Visits to schools, orphanages, and elderly homes in Taiwan

Peter Wescombe

The Family International Yilan Mission was able to make Christmas a very special event for many this year thanks to the sponsorship program of Activated Ministries. We visited five aboriginal elementary schools, two nursing homes for the elderly, a handicapped center, and an orphanage. The visits to the mountain schools were very important because of the wonderful Aurora books we were able to donate to the school libraries. We also gave sponsored Activated Magazines and Christmas posters to the school children as well as others we met during our shows. These valuable publications made Christmas a very merry one for those who received them.

We went on a trip up the spectacular and beautiful Lanyang river valley of Yilan County to the aboriginal villages of Datong, Song Luo, Ying Shi, Mao An and Shi Ji. At each school we were warmly greeted by the principal and English teacher who we presented with the books for their school libraries. We were able to give a total of 150 sets of the “Early Bird Readers” and 150 “The Garden” storybooks. In Taiwan, English is an important language to learn because it is usually a requirement to pass an English test when applying for a good job. The “Early Bird Readers” are a set of 12 booklets with flash cards and a CD which the school’s English teacher can use to help the children to learn to read English in 12 progressive steps. “The Garden” storybook is bilingual with English on one side, and Chinese with Bopomofo on the other. This system is effective in helping young children learn English as they can read the wonderful story in both English and Chinese and gain a better understanding of how English is naturally spoken. The story teaches values such as self esteem and positive thinking, which are important principles for the young aboriginal children to learn.

Our Christmas shows had lively songs and a drama depicting the birth of Jesus. This helped the audience understand that Jesus is God’s son and a very special Gift for us all. We were able to give the sponsored Christmas Activated Magazines and posters after every show and also when we visited the elementary schools.

The Activated Ministries sponsorship program has made this Christmas of lasting value in the lives of many people in Yilan County. The books donated to the school libraries will help the aboriginal children of these mountainous areas for many years to come.