How a Puppet Saved My Life

If you know me at all, you know that I'm chill.  Calm, laid-back, you pick your word, that's me.  I'm not peppy.  I'm not a yeller.  So imagine me, teaching preschool.  Its been a challenge.  My voice just doesn't have the natural inflection that other people do, so its a struggle to sound over the top excited. I discovered the power in a little puppet I like to call "Henry"  I was challenged to be a more excited teacher, so I decided to try the whole puppet thing.  Here's the secret- I can say the same thing to a group of 4-year-olds, but when it is coming from the mouth of a Hippo puppet, it is soooo much more interesting!  It's amazing.  I don't even care if I am known for the girl with a permanent puppet on her hand, the kids are having fun while they learn!  =)

My God is so Big

Its been about 6 weeks...and I'm just going to come out and say that I miss home.  I miss the fresh, clean smell, the normal food, understanding a stranger who tries to talk to me, being able to just get in a car and drive to wherever I want to, and most of all, the people I know as my family and friends. I miss how easy things were.  Now let me just say that it has been good and it could definitely get so much harder, but I think I'm getting a big slap in the face of how much I like my comfortable culture bubble.
At the same time, I know I'm supposed to be here.  I am being challenged in so many ways, teaching- not easy.  I mean I always heard how hard it is, but yikes.  I'm just not one of those natural teachers.  It has been challenging me to really work on those areas of my life that I am weak in.  God has blessed me so much with such an amazing group of administrators and fellow teachers though, who are so supportive and helpful!  My principal has done so much to help me, I am just so grateful.  Its also hard to get used to teaching in a different culture, because there are different expectations, and the communication level is so low, that it is hard to understand each other.  Please pray for me as I try to understand the parents, and as I teach these kids every day.  My love for these students in my class grows every day, and yet my heart breaks because most, if not all, are not believers.
One of my favorite parts of the day is our story/song time.  I have taught them a lot of songs I learned as a kid, which are basically all church songs.  Sorry, but i'm not that sorry.  They are also more fun because of all the motions.  Anyways, my favorite one is "my God is so big" and the kids love it.  Its a simple song- it says

"my God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do...the mountains are His, the rivers are His, the stars are His handiwork too- My God is so big!  So strong and so mighty, there's NOTHING my God cannot do."

The kids know its my favorite one, because I sing it allllll the time.  In those moments when I feel like I can't do it, that I can't teach a lesson, that I can't influence these kids, God reminds me - there is NOTHING that He cannot do.  Through a simple children's song as I hear it through cute little chinese accents of hearts that don't know Him.  God says- I'm big.  so big, so strong, so mighty.  If I've learned anything here yet, it is that.  He is bigger than my doubts and insecurities.  He is bigger than my lack of teaching skill.  I'm learning to rely on Him.

They'll steal your heart.  Pray for them.

Experiencing China

There are so many cultural differences here that we are still experiencing new ones every day it seems.  Some are better than others....

Fish head soup- no I did not eat this

Moon Cakes!  Today (Monday) is Mid-Autumn Festival and everyone gives moon cakes to each other.  They might be one of the worst tasting things ever.  I got a huge box from one of my students.  Yum! I think its kind of like how people give fruit cake at Christmas but no one likes it.

The bus.  It is crowded!  But we are getting more used to it!


Also, we are learning how to shop!  Here are some pictures of the closest market to us called the Cleat Market.  It is cheap and Chinese!  Like, really Chinese.

Meg and I at the cleat market for the first time

Don't eat the speckled eggs.  

Very large cucumbers?  some kind of squash?

Surviving or Thriving

Three weeks.  I have been in China for THREE WEEKS.  YIKES.  In some ways it feels as if I have been here forever, yet, I can't believe I have been here this long.  Most of my time has been spent on preparing for school.  We have had 6 days of school so far, and it has been so good and so challenging.  I feel like I mess it up every day, but it is getting better and I am learning...slowly, but I am learning.  I am being stretched to the max, but I know that God is refining and shaping me to not only be a better teacher, but to become more like Him.  When you are taken out of your comfort zone, in every way, it brings out the best and unfortunately, the worst, but God is faithful.

The view from my apartment balcony, at a rare moment when the sky is blue and not grey!

Rice for days....

two of my students- sweethearts- blessed to teach them.  they have my heart already.

Each day has its own little trials, whether it be as little as not being able to figure out how to make a meal, or getting stuck somewhere because you tried to go one place and ended up another, or that one student that refuses to listen and distracts the whole class.... each day it is some kind of challenge, but God's grace has been and will continue to be sufficient, and my little trials pale in comparison to the glory that is to be revealed.  

Week 1 of teaching was in total survival mode.  It was crazy and exhausting.  I don't want to just survive here though, that's not what I'm called to- I want to thrive in this position, I want to give these students all that I have, and I want to be used of God.  I pray that each day I have a passionate desire to impact these children's lives for eternity and not just complete a task.  And I pray for the strength to give them my all.  

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Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.  I'm realizing more and more how much I need  it from fellow brothers and sisters, and how any strength I have is truly from Christ.

Megan and I waiting at the airport

My parents saying goodbye to me at the airport

It has officially been over a week since I have been living in China.  This is usually about the time that I tend to leave when i'm on a "trip."  Its really starting to sink in that this is my life.  It has been good and hard and happy and sad.  So many emotions that I feel throughout each day, but over all of those is a peace that I am in the right place.  I know that God is going to teach me a ton, because He already has taught me so much.  

This past week has been a lot of trying to learn the city we live in and where to go for what we need. The administration planned several trips to the regular places, because a lot of times, unless you are led there,  you would otherwise have no idea where it is.  First of all, every sign is in Chinese, but second of all, sometimes you have to walk into a building, up the stairs, down the hallway and cut through a side hallway to then finally arrive at your desired store.  We spent a day at IKEA getting stuff for our apartment, another day getting our phone numbers set up, and then we went to the grocery store, and the "wet market" which is all fresh vegetables and fruit.  Its been nice getting used to way cheaper prices on things.  Their currency exchange rate is about 6.15 RMB/1 USD, so we walk around with several hundreds as opposed to twenties.  It makes us feel rich, haha.  Most things found in the U.S. can be found here, it just is a Chinese version.  I'm not a fan of anything dairy.  The milk and ice cream taste kind of weird.  They have a  walmart here also.  Its like the opposite of our walmart, having all Chinese food with a one aisle import section for Americans.  I now know how Chinese people feel when they look at the "Asian" section of walmart and lose all hope for ever eating normal again.

The Ramen Aisle (or as they call it "cup of noodle")

American section: pepperidge farm

oh yes, i would love to buy a turtle to cook for dinner!

Needless to say, it has been a compiling of lots of little cultural experiences that have made up this past week.  The school wanted us to be able to feel settled in before we dove into going over the curriculum and making lesson plans and such.  Some things that are hard to get used to: the heat!  it is so hot all the time, but thankfully a lot of places have air conditioning, so there is some relief.  the cockroaches in our kitchen!  Thankfully they sell raid in China.  the language barrier! I know this is obvious, but its amazing how hard everything becomes when you only know how to say hello in Chinese.  I feel like the spanish language barrier in the U.S. is way easier because we all know a little bit of the language to figure out mostly what is trying to be communicated.  There are some people who speak a little English, but a lot of the time we just have to smile and try to tell them we don't know what they are saying.  It will hopefully get easier with time.  We are desperately trying to learn how to say where we live and the main places we need to go so we don't have to rely on others to get around.  Its fun though!