Upon finishing my teaching degree at what is now Concordia University Chicago, I was recruited to serve as a missionary in Taiwan (ROC—Republic of China), where I spent two and a half years learning the language and culture, and teaching English and Christianity. The first half year was spent entirely on learning language and culture. Mandarin is the official language of both mainland China and Taiwan, but this was not always the language used. A group of mainland Chinese brought Mandarin to Taiwan when they fled the communist takeover. Prior to the arrival of this group, the people of Taiwan spoke their own, indigenous language, Taiwanese, which is distinct from Mandarin Chinese.

As Pentecost approaches, take a few minutes to read Acts 2:1–21, the story of the Holy Spirit descending on the disciples. This passage is the fulfillment of an Old Testament promise and is in response to Jesus’ saving work on the cross.