Month: March 2014

As the churches in Taiwan grew, so did the opportunity for ministry through music. Chinese TV channels increased from two to three, Pirated recordings of music were available at almost every corner. Chinese believers living abroad provided  yet more music resources for local musicians. One of the Christian organizations in Taiwan that had a tremendous influence on the music used in churches was Overseas Radio and Television. Doris Braugham and Lee Haggerty combined to form a powerful evangelistic team that used music to penetrate virtually every area on the island with the gospel. Doris is an excellent musician, utilizing her skills as a choral expert and  trumpet player to train and develop local musicians, as well as performing herself with various music groups.

They utilized a small musical ensemble called “Heavenly Melody” that communicat,ed the good news of salvation through evangelistic concerts, recordings as well as radio and television appearances.
I had heard of this group prior to our arrival in Taiwan through Benjamin Kuo, music director for the Ren Ai Baptist Church in Taipei, who was in the US on a study leave. Their musical style was unique, and very popular among the younger generation of church musicians. In addition to concerts around the island the Heavenly Melody singers traveled throughout Asia, Europe and the US. In the early stages of our own Reverberations development, their choral publications proved to be valuable resources for our young group, as the music was upbeat and readily received by believers and non-believers alike.
For more information on this wonderful organization, visit their website at ORTV

When we arrived in Taiwan, there was a dearth of music for church choirs. Some students and others who were studying abroad sent back a few anthems or cantatas, but their use was often confined to one or more churches. Through the efforts of musicians such as Benjamin Kuo, some music publications were made available to the public, and sung by local church choirs.
As the Reverberations grew in popularity, many choir directors began asking for copies of the music they performed. I began corresponding with the publishers, requesting permission to use their music to provide more choral literature for the Chinese churches. Most were very co-operative, and either granted gratis permission, or only charged a small fee. However, the most difficult publisher to deal with proved to be our own SBC Church Music Department. To be honest, it was not because they were not willing to work with us, but because they were limited in their ability to grant copyright permission because of an agreement with the Foreign Mission Board to work exclusively with their publisher in Hong Kong, Baptist Press.
There were many obstacles to working with Baptist Press in Hong Kong, and some were impossible to overcome. Baptist Press had a high standard for publishing music, and seemed unaware of the flourishing market in Taiwan for good choral music at a reasonable cost. Music published by HK Baptist Press was expensive due to their high quality standards, and thus not very marketable in Taiwan. For that reason, we used mostly music from other publishers.
Local church musicians took advantage of training opportunities to hone their conducting skills in addition to learning more about how to begin and maintain children’s choirs. Nannette was very active in the training of these musicians.

Nannette also  saw the need for children’s music and published a collection entitled “When Children Sing” (孩子歌唱时) complete with a cassette tape of the songs. She worked with our own Mass Comm Center to produce the cassette, using a small instrumental ensemble, including an autoharp, with two adult singers.
A picture of the recording appears below.

Due to the increasing number of churches and the growing demand for music appropriate to the abilities and desires of the local choral groups, I felt that Baptists in Taiwan needed a center that would help to supply at least some of the music needs. With the approval and support of the Taiwan Baptist Mission, the Baptist Church Music Center was formed, and office space was provided in the Mission’s office building.
Soon, music was being supplied by the Center for the choral ensembles in churches across the island. Several collections of music popularized by the Reverberations were also published, all with the copyright permission obtained by the original publishers. Below are some of the cassette tapes that accompanied these publications.

  It was very gratifying to see many young people come to know the Lord through the ministry of these publications and recordings, as well as the evangelistic concerts by the Reverberations.

Promise of the day from God’s word.

Ecclesiastes 11

1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

Following approval from Richmond, we made arrangements to return to Taiwan as soon as possible. We were able to keep the house where we had been living, and were assigned a new car as well. So our “homecoming” was very joyful and gratifying. Of course, we returned to language study (Two full years plus were required by the mission.) The Reverberations had been rehearsing some during my hiatus, and our reunion was very encouraging.
It is difficult for me to recount accurately the sequence of events over the next few years, so I will simply summarize.
Some of the pictures I will share have already been posted on Facebook, but they are a part of the story, so I will post a few here.
Some early pics of the Reverberations. (Many members are now married with grandchildren!)
One of our first performances at the Baptist Seminary: (no uniforms)

First Performance on TV Chen Jia Mei (Esther) accompanist.

