That's how study rolls...

Two of my girls were missing this week because last week they were suddenly summoned home to take an exam.

Another one of the girls has something with her classmates.

And one is studying for a test.

So it was four of us tonight.

The first one to arrive and I chatted for a while while I worked on straightening up my apartment, which is in a pretty constant state of being a wreck these days.  She drank some hot water.  After all, it's only 70+ degrees here...

Number two came, and we also chatted about various stuff.  Then:  "Did you finish reading my paper??" she said.  

I had forgotten.  So I pulled out my computer to finish editing her thesis.  While I did that, she called number three, who of course knocked before she got the message.

We read Jas 4.

Discussed things that take first priority in our life and shouldn't.

Number three had a lot to say, which was awesome.  Huge change from the beginning of this semester... she may have had a lot to say, but she wasn't as keen on sharing it.

We watched a video about Hosea.

And then we looked at one of the girls' pictures from her recent trip to Dalian, which included a sea lion dancing to Gungnam Style.

I really enjoy my life.

About values:

Recently some of my students had the homework of having a conversation about values with someone, and then writing a short summary.

Favorite pieces from their summaries... with some edits...:

"We talked about love and marriage. In my opinion, college students can find a girlfriend or a boyfriend. But we can't spend too much time and energy on it, because the most important thing in college is study. Dave agreed with me. What amazed me was that Dave said he should find a girlfriend who is good in his mother's eyes. I told to him we aren't children now and we should do choice by ourselves."

"As a college students, should study hard, filial piety parents. Make a contribution to society. Love the motherland."

"Beliefs are important that it can change one's fate. Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. I think it's right that we should have belief in our life. Obviously, the latter mouse is the one who has his own beliefs. There are always hope in his eyes that encourage him to fight and fight and fight. He never gives up when he is in some difficulty situations. Because the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty, while the pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity."

...the entire essay of the student who discussed with her Italian "friend" about the meaning of marriage. Apparently they hotly disagreed. I'm curious to see how that works out for the two of them...

"if I can do good on my job, my life's value is realization I think."

"My parents gave me live, friends give I care about. If one day, someone asked me to sell them, I can't do absolutely. Maybe in the future, I don't have any achievement, not a lot of money, but I have them is enough."

"As to me, I thanks for my parents gave me a birth and I treasure my life as a priceless jewelry."

"we have many dreams that we work hard for it just wanna see our dreams come true. It's a gift that the god give us, so we should keep beautiful eyes to see anything we can see, to feel them, to appreciate them."

"We shouldn't be mammonish."

[in response to why did you enter this college?] "I want to play computer games." (sometimes... I really hope that they DID cheat and not have this conversation.)

"So, I think different people have different values. And I want to know your values."

"I said I agreed Rusue's [Rousseau?] word – why we live – the mercy for difficulty, the wants for knowledge, the wants for loves."

It's been a long time since I was in America...

Yesterday Mel and I were on bus 160 coming back to the school and saw a huge, huge open paved space, in the middle of the city.  (And by "huge" I mean, you know, like a Wal*Mart parking log.) Both of us thought, Why is there so much empty space?  Why isn't there a mall or apartment complex there?

Then Mel realized that it's a training center for new drivers.

Also, the other night I had a dream which I remember basically nothing about except that I was in America (or maybe Thailand? haha) and had been there for a while... right before I woke up, I thought to myself, Oh my goodness, I can get on facebook.  Without going through a vpn.  I should do that!

And then I woke up.

:)

Answers

Remember how once upon a time I asked the Father for a hard semester?

[...before I go further, I want to give the disclaimer that it has been an incredible semester, and we're right in the middle of a lot of amazingness.  There are so many good and exciting and deep conversations happening that it's overwhelming.]

Anyway... right now I'm also in the middle of a lot of answers.  And answers never seem to feel like exactly what I was envisioning.  They're always more uncomfortable and complicated.  I don't know what I thought "a hard semester" would look like... a dragon showing up on campus that I could fight?  getting mono and heroically continuing to teach?  blizzards that last until June?

Okay, well, none of those happened.  (Not even the blizzards, though I was afraid it would...)

Instead, sometimes it looks more like the messiness of human relationships and trying to be wise with what conversations happen when, trying to listen to and pour into students, trying not to cry every time they ask me, "So next term, you will be our teacher?", generally being tired, and getting a text from my sister that my dad is in the ER.  And trying to love people in America well while I'm in China.  And trying not to be distracted from being engaged here.  And...

And I don't know if I should laugh or cry.  It is what I asked for.  I know that He works through all of the insanity to make me more like Him.

I know it's a good thing in the end.

But in the meantime... if you wouldn't mind lifting that I'd have patience and endurance and wisdom and joy in the midst of all the ma fan/trials...

I would DEFINITELY appreciate it!

Guest post...

