Moon Rabbits and Frog Eyes - Who Knew?

Right on cue, the moon was exceptionally round and large. Families and friends gathered in the parks and in homes, laughing and visiting together. The enduring and evolving Moon Festival was upon us, and it was time to celebrate.

中秋節 (Zhōngqiū jié), or the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a public holiday in Taiwan. It's a Lunar event, so this year it was on October 1st - 3rd. Stores and government offices were closed. School was out. After a quiet morning with nearly no one riding the subway, (see Elder Coffey in a rare near-empty subway platform), people began to be on the move – traveling to get to their family homes or to visit with friends. The Mid-Autumn Festival, or the Moon Festival as it is also called, is the 2^nd most popular holiday in Taiwan. 

We were invited by one of our English group students to share the evening with her at a local neighborhood park to celebrate. We brought mooncakes and she brought a pomelo - the traditional treats of the holiday. A pomelo is similar to a grapefruit, but less bitter and less juicy. The full moon just started peeking out over the buildings when we first arrived at the park.

The Moon Festival began around 3,000 years ago in China, with the moon being worshipped for bringing bountiful harvests. Traditionally, moon cakes are eaten as families gather together, enjoy watching the harvest moon, and celebrating together. Mooncakes have a long tradition with various accounts of how they began, but largely today they symbolize family reunions.

 

Mooncakes are small square or round pastries filled with a variety of sweet pastes – often made with lotus bean, red bean, jujube or other sweet pastes, sometimes centered with a cooked egg yolk, symbolizing the moon. Their taste is not overly relished by Western palates, but we have become accustomed to the red bean or lotus bean varieties, minus any egg yolk, please!

Modern flavors have begun to emerge as the holiday continues its evolution. Cranberry, pineapple and even chocolate fillings are finding their way on shelves. Frozen ice cream mooncakes are appearing in freezer shelves. They are often given away as gifts.  Here is part of our mooncake and pastry collection from students and church members:

 

                                                                                           Cranberry filling in this one!

While in Western tradition there is a “Man in the Moon”, in Taiwan it is the beautiful but banished Goddess of Immortality, Chang’e, along with her friend – a rabbit – to keep her company. So if you look closely, you can sometimes see the resemblance of the rabbit on the moon, bringing delight to children as they are told the story of how Chang’e and her friend got to the moon in the first place.

Courtesy of flickr.com Mitch Huang

Aside from holiday treats like mooncakes, one of the seemingly most popular items here in Taiwan are drinks. Drinks are everywhere, and often become the sole or main part of a busy person's lunch. Soda is not much of a thing here - it is rarely available outside of grocery stores or full restaurants and I rarely see people drinking it. But fruit drinks, coffees and teas of all kinds are definitely at the top of the popularity chart. Drink stands are on nearly every street, with people lining up to grab a refreshing "pick me up" throughout the day. 

"Tea" in Taiwan can come from a large variety of plant and plant parts. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we don't drink tea, as in from the tea plant itself. But "mild drinks" that are more like infused water are a popular option here. Most seem to be from fruits or flowers such as Wintermelon tea, Chrysanthemum tea, or fruit drinks made from apples, passion fruit, rose hips, peaches and oranges. The variety is stunning.

Other popular beverages come from seeds and border on the "herbal medicine" edge. A senior missionary sister recently bought for us the following three herbal medicine seeds for making our own "mild drinks". The top seeds are Shan Fen Yuen (sweet basil seeds, also known as Frog Eyes), lower right is what she called Fried Wheat (though it may be barley), and lower left is Jue Ming Zi, otherwise known as Cassia Tea in English. 

These mix up to make healthful drinks that can reportedly do everything from treat rheumatism, remove your "liver heat", and help you lose weight. You'll also have happy kidneys! And they're all caffeine free. What's there not to love? 

A sampling of each was an interesting experiment in culture and palate. Here's my experiment with the "frog eyes"! I put some of the sweet basil seeds in warm  water, and watched them swell up quickly with gelatinous outer coverings that made them look like - well - like frog eyes!  These are tasteless,  caffeine free little balls that simply provide interest to drinks such as light lemon water. They are very popular here. 

So what's not to love? Um - the taste! While the frog eyes were tasteless, the other two seeds, simmered for several minutes in water, produced bitter drinks that were only palatable (for me at least) with loads of sugar - and then you kind of defeat any health benefit from it!  It must require an acquired taste! 