Frank Liu, guitar

Famous Trio

Lyou Interview

Following my “heart attack”, I spent several weeks in the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital in Taipei. The doctors had monitored my heart from the time I was brought in, and had determined the location of the damaged quadrant. After some time, I was transferred to the Baptist Camp at Lingtou (next door to Calvary Baptist Church,) to recuperate. Living at the Camp was truly a blessing. The air was fresh, and much cooler than down in the city. Our cook came periodically to prepare our meals, but mostly Nannette took care of us, and I for one enjoyed her home cooking.
Our children enjoyed living there, but missed their friends. However, when the time for Baseball came around, our son Phil was enrolled in the T ball league. I had begun to do some walking exercises, and was able to attend some of his practices and games. But it was Nannette who made it possible for him to participate.
It is important to make note of the following information in order to fully appreciate what transpired in the US
 After moving to the Camp, I had been walking every day, extending the distance until it was almost two miles. I felt great, but was kept on a tight leash, just in case. One day as I was praying, it seemed the Lord asked me what I really desired of Him. I replied “to be healed.” The response was simply “It is done.” Naturally, I was elated, and shared this with Nannette and we were very encouraged.

The medical records from the hospital were forwarded to our Board’s Medical Consultant, who then shared them with a medical conference on heart problems among younger men. (At that time, I qualified.) Pursuant to their evaluation, I was requested to return to the US, to have a special test (catheterization) to determine more accurately what damage had been done, and what surgery would be needed to correct the problems. When the word came from Richmond that I was to return to the US for tests and possible surgery, I was disappointed and confused. Had I not asked for and received a promise for healing? Then how was I to interpret this development? But the Lord was in total control and I need not have worried. According to FMB (Foreign Mission Board) policy, I was to return home on a medical furlough.. I had wanted to stay the full four years so I could take a study furlough and pursue a doctorate at Southwestern Seminary. Fortunately, I had made this formal request through our mission, so there was a record of it. But this would negate any such plans, so we trusted the Lord and prepared to return to the US.

Our Business Manager, Harry Raley, arranged our trip back stateside, and  included several stops along the way. The first was an overnight stop in Tokyo. After a nights sleep, we went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. When our meal was over, on our way out of the restaurant we encountered an elderly Japanese businessman, who seemed to be taken with our daughter Emily, who was about five years old at the time. She had blond hair and was Very Cute. As we entered the elevator, the man got on with us, and was still on the elevator when we got off on our floor. Upon entering our room, our daughter Emily showed us several bills that appeared to be some Japanese currency. When we asked here where she got them, she said that nice man in the elevator gave it to her. As it turned out, it was two bills, $20,00 yen each. We were flabbergasted to say the least. I hurried back down to the restaurant to return the money, but the man was gone. No one seemed to know him and assured us that everything was okay. I did not know it at the time, but the money would be just enough to cover the cost of Emily’s pre-school in the US.
Our second stop was in Honolulu for several days. Apparently all were concerned that the trip would be too stressful for me, and so the stops would give me time to recover. The days in Hawaii were very pleasant indeed and we each got nice tans.
We arrived in the US, refreshed and ready for whatever the Lord had in mind for us. Southwestern Seminary allowed us to stay in one of the missionary houses on campus, and Emily enrolled in the Pre-school program at Gambrell St Baptist Church. Soon, we contacted the medical facility in Dallas where my catheterization was to be administered. I arrived at the appointed time, and finally was able to see the doctor. After a brief stress test on the treadmill, the doctor sat me down and gave me the facts. “We will do the catheterization as scheduled because your mission requested it. But I can assure you that you did not have a heart attack.”  The procedure was done, and after a short time, I went back for the final word. According to the doctor, there was not even a scar anywhere, which would have been the case had I really had a heart attack.
No one was more jubilant than I as I returned to our apartment to share the good news with Nannette, a genuine answer to prayer. Then I called and talked to Dr. Fowler, our medical consultant, to give him the news. He then transferred me to Dr. Winston Crawley for further consultation. When I shared the news with him he was very positive, and remarked that with this evaluation, our medical furlough status could be changed to a brief medical leave. He added that we could return immediately to Taiwan and then I could continue my plans to return after four years to take a study furlough.
What a whirlwind trip, and a real boost to our faith. God had provided everything we needed and answered all our prayers. The missionary couple who lived next door remarked how my countenance had changed with that news, from a gloomy and sad appearance to one of sheer joy.
So, we made our plans to return to Taiwan to resume our ministry there. Sadly, because Emily had to leave the preschool program at Gambrell St, it was closed due to lack of students. Otherwise, it had been a remarkable and inspiring spiritual  journey.
The following verse is our testimony to the faithfulness of our Lord. Believe Him and He will make a way for you.

VERSE FOR THE DAY.

