Footsteps With Jesus

Celebrations

2012-03-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

Peace and Joy be with Missioners. Chinese New Year is always a big holiday for us. My friend took me to Taipei Flower Expo as the photo showed.

Yesterday (February 17^th) was my birthday. Grace and some students gave me a nice home party. I played "Romance of Love" for them in return.

In December we invited one hundred plus poor children and their family for a Christmas dinner in European style buffet at the Cathedral. We had 80+ students and teachers from the Department of Food & Beverage Management. This is the 1st Christmas in Church for many of them. Sr.Hun and I told them the story of little Jesus.

Cheers to all the Lay Mission Helpers! May the Grace and Joy of the Spirit be with you always!

-Jovanni Chang

Christmas Concert In Chiayi

2012-01-04T14:01:00.001-08:00

The Christmas Season was a full of joy and activity one by one at the school. This year the Christmas Concert was a lot easier than last year. I got 33 World News Television Company's assistance so everyone who lived in Chiayi area could see and listen to Classical Christmas Carols and songs.

The Christmas concert lists as Christmas Day the special program, the program was broadcast from 12/23 to 12/25 evening time from 9-12.

I extracted some Christmas carols sung by Sunshine of Charity Association of Chung-Jen from the concert as follows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=o6eee2OYtDM&NR=1

Praised the Lord!

- Grace Chang

Celebrating

2011-11-28T13:46:00.000-08:00

The weather in Taiwan seems to come down a little after the typhoon season.

Last month we celebrated Grace's birthday and our church St. Joseph's birthday. As you can see in the photo, we had a nice party and we sang in the choir. Every Friday after work we'll go to church and practice with empty stomachs. As we sang I was in tears.

Advent is coming I am telling the baby Jesus story to our students. I told them Jesus was a great story teller. We should listen with our heart.

- Jovanni Chang

Sunshine Club

2011-09-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

The students of the Sunshine Club went with me on several service trips to three different cities in Yunlin county, Chiayi county and Tainan Hsien. We visited people who are mentally handicapped, in orphanages and some poor families. We taught health education and sold some homemade foods for fundraising for them. They enjoyed playing with us.

Even though this was the first time that students left their home city for charitable acitivites, they were very happy to do so.

I recently came back from summer camp. I will share some of the pictures at a later date.

Summer Ministry

2011-07-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

In the last month we have made some visitations to the poor. As you can see in the pictures,
I brought some students and a teacher or a priest to these poor families. They are very
kind to welcome us. We pray together and share our dinner and company after school.
Although it is a short visit, we enjoy it because we can feel that love is among us.

One of the photos shows all three of us LMH on the Trail of Fun Chi Lake. It is made of cypress.

The Bridge in the fog I've named it Bridge to the Gate of Heaven. (see photo)

This semester I've add a new program - after school homework help for the mentally
challenged children. Please pray for us.

Peace and Love of Holy Spirit be with us !

-Jovanni Chang

Blessed Are The Merciful

2011-06-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

During this semester, every Wednesday afternoon the Sunshine Chung-Jen Student Club went to the Ming-Hwa Community Care Center for the elderly. We would help them make healthy checks, such as checking their weight, temperature and blood pressure. They also taught some health education. Many of the elderly people are very lonely, but they are also very cute and they welcomed us.

- Grace Chang

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7).

Cooking With Love

2011-05-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

Joy and Peace of our Risen Christ be with you all. We are keeping the new class of LMH in our prayers. We pray for each other.

The school is very busy now. We are trying hard to get things done on schedule. Last Saturday we had a special event in Chia-Yi. All of the nuns and priests came out and cooked their best dishes for the children! Most of the men and ladies who are wearing chef's hats are priests & nuns.

These nuns and priests are our spiritual supporter of the community. Out of the blue, most of them are surprisingly good in the kitchen. Grace is helping Fr. Duke with his Indonesian BBQ. It was the best of its kind!

To most of us it proves that when we put love into the food we prepare, any child of God can taste it. Oddly enough the children are the judge here, and they give the championship to the Ice Cream nuns!

- Jovanni Chang

Students in Service

2011-04-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

In school we have a class called "Intern Service". Students did community service at Tai-Lin Elementary school. They taught them health education, like how to brush and protect their teeth, wash their hands and English Songs. Praise the Lord we had a good day with the students. After the event the students to realized that they need more time to prepare the activities and to have time control for each activity. I can see that all of the students from Chung-Jen College and Da-Lin elementary school had great happiness because of the interaction with each other during the activities.

- Grace Chang

Helping Others Changes You

2011-03-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Just like the rest of world's students, our students have great pressure from school. They also spend too much
time on electronics, the internet, and playing video games - which we call electronic hiject.

Beginning in Christmas of 2009, I implemented a program in the Life Education Department of Visitation of the Poor. We (the students and I) visit poor families in the area and bring dinner (prepared at the school), sing songs, bring gifts or cards. We'll share our lives - the good times and the blue times. The students are touched by this experience, give positive feedback, and I've noticed a change of their study attitudes.

"You who do to the least brother you do unto me".

- Jovanni Chang

Christmas Concert

2011-02-16T14:19:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Song Concert was a success. Praise the Lord! It was held at the City Cultural Park of the Chiayi. The Chiayi City Cultural Park located in the famous night market site in the middle of the city. This park is different from other parks. In particular, there are many of Chiayi famous monuments carved in marble engraved or painted versions set in the wall to become a major feature on the ground.

In daily prayer I used to focus on listening to the word of God. One day in prayer God moved my heart to do evangelization by outreach with music to Him fto show His glory here. So I submitted a proposal to the director of the Life Education Dept. about having a Christmas music concert project.

I feel God himself in the completion of all the work and preparation to go forward very smoothly. It wasn’t without difficulties, but God protected, guided, and supported me in all circumstances.

The day of the concert attracted a large audience, both Catholic and non Catholic. Some people said: “This is the first time real feeling that Christmas is coming.” Some listeners said: “This is the first time hearing Classic Christmas music.” Others said: “This is the first time to know that students of Chung-Jen can sing so well.”

There were nine groups at the concert with each group consisting of about 25-63 people. Each group sang four Christmas songs, including non-Catholic groups singing the songs of praise to the Lord. Each song is very nice. Many in the audience said: “I hope that next year's carol concert will also be held, and I will bring my friends together.”

At the same time the school enrollment promotion attracted a lot of people, and Chung-Jen colleges take the first step to show their achievements. Praised the Lord!

My experience working with the students in this event was a test of my faith experience. These students are all non-Christians. They did not have any idea and interest about Christmas carols for the Church. Almost all the students lived in other counties. Expecting that they attended Sunday school activities is a very difficult task. They are not used to performing in front of many people. Shy, timid, no confidence, a lack of willpower and taught to sing does not concentrate on is their privilege. But they had very soft and beautiful harmony.

On concert day a miracle happened, the students all came from their own homes to attend the concert, and outstanding performance. After the concert they said: “A concert makes us more confident of our own ability and make us happy.”

Only God can move the hearts of these students. Moved without God no one would recognize Jesus as the master of our lives.

-Grace Chang