Mid-Autumn Festival

Grace and peace to you in abundance through J-s-s Chr*s+ our S@vi0r.

I will write in a rush this week because I have to leave for the train soon. This next week is Mid-Autumn Festival, combined with Chinese National Day. I was told the Mid-Autumn Festival is the 2nd biggest holiday in all of China, rivaled only by the Spring Festival (which I think may be Chinese New Year, but I'm not 100% sure at this point). It's a holiday about family. Most of my students are going back home, but we had to have class on Saturday to make up for the classes we will be missing next week. (I conveniently postponed some of my Saturday classes so I could make the train.) The festival, as it's been explained to me, is about family togetherness and unity. There are also some legends about the moon falling in love with a young man on earth, but their romance was forbidden by the moon's mother (and that's all the farther I got into the story before I had to start class again--sorry). Long story short, families here eat cake in the shape of a moon to celebrate their unity.

I mentioned the train. I will be traveling to Yinchuan this week for the vacation. I will go through the Gobi Desert on camel and get together with some of the other FoC teachers. I'm sorry, but due to time constraints, I will not be attaching any pictures to this post. Look for pictures next week; I should have lots of pictures of my travels to Yinchuan, which is in the northwestern part of China.

Pr@yers for all of you. May the All Mighty keep you all safe. I love and miss you all. Pr@y also for me, that my vacation may be restful and help me as I continue my service here when I return.

Peace to all.

Spectacular

Grace and peace are yours from G-d our Father and from our L0rd and S@vi0r J-s-s Chr+st.

Another week has gone by, and this one, too, has been quite eventful. We began our studies this week. Our first one was a song study; we went through "I am J-s-s' Little Lamb" and explored various passages that relate to the song. The following day, I had the privilege of leading our study on the book of Romans. Both times, I was astonished by the questions and comments that came up during our sessions. I got to introduce the ap*stle Paul to some people, going through the story of his conversion. One student astutely asked what G-d did to the evil things he had done beforehand, and I was bl-ssed to give the answer: He forgave him. Other such questions were asked, and although most of our students are not Chr+stians, they are still learning many new things.

Classes continued as normal this week. I dare say I'm even starting to like teaching. I was surprised when students came to sit in on my class. Apparently, I'm the only foreign teacher on the faculty at Luo Jia Technical College (one of my two universities), and that's something of a big deal. One of those who sat in, a young man named Jeremy, told me that I'm "the special one." The ones that came to visit also were the most eager, I believe, to make the most of their opportunities. They were quick to offer their opinions and have a native English speaker tell them how their English is coming along.

My diet here seems to be fairly healthy. I eat a lot of noodles or rice. Usually we get them fried, and most of the time they come with meat (beef or pork, generally) and a healthy portion of vegetables. I am amazed how the Chinese can make me appreciate veggies. I did learn this week, however that our food contains MSG, which is illegal in the U.S. I have no idea why that might be; if anyone knows why that's supposed to kill me, feel free to leave me a comment. Otherwise, when I'm not in the mood for those things, I generally go get some sort of bread from Lucky's Cake Shop, a bakery that is conveniently located right across the street from my 7th-floor apartment. They make all sorts of things that satisfy my craving for bread. I also generally have bread and yogurt for breakfast here; I have yet to find cereal, and the milk here just isn't worth drinking. I did find one kind of milk that I enjoy, however. Minute Maid produces flavored milks here. They mix fruits with milk. I've had strawberry, some sort of citrus, and peach; those of you who know can already figure out that the peach is my favorite.

One of our favorite places to eat is a particular noodle shop that the FOC team refers to as Muslim noodles. It has that name because the owners are Muslim; our particular branch is run by a man whose name I cannot pronounce, but David and I told him that we were giving him the English name Eddy. We feel the noodles there are healthier because they have a large portion of vegetables and a little meat. For about two U.S. dollars, I get two full meals from him (because I can't eat all the noodles they give me in one sitting, usually). But by far the most sensational part is watching him make the noodles. He makes them from a ball of dough and separates them with his hands. I am fascinated by his precision, and the meals are delicious.

I got an authentic Chinese massage today, and although nothing inappropriate happened, I will say that the masseuse was not hesitant to massage just about anything. She didn't get my feet, but she got just about everything else from my head down, including my hands, ears, calves--you name it. I think I can still feel my shoulders cracking as I type this.

But my greatest pleasure in China this week was undoubtedly the opportunity to lead the Sunday service. I pre@ched on Mark 8 today, telling my fellow FOC teachers that as Chr+stians, we must bear our crosses. I have prepared a list of the top 11 things (because a top 10 list is just too boring) I thought would be different about my first serm0n.

