Why I Took a Gap Year to Teach in Taiwan

Victor Hsiaso • Oct 13, 2016

Between college graduation and starting medical school, I took a gap year as a missionary in Taiwan.

In high school, I developed a passion for missions and considered pursuing ministry full time instead of going to college. I was wisely advised, however, to attend college to better equip myself for whatever God had in store for me, long-term missions or not.

During college, I was challenged to share and live out my faith in new environments where there were few Christians, such as the school swim team or my summer research internship in China. As graduation approached, I still loved missions and wanted to serve, but I had also developed a passion for medicine and wanted to be a doctor; I wasn’t sure which to pursue.

So, I decided to spend a year after graduation pursuing both. I applied to medical school and then searched for missions opportunities where I could use my ability to speak Mandarin Chinese and further explore my desire to serve Chinese-speaking people groups. Eventually, I found the right fit with TEAM and packed my bags to serve for six months in Taiwan.

Teaching in Taiwan

I partnered with a local family and a long-term missionary to help with a church plant in New Taipei City. When I first arrived, much of the work was community outreach events and classes on the weekends. Seeking to meet more local families and children, however, my team worked to find a local school for me to volunteer at as an English teacher. In the end, I found myself regularly teaching over 700 students, ranging from first to sixth grade, at a local elementary school.

gap year to teach

Each day I worked with elementary school students to improve their English language skills using activities like this one in which I had them draw and label different body parts.


On a typical day, I would teach four to six 40-minute classes, using English curricula I created to help students practice basic English conversation skills and learn about American culture. The curriculum was focused on improving my students’ English speaking and listening skills, both of which are typically weaker among Taiwanese students because of the general emphasis on reading and writing in school.

The schedule was very tiring, but it was also an extremely rewarding experience as I got to meet many local children each day. Although I couldn’t share the gospel explicitly in the classroom, I found that there was an overabundance of opportunities to share God’s love with my students , especially the more mischievous ones.

While I couldn't share the gospel explicitly in the classroom, notes like this one let me know that my students saw Christ's love in the way I treated them.

While I couldn’t share the gospel explicitly in the classroom, notes like this one let me know that my students saw Christ’s love in the way I interacted with them.


Within a few weeks, I also discovered that how I interacted with my students allowed me to be a light and witness not only to my students but also to their parents and teachers. Teachers or parents would sometimes come and tell me how they appreciated the time and effort I spent on each of my students, especially those who were struggling academically. I had opportunities to share my faith more explicitly when I was asked by these teachers and parents about my motivations and reasons for coming to Taiwan.

Before the semester ended, I invited my students to a summer camp nearby that my team and I were hosting. I was amazed to see that around 10 students attended our camp and, thus, had the chance to hear the gospel.

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It was a joy to watch my students grow in their English skills and in their confidence over the semester.


For me, being an English teacher meant that I needed to make sure my students learned some of their basic ABCs and English conversation skills. But more importantly, I hoped to shape each of my students into becoming more like the boys and girls God created them to be, regardless of whether they followed him. I look forward to seeing how God will continue to grow them as their new school year begins.

Lessons I Learned from My Gap Year

Now that I’m back in the United States, I still miss my students. They showed me so much love, grace and patience, and I cherish the relationships we formed.

As I reflect on my experience, I find three lessons that I would share with anyone else considering taking a gap year:

1. In any situation, there will be numerous challenges, both expected and unexpected. Be open-minded, ready to learn and prepared to adapt to whatever comes your way.

2. Ministry is all about people. Make sure you get the logistical and administrative tasks done but try to plan ahead as much as possible so you can truly be present when you are with people, whether they are your fellow missionaries or the people you are serving. Be faithful with preparing for God to work but ultimately leaving the results up to Him. I am reminded of Proverbs 21:31 : The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.

3. For those searching for direction in your life, be patient and enjoy the process of getting to know God and developing a relationship with Him as you search for His will. One of my favorite verses that relates to this is Proverbs 3:5–6 : “T rust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Even now, I’m still not sure whether God will call me back to Taiwan or somewhere else to serve long-term. I’m in my first semester of medical school, and I’ve determined so far that God does want me to finish my medical degree. As for what follows, I’ll have to see where He leads.

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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