When I was in China, I had a terrific team of teachers to work with and great students. I was amazed at how God put together a great mix of people who I still miss.
My teachers: Suria, Jerry, Evie, and Mike
My TA: Bessie!
My students: Ivy, Gregory, Hilda, Summer, Edward, Tom, Sheila, Kate, Alan, Kevin, Shelly, Ann, Jordan, and Mark
Suria definitely knew her Mandarin, and she was always well prepared to teach. She shared from her heart. Jerry was our comic relief...keeping Mark and Jordan laughing. Evie used her kindness and her limited Mandarin to connect with students. Also the camp nurse, Evie also had lots of joy. Mike had all the girls' attention and a lot of enthusiasm to keep the teaching time light. And of course, I rounded out the group.
Our students did not have a high level of oral English, but as we worked with them, we saw some of their timidity fade and heard their voices. Even though I couldn't communicate with them very well at first, I saw their attachment to us grow. I ate with Sheila often. Ivy and Alan showed their leadership in group games. Ivy especially showed initiative in organizing the students for our field trip to McDonalds. Hilda was an amazing artist. Summer was so sweet...and made me such a special gift--a hundred or so oragami hearts is a special box. Ann won the singing contest that the camp had. All of them had fun as we taught them in non-traditional ways. I prayed for them often...that they might see God's love in us. I keep up with our students now...most of the girls anyway...on QQ which is a cross between IM and Facebook. And I'm connected with my teachers through facebook mainly too.
The time we spent together, sharing God's love and instilling confidence in our students was priceless.
