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Sorry for a lack of communication, we've been without internet or too busy to sit down and post if we did have internet. On Tuesday we met with about 16 youth workers from Taijung (I've probably spelled that differently every time I've written it). The workers are a part of an after school program that is nation-wide for students. Churches are a big part of the programs because every student is required to participate and some can't affor the private after school programs. The church helps the kids who either aren't considered smart enought or don't have the money to participate in the more prestigous programs. This time with these leaders is the reason that we come here every year. Luke and I talked to eight women about being relational with the kids. Basically that means that instead of being teachers, they are being mentors to the kids. We felt like there was almost a sense of relief for the women. They told us that in their heart they've always wanted to be more than teachers, but their culture values education so much, that they had to focus more on the educational progress of kids. The issue for them is that the kids they work with have already been told they are too dumb to do well enough to succeed in their society. Essentially they've given up on themselves and have little self-worth. One woman told us, "I think if we showed them that we cared about them regardless of their grades it would change their world." That was an encouragement to us as well. A majority of these kids have Buddhist families. The only way that they are allowed to come to a program at a Christian church is two-fold: the parents only care about their grades or the parents are absent in their lives and don't want them in their homes. One of the youth workers' shirts said, "Our youth are not a burden." I thought that was a great message that is not observed enough in Asian cultures. It might be unfair to challenge how a culture operates since I've been here for eight days, Jesus did it all the time.