Tribal Starlight's Call
Silhouette of Starlight Teacher Sun Fangying [Ministry]
Interview/Photo provided by Liao Meihui/Sun Fangying
origin
[Reporter’s Note] In early December 2019, we were commissioned by the executive editor of this magazine to interview Sun Fangying. A few days later, I received a call from Gao Lili, the founder of this magazine, and learned that Sun Fangying was her classmate at Wynn Middle School affiliated to Tunghai University. She had not seen her for more than 40 years and only recently contacted her again.
"Her life was so wonderful. Her experiences in one life might make others live three lifetimes!" Gao Lili recalled the past. When she was in the first grade of middle school, she once preached the gospel to Sun Fangying. Unexpectedly, she replied disdainfully: "Don't preach the gospel to me. My father is Pastor! But I’m not interested in anything about Jesus right now!”
Afterwards, Gao Lili realized that Sun Fangying had lost her father when she was eight years old. The little girl's young heart was severely affected. The sudden loss of her father on earth made her reject even her father in heaven. It was not until the age of 40 that I met Heavenly Father again in Vancouver, Canada, and reunited with Heavenly Father.
Why are you willing to move from Vancouver, a paradise for immigrants, to a mountain tribe in Taitung to serve as a "Starlight Teacher" for the "Jia Lili Foundation"1 to serve the local Paiwan aborigines? Sun Fangying firmly stated that her only belief after believing in the Lord is to "desire God and please God!" "If God wants me to go east, I will not go west! As long as it is clear that it is the calling of God the Father, I will definitely Respond bravely!
Sun Fangying, who just celebrated her 60th birthday, has a pretty middle school student-style short hair and a bright smile on her face from time to time. From the west coast of Canada to the east coast of the United States, nearly 5,000 miles apart, through LINE, the call of "Tribal Starlight" comes...
▲Sun Fangying once saw a vision - walking in the garden with Heavenly Father, just like the poem "In the Garden".
Before embarking on your calling
In 1996, Sun Fangying's family immigrated to Vancouver from Taiwan. In 1999, he returned to the embrace of Heavenly Father and was baptized as a new born Christian. A series of wonderful experiences before and after she believed in the Lord made her full of passion and wanted to use actions to repay God's unfailing love. Since then, she has been practicing and growing in life and group ministry. I retired early from my job in 2010. I once wanted to serve in China, but I suddenly fell ill three months before departure and was unable to go. She wanted to serve God, but was hindered. She felt depressed for a time, as if she had fallen into an abyss, not knowing what to do next.
In 2000, Sun Fangying once saw a vision - walking in the garden with Heavenly Father. Just like the poem "In the Garden": "Wandering alone in the garden, the roses still had crystal dew, and suddenly a gentle voice came to my ears. It was the Lord Jesus, the Son of God." She saw in her spirit. When she arrived at a cave in the garden that extended underground, the moans coming from the depths caught her heart. God said that these people were hiding in their comfort zone and sighing, but they had abandoned the light. In the vision, Sun Fangying quietly made a promise with Father God: one day she would enter the cave and lead the trapped people to the light one by one.
"In the garden", "cave", "promise with God the Father"... Frankly speaking, not only are many Christians around me unable to understand these visions, but even Sun Fangying herself can't figure out what they mean and what God wants her to do. What? It was not until a few years later, with the enlightenment of two spiritual mentors, and the step-by-step verification and guidance of the service, that she finally understood that all the experiences in her life were from God, and God wanted to use her past experiences. The experience helped people in the same need, and the only thing she had to do was to take off the "big brand" of "serving God" and learn to simply trust and humbly obey God's daily grace.
Sun Fangying has two important spiritual mentors. One is Pastor Wu Fangfang, the founder of the "Jia Lili Foundation" in Taitung, and the other is Pastor Jiang Xiuqin of the "Mu Lord Pioneer Church" in Northern California. Pastor Wu Fangfang led Sun Fangying and supported her to go straight to God's field and successfully embark on the path of service revealed in the vision; Pastor Jiang Xiuqin's inner life example and teachings were the spiritual backing and support of Fang Ying. Provide her with the joy of regaining her strength so that she can walk an extra mile in love.
▲Looking into the distance at the tribal starlight stronghold of the Paiwan tribe in Taitung.
