‘Overflowing with God’s Grace’ 主恩滿溢 (Zhǔ ēn mǎn yì) was the most appropriate and beautiful phrase for a scroll of Chinese calligraphy, written by Mr. Tian-Jian Chang 張天健 and presented by the Bishop of Taiwan, Lennon Yuan-Rung Chang to the … Continue reading Centenary Celebrations of the Diocese of Osaka ~ and we were there! ❤️
It’s Holy Week and the sun is shining all week in Taipei, yippee! Today is Maundy Thursday, and appropriate for Maundy Thursday is a visit to Zhongshan Presbyterian Church (中山基督長老教會) in central Taipei (62, Linsen N. Rd 林森北路62號), where the small stained glass window above the altar is of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, while his disciples are fast asleep nearby. The window at the back of the church is of Jesus the Good Shepherd… This morning, very early, I cycled past this church on my way into Taipei. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the traffic … Continue reading Zhongshan Presbyterian Church, Taipei 中山基督長老教會
Been doing a bit of research among some of our students in the 15-17 year age group to find out who their pop idols are ~ part of my English conversation classes, so bringing you up to speed, here goes! Top of the list by far for everyone are the boy bands from S. Korea – all brought together on TV talent shows and promoted by the mega-entertainment industry that is so big in S. Korea. And currently top of the list of all of them is BTS. Super Junior is long over, now it is BTS. Our girls say … Continue reading Pop idols @ Taiwan-Style!
And they’ve brought the sun with them too ~ ah, at last, the weather is great! The Diocese of Taiwan has had a companion link with the Diocese of Osaka since 2004, and so there’s been regular church group visits to and fro for different occasions. Since their last visit, for our 60th anniversary celebration in April 2014, the Diocese of Osaka has a new bishop, Bishop Andrew Haruhisa Iso. So Bishop Iso has brought a group to Taiwan this week, primarily to attend the opening service and first session of our annual diocesan convention, which starts tomorrow. Sadly our … Continue reading From the Diocese of Osaka, Japan ~ a big welcome to Taiwan!
An Indian Summer (or in Chinese, known as an Autumn Tiger!) ~ Yippee! Yes, a whole 3 days so far of temps up to 32°C, with blue skies, blue seas and butterflies ~ time to get the sunglasses, sun cream and sun hats back out, YES! And if there’s one place in Taiwan where a fine day is rare, it’s the N.E coast and the mountains above Keelung. I was up there 2 months ago to climb Teapot Mountain 茶壺山 and Banpingshan 半平山(check out that blog post here) and at the time, thought that if there’s ever a fine day again, that’s … Continue reading Mt. Keelung基隆山, Jinguashi金瓜石 POW Camp and Jiufen九份
Yesterday ~ a sharp frost, but bright sun all day, and at my father’s suggestion, went to check out Askrigg Church in Wensleydale, N. Yorkshire to see the memorial to Bishop Leonard Wilson, most famous for being Bishop of Singapore during the Japanese occupation, when he was imprisoned and tortured…. His sermon of how he suffered, yet kept the faith, shared the Gospel with some of his captors and led some of them to faith is retold in his sermon here, published in 1946. He retired to Askrigg in 1969 and although he died only a year later, he clearly … Continue reading Bishop Leonard Wilson Memorial @ Askrigg Church, Wensleydale
Bizarre national treasure? At least it’s on its way home, ready for my next visit….. BBC News – Japan: Thousands see Taiwan’s ‘Meat-Shaped Stone’. Continue reading BBC News – Japan: Thousands see Taiwan’s ‘Meat-Shaped Stone’
For those who’ve seen the Jade Cabbage and the Stewed Pork in Taiwan’s National Palace Museum, it’s now all happening in Tokyo…. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/06/24/2003593527/1 Continue reading National Palace Museum exhibit on after apology
Lots of visitors on the horizon ~ and one place we always go is C.K.S. Memorial and the Presidential Palace in downtown Taipei City…. But in between the two, and behind a big wall is a very ornate Baroque-style mansion, known as the Taipei Guest House 臺北賓館, and today was its monthly opening to the public… Built in 1901 as the residence for the Japanese Governor-General when Taiwan was under the Japanese Colonial Government ~ and then in 1952, the Treaty of Taipei 中日和平條約between Japan and the Republic of China was signed here, marking the formal end of World War II and … Continue reading Taipei Guest House 臺北賓館 and Taipei Botanical Garden台北植物園…..
Catherine Lee 