As I formed a network of friends here in China, I evaluated each to see if they might be the right one. After returning from my fifth trip to China, I received a call asking if I would consider going to a particular city in China and teach a class for four months in a Three Self Church. Like the first invitation to go and teach, I knew the Lord wanted me to accept. That trip lasted from March 2007 to the middle of July.
My teaching was with a class of seminary students and included both Bible and English. My interpreter was impressed with the quality of the Bible lessons and asked if I would consider teaching a larger class of adults. I accepted and totally fell in love with the experience and the people. At the end of my stay, I was invited to return in the fall and continue the series I was doing in James. I agreed.
Because of my desire to spend more time in China I took a two year lease on an apartment and made plans to live in the US and in China for six months each. As I spent time in China, I fell deeper in love with this area of the world and its people. When I returned in September of 2007, I found that my teaching position had been filled with three qualified people and decided it was the Lord’s will that I spend my time at a nearby coffee shop (from where I live), where students come to practice their English.
I spent 30 hours each week there and talked with many students from surrounding universities. As we spent time together, friendships were established and some began to deepen, but there was one in particular that stood out from the rest because I sensed that she might be the one.
Her story goes back to September of 2007. She sat in a group of about eight, but was quiet and she kept looking down, as though she lacked self confidence. When I have people in a group like this I usually ask a simple question and insist that everyone answer it. That afternoon the question was, “Can you remember an experience in your early life that was either pleasant or hurtful?” As we moved around the circle, each responded with an example, most of which were pleasant. When we came to her, she shared a hurtful experience and as she did I sensed that God had his hand on her. I was so convinced of that that I took her aside later in the day and told her. I believe that sparked something in her because she continued to return to my group at the coffee shop and continued to grow in her self confidence.
At the time, she was a senior in high school and had met her requirements to go and study in Australia the following year. As a result she was not taking her last year of high school very seriously and spent most of her time at the coffee shop. As a result our friendship grew and my influence on her seemed to be having an effect, resulting in her considering a change of direction in her life.
My teaching was with a class of seminary students and included both Bible and English. My interpreter was impressed with the quality of the Bible lessons and asked if I would consider teaching a larger class of adults. I accepted and totally fell in love with the experience and the people. At the end of my stay, I was invited to return in the fall and continue the series I was doing in James. I agreed.
Because of my desire to spend more time in China I took a two year lease on an apartment and made plans to live in the US and in China for six months each. As I spent time in China, I fell deeper in love with this area of the world and its people. When I returned in September of 2007, I found that my teaching position had been filled with three qualified people and decided it was the Lord’s will that I spend my time at a nearby coffee shop (from where I live), where students come to practice their English.
I spent 30 hours each week there and talked with many students from surrounding universities. As we spent time together, friendships were established and some began to deepen, but there was one in particular that stood out from the rest because I sensed that she might be the one.
Her story goes back to September of 2007. She sat in a group of about eight, but was quiet and she kept looking down, as though she lacked self confidence. When I have people in a group like this I usually ask a simple question and insist that everyone answer it. That afternoon the question was, “Can you remember an experience in your early life that was either pleasant or hurtful?” As we moved around the circle, each responded with an example, most of which were pleasant. When we came to her, she shared a hurtful experience and as she did I sensed that God had his hand on her. I was so convinced of that that I took her aside later in the day and told her. I believe that sparked something in her because she continued to return to my group at the coffee shop and continued to grow in her self confidence.
At the time, she was a senior in high school and had met her requirements to go and study in Australia the following year. As a result she was not taking her last year of high school very seriously and spent most of her time at the coffee shop. As a result our friendship grew and my influence on her seemed to be having an effect, resulting in her considering a change of direction in her life.
