When Chinese people hear David Purdue speak Mandarin for the first time, they can’t quite believe it.
“They get a shock and then I repeat myself again and then they finally figure out I’m speaking Chinese,” he said.
“They have a laugh with each other. I guess they’re a bit taken back.”
32-year-old David, who was raised in Tauranga, New Zealand, served in the Taiwan, Taichung mission from 2004-2006.
“For a Māori boy coming out of the bush and getting sent to a city with 24 million people speaking Mandarin Chinese, it was an eye opener,” he said.
Learning the language, he said, unlocked many hearts including his own.
“It took me 12 months before I was confident enough to share the gospel in Mandarin,” he said.
“And because of that, my relationships with family members in Taiwan became closer. They fell in love with us and we fell in love with them.
“I can confidently say I still have family back in Taiwan.”
David never thought he would pursue an education, let alone study Chinese Mandarin in university.
But after a meeting with his mission president, David knew he had to use the talents he was gifted and pursue an education.
David majored in Mandarin at Auckland University of Technology and has been given many opportunities to speak the Chinese language.
To find out more about David's journey, watch here.