Responding to the call to “build a home”
In October 2010, God moved Pastor Wu Fangfang’s friends to donate NT$970,000. With this kind grace, Pastor Wu launched the wonderful ministry of “Jia Li Li” in Taitung. Pastor Wu once pastored the White Rock Chinese Church in Vancouver and led Sun Fangying to believe in the Lord. There was a stable foundation of trust between them. In 2011, Pastor Wu returned to Vancouver because of the vision of delivering "Tribal Starlight". Under God's clever arrangement, Pastor Wu met Sun Fangying. Moved by the Holy Spirit, Pastor Wu invited Fang Ying to join the "Tribal Starlight" ministry. (For more information about Pastor Wu Fangfang's service in eastern Taiwan, please refer to "Feed My Lambs", Issue 12 of this magazine.)
"Tribal Starlight" serves children and families living in Taitung tribes. When Sun Fangying set foot on this land, she suddenly connected with the vision of the "cave" she had many years ago. She suddenly had an idea. Isn't this the opposition between light and darkness, the intersection of joy and sorrow?
In March 2013, Sun Fangying understood that "Jia Li Li" was a calling from God. She happily accepted the challenge and officially entered the Paiwan tribe in Taitung, Taiwan, settled in the community, and became Ji Li Li's first "Starlight Teacher" ". Adhering to the belief of "accompanying him for a while, he will win back his life", we launched a life-impacting happiness and hope project. In the blink of an eye, 2020 is about to enter its eighth year.
The reporter asked: "In the past few years of service, have you ever encountered difficulties and wanted to give up?"
Sun Fangying said frankly that everything is difficult at the beginning. The tribesmen did not know her, did not understand her, and did not know what she wanted to do in their territory. They did not know whether she was a temporary visitor or a teacher who was leaving after one year of teaching. When they first arrived in the mountainous area, the tribesmen and students all had a "wait and see" attitude to see what she, a teacher from Canada, would do.
The community where Sun Fangying serves has many families with intergenerational education. Resources are relatively scarce and the challenges are not small. How to love this group of people in the right way, accompany the children out of their predicament, and become children who are healthy, loving and hopeful in body, mind and soul, is the focus of Sun Fangying’s dialogue with God day and night.
▲Because of Sun Fangying’s obedience, the vision of seeing the “Heavenly Father’s Garden” came true many years later.
Companionship of tribal starlight
Sun Fangying positions herself that the most important task of "Teacher Starlight" is to help people see their inner desires, and then accompany them with God's love and faithfulness. She emphasized that this task cannot be accomplished solely through psychology or counseling skills, but through long-term prayer, companionship, and co-operation with the Holy Spirit.
In 2014, with the miraculous opening and provision of God, Sun Fangying completed a picture book "Happiness Paradise" in the first year after staying in the tribe. In the eyes of ordinary people, the picture book may not have any special meaning. Miraculously, for the local tribal residents, it triggers unexpected moves. In the pictures in the picture books, residents see their own stories unfolding before their eyes. Sun Fangying never expected that God would use "picture books" as a tool to open up a dialogue between the tribesmen and herself.
From 2014 to 2018, Sun Fangying started an "Aigaoneng" vitamin feeding service in the place where children must pass every day when they go to school. Although the process only took a few minutes of focus, through this action, I met the children face to face every morning and put the vitamin gummies sent by devotees into their mouths one by one.
Whenever she sees the satisfied smiles of children holding small vitamins in their mouths, Sun Fangying is surprised that such insignificant actions can bring out power beyond imagination and calm their restless hearts. God's love and mercy are new every morning. Through this time, children know that they are not alone in facing the various challenges in life. God’s faithfulness and provision, like Fang Ying’s embrace, tightly surround everyone. The "Love Plus" time every morning is the sweet moment that Fang Ying enjoys the most.
▲Every morning during the "Love Boost" moment, the children take the opportunity to report the big and small things in their lives to the teacher and exchange the language of love with each other.
Return to the community and live out your destiny
In 2015, Sun Fangying completed an unprecedented event with the assistance of six local Paiwan tribal churches and groups in Taitung. This mountaineering activity on the ancient tribal trail called "Paiwan Ark Tour" goes from the deepest valley to the highest peak in Daren Township. This team of more than a hundred people, including men and women, old and young, walked, talked, and sang. In the sound of announcements and praises, people from different tribes or groups began to integrate, moving from the trough to the peak together, renewing and Abundant destiny unfolds to everyone so naturally.
After seven years of living in the tribe together day and night, Fang Ying has established deep relationships with regional officials, residents, schools and parents. They accompany each other and become a bridge between tribes.
