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Jacob's Journey
Hey guys! I am Jacob Clemente. I am living in Greenville until after Christmas. So first off, my life in the woods is odd. The internet is really fused up, or you can call it short, in the camp. Anyway, I'm going to school in Mulberry Grove. Close to Greenville but slightly not in Greenville.
Anyway, the school is really cool. (That rhymes!) But some other kids are getting on my nerves. I don't really like that. But hey, I am happy I am here in Durley Camp. I started a journal in August but only got to one page in August. (WHAT?) But on October 6th, 2015, I started to write in the other pages.
It was fun staying here. I even got a pirate hook costume for my Foxy the Pirate Fox Halloween costume. But Halloween's not until October 31st.
Also, from October 9-11, my family and I visited Decatur. We met a dog named Domino. His owners were really nice. We had a campfire on Saturday night and we had a Church QNA (Questions and Answers) on Sunday! When we came back, we all were relaxed and free.
That's about it! Thanks for reading this article about my life in Greenville! I'll write another one sometime!
Your Missionary Friend,
Jacob Clemente
P.S. It's worth it!
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David's Discussions
“We pray for our missionaries.” Everyone is gathered around me. Those close by have their hands on my shoulder. Some are praying out loud. A few mention Sarah, Carmen, and Jacob. I am here in Central Illinois visiting one of our supporting churches and the members are praying for me and my family. I am here sharing about our lives as missionaries in Taiwan and the Free Methodist work in Asia, and after my time of sharing, the local members are gathering to pray over me.
Some Sundays, I go and visit churches in Central Michigan. And almost the same thing happens. After my sharing time, people surround me in prayer. I raise my hand in response -- to receive God’s blessing on behalf of my family left behind in Greenville, IL and to represent the many Free Methodist members scattered in Asia mentioned in my stories and sharing time. I join them in their prayers for missionaries and Free Methodist missions work around the world.
Some days, the prayer time for missions happens in someone’s living room. I go and pay a social visit with some of our friends. We talk and eat. We show pictures of family and sometimes brag about the accomplishments of our relatives. We reconnect. Almost always, we end our visit in prayer. And just like my church meetings in IL and MI, we end up praying for other missionaries in the Congo or Hungary, or petition God for His help among the people suffering in Syria or the regions of East Asia. “Lord, we pray for our missionaries.”
Often times, my visits bring me beyond the borders of our supporting churches and prayer partners. These past five months, I have had a few opportunities to visit actual missions work here in North America. There is a group of Filipinos starting a new work in Calgary, AL Canada. (Pictured above.) I am now acquainted with a Burundi congregation here in Grand Rapids, MI. A small Chinese fellowship is gathering with our Free Methodist leaders in Decatur, IL. A few of our local churches in St. Louis, MO are helping a group of Christians from Nicaragua to establish their local congregation. It is in these kinds of situations when our prayers for missions begin to take a different form. Now we say: “Lord, we pray for your missionaries here at home.”
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We enjoyed visits from family in October! Pictured below are Sarah's parents, John and Judy; David's sister, Lyra; and Sarah's sister, Susan.
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Carmen's Corner
People have recently been asking us about the differences between Taiwan and the USA and how we have been dealing with the culture shock. Sometimes it can be hard to deal with multiple cultures. But I’ve started to get used to it, being a missionary kid. So I’m going to talk about the cultural differences I have experienced so far and how I personally deal with them.
Being here in the USA has been an amazing experience. But of course, there are the difficulties of adjusting and getting used to the cultural differences from Taiwan. It wasn’t easy, but with the help of God, He is able to help me through this and I am thankful for that. One big difference I have faced is the school I go to. Back in Taiwan, I go to Morrison Academy Kaohsiung. It’s an American, Christian, and international school. But here I am going to a public school in Mulberry Grove. As you can probably tell by now, you can see a huge difference between the two. First of all, MAK has students of various nationalities, like Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, and many others. But in a public school in small town Mulberry Grove, I don’t see that many nationalities. Also, with MAK being a Christian school, it has Bible classes, chapels, and the teachers are always there to help guide us on our spiritual paths. In Mulberry Grove we don’t have that kind of guidance and classes. Another thing I’ve struggled with school-wise is the size. In Mulberry Grove, there’s about 30 people in my grade, and to me, that is a lot. And I mean, a LOT. In Taiwan, the maximum number of students in each grade is 25. Sometimes there’s only less than 15 students. So it has been hard adjusting to the size of the school. Coming to Mulberry Grove has been, again, an amazing experience. Even though I’m facing many challenges, I am glad that God has put me here, and I know He did it on purpose.
Some other culture shocks I have faced are, honestly, mainly funny ones. For example, in the USA, when you’re standing in a line, you’re supposed to give space to the people in front of you, right? Well in Taiwan, there’s no such thing. In line, we try to be as close as possible to get to the front faster. So when we first came here, my parents have told stories about how Jacob and I would stand in line in Walmart and how we were a little too close to the person in front of us. So I have been trying to remind myself to give space to others when it comes to standing in line. Another cultural difference is when we’re eating at the table. In the United States, we usually have serving spoons for our dishes. But in Taiwan, we mainly use chopsticks. So we would just use our own chopsticks and grab the food right out of the serving bowl. I have occasionally been doing this, sometimes even as a guest. So I am doing better on that. Also in Taiwan, there is no Taco Bell or Wendy’s, so I am adjusting very well on that.
As you can see, I have faced many challenges when it comes to the different cultures. Sometimes they’re big, sometimes they’re small. But God has been helping me through all these challenges He has given to me. And even though it may be hard sometimes, I am glad God has led my family to be missionaries because if He hadn’t, I wouldn’t have the opportunity of experiencing different cultures like this. Thank you so much for supporting us, and I will write to you soon!
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Commitments for 2016
We are so thankful for your prayers and financial support that allow us to continue participating in the Lord's work in Asia. Now is the time for you and/or your church to submit your commitment for the year 2016. You can do that in one of the following three ways:
1. Fill out this online form
2. Fill out this printable form and mail to the address on the form
3. Speak to someone at FMWM home office: 800-342-5531, ext. 236
(Individual supporters who give by automatic withdrawal with no end date do not need to renew their commitments.)
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Speaking Schedule
Nov 1 (am)
Greenville FMC, IL
Nov 4 (pm)
Greenville FMC, IL (prayer meeting)
Nov 8 (am)
Hillsboro FMC, IL
Nov 8 (pm)
Knox Knolls FMC, Springfield, IL
Nov 11 (pm)
Coffeen FMC, IL
Nov 15 (am)
Lifestream FMC, Grand Rapids, MI
Nov 15 (pm)
Boyne City FMC, MI
Nov 22 (am)
South Evart FMC, MI
Nov 29 (am)
Rushville FMC, IL
Dec 6 (am)
Parkview FMC, Vandalia, IL
Dec 13 (am)
St. Paul's FMC, Greenville, IL
Dec 29
Depart for Taiwan
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