The near-final trip of September was to the regional worker gathering in Chiayi City, Taiwan. Each year all the workers (but not spouses or children) gather together. It’s a time for training and updating as well as sharing what is going on in the region. It’s a mix of meetings, worship, and unscheduled time for necessary or serendipitous conversations between people. It’s the first such gathering since before Covid, and it’s my first opportunity to attend one since deploying last year.
Above is a shot through the taxi. I fly into Taipei and take a city subway and then a high-speed rail south to Chiayi City. Speeds on the train are over 250 km/hour! Once arriving at the high speed rail (HSR) station in Chiayi it’s a 30-minute taxi ride into Chiayi proper. Regional headquarters are on the east side of town and the HSR station is outside the city to the west.
Most of our days looked something like this, with various presentations from various folks. We were blessed to have two visitors from Mission Advancement come and speak with us. These are the folks who work with donors (perhaps you know some of these folks!). We also had Erin Alter from St. Louis Short Term Missions joining us to present a reminder of how short-term mission teams work. Finally the OIM head of security was on hand to present on his work. We also heard short presentations from a few of the deployed workers in the region.
Wednesday evening, the end of the first day of meetings, we were treated to a delicious dinner. A wide variety of Taiwanese delicacies to sample, and time for conversation and laughter. Above, Rev. Matt Wood, Regional Director Charles Ferry and Rev. Dr. Tom Parks share in some joviality at the end of the meal. It’s not often that all these folks can interact with each other in person.
Food is obviously the heart of most any gathering, and there was more of it than Wednesday dinner. Each day lunch was provided, again showcasing various local flavors. Above Irene Paul and Rev. Dr. Steve Oliver explore a variety of steamed dumpling options we had for lunch on Thursday.
I was honored to serve as chaplain for this event, which mostly meant preaching for each of the three morning services we celebrated together. It was a good time of reconnecting. I’m not much for meetings but it’s nice to be with other workers with a lot more experience in the field than I have. I’m looking forward to next year’s gathering already.
The Nelson Family Indonesia 