mini-breakthru

God is always around me, but praying seems to make myself more aware of him being close by. Praying is definitely not going thru the laundry list; yet during the course of using the laundry list to make conversation with Him, a different "dialogue" emerges from the background to the foreground. When I tune to that other dialogue, the sense of God's presence is increasingly felt and the experience turns sweeter than before. I begin to understand why some people can spend so much praying.

good ambition, bad ambition

This is from my latest read of Dave Harvey's Rescuing Ambition, which is a great book and easy to read. In it he quotes from C.S.Lewis, one of my favorite authors:

Ambition! We must be careful what we mean by it. If it means the desire to get ahead of other people... then it is bad. If it means simply wanting to do a thing well, then it is good.... What we call "ambition" usually means the wish to be more conspicuous or more successful than someone else. It is this competitive element in it that is bad. It is perfectly reasonable to want to dance well or to look nice. But when the dominant wish is to dance better or look nicer than the others--when you begin to feel that if the others danced as well as you or looked as nice as you, that would take all the fun out of it--then you are going wrong.

點解係我

當我數算神的恩典， 祂給予我機會去經歷、更認識祂，我心裡感恩之餘，不期然會問： 點解係我？

summing things up

The trip is all about God. And yet, he loves us so much he let it be about us; and he loves the people there so much that he let it be about them.

He's the Alpha. He was there way before we were. He loved those people way before we thought of going there. PTL for the harvest season.

He's the Omega. We left. He does not leave them. As we "worry" about the well-being of the fruit, we trust that he'll finish what he has started. He's good.

Never question God. He's always right and knows what he's doing! (He may not mind that I question him sometimes. It's just that I find out later it was really stupid of me to do so.)

"How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand..." Psalm 92:5-6 (NIV).

memory fragments

First teaching day started with gov't officials and school principal extending warm welcome to our team.

Team sang theme song. Each day was divided into the morning and afternoon sessions. Another song "You Raise Me Up" received much "air time" and the students loved it.

Students playing "charade" during assembly. We also used the occasion to show movies and sing English songs.

In the classroom.

Small group: to facilitate students speaking in English.

Students were eager to get to know us during recess.

Students came to visit us. They get around either on foot or by bikes.

Saturday night in a park nearby.

We met up with old students in their university. Many were preparing for exams to go to graduate school.

Last day of assembly.

Each class had a farewell party. These students were singing a song they had learned from us. (Gal wearing red-dress is one of our team members.)

Our English-speaking college teammates were very popular there!

One student invited us to her home for lunch. Her mom skipped work to cook for us.

A few more pictures of the class and of the students seeing us off are here.

臭，義，美

師母用三個中文字，精要的說明三個福音重點：

罪： 人的罪是 「自大」一「點」點 = 臭

稱義： 人得稱為義是靠信耶穌，羔「羊」的寶血蓋著「我」＝ 義

成聖： 人活出的新生命要以主 （「羊」）為「大」 ＝ 美

hanshan students

Of the 3 groups of students I had in Anhui, the recent class in Hanshan in general is more fond of showing their appreciation through gifts.

The students were really sweet. One of them bought me a 珍珠 milk-tea on the second morning. Amy, a super shy girl, gave me lollipop/chewing gum at the end of each school day. Yet she's so shy that she had to ask her classmate to deliver the gift initially. After a few days of observing and waiting, she was able to muster the courage to hand me the lollipop/gum herself. If I remember correctly, I've not heard her speak.

I also received a hair pin and a hair band. One student who could attend only the first week of class gave me a cup pad before leaving.

Like in the previous years, we teachers would take groups of 3-4 students out to meals in order to get to know them better. Students this year would volunteer to pay for the cab, and bought me stuffs afterwards. I'm sure none of us teachers do anything for the favors. Yet, it's wonderful to see these kids not take our kindness for granted.

p.s. Picture above is a calligraphy writing by a student who came with his friend to visit me. It took him 2 hours to write it.

我的音樂taste變了

三次的安徽行之後，我對中國傳統音樂好像感覺也改變了！ 現在竟然多了一份興趣、好奇、嚮往。

i love 'em

We love because He first loved us...

An email from one quiet student:

Teacher Grace, your leave us this afternoon. When I see your go to the big bus, I can't help crying. Sorry,I said I could not to cry, but I still cry. Do you know that's why? Just beacause I love your! No, not I, those are all classmates. We love your! Your see, most of classmates are cried, all our tears are gifts what we give your. We hope your can remember us forever. Your are our teacher forever.

Americ is too far , but your went to China to teach us English. Your are kind, friendly and always happy, your often say ''God is in my heart'' I admire your very much! In the English camp, your teach us a lot. Thank your! Your will go back to the USA, go back to Los Angles, we will miss your all the time. When I miss your ,I will see our class photoes. We like a family,a ture family! We love your! We will miss your all the time......forever.

Students seeing us off.

packing, printing

Packing and printing .... printing out all the lesson plans to read on the plane.

Some last minute change: my co-teacher has been officially pulled out to do something else.

Know that I need to be flexible but haven't quite managed to be that flexible yet ... tough ......