Wow! Looking back over the past few weeks as I’ve been teaching here in
Taiwan, it’s been amazing to see how God has been working in my life. Many
little (and seemingly random and unrelated) experiences/opportunities in my
past have really been preparation for life here. God is so faithful! Whether
it is giving me the energy I need to teach all my classes, or inspiration
with lesson planning (the bane of my existence), I am realizing more and
more that He is right beside me and I truly don’t have to do this on my own.
Mixed in with the challenges that come with the job description of “Foreign
English Teacher” are all of the amazing blessings that the Lord provides. I
have been very blessed by my students. We have lots of fun together in and
out of class. Discussions/debates/arguments about baseball (Mariners vs.
Yankees), whether I dye my hair to make it blonde, whether or not I am just
pretending to not know Chinese, and just life in general make each day
interesting. I have been given the opportunity of a life-time: the chance to
invest in the lives of hundreds of kids each week. These are kids that may
not have any other chance to learn about the love that God has for each one
of them. I truly hope that I can give them a small glimpse of what that
unconditional love looks like.
We have also had so opportunities to share with some of our students,
parents and families. These people seem to be much more open to talking
about deeper matters of life than most people back home in the States. The
questions that they ask really force me to rely more and more on God for the
answers, because often-times I simply don’t know what to say. Talk about
convicting! I am constantly remembering the words of 1 Peter 3:19- “…be
ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the
hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” It is my prayer for this year
that I will make the most of every opportunity that is given me and truly
show God’s amazing love to those around me.