Jeremiah 29:10:    …I will visit you and perform my good word toward you and cause you to return to this place, for I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
 

As I became more proficient in communicating in Mandarin, more doors for ministry opened up for me. Most of the members of the choir at Ren Ai Baptist Church were college students, and some were members of another singing group. Rev. Lin Jr Ping and his wife Jang Shao Feng, were very involved with students, using the arts to reach out to the college community. The group was called “Christian Arts Fellowship.” Each fall they would collaborate to produce a drama, sometimes based on Chinese historical events or legends. Mrs. Lin (Chang) was the playwright, Mr Lin the director, and the students served as actors, stage hands, etc. The purpose of the dramas were to raise questions about life (often theological in nature) that had religious implications, questions which many students and intellectuals would appreciate. Following the presentations, discussion sessions were held for all who were interested, to provide a forum to deal with the questions raised in the course of the drama. Rev Lin and his wife would provide Christian answers to these issues, thus offering an opportunity to present the truth of the gospel message.
In the Spring, Rev Lin and the students would form a singing group, giving concerts in churches and concert halls throughout the island. Through my contact with the Ren Ai church choir, I was introduced to Rev. Lin, who invited me to direct the group. In my first experience directing this Fellowship choir, the first performance included “The Crucifixion” by Stainer. The second year, we did “Calvary’s Mountain,” by Allen with narration added by Mrs. Lin.
At this time, Calvary Baptist Church, an expat church on Grass Mountain, Taipei was without a pastor. One of our missionaries was serving as interim pastor, and he requested my assistance with the music. Naturally, I wanted to be of service, but I was involved with the Ren Ai choir on Sunday morning. However, the Youth Choir at Calvary sang on Sunday evenings, when many missionaries attended, so I agreed to work with them. Most of the young people were MK’s (missionary kids) and had fairly good voices. Christian folk musicals were very popular during this time, and it seemed like a good idea to include one of them in the repertoire of the choir. The Young People sang very well, and performed the musical to a packed auditorium at Calvary.
Rev and Mrs.Lin had also opened a “coffee house” in Taipei, another attempt to reach the younger generation of Chinese. When I shared with them about the musical the Calvary Young People had performed at the church, they invited the group to come sing for the patrons at the coffee house. We gladly accepted, and while the audience was much smaller, and the language was English, the reaction was one of sincere interest. Mrs. Lin (Jang Shau Feng) who was a playwright, and wrote most of the plays the Fellowship performed,  was very impressed with the contemporary version of English. A day or two later, she presented to me a dozen or so short verses, written in contemporary Chinese expression, all addressing concerns and needs of Chinese young people. She said that this was the first poetry of its kind, written in a free style that represented the kind of expression that most Chinese youth could understand and relate to. She asked if I would try to set some of them to music, a daunting task to say the least.
One of the poems that appealed to me was entitled “I’m always waiting. (Wo dzungshr dzai deng).” The text addressed at least one of the challenges Chinese young people face–waiting. The form was in ABA form (two parts with the first part repeated.) In the first part, the text indicates that they were always waiting–they wait for busses, they wait ;to grow up, they wait for someone to come and express love for them. Day after day, year after year, season after season, they always wait. The second part shares the truth that Jesus is also waiting, waiting for them to come home.
Here is a copy of the text in Chinese. (Note that the author is Ms Jang, and the composer is Lai Ming De–my Chinese name)

In a short time, the melodies came to me and I jotted them down. As our Radio-TV studio was preparing a television program to be broadcast over one of Taiwan’s three television stations, I asked if we could include this song. Permission was granted, and it seemed proper for the presentation to include an Erhu (Chinese two-stringed fiddle )  二胡  as a part of the accompaniment. Here is a picture of one.

 

The study of the Chinese language in Taiwan in the early ’70s involved learning Mandarin with a heavy dose of “Pekingese.” The influence of the once-official language on the mainland of China was understandable because some of the teachers or their families had come from there. Characteristically, some of the words in Mandarin that ended with a vowel sound ended with a “burr” in the Peking dialect.  Of course, this dialect was rarely heard on the street, if ever. Conversely, some of the local inhabitants had their own accents when speaking Mandarin, and would often modify an “sh” sound to an “s” sound in initial consonants. An example would be the Mandarin word for yes, or “shr” with a curled tongue. People from the Southern part of the US in speaking English often drop the final consonant “g” in words like “going” and “doing.” If we spent much time around these local Chinese, we would naturally begin to imitate them by dropping the “h” sound also, to the horror of our teachers when we returned to class.
Somewhere I had been introduced to a principle of learning a new language. The rule was that when you heard a new word, if you used it in a sentence three times, it would be yours. This technique proved to be very valuable to me as I encountered many young people who were becoming quite creative in the use of their native language.
As I progressed in language learning, opportunities begin to open up for me to begin ministering in the Chinese churches. I had expected to be asked to participate in worship by singing a solo or two, since that was a forte of mine. To my surprise, I was informed that solos were rare in the Chinese worship services. When I asked why, I was informed that they preferred a choir, so that no one person would stand out and perhaps become proud. In my state of innocence, I asked “then why do you only have one sermon?” I received no answer, but the look I got told me that this conversation would go no further.
But to my surprise, I was asked to preach in various churches. Prior to leaving the US I had been ordained at Mt Zion Baptist Church, near Many, La., my home church, so it would be expected that preaching would be a part of my ministry. It took many hours of preparation, and most of my preaching was simply reading what I had prepared with the aid of a Chinese tutor. I am sure that the congregation endured my sermons rather than being inspired by them, but they were kind. It was not long however, before I was invited to attend the rehearsals of numerous choirs to provide vocal and choral training. The choirs that provided music for the worship services in most of the Baptist churches in Taiwan were composed of college students. Some of the members participated in Summer Music Camps held at the Baptist Seminary. It was my privilege to serve on the faculty of the Camps, and thus get a feel for the music level of the churches.
Nannette was also on the faculty of these music camps and clinics, sharing about children’s choirs.
Here are some photos from these training sessions