So my preference, if I had to choose, is the frog eyes, mainly because there is no taste and I can add them to any fruit drink I want. The wheat drink and cassia seed drink were just not quite my "cup of tea"! 

 

Amidst COVID – How Do They Find, Where Do They Teach?

A classroom in a church building. A table at the nearby 7-11. A few seconds at a stop light. Riding a bike down the sidewalk. Standing in line at a grocery store.  Video chatting from a phone.  Waiting at a street corner. Meeting up at a friend’s home.

Finding. Teaching. Testifying. Baptizing. Friendshipping.

It’s all happening. Amidst the COVID-19 restrictions worldwide, missionaries in the Taipei Taiwan mission are sharing the message of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ in every way imaginable.

 

Although Taiwan is nearly COVID free, the missionaries are still careful to mostly focus on people they already know or have connections with. Going door to door is not encouraged, out of "an abundance of caution". Face masks are encouraged, and even required in some spaces (Church meetings, public transportation, stores). Still, even with the cautions in place, people are still reaching out to learn more and to be taught about Jesus Christ.

One missionary said a woman began asking her about the Church while they were standing in line at a market. By the time they were through the line, they had exchanged contact information and were making plans to meet again.

Missionaries strike up quick conversations at stop lights, street corners, and elevator rides.

It is common for the missionaries to often do their scripture study at a local 7-11 store. And they meet the most interesting people. Even those wanting to bring them treats – “just because they are missionaries.” 

          

7-11 stores: It’s worth a mention here. There are over 5,000 7-11 stores in Taiwan! These convenience shops are more like little neighborhood cafés. With free WIFI, air conditioning, clean restrooms, and several tables and chairs set up for customers, what is there not to like?  

 At 7-11, you can buy breakfast snacks, sip fruit drinks, get a microwave meal warmed up and delivered to your table, and dine with friends.  You can also pay utility bills or parking fees, make photo copies, print photos, conduct business, do homework and study with classmates. And you can have a missionary lesson from your local missionaries!

And if you're not teaching at a 7-11, you might be teaching at the local restaurant around the corner.

                                          

The majority of the missionaries here are from Taiwan. The balance is made up of foreign missionaries. The mix is a good blend. And once the foreign missionaries who have returned to Taiwan are out of their strict 2 week quarantine, they are more than ready to "hit the road" and begin teaching. 

We are mindful of those missionaries who, in some places around the world, are required to stay in their apartments or have minimal physical interaction with people because of COVID-19. We are grateful for their sacrifice, patience and service. We pray for relief from the COVID restrictions. We recognize that not every country is as open and free to teach as is Taiwan. We love you all.

Thank you, everyone, for your service!

Quarantining in Taiwan - Missionary Style

What is quarantine for missionaries like? It depends on who you ask.

When we arrived back in Taiwan, we quarantined in one of our senior missionary apartments for two weeks. It wasn’t bad. We enjoyed the quiet time to do many of our computer photo projects, family history, read, exercise, watch Netflix movies, study and prepare. We had the run of the apartment, and as long as we didn’t leave the apartment, we were compliant with the law of the land.

For the younger returning missionaries, however, it is a totally different experience.

Two missionaries quarantine in one apartment, but they must stay apart from each other the entire time. Their apartments have at least two bedrooms and two bathrooms.  One bedroom must have an attached bathroom.  One of the missionaries gets to stay there, inside that bedroom, the entire two weeks. The other missionary is the designated cook and cleaner. That person cooks meals and brings them to the other missionary. He or she will wash clothes, and do the other necessary household tasks.

Elder Coffey and I are outfitting three new missionary apartments that have been designated as “Quarantine Apartments”. In anticipation of the last two returning missionaries who arrive next week, as well as what we hope will be many more new ones coming later in the year, these apartments need to have special arrangements.

These new quarantine apartments are already furnished (beds, desks, tables, chairs, closets), and we bring the rest. 

This week we’re hauling bedding, (pillows, blankets, sheets), towels, microwave, rice cooker, toaster oven,  pans, cooking utensils, cups, plates, bowls, silverware, mixing bowls, toilet paper, soap, detergent, broom, mop, floor fans, dryers, ironing board, iron, and CO monitors to outfit these apartments. We also install the mission water filter system for clean drinking water.

Much of it we had to go buy. Much of it we already had in storage. All of it had to be organized and assembled and delivered.  Thank you to the fine two office elders and others who helped us load, carry and deliver all this!

