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.