Back at Hua Qiao! (September 19th)

Hey everyone! It’s been 2 weeks since I started teaching and 5 weeks since I’ve been in China and it is already very different from last year. The 9 ELIC people that were with me at Hua Qiao has almost doubled in size with a total of 16 people at Hua Qiao. 9 new and 5 old.

My team of 4 from last year has a completely different dynamic, changing from 4 girls to 4 girls and 1 boy (crazy how much 1 guy can change). With moving apartments (and getting a new roommate), allowing the new team to get established, and dealing with a little bit of conflict I’ve seen that fellowship this year is going to be one aspect the Father will grow me in. I’m learning the value of different personalities on a team. I’m learning how we all see and relate to the Father differently. My roommate sees Father as one who romances her, He sends her love notes in the moon and in the starts at night. I worship the Father more in His all-encompassing BIGness. He is mighty, and holy, and perfect and for me the romance side of God is harder to understand. It’s definitely humbling to live on a team and see that He is much bigger and more creative than I think and it’s exciting to see what else I can learn about His character from my team. But it’s also something that holds me accountable. I’m responsible to play my part in the body. I hope you can see this as well in your fellowship at home.

My purpose here is obvious to me in my fellowship with my team. But in other forms it’s not so obvious and I’ve been struggling a bit with it. I came back to Hua Qiao hoping to contineue building relationships with my students from last year. But I returned to find out that out of the 8 classes I had from last year, I am only teaching 1 again. I have been bale to spend time with a few of my old students but I want don’t want to interfere with them being well established with their new teacher (who is one of the new ELIC teachers.) So instead of cultivating the soft ground I already broke into last year I’m finding myself looking over the unplowed field of 5 new classes.

Maybe this is my pride at not expecting God to make the field ready to be plowed and be again ready to plow it. But it’s just my expectations not matching up with His plans and the temptation for me to feel without purpose. Pretty prideful, huh?

Some are called to plow, some to spread the seed and some to gather what is planted. With lower level English speakers that I haven’t met before I assume my job is the first but I surely don’t know what this year will entail. I’m finding He is just telling me to chill out and wait and focus on His character more than what I think He is doing. What a restful place that is!

Thanks so much for reading, please be lifting my new students up. It’s my promise to keep you more updated this year. I’d love to know how you are doing so feel free to reply.