Thursday, March 12, 2009

Lions

March is here like a lion, and northeast China is blustery and cold. My ears are still frozen, and I've been inside for a while now. While it sometimes takes so much effort to walk against the blast, I often feel invigorated by it. In small doses.

I haven't blogged since the new semester began, and I'm struggling to know how to sum up the past few weeks. I'm teaching mostly new students. The subject is video English, and I have sophomore English majors. For three weeks, we've been studying the movie "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington". With all the current events, I thought that a bit of understanding of American government would be helpful to my students. "Mr. Smith" gives a simplified view of the blessings and also the dangers of capitalism, along with pertinent vocabulary. I have decided that one theme that I'd like to emphasize this semester is the idea that your priorities and values determine your choices in life. In this movie, we're seeing different people show what is the most important thing to them: truth, money, power, reputation... While it is a challenging movie for the students to watch and understand, they are nevertheless sucked into Jimmy Stewart's performance by the end of the movie. The students had to do posters and presentations of famous people or places that are mentioned or shown in the movie. One class, in particular, did a super job last week. Today, I came in to find them all staring at me expectantly. After a minute, I said to one girl, "what is it?" She looked at the back wall of the classroom. I hadn't looked up yet to see that they'd hung their American history posters all over the back wall. "Wow, that looks fantastic!" I said, and they were all pleased.

Last semester, I taught freshmen students. Yesterday, I was able to have a little "tea party" with seven of the girls. A couple of other foreign teachers stopped by, and the girls really enjoyed getting together and practicing their English. Several girls want to get together with me one on one to talk about other life things as well. I'm thankful to have had the experience of working in an activities department at a nursing home for so long. I also have the privilege of being a member of Morning Star, which is blessed with an abundance of hospitality experts from which to learn. My flexibility and hospitality skills have been honed for good use here. Often, I remember the examples of those who have blessed me as I try to reach out to others.

In my spirit, the fight goes on. He has answered several important requests already this semester, things that I'd been needing to see change in my heart. Still, the pull of the flesh, of inner slothfulness, of rebellion is ever strong. "Prone to wander, prone to leave the One I love" is often what I feel should be written on the white board outside the door of my room. Instead, mercy pours down upon me, and His grace is never failing. Life is so often a restless ocean of circumstances and people and emotions and decisions, but He is the Rock that gives stability and purpose and inexplicable joy. Some days, I can feel the breath of the roaring lion, seeking to devour me, hot on my face. If it were up to me, I'd probably run right into its jaws; my courage and wisdom are so limited. But I am becoming more confident in His love. I am safe, unworthy as I am, in His embrace.