I wish I could say that I volunteer with Salt to help create a better tomorrow, but that would be a lie.  The honest truth is, I volunteer to make myself less self-centered. 

Our family moved to Taipei along with our two goldens in the fall of 2010 and I started working as a teacher for the next four years. As of today, we now have five kids and one golden, and my main role is to anchor our family and support my husband Alex, who is the main pastor at Pearl in Taipei.  

My first time volunteering with SALT Collectiv was fall of 2018.  I was six months pregnant with my fifth child and rarely had an extended period of time to myself.  So when my husband offered to give me a Saturday morning off so that I could volunteer at the soup kitchen with SALT Collectiv, I retorted “I’d much rather have a Saturday morning to sleep as long as I’d like, thank you very much.”  Though my response makes absolute sense in any logical person’s mind, I also knew it reflected the type of person I do not want to be.  Yes, I could use more sleep. But also, I needed to stop making excuses for not loving my neighbors.

One of my favorite stories is the story of the Good Samaritan.  Jesus tells this story to a lawyer who asks the question, “who is my neighbor?”  This story is found in the book of Luke from the Bible, and always challenges me to be more intentional about loving those I am not naturally inclined to love.  In summary, this is the story of the Good Samaritan:

A man, presumably a Jew, gets robbed, stripped, and beaten close to death on his journey to Jericho.  A priest takes this same road, sees the bloodied man, but walks on the other side of the road to continue his journey.  Later, a Levite – which is like a priest’s assistant, walks this same path, sees this blood-crusted man, but he, too, chooses to walk on the other side of the road to continue his journey.  Finally, a Samaritan – who was raised to hate Jews, walks along this path, sees this beaten Jew and has compassion.  Instead of continuing his journey, this Samaritan approaches the blood-crusted man, cleans and binds his wounds, and takes him to an inn to recover.  The following day, this Samaritan leaves money with the innkeeper, asks that the injured Jew be taken care of, and promises to repay the innkeeper if more money is needed.  Only after knowing the injured Jew will be taken care of does this Samaritan resume his journey to Jericho.  (paraphrase of Luke 10:30-35)       

After telling this story, Jesus asks the lawyer which of the three people responded as a neighbor to the beaten Jew.  Without missing a beat, the lawyer replies, “the man who showed mercy.”  Jesus responds and says, “go and do likewise.”

Go and do likewise. 

These are words that pierce me.  

In the story of the Good Samaritan, I am the priest or the Levite.  I can name endless ways to show my love of God, but I am slow to live a life reflective of my love of a God who shows compassion on one’s enemy, never mind a stranger, or a neighbor.  Can I just circle back to the possibility that maybe the priest and Levite didn’t want to be late for the synagogue or something?  Can it be enough to just attend a church service and call that love?  Can’t I just wait until all my children are grown and I have more “free” time before I volunteer and interact with and maybe even befriend those in the marginalized communities? 

Jesus makes it clear.  No, I cannot wait.  Loving my neighbor needs to be a discipline, a habit, a lifestyle.  I cannot say I love God with my mouth and yet center my life around what is most comfortable and convenient for me.  I have five children.  It will probably never be an ideal time to intentionally love my neighbors.  If I truly love God, then loving my neighbors must be a rhythm of life.  

Simply, I need to daily admit that I am judgmental and callous and then actually do little things to save me from living with a calloused heart.  Some days it might mean saying good morning to the elderly walking around the neighborhood.  Other days, it might mean starting an actual conversation with the cashier or the waiter (which is a big deal for an introvert like me.)  When I’m feeling particularly brave, it might even mean buying a meal and giving it to the homeless person who lives in the park across the street.  It is so natural for me to center my day around my schedule, my needs, and my conveniences that I forget to see other humans around me as real people with real needs and hurts too.  Without meaning to, I become the priest or Levite who ignores people around me because I am absorbed with thinking about myself.  This is why I say I volunteer with Salt to make me a less self-centered person.       

I’m not sure if choosing to spend a few hours a quarter to love those who are marginalized everyday helps make the world that much better.  What I do know, however, is that the intentional carving of time to volunteer with SALT Collectiv reminds me I’m not alone in wanting to see every single person as a whole and complete human being.  Volunteering with SALT Collectiv expands my heart to love others I would not be naturally inclined to love.  I, alone, cannot make this world a better place.  Together, as a collective, we can hold each other accountable to love on the marginalized and illuminate that a better world is possible today.

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1.) Where can I volunteer in Taiwan?

SALT Collectiv is a nonprofit headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan that hosts volunteer opportunities to serve the marginalized. Volunteer opportunities include serving the homeless through our SALT soup kitchen, orphanage visitations, elderly care, biannual beach cleanups, and our annual Christmas Giving Tree that gives over 1,000 gifts each year to the marginalized all over Taiwan. We also have fundraiser events such as trivia nights, bake sales, F45 workouts, carwashes, and many more. Our FUNdraiser events bring the fun into building our community. Come checkout our community and join the movement.  

2.) Can foreigners volunteer in Taiwan?

Yes! SALT Collectiv is a diverse international community of volunteers uniting for the purpose of making a lasting imprint for the vulnerable and marginalized. There are no prerequisites required to sign up for events and we welcome expats and locals alike to join our community. We ask only that you come with a heart to serve. When individuals come together, dedicating their time and talent to serve the marginalized, lives are touched and communities are transformed. In volunteering, you engage in causes bigger than yourself, cultivate meaningful relationships and positively impact your community.

3.) Is it possible to volunteer with children in Taiwan?

Yes! SALT Collectiv welcomes and encourages children of all ages to participate in our volunteer events. However, parents will be solely responsible for the actions, behavior, and whereabouts of their children.