As I sit here and wait for profound, informative, and encouraging thoughts to fight their way out through my fingers, I will tell you a bit about what has been happening in my life. It could be a while... First of all, teaching is going very well. Although I still feel very inexperienced, I am gaining a lot of insight on how to be a better teacher. The instructors that I work with are very good, as many of them have been teaching for a long time. I am learning so much from them as I teach along side of them, or watch how they handle the classroom, that I can’t help but improve my teaching style. With some of my classes, I am having a hard time keeping the students interest. Most of the students I work with are very sweet, and they listen to me and their other teachers. Sometimes I come across students, or classes, that are disruptive. I think some of the time they are just bored, and there are a few that just don't care. Over all, everything is going wonderful. I love all of my students (the Lord is helping me learn to love all of them as He does), my team is so great it is almost unfair, and the weather is sort of cooling down. I guess the winter here in Taiwan is not quite like I am used to.
This weekend, all twenty-two of the American teachers will be helping Christina, Chase, Mai, Isaac, and I do a teachers conference for the English teachers in Nantou County. It will be a lot of fun, and we also want it to be a time where we can share what we know about teaching and get lots of ideas from other teachers. The main goal is to have fun, of course! I will be teaching a class on Outdoor English. Please pray that I would at least look like I know what I am doing. :) We all would like your prayers for this conference that it would go well, and that it would meet the expectations of all who are involved.
After the teacher conference all of us will be spending the week here at Ying Pan for a vacation! It is going to be a blast, I'm sure. You should see all the fun stuff we have planned to do. We even have a Chinese competition sponsored by King Car, so you can also pray that I learn Chinese by next week Thursday :)
If you could be praying for the teachers conference this weekend, we would be very grateful. We know that it is only through the grace of Jesus Christ that we can do anything, and we want to bring glory to His name. Also pray for our vacation week that we would have a blessed time of fellowship and fun together. Remember those we work with, and our students. Please pray that we continue to shine the light of Christ into their lives.
Thank you so much for your encouragement and support of God’s work in Taiwan.God bless you as you seek His will for your life,
Joel
Ying Pan Elementary school, Nantou County, Taiwan.
