Life at Bethesda

Many of you have asked me what Bethesda is like and what I’m doing here so in this blog post I’ll do just that!

The place is huge! Kajsa and I are what is referred to as the “missionaries house” This is where all the short-termers stay since it is in the middle of the courtyard and has easier access to everything. All of us have our own bedroom, but Kajsa and I decided on day one to share a room. We chose the smaller because it is darker and hoped it would be warmer if two people were in it. The house can get very cold, even colder than the temperature outside so we wear our thickest clothes to stay warm as the house doesn’t have indoor heating.

In the two apartment buildings that house the residents, the House of Hope and the House of Joy, there are a total of 110 people aged from 8 years old to 78 years old, many of them have family, but there are around 40 of them orphans.

The House of Hope is for the residents who can take care of themselves in small ways, like being able to dress and take care of their personal hygiene. There are 6 floors; floor 3 and 4 house the girls, and 5 and 6 house the boys. The residents in the House of Hope are very friendly, always smiling and greeting us with Bethseda’s preferred form of greeting, “平安” (píng ān) which means; “peace be with you.” Although we have a hard time communicating, we are able to get along decently and I hope through our actions we’re able to say more than we could ever say through our words. I have been using my Mandarin a bit here, but it’s mostly been the basic words I know. I have been impressed by how much I understand though and what I don’t I just piece together with what I do. I do feel bad for Kajsa who doesn’t know what is going on when we speak, and I do try to translate for her as much as I can, but most of the time I don’t even know what’s going on!

There are four workshops in House of Hope: a German bakery, woodworking, coffee packaging, and an art room. Each workshop has 2 teachers, who oversee the residents from 9 am till 12 pm. In the bakery, they make all sorts of different baking, ranging from bread, to cookies, to cake, etc. They make different things depending on the time of year. In the woodworking workshop, the teachers cut out different shapes of wood that the residents sand down. For the coffee packaging workshop, the residents are provided with big bags of coffee beans that they have to grind and package. In the art room workshop, residents spend the day colouring and drawing pictures that are displayed around Bethesda and are used to print onto mugs, calendars, T-shirts, and other such things. All the items the residents make in their different workshops are sold in a little store here in Bethesda.

We are able to do fun activities with the residents in the House of Hope; one night we were able to go to the Hualien Lantern Festival and there was a big display of lights, a street performer, a wall with homemade lanterns, and a lights/water show. It was truly an amazing experience! Mirjam has also put on a stage performance of the life of Jesus as a mime with some residents, so we’ve started practicing. It’s been fun!

The House of Joy, on the other hand, is for the severely handicapped residents—most of whom are in wheelchairs. Meeting them broke our hearts; the home is understaffed for the amount of residents they have, and the mamas (that is what they are called instead of teachers in this house), try their best but are so busy taking care of all the residents in the room that those who need one-on-one attention aren’t able to receive that. The most exciting thing these residents experience is if a volunteer comes and takes them on a walk. The residents have to just sit and either play with toys or do simple crafts all day long.

Also in Bethesda there is a swimming pool, a music room, a physical therapy room, 2 chapels, and a laundry room with many washing machines.

Our schedule is quite simple but also full. Monday to Friday, we work from 9 to 12 in one of their workshops, we’re in the bakery right now. Then from 12 to 3 we have free time (normally Kajsa and I take a stroll or bike around or go shopping or just hang out at our place, depending on the weather). From 3 to 7 we help on one of the floors, coloring and playing games with the residents. Honestly, I feel bad that we’re not doing more. We try to help when we can, and I’m always asking what we can do, but everything is so organized here that I feel like we get in the way. They are so nice and try to include us when they can. We’ve learned all sorts of skills in the bakery that we can’t wait to use at home! On Tuesday evenings I have drama practice for the upcoming Easter play. On Wednesday and Friday evenings we have devotions and games with all of the residents. On Thursday I have 2 choir practices (with Mandarin songs…) and Mirjam hosts devotions with the team in the evening. Saturday and Sunday are our days of rest although we help out with additional activities if they need assistance.

We eat breakfast at the house and eat lunch and dinner on one of the floors. The food is very Asian, we have lots of rice or noodles, vegetables, soup, meat and starfruit. I’m feeling right at home here and love most of the meals! Kajsa on the other hand is trying her best, but she doesn’t enjoy the food, although she does eat a little of everything!

So far it’s been really good, and we’ve only been here a week, but Kajsa and I have enjoyed our time greatly.

Until next time,

Soli Deo Gloria!

Hosanna & Kajsa

A birds eye view of Bethesda. We are in the house in the centre with the flowers on top. The building on the left is the House of Joy. The building on the right is the House of Hope.

Our view from the top floors.

Kajsa and I posing in front of the finished buns.

A sample of what the food looks like.

Group photo at the Lantern Festival with a few of the residents.

Hualien Lantern Festival 2025.