More thankfulness post-its from China

216.  journals
217. the start of a new week
218.  surprise cookies (not a rock!) and encouragement from Mel!
219. the enthusiasm and friendliness of the freshmen
220.  weekly lunch dates with Bridge
221.  functional plumbing
222.  friendship
223.  the Aupperlees ^_^
224.  the meat market and the incredible jiaozi
225.  lesson planning with Mel
226.  the music of Heath McNease
227.  silk
228.  Romans 5:8 ~ But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
229.  waking up to a beautiful day
230.  everyone being back from CBS!
231.  Psalm 25:10 ~ All the paths of Yahweh are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
232.  experimental dinners with Mel that turn out delicious
233.  Revelation 4:8 ~ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.
234.  lunch with Yetta and a taste of home-cooked food from Dalian
235.  Mel baking an amazing apple pie for Canadian Thanksgiving
236.  the beauty of JingYueTan
237.  the breath-taking beauty of creation
238.  Job 38:17 ~ Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
239. advice and honesty
240.  years of keeping the quote book
241.  delicious soup
242.  2 Chronicles 16:9 ~ For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him...
243.  tomato soup
244.  cocoa and peanut butter
245.  brunch with Changchun + Taiyuan + Harbin
246.  Psalm 117:2 ~ For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
247.  pictures and videos
248.  Chandler making it back in time to go to CBS
249.  Andrew Kemp
250.  Merlin
251.  the Taiyuan girls getting here safely!
252.  safety in traveling
253.  IKEA
254.  music from Baidu
255.  Becky and Jon getting married
256.  Van Canto
257.  mooncakes!
258.  plans for May holiday

Seeking Wisdom

It had been almost six months since I had heard from a particular student, when she had messaged me to ask what "walleye fry" meant.  (Why she needed to know this, I do not know.)

And then she started a new conversation.  Defying all conventions of normal ways to begin a new conversation, she threw a full paragraph at me that was crammed with words like regret and sins and forgive and acquittal.  (Yes, her English is good.)

Being ever-eloquent, I sent her back an emoji making a questioning face, because that was the face I would have been making at her if she had started a conversation like that in real life.

So she clarified.  I wonder how to act.  the past is heavy and I cant help feeling weak.

And I thought, Oh, child, you are so ready for the gospel.

Chinese culture, no less than American culture, promotes a pulling-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps "gospel."  And it's a lie that plays into human hubris so beautifully that it's very powerful.  When I find my students realizing that ultimately, they aren't enough, it gives me hope.

We shot messages back and forth for a while longer, words somehow passing around the earth in a second or two.  My mind and heart were full of Paul's agonized words in Romans 7, of how he struggled with himself.  You know I am a Christian, right? I asked her, because how can such a conversation continue otherwise?  To talk about forgiving means talking about being forgiven.

It got late.  I needed to get to bed so I could go to work this morning.

Near the end of our conversation, she said, Wisdom wont come if I keep standing like this instead of trying hard to find it.

And then all I could think of were the many verses in Proverbs, of how wisdom calls.  Of how wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.  I sent her one last question:  how can you find wisdom?

She tells me she will read the Bible first.

And my heart is full.

Full of wonder that, almost a year after I finished being their teacher by job description, I still get to be a part of their lives.

Full of hope that she will not stop seeking wisdom until she finds where it begins.  That maybe her feet are already on a path, even if she cannot yet see it.

Please pray, ask, beg with me that she will keep knocking until the door is opened.

That she'll know the One who really is Wisdom.

