wfn.org | TCN Editorial: The testing has only begun

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

>      Taiwan Church News

>3000 Edition

>August 24~30, 2009

>Editorial: The testing has only begun

As Taiwanese people try to recover from the scare and devastation  brought by

Typhoon Morakot, we are at the same time bombarded by other  problems on the

>heels of this typhoon.

First, there was news from DPP party members stating that  Taiwan’s national

debt had skyrocketed in the past few months because of policies  such as

consumer vouchers, infrastructure expansion, and government  projects geared at

boosting employment. Taiwan’s national debt is currently at  $8.090 trillion NTD,

which translates into a debt increase of $106,000 NTD per  Taiwanese

>household in the past year.

Following this, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and  Statistics

announced the national rate of unemployment in July stood at  6.07%, which

means that more than 663,000 people are currently without a job.  This figure is a

conservative estimate as it doesn’t reveal the actual number  of unemployed

people when other factors are taken into consideration.

To top these two alarming news, WHO leaders have warned the H1N1  epidemic

will likely peak all over the world in the next few months. Many  countries may even

witness 100% increases in new cases every three or four days.

These figures are not meant to fuel sensationalism, or to infer  that Taiwanese

people are incapable of overcoming challenges before them, but  rather, sincere

reminders to all that post-Morakot challenges have only begun and  we must be

ever more careful of our actions and always remain in awe of God.

In the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, we are aware many victims are  still living in

misery, many children have lost their childhood innocence in one  night, and many

private organizations are doing all they can. President Ma seems  to finally

understand what he must do to win people’s confidence in him  and help them

regain their sense of security and well-being.

Unfortunately, Ma’s entourage is more interested in vilifying  others in front of the

media to make themselves seem acceptable and has attempted to  shift focus

away from more pressing issues. Some of these issues include how  to help

children continue their education now that their schools and homes  are gone,

how to provide employment opportunities to victims when all  positions related to

rebuilding devastated areas have already been filled (prompting  animosity

among some victims), how to run and maintain temporary centers  housing

victims, etc. In times like these, we implore government officials  to focus on

>helping victims and mending shattered hearts.

If we read news reports from Taiwan Church News published ten  years ago

covering 921 Earthquake, many scenarios will seem eerily familiar.  Merely

replacing the term “921 Earthquake” with “88  Flood” would make some news

articles published then seem like they just came off the press  today.

In light of this, we must be keenly aware that our challenges have  only begun and

we mustn’t repeat past mistakes, such as doing things we  shouldn’t do, or failing

to do things we should do. Otherwise, Taiwanese people will wind  up pulling from

all directions and going nowhere precisely because of lack of  introspection or

>repentance.

The exodus of Israelites from Egypt tells us that crossing the Red  Sea was not

the end of the story; in fact, the Israelites’ trials had  just begun. Their faith, their

behavior, and their trust in each other would be tested one by one  after they

>crossed the Red Sea.

As Christians living in times like these, we can pray for Taiwan  the same way

>King Solomon prayed for his nation:

"When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew,  locusts or

grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their  cities, whatever

disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by  any of your

people Israel—each one aware of the afflictions of his own  heart, and spreading

out his hands toward this temple – then hear from heaven, your  dwelling place.

Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does,  since you know his

heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), so that they  will fear you all the

time they live in the land you gave our fathers.” (1 Kings  8:37-40)

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