A mile off the coast of China, there is a small island called Kinmen. This beautiful place is part of Taiwan, and last weekend I had the opportunity to visit. My friend and I went to see the team stationed there to help out with a fundraiser.
The Kinmen team feel a special calling to help victims of the slave trade, a prevalent and rapidly growing industry world-wide. One of the girls knows Naomi Hamilton, the founder behind Safe Refuge International in Manila. The organization helps pregnant women who are left on the streets and the children who are in danger of becoming slaves. It’s a fantastic ministry, and I think the team on Kinmen is fabulous for being so passionate about this. They’ve had four fundraisers now, and have raised about ten thousand dollars. Praise God! This last fundraiser broke the record too. It was a very special event, and I’m so glad I was able to be a part of it.
It breaks down like this: the people come to learn how to swing dance, eat food, and take pictures at the photo-booth. There’s a brief lesson on dancing, lots of time for practice, yummy food, and then a movie and brief speech about the impetus behind the fundraiser. Most of the attendees are college-aged students who know the teachers or know of them. Kinmen’s small; any foreigner is well-known.
My friend and I helped out with the photo-booth. We had some crazy awesome props and backdrops, and I think it went really well. I will post about that in detail later.
The weekend itself, even apart from the dance, was amazing. I was sad we didn’t get to see more of the island, but when we return (which we will) we can see more. We did get to visit the beach at night, walk a little around town, and eat some amazing food.
I love Taiwan, but there’s something special about that little island that totally captured my heart.
otter.
The Flying Armchair 