Visiting Taiwan

In May I was fortunate to go on a United Reformed Church ‘Belonging to the World Church’ programme trip to Taiwan. We received a superb welcome and had a fascinating time which offered us a wide range of experiences of life in Taiwan and especially of church life in Taiwan. What an amazing experience – and such a reminder of the wonder of being part of the world church. The hospitality we received was incredibly generous and we were fortunate to do a good bit of travelling and see different aspects of church life. In particular we visited three of the indigenous groups within Taiwan and saw something of the churches where they worshipped and the mission in which they are engaged. In one place we were able to have a conversation with the pastor about the challenge of working with particular groups and how we identify with a group to which we do not belong. We visited a church-run farming project. Elsewhere we talked with the pastor in the midst of the amazing cultural project that has been developed under his influence – and then went to enjoy a cultural programme of music and dance.

It was particularly interesting for me to visit Taiwan because it so happens that I was ordained in 1979 and that was the year in which the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan came very much in to the news and offered us all much cause for concern and prayer. It was a time when human rights in Taiwan were at a low ebb. There was a great deal of persecution and oppression. The Presbyterian Church of Taiwan has always been active in issues of justice and, at that time, paid the price for speaking up. The General Secretary then was Dr. Kao, a name that I remember being much mentioned and prayed for in those days of 1979 and beyond. Dr. Kao was imprisoned in 1979 – and we were reminded during the visit that it is easy to remember how long he was in prison. Just think of 4, 3, 2, 1 – it was four years, three months and twenty one days. One of the places we visited was the Chi-Lin Foundation in Ilan County which offers a fascinating insight into the history of Taiwan’s Democratic Movement. It has become a repository for all sorts of interesting and relevant material. It was founded by Lawyer Lin and his wife in an attempt to bring something positive out of the murder of his mother and their twin daughters, then aged 7, on 28th February 1980.

The foundation was established in 1991 and at the ceremony to mark its opening Mr. Lin told a story that bears repeating. At the base of the Himalayas there is a bamboo forest in which many birds and animals live. One day, a strong wind made the bamboos scrape against each other, resulting in a fire. The fire grew larger and some of the animals started to run away. A parrot flew into the sky and could have escaped the forest fire. However, he loved the bamboo forest where he grew up and appreciated the forest for offering him shelter. In addition, he could not bear seeing his companions suffer. Thus, he soaked his wings in a nearby pond and then flew into the sky to spread water on to the fire. He continuously repeated this seemingly ineffective action.

The compassion of the parrot and his sacrificial spirit moved God. God descended from heaven and said to the parrot, ‘Your actions are praiseworthy. But how will you extinguish the fire with the drops of water collected from your wings?’ The parrot answered, ‘appreciation and compassion guarantees success,’ In the end, God was moved and helped put out the fire. However, if there were 100,000 or a million parrots that simultaneously performed the same act, perhaps God’s help would not have been necessary to extinguish the fire.