“Yea Sue Foo Hwoh Luh!” is the phrase that will be spoken by Christians on Easter Sunday. In Mandarin Chinese this means, “Jesus has risen from the dead!” Fellow Christians then reply saying, “Shr Duh! Yea Sue Foo Hwoh Luh!”  This response means, “Yes, Jesus has risen from the dead!”   I love this part of our Easter celebration as it reminds me of one thing that will be similar to the way I have celebrated Easter in America.   When I lived in America, my Mom would call on Easter Sunday to say, “Christ has risen! Hallelujah!” and then I would respond with “Christ has risen INDEED!” Even though I live in Taiwan Mom still calls on Easter and says, “Christ has risen! Hallelujah!” and I still respond accordingly. Celebrating Easter in Taiwan will have many things that won’t be like celebrating in America with pipe organs or Easter breakfasts and baskets filled with candy.  But we know those things are not the focus of our Easter joy.  No matter where we live, our joy is joining with our fellow Christians, those whose skin may be red or yellow, black or white, to worship and praise our risen victorious Savior! Hallelujah!

What will be different about our worship service in Taiwan? We will sing and praise God in Mandarin Chinese and the Taiwanese dialect.  We will travel to the village church for a joint worship service.   We’ve rented a coach bus to transport 40 members and friends.  Many of these friends are not Christians yet, but are willing to learn more about Jesus. We will worship with fellow believers at Everlasting Happiness Church, a church nestled among rice paddies an hour drive from our congregation in Taichung.  What a great name for a church for Easter worship: Everlasting Happiness!  It will be a different setting for us to worship in compared to our metropolitan store-front facility. However, we will be blessed with a festive celebration centered on God’s word.  Our Taichung church members will sing a special hymn and the village church members will also prepare special music for the day. As with any Chinese gathering there will be lots of delicious food after our regular hour and a half of worship.

In Taiwan, where only 2-3% of the population is Christian, it can be depressing to see so few who trust in Jesus as their Savior.  And yet, it is also an amazing time of being able to share the real reason we have for putting our trust in our risen Lord and Savior! Praise the Lord! No matter where we live in the world, I pray we will all share our joy with others as we celebrate Easter.  We pray that no matter what language we use, many will come to trust in Jesus as their Savior.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for God who has promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

Sarah Stellick
Wife of Missionary Kevin Stellick
Taichung, Taiwan