A letter from Taoyuan
Dear Off the Beat,
I am an American living in Taiwan. I am here as a Lutheran missionary and English teacher. I live in Taoyuan but was in Chiayi visiting friends when the big quake hit on Tuesday. It woke us all up, and we gathered together in the first floor of our office. I am really thankful that I was with friends when it happened. We were able to support and help each other. We made phone calls to all our friends and co-workers in Taiwan and then we prayed.
We prayed for safety and protection. I grew up in Minnesota where there has never been an earthquake, so this one was really scary. I didn't realize how bad it was until the next day when we started hearing about all the buildings that went down and all the people that were, and still are,trapped.
I talked to my parents in the US on Tuesday night and they were thankful to hear from me. It was nice for me to hear about all the people in the US that had been thinking and praying for us. This is one experience in Taiwan that I will never forget. Our prayers now is that the Lord will give strength to those who have lost friends, family members, relatives and homes.
Jean Beck
taibeck@ms26.hinet.net)
A letter from the US
Dear Off the Beat,
I wish that I had money to send to the wonderful people who have and are suffering there, but since I can not, I do pray daily for all of you. I spent two very exciting years (1968-1970) in your country while serving in the US Air Force. I was stationed at Ching Chuan Kung Air Base and spent many wonderful hours visiting your beautiful country. I wish I could remember the last name of the lady who worked in my office while there. All I can remember is that her first name was Louise and her husband was a flight officer in the Taiwan Air Force. She showed me many beautiful and wonderful places on our many trips around your country. My prayers are with all of you in this, your time of suffering.
John Taylor
St. Louis, Missouri
International expressions of grief
With news of the earthquake making headlines around the world, some readers overseas are making use of Internet forums to vent their feelings. Two posters to the New York Times on the Internet Forum recently wrote moving messages.
One surfer, using the login name of "maryan81," wrote:
"I am a college student who was born in Taiwan but raised in the United States. After finding out about the earthquake I was stricken with a sense of intense grief. I can't help but feel an innate connection with the images of those suffering in Taiwan. No one around me understands how I feel, so I am using this Internet forum as an outlet for this emotion. This is especially confusing for me because I am usually mentally and emotionally detached about matters that occur in Taiwan. I am hoping that someone who empathizes with this sense of conflicting identity and unreleased grief will find comfort in knowing that they are not alone."
Another participant in the Times forum noted:
"Seeing the rescue work on the TV news and the way people hold together to help each other go through the crisis really touched me. I am proud to be a Taiwanese and my prayers are with my family in Taiwan and all the Taiwanese people. Thank you for all the people who are showing concern and condolences to the people in Taiwan, and I know that together we will recover from this disaster and everything will be okay."
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