Taiwan Church News 3024~3025 Edition February 8~21, 2010
Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan. Written by Lydia Ma.

World Vision Taiwan has placed Haiti at the top of its list of foreign aid recipients after a strong earthquake devastated the country. In Taiwan, after seeing reports of mass devastation in Haiti, residents from Tefuye, an Aborigine reservation in Alishan Township, organized a fundraiser for Haiti to support quake victims and express their own gratitude for all the help they received after Typhoon Morakot when they were also helpless victims.

The fundraiser was co-sponsored by Tefuye Presbyterian Church, Dabang Presbyterian Church, Tefuye Catholic Church, and Tefuye True Jesus Church, and raised a total of NT$9,020, which was later donated to World Vision during a ceremony on February 4.

"It was through help and financial and material donations of many people that we were able to overcome hardships in the wake of Typhoon Morakot. When I saw the devastation that happened in Haiti reported on television, I thought that these folks were in a worse shape than we ever were after Typhoon Morakot, and I was compelled to do something to help them," said Wang Fang-mei, who is a member of Tefuye True Jesus Church.

Soon afterward, Fang saw people fundraising for Haiti by the roadside nd decided to do the same in her community. She drew posters announcing a one-week fundraising drive in her community.

Wang said she had seen announcements on her church bulletin urging fellow Christians to pray for Haiti victims and elders at her church had also led the congregation in prayer. But seeing the devastation in Haiti prompted her to wonder if anyone would've prayed for her if she were a victim in Haiti. Soon afterward, God's word reminded her that if she had the ability to do something, she shouldn't delay offering help.

God's word compelled her to act and she began a fundraiser in her own community. "I thought at first that villagers would never donate money because they barely had enough to live on. But I was surprised by the outpour of generosity and compassion. Some villagers were even worried that their NT$100 donations wouldn't be enough. You have to know that NT$100 is nearly 80% of a person's wage for one whole workday," said Wang.

According to World Vision Taiwan's central district director, Wang Chang-ping, Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, donated US$1,000 to World Vision to support rescue efforts in Taiwan soon after Typhoon Morakot. Now, residents in Alishan, young and old, are coming together to prove that love knows no national boundaries and show the world what love looks like in real life.