By Vickie Chow
As a child of the ‘90s, I was reared in an era when jeans were flared, track pants were tearable, and the domineers of pop music came in harmonizing quintets of prepubescent spikey-haired boys. Needless to say, it was much to my delight that the popular Off-Broadway musical comedy, Altar Boyz, was going to be tackled by the Arts Club Theatre Company on the Granville Island Stage. The musical depicts a Christian boy band hailing from the Midwest who are on the last leg of their “Raise the Praise” tour. With the unrelenting determination to spread God’s Word through catchy pop beats and synchronized dance moves, the band periodically looks through the “Soul Sensor DX-12”, a machine that magically gauges the number of burdened souls in the theatre, a number that the Altar Boyz make it their goal to lower down to a clean and sanctified zero by the end of the concert.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
祭壇男孩高舉讚美
原文：Vickie Chow | 中譯：楊光
在我成長的90年代裡，穿的是喇叭牛仔褲或能一手扯下來的運動褲，而且在流行音樂裡稱王稱霸的都是一組組會五重唱、頭髮尖尖、青春前期的男孩子。所以，當聽說Arts Club藝術劇團將在Granville島劇院舞台上錶演出自百老匯、極受歡迎的音樂喜劇《祭壇男孩》時，我興奮不已。這篇音樂劇描寫了一組從美國中西部來的基督教男孩樂隊，正在他們「高舉讚美」巡回演唱會的最後一站。他們有著堅定不移的決心，要通過上口的流行音樂和同步舞蹈動作來傳播上帝的話語，而且據說樂隊會不時地透過「靈魂傳感器DX-12」，能神奇地看到劇院中擔重擔的靈魂數目，《祭壇男孩》的目標就是在演唱會結束前將這數目降到又乾淨又聖潔的零!
在我成長的90年代裡，穿的是喇叭牛仔褲或能一手扯下來的運動褲，而且在流行音樂裡稱王稱霸的都是一組組會五重唱、頭髮尖尖、青春前期的男孩子。所以，當聽說Arts Club藝術劇團將在Granville島劇院舞台上錶演出自百老匯、極受歡迎的音樂喜劇《祭壇男孩》時，我興奮不已。這篇音樂劇描寫了一組從美國中西部來的基督教男孩樂隊，正在他們「高舉讚美」巡回演唱會的最後一站。他們有著堅定不移的決心，要通過上口的流行音樂和同步舞蹈動作來傳播上帝的話語，而且據說樂隊會不時地透過「靈魂傳感器DX-12」，能神奇地看到劇院中擔重擔的靈魂數目，《祭壇男孩》的目標就是在演唱會結束前將這數目降到又乾淨又聖潔的零!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Encounters Part I: Taiwan
By Iris Lo
Two months ago, I was on a plane bound for Taiwan to begin my one-year journey away from home as a Partner of OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) to do part-time missionary work whilst “tent-making” as a children’s English teacher. Having never lived on my own before and being fresh out of university, I felt like I had been plucked out of my sheltered life and dropped into an entirely new world. I am currently a part-time teacher at an English school and a helper at a new church-plant in the city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I’ve been pushed to learn Mandarin, to drive a scooter, and to look after myself.
Two months ago, I was on a plane bound for Taiwan to begin my one-year journey away from home as a Partner of OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) to do part-time missionary work whilst “tent-making” as a children’s English teacher. Having never lived on my own before and being fresh out of university, I felt like I had been plucked out of my sheltered life and dropped into an entirely new world. I am currently a part-time teacher at an English school and a helper at a new church-plant in the city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I’ve been pushed to learn Mandarin, to drive a scooter, and to look after myself.
「一見如故」第一章：台灣
原文：盧詠莛 | 中譯： 蔡穎
兩個月前，我搭乘飛機前往台灣，開始了離家為期一年去作「海外基督使團」的宣教事工，並且由當英文老師來維持生活。今年大學剛畢業的我，從未有自己隻身在外的經歷，突然覺得自己從一個備受呵護的生活中被拽出來、丟進了一個全新的世界。我現在臺灣高雄市一所英文學校作教師，也在當地一所新植堂的教會裡幫忙。因這裡的環境，我被迫學習國語、騎機車、並照顧自己的日常生活。儘管很想家，而且結識新朋友以及建立一個新生活很費力，但是上帝依然信實，祂的神性及祂對我的愛不曾改變。我也從「海外基督使團」的同伴和其他宣教士身上體驗了上帝的慈愛。遇到了這些從世界各地而來、堅守信仰的基督徒們，使我預先體會到以後在天堂裡的美好！
兩個月前，我搭乘飛機前往台灣，開始了離家為期一年去作「海外基督使團」的宣教事工，並且由當英文老師來維持生活。今年大學剛畢業的我，從未有自己隻身在外的經歷，突然覺得自己從一個備受呵護的生活中被拽出來、丟進了一個全新的世界。我現在臺灣高雄市一所英文學校作教師，也在當地一所新植堂的教會裡幫忙。因這裡的環境，我被迫學習國語、騎機車、並照顧自己的日常生活。儘管很想家，而且結識新朋友以及建立一個新生活很費力，但是上帝依然信實，祂的神性及祂對我的愛不曾改變。我也從「海外基督使團」的同伴和其他宣教士身上體驗了上帝的慈愛。遇到了這些從世界各地而來、堅守信仰的基督徒們，使我預先體會到以後在天堂裡的美好！