1. I always pictured that it would happen in the United States.
2. I always thought that I would be studying at the s*minary when it happened.
3. I always pictured that it would happen in an actual ch-rch building; here we just rent an apartment.
4. I thought I would be wearing dress shoes; here, we take our shoes off at the door and exchange them for flip-flops.
5. I always thought that I would have months to work on my script; here, I started writing it on Monday and finished on Wednesday.
6. I always thought I would have plenty of time to practice speaking it; here, I got the okay from our shepherd at about 8:30 pm on Saturday night.
7. I always pictured that there would be a larger congregation; here, we had about 15 FOC teachers from the city.
8. I always thought that I would be incredibly nervous before I started giving it; here, I knew I was just delivering the message to a small group of my friends.
9. I always pictured that I would be wearing a tie and maybe a suit; here, no one wears ties on Sunday.
10. I always pictured that I would give the message from a raised platform or a pu1pit; here, there are two teachers that I look up to when we are standing (one of whom was sitting in the front row).
11. I never pictured that I would be wearing glasses during my first serm0n. That's right, I bought glasses here this week. It was a wonderful deal. For under 20 U.S. dollars, I got a free eye exam, some cool frames and a pair of lenses that improve my vision. And that's the reason for the title this week: I am now "spectacle-ular" or something like that.

Thanks for reading my lengthy post again. Pr@yers go out to you all, especially for my newly washed nephew and godchild, Gabriel Ewings. The peace of the L0rd be with you all.

The Other Side of the Desk

Grace and peace to all in the name of our L*rd J-s-s Chr+st.

I have now been in China for two weeks and am adjusting to life here. This week was full of many events and surprises. My roommate David and I shared some adventures. Others were enjoyed by a larger group of us with Friends of China. I visited some new places, but perhaps foremost on my mind after this week is school.

I am now a veteran teacher of two weeks. I have met many students and found for every student I remember, there are ten students whose name I cannot even guess. Many of them are excited to know me. I learned this week that for some of them, I am something of a last hope for a successful life. I teach at two colleges: Wuhan City Vocational College, where I have taught both weeks that I've been here, and Luo Jia Technical College (or something like that), where I started classes this week. In the former, I teach juniors who care very little about schooling any more, and it is likely that their attitude will prevent most of them from ever succeeding. At the latter, I teach more impressionable sophomores. Ben, I don't know whether you read this blog or not, but I think all of my sophomore girls are in love with you. I showed them a picture of you in  class. To them, you are tall, handsome, strong, athletic, funny, rich, American...in short, everything they are looking for in a man. Someone even told me that I should try to convince you to come to China. Anyhow, my sophomores admitted to me that they attend the school because they failed the college entrance exam. That means that pretty much all the respectable schools in China won't accept them because they are poor students. Both schools that I teach at are fourth or fifth-rate schools, not top of the line (like our American schools are). For them, it is a bit unusual to have a foreign teacher. I represent opportunity in their eyes; if I can help them learn English well, they hope they can then get a better career because of their expert language skills.

The problem with this is that I only get to teach them for two hours once a week, so they won't really learn much from me beyond what they put in. I can correct their mistakes, but the most basic part of my job is to bring up things for them to discuss and practice their English. I do teach vocabulary, but the emphasis of my class is largely to make college students more confident in their existent English skills. In general, I am impressed with the English they know; in many ways, I wish I knew as much Chinese as they know English.

Teaching also comes with its own opportunities. In most of my classes this week, I was able to admit that I am a Chr+stian. A couple of my students were very excited when I said this because they also share that f@ith. Perhaps that can be an opening too. More opportunities also presented themselves. During my first class at Luo Jia, one of my students, a young man named Janet (so called because apparently it is very close to his Chinese name; I am not in any way responsible for giving him a woman's name) admitted that his greatest fear is an upcoming surgery on his mother. I pulled him aside after class, told him I am a Chr+stian, and asked him if I could pr@y for him and his mother. Of course, he had no objection to this.

Similarly, that same day I became utterly convinced that G_d has a sense of humor. At lunch time I was a little worried because I knew where to get food, but I had no idea how to get it. I don't speak much Chinese, and I don't read it at all, so I cannot get around a menu unless it has pictures. But as I walked down the hall from my classroom, I ran into a man named Wu Liming, whose English name is Jerry. He is an English teacher at the college, and he is 54 years old (and I remarked with him that he is remarkably close to your age, but not your stature, dad). It's almost as if I could hear a voice saying, "Here's a s0ul that needs to know me; Andrew, you should get to know him." Jerry showed me around the cafeteria, and we ate lunch together. When I pr@yed before my meal, he asked me if I had to do that, and I was able to respond quite honestly that I want to. We walked around the campus for the rest of our lunch break (we get two hours for lunch in China), and we talked the whole time. He offered to help me learn Chinese and be a tour guide around Wuhan, as he is a Wuhan native.

We also did our fair share of tourism this week. David and I toured a Buddhist temple, where we saw people burning incense to/for their ancestors. Some monks assisted in the ceremony. It is sad to see that S@tan hides so securely behind this mask. In many ways, it reminds me of the pre-Reformation Catholic church. They charge money for their services to ensure a better life. I even learned that, if you pay enough money, the monks guarantee that in the next life, you will be reborn in the United States. While we were at the temple, we also climbed up a pagoda from 1280 A.D. It was, in my opinion, like climbing up a hobbit tower. The stairway made me bend over and squeeze through the holes, and even then I got chalk and dust all over my backpack. At the top many people wrote their names or initials or whatever else they may have said in Chinese. I also chose to inscribe the reference John 14:6, and I added the sign of the cross.

