Coming Home

I started this blog entry early Friday morning, but other things came up that needed attention and it never got back to finish it. After lunch I deleted what I had written and started over, but never really finished. It is now early Saturday morning and I just deleted what I wrote yesterday and will try again.

Last night my Friday evening class wanted me to meet them at the church, where the class meets, at 5:30. They wanted to celebrate with a meal together before class. Knowing the Chinese culture I knew we would never start at 5:30. It was after six before we left for the restaurant and by the time we got back to the church for class, almost half of my class time was gone. No problem. Just pick out the main points and do the best you can. The important thing was a social time with my students. It was a very tender time for all of us.

At the restaurant all 18 of us squeezed around a round table. Some sat two on a chair – you have to be a child or very thin to do that – and on small stools, but we were all there. Zuhua took over the ordering and the fun began followed by food and more food.

The student standing up was the organizer of this party. He spoke very good English and always helped me set up before and after class. He was a very good assistant.

Once the ordering was done he presented me with a paper cutting of the 23 Psalm in two different forms. This was a very special gift.

In the picture, to my right is Joy1. To my left is Joshua, the senior pastor at Thanksgiving, and his wife Joy2. The three of them are very special friends.

The above picture is a closer view of the two paper cuttings.

The girl to the right of Joy1 is Isabella, her daughter. Just out of the picture to her right is a ten year old girl who has been attending class with her dad. She accepted the Lord after class one night. She rode two busses alone for over an hour to be here in time for this celebration. I really love these two granddaughters of mine.

Joy is telling the class about my birthday in the fall when I return. They are now making plans for a dinner celebration to occur then.

We couldn’t leave without more pictures after class. What a special time and what a truly special group of people, especially Joy. We have taught through books of the Bible twelve different times now. Each class has drawn us closer to the Lord and to each other. On this trip some feelings began to surface between us requiring us to make some midterm adjustments. Those adjustments were really painful, but necessary. Joy and I have important roles here in the church requiring a pure and holy relationship all the time. It is such a satisfying and free experience to work together without improper feelings hindering your walk with the Lord.