invited to deliver a speech, Dr Lin Hsin-nan, a veteran psychiatrist, shared the advise of Dr David Landsborough IV on what Changhua Christian Hospital should concern after it had become a big and modern hospital. “Focus on the hospital emblem!”, Dr David Landsborough IV said, when Dr Lin paid him a personal visit at at London in 2003, as this hospital emblem reminds us our original mission as an medical ministry to preach good news to Taiwan society and at the same time this logo prompt us to strike a good balance between medical ministry and financial affairs.
Many renown medical experts and academic scholars, including Dr Chen Yong-shin, Prof Hua I-fen, Mrs Chiu Kai-li, Mr Wu Tsau-chong, Mr Tsai Mau-tang, Ms Wang Chau-wen, Mr Lin Yi-ren, Mr Lai Chi-wan and etc, were also invited to present their thoughts on such encounter of the cultures between East and West through this special medical history originated from central Taiwan.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
