Many times in the past 3 months I have asked myself, “Is this real life?� Some of the things I have seen, got to be a part of, and just get to do have blown me away. Just today God has once again rocked my socks off.
Chuck, our ministry host told us about a nearby high school and how some teachers and students might speak English there. We were welcomed to pop in and check it out.
Today, Natasha and I walked there in the morning to see if we could get in. Once we arrived we waited at the security office for a while and then got to go to the office to talk to the head master! (As a welcome, we were served tea and fruit).
However, the tone was very serious; looks being exchanged and talking going on that we could not understand was a bit nervewrecking. They drilled us with questions about where we were from, how long we had been teaching, where we went to college, why we were here and so on.
After answering all these questions they discussed more and then all of a sudden the atmosphere changed.
This whole time Natasha and I were praying that God would allow us to be here and we would win favor in their eyes. The head master did not speak English but all the English teachers were in the room with us.
He passionately told us that he was so thankful that we came, and honored that we wanted to teach. He said they have never had a foreigner here and it would be a privilege to have us. Mary, one of the English teachers asked if we would be willing to teach 3 classes today right away.
My mind went racing! There are 4,000 students at this Muslim high school with 60-65 students in each class. And let me just tell you Chinese classes are very different than American classes. They also wanted Natasha and I to split up and teach different classes so we could reach more students. It reminded me of when I went to Cambodia to teach at an international school and the first day that I had my students the teacher was not there. What in the world do I teach?! But I was excited beyond words and remembered God’s faithfulness.
As Natasha and I split directions, Mary took me to her classroom. As she opened the door, there was a huge applause as I entered. Their enthusiasm and warm welcome helped me jump right in. Mary sat in the back ground and the floor was mine.
“Hello, my name is Teresa. I am from America!� I smiled.
“Hello Teresa, we are glad you are here. Nice to meet you!� They all said in unison
“I have been here for 3 days and have loved learning about your culture and walking around your city. What should I know about China?�
All eyes were on me. One student stood up.
“China is a beautiful place, and we are very thankful that you are here.�
“It is beautiful! And I am thankful to be here too!�
I asked them about what they like to do, their favorite food and then I opened the floor to questions they had about America or about me.
“Do know Lady Gaga?�
Haha, oh dear, pop culture is something I know nothing about.
“Um… I know of her.� I replied.
“Can you tell me her?� the student asked.
“Well, she is a talented singer but I honestly do not know much about her.�
“Thank you.�
The girl sat down and another student stood up.
“I like you president, what can you tell me him?�
As I tried to remember the random facts about Obama their eyes were fixed and fascinated.
Then the next student stood up.
“Do you know that you are beautiful?� They asked me.
“Well, thanks…I think all of you are so beautiful!� (If you ever want a confidence booster just go to China and they will not stop telling you how beautiful you are)
Next student stood up.
“Will you sing us a song?�
“Haha, sure. But you have to realize I am not a gifted singer but I will sing you a song.�
I had no idea what to sing! God, what should I sing…I need help here! Christmas came to mind.
“Do you know what holiday we celebrate in America this time of year that is very big?�
“No.�
“Have you heard of Christmas?�
“Oh, yes we heard.�
“Do you know anything about it?�
“No.�
“Would you like me to tell you about it?�
“Yes.� They all say.
Here we go God, give me the words to say!
“Have you heard of Jesus?�
“No.�
“Well I believe in God. He has a son whose name is Jesus. God sent Jesus down to earth as a baby and Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. God sent Jesus as a gift to save us from our sins. We give each other gifts to remember the gift that God gave us, Jesus.�
I continued to explain different things that we do during Christmas and finished with what caroling is. After singing, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas� the students were full of more questions.
Never in a million years would I have thought that I would sing in front of so many students…I never would have had the boldness to do so. But God was totally working through me! Not only that, but I just got to share about God!!
The bell rang. Mary took me to the next class. Can I just tell you that I have never had so much fun teaching! The students were so engaged and respectful!
I even got to teach them how to Tango, Waltz, and even some Hip-Hop moves! It was absolutely hilarious. God just put the cherry on top. I wish I had a video tape so that you could see them dancing! And they taught me some of their dance moves.
After we had taught 4 classes each lasting 45 minutes, (apparently we were a big hit and they wanted us to continue to teach), it was lunch. Surprisingly, I felt like time flew by. The Head Master invited Natasha and me to lunch.
Lunch is a whole other blog. But I am so incredibly thankful that we got to teach at this predominantly Muslim school…not even that but to share about the true meaning of Christmas in a place where we can’t even talk about God!
Natasha and I taught 4 classes each and one class after lunch together. That is about 550 students in one day! Wow, how cool is that??! We haven’t been able to speak to a single soul here because of the language barrier and in just one day we got to share with 550 students! People, that is our God! He moves walls, nothing is impossible for Him!
Me and Mary
ps. I sadly can’t put pics of the students online but when I get home I would love to share them and some videos I took of them singing!
Here is a short clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36RjKvE3cB0
