Happy Halloween!

One down, one to go. I just survived my 4th Halloween in Taiwan. My school had it's party this evening and I have one more party to assist at tomorrow night and then the hubbub will be over for another year. This holiday has been evolving in Taiwan over the past few years, and sadly, I think it's reached the point where it's a much bigger deal than Christmas at a lot of schools. The selection and availability of Halloween paraphernalia seems to increase steadily from year to year, though I was still only able to find one store carrying pumpkins. Above is my creation, carved with a very basic design because it was part of a story illustration for this evening's party.

Halloween parties have come to be expected at English schools, and for the past 2 years, we've aimed to approach the event as a ministry opportunity. Last year we did it with Veggie Tales and the theme: Where's God When I'm Scared? This year's theme was: The Good Farmer. Last week we had a staff meeting that went something like this:

Boss: As you know, next week's Halloween and we'll be having a party. For the main feature, Kara will be telling a story about a pumpkin that presents the Gospel in a very clear manner. Why don't you tell us a bit about it now?

Me: Umm, do I know this Kara? I mean, okay, well . . .

You see, I mentioned in passing that I was going to do a pumpkin story for this week's Bible class, which would be tomorrow night, but that was somehow interpreted as me volunteering to do it for the entire school tonight. I didn't mind though, it was a great opportunity, it's just that it's always bit awkward being informed that you're going to be doing something the same time everyone else finds out.

So yes, the evening started with me relating a story about carving a pumpkin to God and mankind: God helps us grow, God chooses us, God can change us within, from the inward change comes an outward one, and the light placed within us. It ended with teaching This Little Light of Mine, a song most of my Bible class students already know. It might sound cheesy, but a room of 80+ kids singing it was pretty cool. Afterwards, it was onto an evening of games, activities, and of course, candy.