We also toured the Yellow Crane Tower, Wuhan's legendary tower, earlier today. Jerry, my friend from school, was my tour guide, and he told me many interesting things as we walked. The tower has its name because, when it was first built, in around 220 A.D., yellow cranes came to roost there. The tower subsequently burned down, and the cranes naturally flew away. But when it was rebuilt, the cranes returned, giving rise to the legend or at least the name. The tower has been rebuilt many times throughout its nearly 2000 year history; the current rendition was erected in 1985.

But, perhaps most importantly, we had a party this week. I say this is most important because it was a party for our prospective B+ble study (which I will henceforth refer to simply as "study") students. Other FoC teachers came to the party, as did our shepherd, Adam Gawel, and his family. But about as many Chinese came as did Americans. I met many new people and got to know some other friends better. I was able to talk about Greek with one of Wuhan's shepherd candidates. One of our friends even talked American politics with us (although he doesn't know the topic as well as he thought). We played games, and we are hoping to start up our studies next week.

I thank you all for reading this far; this is getting rather lengthy, but a lot happened to us this week. Thanks also for the pr@yers. My pr@yers go out to you, especially for my new nephew, Gabriel Lucas Ewings, who is also my godson. May He be with you throughout your life, and may you always remember that He is your strength.

Greet the brothers and sisters for me. May the bl-ssing of the L*rd J-s-s Chr+st be with you all!

Arrival

Grace and peace to you, my brothers and sisters far away!

I arrived in China a week ago yesterday, early in the morning. Then I was still waiting for another plane ride with Hannah Klusmeyer, Lisa Nickle, and my roommate David Blumer. We were just itching to arrive at our new homes, to settle down and get to the Work. I am still adjusting, but I suppose that, to a greater or lesser extent, I will be doing that for most of my stay here.

It is hard to think that I have been here for a full week in China, and yet it's only been one week. So many things have happened since I arrived here. I have been bl-ssed to meet many friends, some of whom are returning teachers here in Wuhan; others are our Chinese friends, a few who are already followers of the Way. I had the privilege of attending ch-rch with the Chinese, and although I understood very little of what was said, my heart was refreshed to see the brothers and sisters here in this country. I proudly raised my voice in honor of our mutual King.

I live in Wuhan, a city of 10 million s0uls. The vast majority of them know nothing of the Good Book. This struck me particularly hard when one of my students told me that as her English name she chose "Monkey" in part because our ancestors were monkeys. Or when I visited a Buddhist temple in town only to find that it is still actively used, even by young people. Those are just two instances, and in a week at that. This place, too, needs to hear the Good News of G-d's Kingdom.

The fact that I have students also implies that I have a job. I've been through a few radical changes in that regard. At first I was promised that I would be teaching university level students. Then I was told that I would only be teaching one day a week at the university, and I would be teaching every other week in a primary school. I have since then been hired full-time by two universities in the area to teach Oral English; I taught my first class on Wednesday. Although my salary is desirable (as I will be making a fair sum of money more than I may need--which will be useful, because I intend to travel outside of my city while I'm here), I still do not have a "full" schedule. I teach six hours of class on Wednesday, eight on Friday (at a different university, where I will also be teaching on Fridays), and four hours on Friday. Considering that I am teaching college, that may seem like a lot, but I will be teaching the same lesson pretty much all three days, so that will require less prep time.

I bought a bike here in Wuhan. It seems a little small, but I'm told that it is a popular brand from Beijing. It's called a "Flying Pigeon." Aside from the fact that I'm adjusting to navigating in big city traffic, it has been very useful to me. Biking here is an excellent mode of transportation because you can literally drive wherever you want as long as you don't cause an accident. Cars have to obey the rules, but bikers can be seen on the sidewalks, riding in either direction on the street, walking up hills...And it's impossible to mention biking without bringing up dinking. Dinking is when a second (or third, in some cases!) passenger rides on the back of the bike sitting above the wheel with legs "perpendicular" to the actual length of the bike. My little experience dinking (I was, of course, the one doing the dinking, not being dinked), tells me that after you learn to adjust to the added weight, it is easier. I am still not very good, but I hope to be something of a pro by the time I leave. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of that, but I hope to upload them at another time.

I should also mention something of my apartment. David and I share a nice, 3-bedroom apartment. We have air control in two of the bedrooms and the living room, which is quite spacious. David and I played rock-paper-scissors to determine who got the "master" bedroom (or the large bedroom), and I won, so I have a nice, big bed and a spacious room. The bathroom smells like sewage, so we keep the fan in there running constantly, but we're hoping to find some air freshener sometime soon. Our kitchen is not in the greatest repair, but we have all we need and more. G-d has richly provided for us in this country like He always does.

Pr@yers go out to all of you. Please continue to pr@y for me, that He may use me as His instrument here in China, and that all peoples everywhere may bend the knee and acknowledge Him as the L*RD. Until that Day, may He continue to be with us all.