Waking up to life

Remember the post about shoddily constructed buildings? Well, early Monday evening I went outside our building for a long walk around the track. Students and babies usually play right outside our apartment building door. When I walked out this time, there were two students playing badminton.

Less than three minutes later, I saw a small crowd gathering by the door. Out of curiosity, I walked back there to look. Our Japanese teacher neighbor, who lives across from us, had been opening one of her kitchen windows. Those windows aren't exactly Pella windows. They are about four feet tall, with huge steel frames and thick blue glass. They never close properly--we have to stuff towels in the cracks. Anyway, she opened the window...and it immediately plummeted four stories, crashing into a million pieces right outside the apartment door.

Thanks to Him, those students playing badminton had just left, and my favorite babies weren't running around. If they had been there, they would have been promptly killed. Or even if I had left to go on my walk three minutes later...

Anyways, one of the trash sweepers quickly hustled to the spot, brushing up the window pieces with his gigantic twig broom. The crowd dispersed and life went back to normal. Windows falling from tall buildings isn't all that unusual, just like it's not unusual to see horrific traffic accidents on a near weekly basis. It's part of life in China.

Even though incidents like these may not be unusual, it is a reminder for me that life is extremely short. In America we can try to predict and prevent emergencies, while insulating our lives. Sometimes life in America seems too...safe. Sometimes it's so safe you feel like you aren't actually alive.

Then in China, life is real and raw. It is the complete opposite of safe. I truly think that this country needs better safety and building standards (they are basically non-existent), but at least here you learn to count each day as a blessing. At every turn, you are reminded that He has given you today. We were never guaranteed long, happy, shatter-proof days. We were only guaranteed Him and His steadfastness.

In other news, we were talking about "milestones" in class. People talked about graduating from high school, being the top of their class, etc. For some reason He gave me a burst of boldness. I told them that I had graduated in the top place of my department in college. I was considered pretty successful and so on and so forth. Then I said that never fully satisfied me or gave me hope for life. Who honestly cares if you got the best grades or internships?

So then I discussed how I came to know and trust in Him - which was the biggest milestone of my life. I told my students how they always said I was so kind and patient, but that's not because I'm a "happy foreigner." It is because of Him. They actually paid complete attention, and I started thinking, "Oh, my goodness, I can't believe I'm saying this in a Chinese classroom." But I was quite thankful for this awesome opportunity.

Please think of my students - I feel like I am starting from complete scratch and it is difficult to continue to be patient. I am also sick again - thankfully just with a cold this time.

Enjoy the pictures - they are of an open house we had last week with some of my girl students. What a blessed time. :)