The weekends tend to be quite busy for us, but yesterday was especially full for me. I woke up mid-morning, ate breakfast and gave the kitchen a thorough scrubbing, then set out with some trail mix and water to join a few classmates for hiking.
We hiked Elephant Mountain (象山), the nearest one to Taipei’s (used to be the world’s) tallest building. It’s from this spot that all the astounding pictures of this valley city are taken. We weren’t able to wait for sunset, but what we did see was spectacular. The day was clear and sunny, so at the top of the mountain we lazily rested for an hour or so, soaking up the rays and perfumed air. There are some moments that seem just perfect, and this was definitely one of them!

We climbed down the other side of the mountain, descending straight into the city. It’s amazing how sharply the mountains rise up from the valley, how suddenly the city halts its growth at the base of these gentle giants.
After finding our way back to the subway system, I headed North to meet Michael and my classmates headed South. Of course we’ll meet again bright and early Monday morning. It’s great when goodbye is only for a few days!
It was 6pm, and I was supposed to meet Michael at 7 so we could go to a Bible study with a friend of ours from school, but he was at home and I was across town. So, we decided he would take the scooter and I would take a combination of the MRT (subway) and a shuttle bus to the nearby department store. Well, a simple plan turned out to be not-so-simple, as no one knew where I could catch the free shuttle bus or which public bus I should take to get there. Michael waited for over an hour as I walked around aimlessly, asking help from strangers and getting none, until I finally spotted the bus as it was pulling away, only to wait another half hour before the next one came. We finally met and were able to go to the study, which proved to be really worthwhile. The people were so sincere and open, and besides hanging out and listening to the scripture, we spent some time in earnest prayer for each other’s needs. It was really a wonderful evening with the body of Christ!