a man's god

A man's god is that which . . .
  has the greatest influence over him;
  he sets the highest value upon;
  he chiefly devotes himself and his energies.

(Henry Law, 1797-1884, public domain as seen on Grace Gems.)

Comments

[Roxanne]

Ma'am,
I thoroughly enjoy your pictures and blog entries. I am learning a lot from them. I sent you an email a couple weeks ago, but I don't know if you go it since I've been having some computer issues...so I'll paste it here:

Dear Amanda,
I frequently read your blog with great anticipation of your adventures and the insights of the spirit that you have along the way! I would love to participate in the effort to inspire the Taiwanese people to a relationship with Christ in the way that you do! I am currently a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, but I am strongly considering going abroad to Taiwan this coming year so that I could be a part of the important missionary work that going on there. I have taken a year of Mandarin, and although I am by no means fluent, I feel a strong calling to serve in Taiwan after researching possible places to go on a Christian mission and hearing about it from several of my friends who are Taiwanese Americans. I am trying to narrow down exactly where I will go and what kind of work I will be doing, but I am having a little trouble figuring out where to stay/if I should go with a mission organization/what city or region I should focus on. I was hoping that you could offer some advice. I am planning on resigning from the academy when I have to return in two weeks (aug 13ish); I would normally be entering my junior year as a cadet and taking the oath to commit to 5 years of active Army service after I graduate and am commissioned. I have had many doubts as to whether or not a career in the military is really the path of service that God is leading me to, or if service as a civilian is really what is best for me. I have struggled with this decision for the past two years and despite my patriotism/desire to serve I am still doubtful as to whether I should make this binding commitment. I have the ability to go on a mission for a year or two and then return to West Point if I reapply. Serving Christ abroad is something I have wanted to do for some time; if I commit this fall, I won’t be allowed to leave on a mission before I graduate. I may find that missionary work is something I want to do as a career! When I graduate, I will be a platoon leader so I will most likely not have the ability to leave on a mission for a number of years so I feel that this is the best time, in a spiritual and a practical sense, for me to do this. I normally attend Lutheran services, but if you know of any mission groups that I might be able to work with that are Christian/interdenominational I do not have a particular preference; we all serve the same Lord! If it helps at all, I am able to play several instruments-violin, banjo, dulcimer, voice and some others-(i might be able to teach basic music if there is a need for that) and I wouldn’t mind teaching English to children if you know of a place that is in need of a teacher/someone to assist in the teaching of children. Any advice/suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated. I am so glad I found your blog! You’re adventures have inspired me quite a bit and I am waiting in suspense for your response! God bless you in all your endeavors. Your photographs are beautiful! I am on Flickr as well, if you have the time and would like to take a look http://www.flickr.com/photos/roxannewegman/. I love photography as well; my dream is to someday work for National Geographic! For a young woman with aspirations to travel and follow her heart while serving God and helping people, your rich accounts of culture and life in Taiwan are food for a hungry soul!! It is so reassurimg to know that there are warriors for Christ who have the courage to venture to such a far away land on their own and become successful Christian missionaries, despite cultural and language barriers. Despite my faith that God will unlock the doors that need to be opened for my journey to begin, i am a bit stuck in planning this venture; I'm not quite sure how to start and I hope that with all of your experience you might have some instight that could help me figure out a place to stay and somewhere to work. I don't know much about the regions and cities of Taiwan; just bits and pieces that I have read about several of the major cities. Is there a way to get a general idea of what differnt parts of Tawain are like? I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and I am praying for your health and success in all your endeavors. God Bless! I hope to hear from you soon.

Very Respectfully,
Roxanne

[amanda]

I replied to your comment by email. :D