Teaching in China

'M & C'. Posted on 24 August 2010.

THE TERM:

We are gradually getting used again to the routine of teaching, preparing lessons and the other activities of the new term.

We are really missing the fresh clear air at home - the pollution seems so much thicker after the lovely clear blue skies and snowy weather we had while we were at home. We have had several dust storms since coming back - one at the moment - the dust just seems to seep into the flat through every available crack and coat everything in a fine brown film. One wonders what the state of our lungs is!

That is one price we pay for being here. But there are, of course, many compensations, especially the opportunities to share the good things we love to talk about. We have a new set of postgraduate students, which was a little disappointing as we were hoping to build upon the relationships we started last term. However, the upside is that we are able to spread the net wider and touch more students.

Last weekend we had 14 squeezed into our small flat to watch 'Fireproof', a movie about a marriage relationship in crisis and how it was healed through the husband finding God's way. It seemed to be quite impacting for some of the students. Others in the class have asked if we could show it again this weekend.

We are very aware of the spiritual hardness we are facing, especially with the freshmen classes. We suspect from what we hear that they have been told not to be influenced by what foreign teachers say!

One encouraging thing last weekend was that we had some students from the city where we were last year come to stay with us for four nights. They came to sit a university entrance exam for Normal School students. If they get accepted, they will do two years as undergraduates for a degree. Two of these students had become Christians while we were in their city and it was delightful to see how they are growing spiritually. Both of them are very active in sharing with their classmates and encouraging them to believe. We had significant opportunities to show the ‘Jesus' movie and share deeply with the friends that came, and we found soft and open hearts. The light spreads and the family grows.

THE HOLIDAYS:

We have had an exceedingly busy time since our classes ended, but it has been very encouraging and, we trust, profitable. As things have worked out we have not done the travelling we had initially planned for various reasons. We found that a number of students from past schools (some now working) asked if they could come and visit us. This has given us many opportunities to share with them on our own home ground without having the stress of travelling around the countryside.

It has been just wonderful how many contacts from the past we have had over the holiday period and we can see the value of remaining in the area for so long (nearly six years). We have been able to do some spiritual gardening - watering the soil where shoots are very fragile, tending the plants that are growing, clearing away some rocks and weeds, and sowing plenty more seeds! Some brought friends with them - a great opportunity to cast the net wider and catch a few more hungry fish!

One former student came with his mother who had never travelled further than her own small local town about 15 miles away. We knew her from visiting their traditional village home a couple of times so she was comfortable to stay with us. She was so fascinated with everything - looking in the drawers ("What's all this cutlery for? All you need is a chopper, a few utensils for cooking, and some chopsticks."), inspecting the cupboards ("Why do you need so many dishes?), the microwave ("What's that?), the washing machine.... She just kept looking and laughing. She had a shower - the first in her life - and came out smiling like a Cheshire cat! We went shopping with her and she was like a youngster going around looking for bargains in stores bigger than she had ever seen before. It was a delight to have her and it made us realise how much we take for granted.

It's hard to put everything in a nutshell and we are aware that our own perceptions of what is happening in the Spirit can be distorted. However, we are constantly reminded that we are, at best, weak and unprofitable servants and it is the Lord Who sees exactly what He is doing in every situation. We give Him all the glory for anything and everything accomplished in His Name. "He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to the power at work in us - to Him be glory."

We long for others to join the AM-CCSM team in China and through the opportunity of English teaching reach this generation of young Chinese (and their families!) with the love of the heavenly Father that they so urgently need in their lives. Ready for the challenge? Then contact your local AM-CCSM office to find out more.