Monthly Project Report: Taiwan Laborers (Feb 2017)

Agape Fish Fund partners with Pastor Charlie and Mary to provide basic necessities and Christian care for exploited migrant workers in Taiwan.

letter from charlie and mary

Dear family and friends,

Last year the detention camp got a new warden. After that, the detention center suddenly closed its doors and minimized visits by evangelical missionaries. After months of prayers and negotiations, there appears to be a new openness! Please pray for favor with the officials so that ministry visits to this detention center will be resumed. For more details, please refer to the excerpt from a missionary's email below. This missionary coordinates the ministries of the detention centers.

Here's an update on a migrant worker who's been in a coma for nearly 4 months. He can now breathe on his own, but he is still unconscious. It's been arranged for him to return to his family in his home country on March 4th. Details of the incident are still kept in the dark. The brokers reported that he fell down the dormitory's stairs, so the authorities have no further basis for investigation. May God show mercy!

Thank you!

Charlie and Mary

Letter from detention center ministry coordinator

​Good news. The Taipei Detention Center in Sanxia is thinking about allowing us to resume the weekly visits and monthly festivals. Please pray for this!

One month ago I wrote a report to the president of immigration about our ministry in 2016 and before. I thanked him for the good cooperation over 15 years and said that the Taiwan immigration officials treat the inmates much better than other Asian countries. I also wrote how important both our weekly visits and monthly events are for the inmates, especially because most inmates run  away because of problems. Factory workers run away the most because their income was too low, only about 8000 NTS ($260 USD) a month, and without overtime compensation. The women who were caring for ill people mostly run away because of bad treatment and sexual harassment. I wrote that with weekly visits we try to help them in many ways and give them new hope and strength.

I also wrote that we and  many Westerners have been very concerned about the inmates in Sanxia since March 2016, when our opportunities to visit were minimized. I asked if he could help improve this.

Last week I also wrote an official letter asking for a spring festival on March 20th. Three days ago an official of the Sanxia Detention Center phoned me very politely and said we can have this festival, which could last for 90 minutes.

Today he phoned me twice. He asked what our goal was with the letter to the immigration. I said that we wished to resume the weekly visits and monthly festivals. He said they will have a meeting and try to allow this. The weekly visits may be in the format as in the time from 2000 to 2013, which includes counseling the inmates through the bars. In that way, every inmate who wants to speak with us can come to us. This method does not need more immigration officers than usual.

The polite way the official spoke seemed to show that now the Sanxia Detention Center is willing to open its doors again to our help. Please pray that nobody in the DC contradicts this and we can again have monthly festivals and weekly visits.

Edited by Carolyn D.