Today Esther took us to Daan-sui. Esther has been our little angle here in Taiwan. She picked us up from the airport, arranged our wonderful accommodation, and has been looking after us and making sure we know how to catch the bus, the MRT etc etc. Esther was in Christchurch studying English for a few months in 2005, and became good friends with Lina and Edmond, and was part of our Church for those few months. She is now back in Taipei working for an export company and is part of the Linnan Church english Congregation where I will speak tomorrow. Today she took us to Daan-sui, and we had a really enjoyable day!

One of the really special things about this place is that the very first missionary to Northern Taiwan, a Canadian Presbyterian called Rev. George Leslie Mackay, settled here and did most of his mission work in this area. (Everyone in Taiwan knows about this man) He arrived in Daan-sui in 1872. He began studying Taiwanese and in 6 months was able to preach in this dialect!! God used this man in a wonderful way. He founded the first hospital, the first university, and the first women’s school in Taiwan. We walked around the lovely spacious grounds of the High School he also founded….. very impressive. He also planted 60 Presbyterian Churches in Taiwan. He used his medical skills to help spread the gospel. It is said that he pulled out 21,000 teeth during his mission work in Taiwan. Apparently on his missionary journey’s he would enter a village, and go stand on the steps of the local Temple. Then he would begin helping any in need by extracting their rotten teeth, and then he would preach to the appreciative patients…. a good strategy! He married a Chinese woman and they had 3 Children. Rev Mackay died in Taiwan in 1901. We saw his tomb stone in the little grave yard in the School grounds.

To see what God did through this man, to walk among the buildings he built, and read his story was very inspiring and challenging!