Celebrating Christmas in China these past weeks has given abounding opportunities for us to share his name freely and yet I feel sometimes like I'm often "dancing around" the subject instead of getting rightto the heart of things, as many students and teachers do not fully understand the truth and reality of what it is we are talking about.
"I am keenly aware of my faults, but I am not discouraged by them. When I have confessed my faults to Him, I peacefully resume my usual practice of love and adoration of Him." (Practicing HisPresence, 47-48)
"...consider others better than yourself."
For all the time I spend thinking about my homesickness and my time management, my future and managing money, or my room in my apartment, I expend an enormous amount of mental energy considering myself, which leaves little room for me to engage "better" in the lives of the people around me. It would truly be a shame for me to come all the way here for however long I'm here just to glorify my own struggles and circumstances, which is directly at odds with what this says.
I found myself alone in my classroom yesterday, after a long afternoon of decorating with students and entertaining everyone as Shèng dàn Lo rén (Santa Clause) along with Jon and Amelia. They had just left the classroom to head to a store and I was left for a while by myself. I looked around at the new spirit that had engulfed the classroom with new pictures of each class on the walls and a Christmas tree poised in the corner. I began to walk around the room, just thanking for the day and the things before us, that students would come in and think new thoughts as they see the bulbs of the tree, that they'd be confronted with truth and love, that this moment in time could contribute to the eternity before them.
Behind me, I heard the door of the class room open and saw Emily, Laura, and Helen walking in; they are three of my students from one of my three Monday classes."Hello! Maybe we are too late?" they said. "It's never too late!" I answered them as they approached me in the back of the classroom. We went on to cut snowflakes and took some pictures wearing the Santa clause costume before they went up to admire the tree. Helen and Laura looked deeply into the tree bulbs, as though they were seeing something other than their distorted faces changing color.
Thank you for your continued support in the ministry at hand in Baoding.
Please continue lifting up:
* Our team here in Baoding (Jon, Tim, Amelia, Emily, and myself) and our respective walks. For unity, depth, and growth together.
* Perseverance as we enter the final weeks of teaching this semester.
* For the rest of our China team as they travel to Baoding in two weeks to celebrate Christmas (Brad and Jess Distad, Peter and Shannon Lucas-Robets, and Jess Shamblee from Langfang, China; Wil and Courtney Corder from Tianjin, China)
* For relationships with students to continue to deepen and findingnew vision for execution in ministry for 2009.
It's my honor to be in deep with you,
Ryan Bettwy
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