Month: July 2016

Taiwan Episcopal ChurchLeave a comment

Good Shepherd Church, Taipei 牧愛堂 says Goodbye to Rev. Philip L. F. Lin 林立峯牧師 and his family!

Catherine Lee

Yes, today is a big day in the Diocese of Taiwan ~ we have many of our churches saying fond farewells to their clergy as they move on.  This was the scene at Good Shepherd Church today as the church said goodbye to Rev. Philip Lin, his wife and family, here they are with the Good Shepherd Senior Warden, Mr. Jake Hung! Over at St. John’s Cathedral, Taipei our beloved Rev. Elizabeth Wei and her amazing husband, Rev. Peter Chen are finally retiring after serving the last 2 years in charge of the cathedral.  Many congratulations to them and we … Continue reading Good Shepherd Church, Taipei 牧愛堂 says Goodbye to Rev. Philip L. F. Lin 林立峯牧師 and his family!

TaiwanLeave a comment

‘No Mud, No Lotus’

Catherine Lee

‘No Mud, No Lotus’, so goes the famous title of the famous book by famous Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, explained as, ‘The secret to happiness is to acknowledge and transform suffering, not to run away from it.’ It’s Lotus Flowering Season in Taiwan and for people who like to take photos of the beautiful lotus flowers, the fact that they grow in muddy waterlogged fields is, well, let’s face it, a great inconvenience! Fortunately today I found one flower just out, and although its roots were in the mud, it was growing right by the side of the path. Ah … Continue reading ‘No Mud, No Lotus’

TaiwanLeave a comment

My Kinda Art @ 2 Taipei Exhibitions!

Catherine Lee

Mostly my kinda art doesn’t appear very often, so it’s quite nice that Taipei has 2 exhibitions on that are actually my kinda art!  Both kinda discovered by chance a few days ago when wandering in the area… One is at the Gallery at Taipei 101, where there’s an exhibition of really fun sculptures by Korean sculptor Kim Gyoungmin, this is one of them! Then just around by Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store on the outside plaza there is an exhibition of very beautiful elephants called Elephant Parade, highlighting and encouraging elephant conservation. There’s a total of 42 elephants and 15 of … Continue reading My Kinda Art @ 2 Taipei Exhibitions!

TaiwanLeave a comment

Taipei at 38.5 degrees!

Catherine Lee

Yep, yesterday was pretty hot, in fact every day is pretty hot round here! Temperatures in Taipei soared to 38.5 degrees Celsius shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, the second highest ever recorded in the city in the month of July, the Central Weather Bureau said.  The highest temperature ever recorded in Taipei in July was 38.6 degrees in 2010. The highest temperature recorded in Taipei this year was 38.7 degrees, set on June 1. Although I was out and about in Taipei at 1:00 pm yesterday, this was taken a few hours earlier, just as the day’s heat was setting … Continue reading Taipei at 38.5 degrees!

TaiwanLeave a comment

From Taipei by train along the Pingxi Line 平溪線!

Catherine Lee

This is definitely my new favourite thing to do in the Greater Taipei area!  Must-go, must-see, must-ride on that train!  Just look at the kind of view you’ll have! Two weeks ago, the day after Typhoon Nepartak, in a mix of drizzle, rain, torrential rain, and overcast skies, with my 2 lovely visitors from the UK and 4 of our wonderful students, I spent the day on the Pingxi Line, and it was fun!  It was cool after the typhoon, but dull and overcast.  On that day we spent all our time at Shifen 十分, and then went to Jiufen 九份.  But … Continue reading From Taipei by train along the Pingxi Line 平溪線!

St. John's University, TaiwanLeave a comment

Farewell to St. John’s University President Chen Jean-Lien!

Catherine Lee

St. John’s University President Chen Jean-Lien is retiring this month after 8 years at the helm, and today was our Grand Farewell and Great Send-Off Day!  The ceremony and buffet lunch was held in our new church centre at Advent Church, emceed by Shu-Jing from our chaplaincy office, and attended by faculty, staff and students.  Sadly the Chair of the SJU Board of Trustees, Dr. Cecilia Koo was unable to come at the last moment ~ fortunately Bishop Lai was in attendance, representing the trustees.  We had speeches, flowers and gift presentations, songs from our student fellowship and a very … Continue reading Farewell to St. John’s University President Chen Jean-Lien!

Advent Church, Taiwan1 Comment

小太陽 Advent Church Children’s Summer School 2016!

Catherine Lee

The first week of our Advent Church Children’s Summer School ~ running all summer, all day, Mondays to Thursdays, with a mix of Bible classes, homework, arts and crafts, games, computer classes etc etc, and all run by 3 of our students with the help of church members and clergy, and being held in our new church centre ~ so do please pray for them all! Fun, fun, fun ~ yes, yes, yes! Continue reading 小太陽 Advent Church Children’s Summer School 2016!

Taiwan Episcopal Church1 Comment

Round-Taiwan Tour with Nicky and Harriet ~ YES!

Catherine Lee

Yep, we’ve done a whole circuit of Taiwan this past week ~ ‘n what a beautiful country! Nicky and Harriet, my 2 lovely visitors from one of my CMS Link Churches, St. John’s, Neville’s Cross, Durham, UK, had already been here a week, based in Taipei, and so this was the chance for them to see a little of this beautiful island ~ Ilha Formosa (‘Beautiful Isle’, the name given by Portuguese sailors), otherwise known as….. Taiwan! Last Monday, July 11, when we set off, southern Taiwan was still reeling from Typhoon Nepartak which had wreaked havoc a few days … Continue reading Round-Taiwan Tour with Nicky and Harriet ~ YES!