Christians help foreigners living in Taiwan break down cultural barriers

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

      Taiwan Church News

      3052 Edition

      August 23~29, 2010

       

       

      Christians help foreigners living in Taiwan break down cultural 
barriers 

       

      Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan

      Written by Lydia Ma

       

       

      It’s been more than 5 years since Christian Loving Neighbors 
Association has been running a 

      help center for foreign spouses to help communities in Tainan 
County become more 

      accepting of other cultures and get rid of stereotypes about 
new immigrants.

       



      The association has worked with several townships in Tainan 
County in the past few years 

      and an outreach meeting was held recently at Lung-Tan Community 
Center in Yong-Kang City. 

       



      This outreach on August 19, 2010 included introducing services 
provided by the center, 

      providing legal advice on residency regulations in Taiwan, tips 
on preventing and stopping 

      domestic abuse, and introducing new residents to their 
neighbors. 

       



      A lawyer was invited to speak on domestic abuse prevention and 
regulations while a dentist 

      from Sinlau Hospital taught about proper dental care. A medical 
team from Chi-Mei Hospital 

      was invited to teach participants how to do proper stretching 
and relaxation exercises.

       



      Christian Loving Neighbors Association staff, Cheng Wen-min, 
said most foreign brides who 

      come to the association seeking assistance aren’t Christians. 
Volunteers or social workers 

      who help them will sometimes pray with them when assisting or 
counseling them.

       



      “Social workers are also human,” she explained. “Sometimes we 
become weary and 

      sometimes there are problems we cannot solve. When that 
happens, we hope that our 

      Christian faith can strengthen them.” 

       



      She added that she hoped churches everywhere could reach out to 
new immigrants and 

      foreigners because a little bit of effort from every church can 
truly makes a significant 

      difference when churches work together.

       



      Some cultural relics and light snacks, such as Vietnamese tacos 
and coffee jelly, were 

      provided during the meeting to help people relax, enjoy, and 
get to know different cultures and 

      their special cuisines.

       

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