November 28-December 4, 2011
Headline News
Two years later, Paiwan Presbytery remembers blessings and trials of rebuilding communities wrecked by Morakot
Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan
Written by Lydia Ma
On November 26, 2011, Paiwan Presbytery’s Taiwu Rebuilding Center held a thanksgiving service to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of Typhoon Morakot. The service was held at the newly-built Taiwu Elementary school, which is adjacent to the new community or permanent housing units. Though parts of the new Taiwu community are still under construction, this year has been an important year for Paiwan Presbytery because new houses and church buildings have finally been built.
To celebrate this milestone and remember what was lost in the typhoon, a thanksgiving service followed by a music concert was held on that day. The theme of the day’s celebration was “Hear and See Hope” and events began in the afternoon with youths and seniors taking part in a few traditional indigenous sports such as archery. The thanksgiving service began at dusk and people gathered together to sit on the grass, using shellflower leaves and straw mats as cushions. They worshiped and thanked God for peace and blessings through song and dance and also thanked many supporters.
The thanksgiving service’s sermon was given by PCT General Assembly Moderator Chiohh Lyiam-syian, and he pointed out that calamities are inevitable parts of life as well as great learning experiences. Oftentimes, such occasions are preludes to greater blessings and make a person more resilient on the inside.
Paiwan Presbytery General Secretary E’leng, who is also the Director of Taiwu Rebuilding Center, underscored that God’s children shouldn’t stay depressed for long because God is their strength. She said that though many discouraging and infuriating things happened over the course of rebuilding their homes, the worst was over. She encouraged churches and Taiwu residents to stop branding themselves as victims.
Presently, the two main ministries of the rebuilding center are spiritual outreach and agricultural revitalization. Because Taiwu Church doesn’t have a church building yet, church members sometimes need to go to nearby Chao-Jhou Township to attend Sunday service. Fundraising efforts geared toward a new church building is scheduled to begin next year and church members hope to have a church building ready in 2 years. Having said that, E’leng urged all churches in Taiwan to support and pray for this project.
