The bright red embroidery of the aboriginal costumes matched the cheery smiles on their faces. We couldn’t help but be moved by their joy as they presented their traditional dance before us: “Heya, Hoya, Hiya, Halleluyah! Heya, Hoya, Hiya, Halleluyah!” As we welcomed the group of eleven Taiwanese Christian volunteers on their first day, I wondered how we could connect or even manage to work together without having a common language of communication between us. One gracious translator bridged the gap for each and every conversation, but their contagious excitement spoke more eloquently than words.
In the two weeks prior to Passover, much of Israel’s population is nearly crazed with personal and family stress. Each home is busy with hectic Passover cleaning, which is not the run-of-the mill spring cleaning but more like spring cleaning on steroids, along with preparing for the night of the Passover Seder (commemorative festive meal). Some families paint the whole house. Some have saved money all year to buy new furniture during this season or to purchase elaborate gifts for friends and family. Those with children must juggle childcare and activities since they are already on holiday from school, while adults are still working regular hours (Passover vacation for adults is only the week of Passover itself). As a people, we like Passover, but we also collectively stress out before the actual holiday.
Thus, the cultural meeting between us and our joyful, selflessly-serving friends from Taiwan was striking and significant.
Every year we prepare and distribute a large number of holiday food bags to new immigrants and needy families in our area, and this year was no different. Eight hundred bags had to be packed. Packed they were. In record time. With precision and with a smile.
“All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God” (Psalm 86:9-10).
Today, at the end of their visit, our Taiwanese brothers and sisters helped distribute the bags. I could see that their contagious joy was rubbing off on the recipients of the holiday bags. They came to receive free food to celebrate the holidays, but left knowing they were cared for and even prayed for. Some conversations were had that we, as locals, could not or would not have initiated in the same way. However, God’s love was all over the place. It was funny to me as I said goodbye to our dear guests, still not really having a common language, to feel so united with them and bonded over the days of working and serving together. This is certainly what it means to be the One New Man, Yeshua’s hands and feet together – one body, united by the amazing love of the Heavenly Father.
