(Display Name not set)November 2005 Archives

Our team teaches 3 classes every other Friday morning at various elementary schools. This past Friday we taught at a school near Jiji. It was very small. One of the classes I taught only had 5 students!! That was a new experience for me as most of the schools I teach at are quite large. The kids were very excited that we were there and during break many of them played basketball with us. They were so sweet and cute!!! I ate lunch with the second graders. It was really fun trying to communicate with them. My Chinese knowledge is extremely minimal, so they helped me by teaching me a few new Chinese words.
Next week will be another busy week as we head to Taipei (actually somewhere about 2 hours from there)where we’ll be doing another teachers conference, teaching in a few schools, and celebrating Thanksgiving together. Please pray for safe travels for all of us and for our health as a few of us have been sick lately. Please also pray that we would continue to keep our eyes on the goal the Lord has set before us and that we would seek Him first in all that we do.
Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers!! That’s what helps keep us going.

Nantou,
Amanda

Life in Kinmen has been great! We had just finished going through the book of John in the Bible study at Church. Now we are starting the book of Genesis. School is going well as I Iearn more and more on how to teach kids. I've been here for almost two years, but I still struggle with teaching especially 3rd grade.... my one at my Thursday school that is.

Out of the 21 or so students in the class, they range from future rockets scientists born-and-raised-in-cram-school (cram school is a school kids go to after school-make sense?) to one who can't even write his name (in English or Chinese). However, that's not too bad.... I've taught classes like that before. What's really difficult is the attitudes/attention spans of the little critters. 3rd graders are emotional! One kid (who they say has ADD) usually doesn't make it through class because he goes around hitting and kicking his classmates (and one time his American teacher) or throwing things, so the home room teacher comes and takes him away. Then maybe two or ten consistently yell out obscure comments in the middle of reviewing the ABC's. During the class I sometimes wonder that even though I know I'm speaking..... but am I really saying anything? I have tried so many things, but only to receive partial success.

Thank God for Anthony, the English Teacher who I teach with at that school. Last Thursday he told me that he thought 40 Min. with those students is too much for me. For the rest of the school year he wants to teach the first 20 to 30 minutes then have me finish the time with a game. I wanted to hug him!

Thank you for your prayers. With God all things are possible!

Andrew Stewart
1 Chronicles 28:10

Wow so much has happened with in the few months of being back here in Taiwan! I've been to Taipei more times then I ever was last year! I'm so glad I've been able to be there though! I love being with the Chens! I just need to get the whole " go to the mall exit 8 and it will lead you right to the train station" part all figured out.

Today I stayed back from church becuase I wasn't feeling well. While I was looking for an online sermon, I got the privelege of talking to a friend from home. We were started talking about forgiveness and the power that's in it. Sometimes it's so easy to forget how forgiving our Heavenly Father is towards us.

As I was thinking about that I was so humbled at the fact that God would choose me a far from perfect person to fulfill His will here on earth. I was amazed at the amount of love and faith He must have in me to fulfill my purpose here. He know's I'm far from perfect but He still trusts me with it all!

So the question for the day is do you realize how much God believes in you?

Here is a small poem I found in one of my online devotions and I thought that I would share it.

Happiness keeps you Sweet,
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrows keep you Human,
Failure keeps you Humble,
Success keeps you Glowing,
Only God keeps you Growing.
- Anonymous

Pleas continue to pray for us here in Nantou. We have had many opportunities to share about the gospel lately. Please pray that God would give us continual wisdom and discernment! Also the over all team here in Taiwan have been doing a ton of camp planning. Please pray that God would give us wisdom and creativity for each of our camps!

Mai Lewis
Nantou