First Day in Taiwan

It took 27 hours from my house to the ground in Taipei and another two and-a-half to make the drive to National Yunlin University of Science & Technology.  Tired?  A bit.  But the journey ended shortly before midnight on Monday and Tuesday saw a Chinese breakfast buffet, a trip to a mountain-side tea house (a steeping pot of freshly picked Oolong for me), and then a lecture at YunTech's "3rd Conference on International Business Issues" (where I wore out my student translator; sorry about that Liu).  Oh yeah, and a banquet for all of us conference speakers.  All organized by dear friend Mei-Hsin Wang.  I've now spoken at two of the three of these YunTech conferences; we'll see about making it three of four.

Today it's on to Chung Yuan Christian University

Typhoon Morakot

Coverage of Typhoon Morakot in the U.S. has been limited. The BBC has done better: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8215715.stm.

On a proportional basis, the confirmed deaths of 160 (and the 500 who are still missing) in Taiwan (with its population of 23 million) greatly exceed the human losses due to Hurricane Katrina.

In May I lectured at National Yunlin University, the Overseas Chinese Institute of Technology, and Shih Hsin University on various topics of American law. None of these schools is in the south of Taiwan, where Morakot hit. However, I have learned that the parents of our host in Taiwan, Wang Mei-Hsin (Dr. Lily) lost their crops.

Most Americans don't know anyone directly affected by Morakot and give it and its effects little thought. Yet, just as the beauty of the Sioux Falls remind us of God's common grace to humanity, the destructive events like Morakot and Katrina remind of us of God's common curse. As God's grace isn't related to our particular virtues (such as they are), his curse isn't tied to any specific vices but humanity's cumulative viciousness is plain for all to see.

We should be grateful that God gives us more blessings than we deserve but mindful that his justice is never far away. We should be thankful that in Christ his grace has triumphed. We should be hopeful that such grace will ultimately be manifested and Morakots and Katrinas forever banished.