DAY 8: Visas and other things

For any person that has been in missions we know that all the logistics involved with a missions trip, despite the duration of travel. Visas, traveling, overlays, packing , weather changes, cultural changes, getting to process visas for a team of 8 people to be able to go to Mongolia. There are so many details to preview to prepare an outreach.

Yesterday I woke up at 6 am. Got ready, formal clothing, hair in a low bun and make up to be presentable as I was heading to a building where very well international firms and embassies, hold their offices. I head on the MRT (Taipei Metro System) to go to Taipei City Hall Station (about one hour ten minutes ride and station changes).

After getting there I took the bus 537. I got down at Taipei 101 station (the second tallest building in the world) and started walking. It was a mildly sunny day in Taipei and the temperature was about 15 Celsius degrees. Because it was about 10 minutes to 9 am. So I decided to call a taxi. And I got in. My taxi driver was a male taiwanese, maybe in his forties with very messy hair and very, very, very messy car. I showed him the written address and he nodded as he was pretty sure where he was going. I tried to double check in mandarin chinese that he got it. And he assented again.

Well...after 25 minutes looking for an address that I had the impression I should have been there in 5 minutes...I was starting to get nervous. He wanted to drop me off where it seemed to me very far from I should be. Then he changed his mind and said "oh now I know, is in the next block!". Well, when he parked in from of a high school old building and he wanted to drop me off there I told him: " This is section 2 not section 1. I am very far from my destiny!". So he decided to drive me back to the area where I was supposed to be, we got there in 15 more minutes and finally I got to my destiny. I had to overpay anyways for the longest time!

I got to the building and the lady at the Mongolian consulate was very nice. Although she asked me many questions and almost asked us to get another document, additionally from Mongolia, in the end she agreed to process all our visas except one that did no have residence in Taiwan, so we will have to send to that person's country of origin.

So after that, I walked to the MRT station where I got off first, and it just took a 15 minutes walk! Still had to stop for something quick to eat because I had forgotten breakfast and the had to run to come back on time for the teachers-in-training practice teachings of the Inductive Method Overview in Danshui.

Finally I got just on time for the fourth teacher in training finishing his practice presentation. I was so bumped!

After lunch we got to listen the last practice teaching. After that e verybody was much more relax and ready to go take a rest.

I had invited for dinner Karl and Ryan as that was the reward that I promised for the people that participated the most in my last monday class on the topic of the importance of Application in Bible teaching and how