Wow the here has flown by so fast! I can't believe that it's already midterm for the 2nd semester of school, let alone the fact that I'll be able to see my family in a couple of months!! I don't know if I can handle all this excitement in my life right now!
Things here in Nantou have been busy. We started teaching at a junior high school neaby, and so far so good! I have about 40 students in my class,yeah YIKES! No, actually I'm really looking forward to being able to build up friendships with them, and being part of their lives.
I think that is an area that the Lord has been stretching me in a little bit more. To become part of people's lives and not just stand on the sidelines of life and yell a word of encouragement to them now and again. Being here in Taiwan you can't help it!
Today I was playing basketball some 6th graders from my school. It was a really short game being as it was between a 10 min. recess period. At one point in all of our funness one of the boys fell and ended up with a little hole in his uniform right above his knee. As we were heading back inside the school he started to tell me about how his mom was going to yell at him for getting the whole in his uniform.Sensing that he was a little nervous about being scolded by his mom I told him that the whole wasn't that noticeable and perhaps she wouldn't be as upset as he might think. Then he proceeded to tell me that she would be even more upset because he had been playing basketball. At this point I looked at him and aske whether or not his mom had ever seen him play basketball before. He was pretty good at it from what I saw, or course I'm not a very good judge when it comes to sports. He tried to laugh a little but just repeated himself in English." She doesn't like me to play basketball!" With that the bell rang and we both went our separate ways for the day.
As I was thinking about what he said to me, I started to pray for him. I prayed that his mom wouldn't be upset and that he'd be able to play basketball with his parents blessing and encouragement.
Why would I worry about something like this in young boys life, enough to pray about it, you might ask. Last semester there was a young junior high boy that wasn't allowed to pay basketball at all. His parents wanted him to work only on his academics. The boy ended up committing suicide leaving a note behind stating that he could handle the pressure of school anymore. For a normal elementary child they get to school at 7:00 in the morning and don't leave till around 4:00. Some students go straight to a cram school where they do just that. Cram more academic subjects into there day. Sometimes they don't get home till late, 8:30 maybe. For some of them this in an everyday schedule. One of my teachers was telling me that she was disapointed with the test results of a math test from her 4th grades. Little did I know that these little kids were learning how to divide and mulitply decimal problems.
So I do pray for my students, and that God would use me to be an instrument of hope in their lives. I want to be someone they remember for life, and that they remember God's love shining through me.
Question for the day! Who's life are you letting God be a part of through you today?
Thanks again for all your prays and encouragment! You really do brighten our day when we hear from you.
Mai Lewis ~ Ying Pan, Nantou~
Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing is impossible!"
