The Power of a ‘Friend’
A story of one pastor who moved many to tears with his journey of reconciliation and healing.
By Brittany Hutchinson
Pastor Pai Kwang-sheng sipped his coffee while overlooking the mountains that surround Bunun Village. The soft smell of dawn filled the air as a cool breeze made the little hairs on our skin dance. As a group of Bethel students gathered together with their coffee made by the friendly staff in the café, pastor Pai started sharing the story of how he started building an indigenous organic farm and cultural center almost 30 years ago to connect the world with his tribe and provide jobs for his people.
Wiping tears off my cheeks, I listened to him speak about the struggles the Bunun tribe faced when the government displaced them, forced them to work in factories, and invalidated their culture, language, and religion. Despite all of this, he chose to forgive and over the decades move toward reconciliation with the Han majority. Now he even calls them a “friend.”
He didn’t hold the hurt inside his heart.
He didn’t just “let it go.”
He didn’t just forgive them; he reconciled with them.
He chose to have a God-sized perspective of it.
He chose to embrace his hurting heart.
How easy is it to hold a grudge against someone? How easy is it to bottle the anger, hurt, and disappointment inside rather than to choose forgiveness?
Pastor Pai also preached on family. He said he could never understand why one family member would try to kill another one…. What happened to being a family? What about the blessing of connectedness to hold each other together?
He reminded us the irreplaceable value of family and of our importance in the Kingdom of God by holding tight to the value of family — the gift of belonging, the practice of forgiveness, the blessing of leaning on one another, and the ability to grieve together. These are not to be taken for granted as many children grow up without a family.
Thousands of questions raced through my head. Do I keep my family a core value when I make decisions, big and small, or do I focus on my selfish desires? Do I treat my family as a blessing or sometimes as a problem?
All I know is this: Taiwan pushed me to be a better version of myself, to have a better version of my outlook on life — being able to see the interconnectedness of everything. That, is what I want to take home. Not fancy gifts, t-shirts, or pictures, but God given ability, found in Taiwan, to never stop being fascinated with each other and with the world.