 

As previously mentioned, the Studio choir sang some of the traditional Chinese hymns, one of which became a favorite of mine. “Golden Breaks the Dawn” sung here by a church choir in Hong Kong
(Click to play)
Golden Breaks the Dawn
Here is the English text to the first verse
“Golden breaks the dawn,
Comes the eastern sun,
Over lake and lawn
Set his course to run.
Birds above us fly,
Flowers bloom below,
Through the earth and sky
God’s great mercies flow.”
(Full text can be found here: Golden Breaks the Dawn)

The response to these hymns was very encouraging, so I made sure that when I selected the music some of these treasures were included. 

The Scripture verse for today is a promise from the lips of Jesus Himself. Little did I know when I was studying about missions and missionaries as a Royal Ambassador in our little country church at Mt  Zion that one day I would be serving the Lord as a missionary in a Chinese setting. Here is the promise, and I pray that it will inspire you to great or greater service for the Master:

Matthew 19:26  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God  all things are possible.

 2 Timothy 2:15

As we waited for the beginning of language school, we took a brief but memorable “orientation” tour of the island, staying in the homes of our missionaries,  enjoying getting to know them and their families, seeing the sights and becoming acquainted with some of the work in which our mission was involved. Taiwan had two airlines at that time FAT (Far Eastern Air Transport) and CATS (China Air Transport Service.) I have suspicions that the American military, who had various bases on the island, had a hand in naming the airlines. (Fat Cats)
The first leg of our trip down-island was aboard one the FAT planes, a short flight from Taipei to Kaohsiung. During the flight, there appeared to be smoke emanating from the air vents, and we were a bit uneasy until we were assured that it was simply air condensation, nothing to worry about. So we arrived in Kaohsiung, the southern-most port city and enjoyed visiting with the Hogues, a missionary family with three boys. On Sunday, I traveled with Leroy to a mission point, and heard my first sermon in Mandarin. I was thrilled to be able to understand at least one word of his sermon, and afterwards asked why he spoke so much of “woman.” To my chagrin, he explained that the word which sounds like woman in English, is in fact the Chinese word for “us,” or “we.” I was to discover that learning the Chinese language was not that easy.
We worked our way back to Taipei via train, from Kaohsiung to Tainan, where we met Bob Beard, and in addition to getting acquainted with his wife Nell and three girls, we were privileged to view first hand his “beach” ministry, gaining a nice tan in the process.
From Tainan, we entrained and traveled to Taichung, where we met a number of missionaries, including the Ricketsons, our soon-to-be neighbors and the same couple who had transported us from Keelung to Taipei. This would be the beginning of a long and profitable relationship, Soon, we boarded the train again, and returned to Taipei, where we began the process of moving into our home, a two-story duplex that was almost new. Our belongings were delivered via truck, and as the crates were unloaded and opened it was almost like Christmas, re discovering the items which had been packed so many months ago. It was then that I learned my second expression in Chinese “Meiyou gwansyi.” We heard that expression several times as the workers dropped a heavy crate. Nannette asked a missionary what it meant, and after some urging the missionary replied “It means ‘never mind'” We would hear that word many times during our career in Taiwan, and often, it did really matter.
Thus we began our informal study of the Mandarin language, a difficult but not impossible task. Not long after moving in, language school officially started, and we began the daunting task of learning to communicate in another language. The Scripture verse for today expresses so clearly what the challenge was for us as foreigners. “Study to show yourselves  approved unto God”. However it was as important that we show ourselves approved unto the Chinese people we had come to serve by speaking to them intelligently and in words that they could understand and that conveyed our thoughts accurately.