This past week, my students had the assignment of talking with someone about their values.  I'm not sure that this particular student talked with someone, but his reflection was interesting.  I've edited formatting/spelling slightly but left the grammar alone; I think it's comprehensible.  :) 

Do you think honest is right forever?

Last Sunday I had a talk with a of my old friends, he asked if I enjoy the novel that he had sent it to me before.  A book?  Really?  So I remember it, in fact I haven't read it.  It was a long time that I got it, as a answer to his kindness I have forgotten to read it.  I realized that I have done a wrong thing so I saided, "Yes I like it.  Very wonderful!

From that I began to think that is it to be honest always right.  Sometimes, we have to tell a lie for someone for their happiness, for example I have to tell my mama that I live well I am happily everyday all I do this just for her love to me.

Because love we have to make a white lie.

Strong contender for my favorite Monday moment:

Emily and I had just finished teaching our final classes and were walking out of the building together, past the classroom of my HR students.  There is a transparent window part on the classroom doors, and looking in I saw Ansel. 

Then I did a double take.

"Excuse me," I said to Emily, and turned around and went into their classroom.  Ansel had moved away from the door.

"Hi!" they said.  They're very friendly.  And I had already walked into their room by mistake earlier (I was supposed to be going to the one next door).

"Hi!"  I said.  "Um, Ansel, were you checking your hair in the glass?"

He turned red.

I. Love. My. Students.

Hard to say what the craziest, most China-rific part of lunch was...

1.  Me trying to pay for my own lunch and my student Mike grabbing my arm and wrenching me away from the card swiper, going, "No no no no no no!  NO!"  I decided that he was way more dedicated to paying for my lunch than I was.  So I let him.

2.  Talking about girlfriends (it was me and four of my male students.)

me:  "What's important to you in a girlfriend?"

Tommy:  "Well, first of all, she should be not very ugly --"

me:  "...not... very... ugly?"

Tommy:  "You know, there are more men in China than women, so..."

3.  I asked David what his pin was.  So he gave it to me.  He told me he has lots of extras.  So now I have a Communist Youth League pin.

All this in 40 minutes.

--
overcome evil with good

I know it's been a crazy week...

When the fact that my window broke off its hinges is more of a footnote in my mind than an important event.

Classroom disruption!

His departure last semester was abrupt, unexpected.

"Our monitor, you know? Talent? He has stopped school to get a job," several of my students mentioned to me over dinner one night. And that was about the extent of their commentary, even though it's a pretty shocking thing in China and threw the entire class into some confusion.

So this semester there is a blank line in my roster.

And the monitor of the class is another student named Sky, one of my loudest students, although his English is no better than Talent's was.

And the class has gone on, pretty much as normal. They're the marketing class; my loudest, craziest, most energetic class. I love them. Each week they seem a little bit crazier than they were the previous week, and yesterday was no exception.

They were all extremely worked up because of the Eighth Annual International Culture and Arts Festival (how's that for a mouthful?) that was happening in the afternoon. All class long, the door been opening and closing with students going in and out – some had to leave early to prepare their things for the festival, one got sent home because he was sick. We were about ten or fifteen minutes from the end of a rather intense lesson about values, and the door opened to let another student in. I really didn't think anything of it.

Until the clapping began.

Until the loud talking turned into excited screaming.

And there was Talent... walking in as if he was still in the class and had just stepped out for a minute.

Had he told me that he was coming? No.

Had he told any of his classmates that he was coming? No.

Was it more disruptive to class than Gang Woo kicking Ansel was last semester? Probably yes.

Did I nearly cry? Yes.

Was it one of my favorite things that has happened this week?

You bet.

I love my students and am so blessed and so HAPPY to have such crazy classes!

Never have I ever gotten a quiz back talking about Marx.

At least, until today.  

The question was about why creativity was important.

The answer?  

Because.  It can change the world.  More is a word take about Marx.  When everyone want to explain the world, he was change the world.

Of course, before Wisdom, no student had ever told me that they were studying philosophy so that we could have a better conversation.

"Is this my life right now?"

Sometimes it's the small things.

Mel and I had just gotten back to our apartments after walking around campus, talking with the Father and each other about a lot of things that are on our hearts.... you know, like students.

My keys were not in my pocket, nor were they attached to my wallet, nor were they in my bag.  

I was not thrilled.

The idea of my keys being "somewhere on campus" was not exactly my favorite idea ever.

"Try my key," Mel said, holding it out to me.  We've tried it before.  It would be convenient if our keys worked in each other's locks.  They don't.  

Mostly because I didn't feel like arguing and because I was being preoccupied with trying not to be annoyed, I stuck her key in my lock.

And the door opened as smoothly as it ever does with my own key.

I don't think that my face has looked so shocked since acupunture worked on Josh's ankle when we were in Xiamen.  Mel looked stunned too.  "I'm just gonna set my stuff down upstairs... and I'll be back..." she said.  I walked into my apartment and realized that Danielle had borrowed my key earlier and I hadn't reclaimed it.  

