Fun with students

I've had a lot of fun with students this year. Here are some pics that I haven't put up - some from just last week, others from over a month ago.
These pictures are at a Chinese Date (the fruit) Garden. I went with two other teachers and 3 students. The girl in the picture above is my friend Betty...we've been friends for over a year now. Brian, her and I have gone on quite a few trips together and she invited us over to her parent's new house for lunch a couple of weeks ago. She's a really sweet and kind girl, and is slowly waking up to the reality of I AM.

This is Nathan. I've also been friends with him for over a year now.

Notice I didn't say all the students were Chinese! 5 of the 6 kids in here belong to one family that has been in Xinzheng for over a year but just this year the parents started teaching here. Amanda, Katie, Gabe and I took the kids out for pizza one night so the parents could have a night out by themselves. It was really fun, the kids...and all of us teachers really enjoyed it.

These are some of my new students - Abby, Nait, Kelly, Esther, Claire and Frank. They are a really fun group. They LOVE teaching me Chinese which works out great because I really want to learn it!

3 Weeks In

After three weeks of teaching freshmen, I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying it. It's amazing really how much different it is this year. I feel like I actually know what I am doing now! The L has been faithful in helping me too. When we are faithless, He remains faithful. For He cannot deny himself! (II Timothy 2). My students are pretty low level, but they are fun. I had to give almost all of them English names - so I brought in a list of names and let them choose one. The other day I was randomly picking out their name cards, grouping them into pairs. The two names I chose? Marlow and Jane - which when you put the two together just happen to form one of my niece's name :-) Here are a few pictures of the kiddos...

South Korea

Last week I got to be part of a 39 member delegation from SIAS that went to South Korea to Han Sei University. The two universities signed a partnership with each other that will provide for students at each university to study abroad at the other university. The group consisted of 12 foreigners, (including me) 13 Chinese students and 14 Chinese teachers and administrators. It was a very good trip. There were frustrations for sure, but it was good to see South Korea, visit Han Sei University and my favorite part - getting to know some of the Chinese students and faculty better. I even got my first Chinese little sister :-) I met one of Gabe's students and over the course of the trip she started calling both Gabe and I her Gege (in Chinese, this means older brother)...it was really special to me. I wish the unity that made us brother and sister was an Eternal bond, but she is not like-minded yet. Even so, it's special.
South Korea is much more modern and sophisticated than China at this point. It's clean, free and unfortunately very expensive! It was fun for us foreigners to eat some American food and to dream about how China could one day make a turn for the better. I love China - but at this point it's only because of the people. There are many things about the culture, in general, that can drive you crazy.