Our Ministry is Everywhere!

It has definitely been an adventure being a foreigner in a foreign land. There aren’t very many foreigners here in Taiwan, so I guess we kind of stick out like a sore thumb. The students that come here to the CEI (Character English Institute) School for a week at a time all love to point out all the strange things about me. Inquires about my blue eyes, sharp nose, light brown hair and apparent gigantism have been the most discussed topics between myself and the students. The student’s mostly give me suspicious looks when I tell them that we don’t all look like myself in the US. The fact that we have many different cultures is a very strange concept to them.

One of the most rewarding things about teaching from week to week is seeing the students grasp a hold of the different aspects of God’s character that we are able to teach them throughout the week. I am reminded of a few instances where the kids have blown me away with the love that they can show for others. (I wish I could post a few of the pictures that I have been able to capture some of these moments, but the school that I am working at prohibits showing the faces of the students) I can think of one specific instance where a boy had a learning disorder and he wasn’t able to write some Chinese characters, but then a little girl came over and helped to guide his hand in writing the characters. Moments like these remind me why God loves his little children so much!

The love of God has been kind of a theme for me this year. How can God love us so much? It’s unbelievable if you really think about it! I think our ministry in a nutshell is simply us showing other people the love that God has given to us. It isn’t complicated. It can be shown in so many ways! I am used to being able to tell others of God’s love for them. But that is not nearly so easy when there is a language barrier there. So throughout this year God has been showing me different ways to be able to minister his love to the people I come in contact with.

Participating in a 5 and 10k race, respectively, with my co-workers was also a way God challenged me to minister. I had almost zero desire to because long distance running is as close as I’ve ever felt to torture. The challenge was great but we were able to complete the races as a team and it has a great way to build relationships with my fellow teachers.

I think that these months have been challenging for me. But in a good way! And I have learned many ways to be able to share the love of God to others that I hadn’t necessarily thought of before!

~Jake Carriger

Jake is 21 years old. Was born and raised in Michigan and after graduating from high-school moved to Chicago to work as a graphic designer for three years. He is now enjoying teaching English in Taiwan. Things that he likes to do include: Playing Guitar, Traveling, Volleyball, Snowboarding, and pretty much anything else that includes being active.