I called Danielle, who had actually left it in my apartment... which was perfect.  

Then when Mel came back down, we tried her key again...

And of course, it didn't work.

Which is where I decided that it was appropriate to quote Depreena:  "Is this my life right now?"  Southern drawl and all.  

:)

Look at the sky!

Reasons I love my life right now!!

1.  The weather was gorgeous today.

2.  Isaiah 25-27.

3.  Getting to celebrate Alicia's birthday with her and Jonathan.  If you haven't eaten Indian food or been bowling before, 23 is the perfect age to experience those things.

4.  We can get delicious Indian food in Changchun.

5.  The air was so clean.

6.  Being able to talk with people online... and that Savannah is talking with me right now.

7.  My lesson plans for next week are done.

8.  Hanging out with Mel in my apartment, laughing, and corrupting her by pointing out that Baa Baa Black Sheep fits to the tune of Somebody That I Used to Know.

9.  Watermelon.

10.  Hillsong and Pentatonix.

11.  I'm not afraid that I will freeze to death while waiting for the bus or a taxi.

12.  Because I know that this is exactly where I want to be right now.

Life is Beautiful

What all of us girls found today... :)

It's hard to love well.

It's hard to watch people who I love when they're hurting.

It's hard to be there.

It's hard when I don't know what to do to fix it, cannot in fact fix it.

Last night we listened to a message on Job, talking about how to suffer in community... learning both from some of the positives of how his friends handled it (I mean, really, when was the last time you sat in silence with someone for a week?) and some of the negatives.

Last night after that I was texting a friend of mine about how to deal with (and not to deal with) being overwhelmed with pain.

This afternoon a brother and I were talking about how our natural inclination is to want to be comfortable, but we don't grow when we're comfortable; we grow when we face things that we don't want to.

This evening, when I was walking back from my office, I walked past one of my students sitting on a curb.  She had skipped class today and I sat down on the curb beside her.  We talked for a few minutes, she hugged me, said she'd call if she needed me, and then I left.

I don't know.  There isn't enough time to be all the places that I want to be, to have all the conversations that I want to have, or to just sit and be there enough.

Words from the Word on my heart right now:

For His love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died.  And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again...

All this is from the Father, who reconciled us to Himself through the Son and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that the Father was reconciling the world to Himself in the Son, not counting people's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore His ambassadors, as though He were making His appeal through us. We implore you on His behalf: Be reconciled to Him.  The Father made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Words from a song on my heart right now:

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior 

[Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) ~ Hillsong]

More pics... Because I hit send accidentally...

Camping pictures

Adventure!

This May Holiday I went camping with quite a bunch of friends and students.

It would take me a very long time write out the full version of what happened, so here are some highlights.  

Climbing THROUGH a barbed wire fence.  Nine of us, and all of our abundant gear.  On the other side of this fence was a steep muddy hill.  Getting up it was a huge team effort.

The break wherein Bridge began blasting Aaron Shust music and Caston opened his backpack... I assumed to get out water, but what he actually pulled out was a set of numchucns.  

us:  "Caston????  WHAT????  What are those for?"

Caston:  *nonchalantly flipping them around*  "You know, when you go into the woods around my hometown, you should take something to protect yourself.  So I brought these!!"

all of us:  "...and we brought you."

At the top of the hill we got to climb a firetower and had an incredible view of Changchun.  We could see the whole way back to our school.  

Awesome food... because the guys brought a grill and meat to cook!  AND we had s'mores... the first time for any of our Chinese pengyous.  

 Playing "hot seat" for probably about four hours.  This is a game where you take turns answering whatever questions the other people feel like asking.  Great game to get to know people, and easy to adjust the level of intensity.

Incredible beauty of His creation.  "We could be in Colorado," Jonathan said.  "We could be in Eastern Tennessee," Emily said.  "We could be in Alabama," Sydney said.  "We could be in Western Pennsylvania," I said.  It's awesome how nautre can feel so similar anywhere, and refreshing...

It was cold during the night.  Really cold.  So most people didn't get much sleep... we got back to campus around 8:30 this morning and most of us promptly went home and slept for about four hours.   Around 4:30 or 5, when most people had come out of their tents to huddle around the campfire again, we took turns reading Psalms.

It was great.

Top quotes:

"It's getting dark already??  What time is it?" ~ an hour and a half after we went to see the sun set... and had been sitting around the campfire for quite a long time...

"Get. In. The. Tent."

"WHOEVER YOU ARE, JUST GET IN  THE TENT!!"

"Why?  Why?  WHY??????" ~ Caston at 3 in the morning, being freezing in his tent

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about missing the sunrise!" ~ Alicia, being incredibly optimistic about being awake super early.

"Oh my word, is this my life right now?"

It is my life... and it's pretty awesome.  There were a lot of moments of the trip that weren't the most fun moments in and of themselves, but the experience was one that I'm glad to have been a part of with such great friends.