Things I was Thankful for in China

(about half of my post-its, in no particular order)

1. 1 John 2:25 ~ And this is the promise that He made to us -- eternal life.
2. desiring God
3. how You take what men meant for evil -- and turn it to good
4. teammates and life together
5. hanging out with Hilary
6. Jeremiah 29:12 ~ Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear You
7. the holiness of God
8. getting to talk one-on-one in the office with Julie
9. Danielle asking good q's during O3 (and doing it outside!)
10. Timge
11. being an American on this 11th anniversary of 9/11
12. the awesome dinner & movie night with Kelsey & Tempestt
13. sharing truth and laughter with my team
14. the solemn ceremony of convocation at Huawai
15. toothpaste
16. 2 Cor 1:4 ~ ...who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction
17. rock scrambling
18. everything in Thailand being new
19. Your promises that are fulfilled beyond our wildest expectations
20. Sundays full of rest
21. students who are late to their final because they got locked in their dorm... *facepalm* #loveChina
22. getting to spend time with Carly's family
23. getting over being sick
24. playing crazy games of I Love You Like...
25. settling back in
26. sci-fi/fantasy by L E Modesitt
27. bright flowers growing in Kunming
28. deep and long conversations with Bridge
29. Psalm 60:1 ~ O God, You have rejected us, broken our defenses; You have been angry; oh, restore us.
30. Chan cakes
31. the music of All Sons & Daughters
32. awesome travel buddies
33. the mobilization team and their heart for us and You
34. that there is a four-hour train to QHD
35. seeing Candace
36. how convenient airplanes are
37. Psalm 22:3 ~ Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
38. Depreena (when she's tired. And the rest of the time.)
39. seeing a change in Luther
40. 1 Peter 5:7 ~ ...casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
41. rainstorms right as my work week ends <3
42. missing my sibs
43. dinner with Grammar
44. the water working for days!
45. sharing life stories
46. calzones!
47. Proverbs 18:24 ~ A man of many companions comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
48. the testimony of Ian and Larissa's marriage
49. seeing so many people at the all-city meeting
50. 1 John 5:14-15 ~ Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.
51. having a quilt to rub my face against
52. speakers that look like minions
53. Jars of Clay
54. Gungor
55. seaweed fights
56. the peace of a clean apartment
57. Psalm 72:12 ~ For He delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.  (Teach me compassion.)
58. having the opportunity to serve my office
59. Psalm 118:21 ~ I thank You that You have answered me and have become my salvation.
60. earrings
61. Three + hours of live mafia
62. Laughing at Lost in Thailand
63. seeing stars so brilliant!
64. Chai
65. having so much more than I need to survive and a job that I enjoy doing
66. friends who are willing to look out for my sibs
67. warmer weather
68. All of everything being turned in!
69. being part of a community that loves You and chases You hard
70. time alone with You
71. One on Ones
72. mail: from my family, from Grandmum and Ross, and from Bryana!
73. getting randomness organized
74. that You listen to us and respond
75. That You loved us when we were still enemies
76. the cablecar ride down from Dragon Gate
77. the justice of God
78. meeting other foreign teachers
79. marvelous gifts from Danielle's spare 'oom
80. not living somewhere that malaria is a huge concern
81. Psalm 52:9 ~ I will thank You forever, because You have done it.  I will wait for Your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.
82. Ib looking like a punk in the new picture
83. night swim!
84. That Your Spirit can change our hearts and the hearts of others.
85. getting feedback from Danielle in our O3
86. getting to perform for our school
87. Tim and Jill seeing each other still
88. House of Faith
89. Epiphany and that You are King and Savior of all nations.
90. a package from home
91. healing
92. that Your coming makes peace on earth possible
93. brothers and sisters in the Muslim Quarter
94. Job 42:5 ~ I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.
95. phone calls with Jill and how much her English has improved
96. backpacks
97. picasa
98. my whole team is back!!
99. kebabs, rotee, fruit smoothies
100. CS Lewis
101. not having to sit outside in chilly rain at the sports meet
102. Job 15:11 ~ Are the comforts of God too small for you, or the word that deals gently with you?
103. Proverbs 20:24 ~ A man's steps are from the Lord, how then can man understand his way?