"I dare not say what contribution I have made in the past seven years, but the community I serve has indeed undergone great renewal and change. Their attitude towards life is no longer stagnant and hovering, but is moving forward steadily towards the direction of God. I only know that I am a vessel of God, and I am determined to stick to what God has given me and follow closely, to please God and gain God’s favor along the way.” Sun Fangying revealed her true feelings on the other end of the phone.
Under God's powerful guidance, at the end of 2018, she completed the commission and supervised the construction of "Paiwan Father's Garden" in Xinhua Village, Daren Township. This 150-square-foot Heavenly Father’s Garden is warmly and beautifully decorated and has become a favorite place for children in the community to stay during holidays and camp fellowship.
From the children's title of "Teacher Fang Ying" to "Fang Ying's mother", it can be seen that she and the children have become like a family, and the children can listen to what she says. She guides her children to cherish themselves, support each other, and live a life that pleases God. Even in the storm and suffering, we must continue to trust God step by step. In the past few years, community residents have truly experienced the love of Jesus, and its influence has penetrated into their lives bit by bit.
Different seeing brings different choices. Because of the trust brought by constant companionship, children are willing to regard Sun Fangying as a step they can climb to depend on, because after climbing up, they will see another beauty in life. Seeing the growth of children is the greatest satisfaction for every mother (teacher).
"Don't underestimate our children in the mountains. Their simplicity pleases God the most!"
This group of children explained two spiritual exercises that even old Christians find difficult to do with the most direct and simple hearts. The children said with great insight: "Waiting on God means letting Heavenly Father come and hug you; being filled with the Holy Spirit means sweeping out the stinky things in your heart and letting the fresh ones flow in! Right?"
▲Sun Fangying encourages North American Christians to consider retiring early, investing in eternity, and answering the call. The most important task of "Starlight Teacher" is to help people see their inner desires, and then accompany them with God's love and faithfulness.
answer the call
Sun Fangying encouraged North American Christians to consider retiring early, answer the call, and invest in eternity. It does take courage, but it is a path of great blessing.
What is "calling"? How to answer the call?
Sun Fangying gave a simple definition: the same sound (idea) appears again and again, like hammering nails. The calling is not the wind whistling away while driving, but the stone falling steadily to the ground. After continuous prayer and seeking, coupled with environmental verification, and inner peace, actions will be decisive. Responding to the call means obeying God’s will without any doubt! "You cannot experience grace in your imagination. You must step out to encounter the wonderful reality!" Fang Ying was glad that she did not run away and bravely responded to God's call.
Now, I have indeed seen God’s vision come true, “a garden to walk with my Heavenly Father, a Bethany home prepared for me, a place where I have the privilege to bring friends and people in need to come in and talk to me, My resting place - Heavenly Father’s Garden in Paiwan.”
"Do you have any concerns or plans for the future?"
"No! Take pleasure in God! Trust God, and I will do whatever He says!"
"Don't you miss your children and grandchildren in Vancouver?"
"God's arrangement is the most beautiful and best! The three sons are already independent, and the grandchildren are accompanied by parents who love them. But these children in the mountains need the watering of love and constant companionship in wisdom."
"Don't you miss Vancouver's beautiful mountains, waters and scenery?"
"No! Eternity in heaven is more beautiful than Vancouver. I am now on earth as in heaven. I enjoy walking with God in Heavenly Father's Garden and having fun with my children every day!
"Every child is a unique star in the sky. As long as they are willing to accompany and wait, they will surely see the starlight. I am willing to accompany them for a while to win back God's destiny for their lives."
"Jesus said to them all, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" (John 8:12) Yes, behind the Garden of the Father, I’ve seen Tribal Starlight summon sparkling lights, and it turns out that a little bit of starlight can really illuminate the darkness!
1. Family Foundation: Targeting helpless infants, young children, women and families, by truly living a life that glorifies God, builds oneself, and benefits others, it truly accompanies people and "builds" healthy families. "Stand" with the hurting family and witness God win our lives together.
2. Adhering to the belief of "accompany him for a while and win back his life", Jia Lili sent "Starlight Teacher" to stay in the tribe for a long time and become a local member, influencing lives with his life, accompanying each other with the community residents, and receiving the rich blessings of God. Blessings, believe that "a little starlight can illuminate."
(Source: Jia Lili Foundation)
Liao Meihui, graduated from Chinese Evangelical Theological Seminary of North America (CESNA), and is a special writer for this magazine.