Taiwanese Christians Answer God’s Call to the Unreached
Contributed by Jessica Smith of SEND Taiwan
Taiwan has had a long history of missions, from Dutch and Spanish missionaries in the 17th century, to the many international and local agencies that currently work in Taiwan. SEND has been in Taiwan for over 70 years and our goal has always been to share the gospel, plant healthy churches, and disciple believers who will then repeat the process. In recent years, GCM (Global Chinese Ministries) Taiwan has grown from being a receiving field to now also being a sending field. This is an exciting new work that is still in its beginning stages, but God has already blessed the work by providing connections with churches, organizations, and individuals who want to do cross-cultural work.
Taiwan has had a long history of missions, from Dutch and Spanish missionaries in the 17th century, to the many international and local agencies that currently work in Taiwan. SEND has been in Taiwan for over 70 years and our goal has always been to share the gospel, plant healthy churches, and disciple believers who will then repeat the process. In recent years, GCM (Global Chinese Ministries) Taiwan has grown from being a receiving field to now also being a sending field. This is an exciting new work that is still in its beginning stages, but God has already blessed the work by providing connections with churches, organizations, and individuals who want to do cross-cultural work.
GCM Sending is a global movement of Jesus followers engaging Chinese communities and empowering them to make disciples among the unreached
.
Since 2020, one short-termer, one couple, and two families with kids have been sent through or joined SEND through the GCM Sending office. These missionaries are working with unreached people groups in the Philippines, Chad, and Thailand. It’s exciting to see how God is calling Taiwanese Christians to cross-cultural work and it’s a privilege for SEND to be a part of that process. Below is an excerpt from a recent newsletter of one of the families working among Muslims (translated to English and edited for security reasons).
“At the end of June, we flew south to move into the MIGA (pseudonym) community, where our team has a local non-profit organization and serves the students at a university. At one event, I was having dinner with a group of boys, and I asked the boy on my left what ethnic group he was from (there are more than 90 ethnic groups here, 13 of which are Muslim alone). When he answered MIGA I paused mid-bite, a subtle smile formed at the corners of my mouth, and I thought to myself, "Finally! Our family is finally here, among you." As I continued to eat, I wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes before anyone noticed.
Being the Hands and Feet of Jesus to Muslims
“At the end of June, we flew south to move into the MIGA (pseudonym) community, where our team has a local non-profit organization and serves the students at a university. At one event, I was having dinner with a group of boys, and I asked the boy on my left what ethnic group he was from (there are more than 90 ethnic groups here, 13 of which are Muslim alone). When he answered MIGA I paused mid-bite, a subtle smile formed at the corners of my mouth, and I thought to myself, "Finally! Our family is finally here, among you." As I continued to eat, I wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes before anyone noticed.
My wife and I are responsible for being one-on-one coaches every month for Muslim students sponsored by the organization, listening to them, helping them with their academic difficulties, and guiding them to find a way out of the difficulties they face in life. These young people have never had anyone to sit beside them and give them one-on-one time, so we hope to make them feel cared for and supported through this kind of companionship.
One of them is a senior who I coach one-on-one. He’s the president of the Muslim Association of the university and the dean of the boys' dormitory. Every student’s impression of him is that he is active and busy in various activities. During our first meeting, I asked him about his family background. He told me that his parents had divorced when he was young, he had been raised by an aunt and uncle on his mother's side, and he had no memory of his birth mother.
One of them is a senior who I coach one-on-one. He’s the president of the Muslim Association of the university and the dean of the boys' dormitory. Every student’s impression of him is that he is active and busy in various activities. During our first meeting, I asked him about his family background. He told me that his parents had divorced when he was young, he had been raised by an aunt and uncle on his mother's side, and he had no memory of his birth mother. It was not until he was seven years old that his biological father realized he existed and brought his stepmother to pick him up and bring him from the northern part of the country to the southern part. Since his stepmother was a Muslim, so his father had to become a Muslim in order to marry her. Naturally, he also became a Muslim and grew up in the Muslim community in the south, learning the dialect and the Islamic faith, although he did not understand it at all.
However, not long after, his father left to work in a distant country, leaving him to live with his stepmother and her two stepchildren, who, as you can imagine, favored the two biological children and often left him out. A few years later, his stepmother left him in the care of her sister, who was not his blood-relative and took the two children with her to work elsewhere. By this time, when he was already in middle school, he had very little to live on. The transportation to and from school alone cost him almost all of his daily allowance, leaving him with barely enough to buy lunch.
He didn't complain. After working hard to get into college, he told me that he always kept his schedule full because he finally felt in control of his life. Now he is a senior, writing his thesis on national law. He spoke to me about his uprooted childhood and the subject of conflict with sharia law.
It is hard to tell that this young man, with his smiling and gentle exterior, has had such a difficult background. I honestly didn't have any clue or confidence to bring him to Jesus since he only had one year of school left, but I chose to encourage him and recognize what he has gone through, from having such a difficult upbringing to becoming the beloved Muslim student leader that he is today. I told him that I would be there for the rest of the day, and if he had any questions, he knew where to find me and I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to be there for him.”
However, not long after, his father left to work in a distant country, leaving him to live with his stepmother and her two stepchildren, who, as you can imagine, favored the two biological children and often left him out. A few years later, his stepmother left him in the care of her sister, who was not his blood-relative and took the two children with her to work elsewhere. By this time, when he was already in middle school, he had very little to live on. The transportation to and from school alone cost him almost all of his daily allowance, leaving him with barely enough to buy lunch.
He didn't complain. After working hard to get into college, he told me that he always kept his schedule full because he finally felt in control of his life. Now he is a senior, writing his thesis on national law. He spoke to me about his uprooted childhood and the subject of conflict with sharia law.
It is hard to tell that this young man, with his smiling and gentle exterior, has had such a difficult background. I honestly didn't have any clue or confidence to bring him to Jesus since he only had one year of school left, but I chose to encourage him and recognize what he has gone through, from having such a difficult upbringing to becoming the beloved Muslim student leader that he is today. I told him that I would be there for the rest of the day, and if he had any questions, he knew where to find me and I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to be there for him.”
God’s Work Continues
This Taiwanese family heard and obeyed God’s calling in their life and now has the opportunity to be a beacon of light in a dark place. While Taiwan has religious freedom and there are many churches, a widespread missions movement has yet to take root. Local churches and church leaders are still mostly inward-focused or lack training in cross-cultural missions.
There is also a lack of organizations that can process and send Taiwanese missionaries, especially when it comes to receiving and distributing funds. That’s why the work of our sending office is so important. We are able to support, prepare, and send these believers. Continue praying for the missionaries who have already been sent out, and for more Taiwanese to answer God’s call to cross-cultural work!
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
Learn about the spiritual harmony in Vietnam & how missionaries engage with college students. Join us in sharing the gospel!
Explore Georgia's spiritual heritage and the impact of SEND International's mission. Join us in fostering authentic relationships today!