104. street food
105. brownies in a mug
106. having a full reserve water bucket when I need it
107. weddings
108. books
109. seeing my students and other much beloved students again
110. Christopher (and the cutest kitten ever)
111. space in Pudong to sleep
112. things that didn't change a bit: loud greetings and being offered someone else's candy
113. honesty in relationships
114. Changchun A&B and Taiyuan skyping Nanchang!
115. awesome Australia birthday party!
116. dancing signs
117. Kitty's incredible testimony -- and all of the ways You work.
118. cool hostel-mates (like Lisa!)
119. Evergreen
120. feeling like a teacher, not an imposter
121. having fun doing game day with two classes
122. origami Christmas trees
123. randomly meeting other ELIC'ers
124. seeing the rest of TFP
125. ceramic knives
126. dining hall 4
127. new bread recipes from market2meal
128. Luke 1:74-75 ~ ...that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
129. Isaiah 53:5 ~ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities...
130. students who say wildly inappropriate things in class
131. 20000 names... and all the meanings
132. finishing buying Christmas gifts!
133. super good food at the sports club
134. Roger's rockin' art skills
135. Sundays that are restful (as well as productive)
136. incredible job possibilities for next year
137. Xi'an feeling familiar
138. students returning soon!
139. incredible potato-bacon chowder
140. playing Ninja in Kunming
141. students being genuine in their finals
142. advent and the sure promise of hope in a dark world.
143. hot showers
144. getting things (aka Danielle's kitchen) clean!
145. advice and Danielle listening
146. Jordan
147. plans for Harbin to come!
148. mascara
149. apples to apples
150. Job 11:6 ~ ...know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.
151. that Danielle observed before the dean...
152. chunks of cheese
153. Luke 7:47 ~ Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that's why she loved much.  But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.
154. prayer
155. good smells
156. Colossians 1:12 ...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
157. getting to teach my trans class about Marshall McLuhan
158. lunch with Cassie and Cindy
159. Mom and CG going to the OPC ladies' retreat
160. hearing from Eleanor and Erin
161. how You refresh us through worship
162. Isaiah 51:3 ~ For Yahweh comforts Zion... joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.
163. good stories
164. walking across campus with a student
165. the photography of Rob Jinks
166. changing seasons
167. comfy warm clothes on a chilly, rainy day
168. highschool friends and how they shaped me
169. laughing over peas in a pod like no tomorrow
170. team commitment
171. Psalm 69:30 ~ I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
172. the variety at the fabric market
173. plans for the National Holiday
174. a sweet birthday gift from Phoenix
175. beautiful leather journals
176. that You love me even when my attitude sucks
177. jeans from the resource library that fit!
178. youtube (and Flight of the Concords... 3 Little Pigs... Pentatonix...)
179. Harry Potter
180. Zeph 3:17 ~ Yahweh your God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness...
181. skyping with Abbie and Rivy
182. quotes from books
183. a GIFT from my teammates who went to CBS
184. a letter from home!
185. students from Guizhou
186. 2 Cor 4:17 ~ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison
187. fresh baked (and frozen) bread ^_^
188. Loaded Questions
189. the Harbin girls getting here!
190. the most dirge-like rendition of "I've Got the Joy" EVER... and ensuing laughter.
191. anticipation of the National Holiday
192. fun translation classes
193. the HCSB translation
194. a couch cover + quilt
195. stories of how English names came to be
196. Tim Keller's sermon
197. brunch
198. 1 Thes 5:16-18 ~ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
199. mashed potatoes
200. cookouts with everyone
201. Colossians 3:15 ~ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.  And be thankful.
202. mashed (baked potato + salt + milk + garlic + oil)
203. getting to watch and play with kids!
204. skype with Tim and him getting a job with ELIC
205. fireworks
206. Hebrews 12:28 ~ Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.
207. talking with coworkers
208. plans for Danielle to observe a class (and working toward TEFL certification!)
209. FAOs who look out for us
210. 1 Thes 5:17 ~ Give thanks in ALL circumstances
211. encouragement from Bridge
212. watching HP3 while writing lesson plans
213. laughter
214. John Piper and his passion
215. POD sisterhood