August 29, 2010
Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan
Written by Lydia Ma

It's been more than 5 years since Christian Loving Neighbors Association has been running a help center for foreign spouses to help communities in Tainan County become more accepting of other cultures and get rid of stereotypes about new immigrants.

The association has worked with several townships in Tainan County in the past few years and an outreach meeting was held recently at Lung-Tan Community Center in Yong-Kang City.

This outreach on August 19, 2010 included introducing services provided by the center, providing legal advice on residency regulations in Taiwan, tips on preventing and stopping domestic abuse, and introducing new residents to their neighbors.

A lawyer was invited to speak on domestic abuse prevention and regulations while a dentist from Sinlau Hospital taught about proper dental care. A medical team from Chi-Mei Hospital was invited to teach participants how to do proper stretching and relaxation exercises.

Christian Loving Neighbors Association staff, Cheng Wen-min, said most foreign brides who come to the association seeking assistance aren't Christians. Volunteers or social workers who help them will sometimes pray with them when assisting or counseling them.

"Social workers are also human," she explained. "Sometimes we become weary and sometimes there are problems we cannot solve. When that happens, we hope that our Christian faith can strengthen them."

She added that she hoped churches everywhere could reach out to new immigrants and foreigners because a little bit of effort from every church can truly makes a significant difference when churches work together.

Some cultural relics and light snacks, such as Vietnamese tacos and coffee jelly, were provided during the meeting to help people relax, enjoy, and get to know different cultures and their special cuisines.

Taiwan Church News