We outfit the apartments with enough food for two weeks, plus offer a “mid-way quarantine re-stocking” for fresh items needed and also take away the garbage. We include wonderful snacks like ice cream and other treats to break the monotony. We also offer menu guidelines for how to use what is provided.

The designated cook gets to learn skills he or she never knew they had!  From curry to corn dumpling soup to fried rice – the missionaries have fun exploring new talents and culinary experiences. They get to take what ingredients are provided, and create meals for two people for two weeks. It’s no easy task. Here are some of the dishes our latest quarantine elders have come up with: 

The “solitary confinement” missionary gets a mini fridge in their room, which is stocked with snacks, water, etc. The doors of each bedroom remain open at all times, and the missionaries try to position their desks so that they can at least see each other for studies or talking. Or just for human interaction. 

Those younger missionaries who have been through the quarantine period sometimes described boredom, a sense of loss, discouragement, and depression. Especially for the one in “solitary confinement”. It’s a long two weeks.  They try to keep each other’s spirits up. Some sing and dance from across the hall with each other. Some have long chats together. With no computer to explore on, and just a mission-owned phone with limited access, there just isn’t much to do. But some love the time to bond with each other, talk and get to know each other. Much of the time they read scriptures, study Chinese, and prepare for their upcoming missionary service. 

And they emerge as heroes in our eyes, extremely ready to go to work. They’ve been through a lot.  They were all given basically an emergency evacuation back in April to return to their home countries. They spent months not knowing what the next step would be for them. Then through the graces of the Taiwanese government, the relentless efforts of the mission president to get his band of stripling warriors back, permission from Church authorities, and the grace of God, they were allowed to return to complete their missions, with strict face mask travel requirements and then this long two-week quarantine.

Indeed, they are “firm and undaunted."

And for those still on their way, their apartments are ready and waiting! We are excited to have you join this stripling band of warriors ready to serve the Lord in this part of His vineyard!

Catching Blessings on a Lotus Leaf

I recently took an early morning walk through the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall gardens. They are beautiful. Aside from the absolutely stunning buildings on the grounds, the gardens are oases of remarkable peace and serenity in the midst of a busy crowded city.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

National Concert Hall in the background

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall as seen through the outer gate

 A Malayan Night Heron, unafraid, walks near me on the garden grounds.

An early morning runner near the main entrance gate of 

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park.

It was early morning, and the air was still cool enough to enjoy a walk without the heavy humidity that would settle in later that day. Other than the rustling of the waters now and then where the koi were gathering, the pond was still and calm.

I’ve always loved the beautiful lotus flowers. They carry thousands of years of meaning and symbolism, from culture to culture, from faith to faith. They rise up from the muddiest of depths, pure and unsullied, day after day. I’m told, though I didn’t stay long enough to see it, that the lotus flower dips down into the water or mud every evening, only to rise again in the morning, once again renewed, sparking clean and fresh. There is plenty of powerful symbolism in that alone!

When photographing one of the blossoms, what really caught my eye was the lotus leaf next to it.

Somehow it invited my attention. I was drawn to it again and again.  It was single, not overly stunning in beauty compared to the flower next to it, but I couldn’t help admire.

Beads of rain water collected on its surface, pooling in the center. A little drop here, a little drop there, all collected by the cupped outstretched hand of the lotus leaf.

I really liked that. It brought me somehow a spirit of peace and happiness.

I saw the outstretched hands of grateful people, receiving - and then dispensing to others - blessings throughout their lives.

Blessings are all around us.  They may seem like little things at first, a little kindness from someone, a whiff of flowers on a nearby shrub,

the adorable cuteness of a little child following us or the sound of a harmonica being played somewhere in the garden. Blessings shared in the pigeons that held still, calm and unafraid, lining up on the bridge they had long ago claimed as their own. Gifts from the Giver of all good things.

D&C 88:33 – For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him and he receive not the gift?  Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.

What blessings, gifts, and joys are all around us, that we might be missing?  We can see the hand of the Lord all around, and those little gifts pool deeply in our hearts as we collect them, and then share them outwardly with others.

Our hearts are lifted. We walk in a spirit of daily gratitude. Sometimes it is easy to get too distracted with the busyness of life – with the noise and drama and work – the shuffling back and forth here and there – and one might miss the tender mercies of the Lord.  But when we take time to look, to reach our hands outward and upward, we will find little beads of blessings collecting on the edges of our lives, being drawn inward into our hearts, and then outward as we share them with others.

                                      Thank you - lotus leaf. 

Henry David Thoreau – “An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”