Blessings upon Blessings

It has been a whirlwind past couple of days. We actually have two days of holiday--Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! Then we'll keep on teaching. I'm just glad for a rest, even if it's just a few days. We have been teaching non-stop for nearly four months now in a "second world" country where everyday has something crazy and unexpected happen, and it can be a little tiring. :)

Anyways, He has been doing great things! On Saturday we visited the deaf kindergarten again with our Chinese friends Eva and Reborn. So of course I've had to include a few pictures again. That night we also had an open house again (our 13th for the semester).

Sunday was my favorite because of fellowship. Our international fellowship doesn't have a leader really, so we take turns sharing. This past weekend Jodi and I shared, because we always do everything together and are joined at the hip--we are a funny picture. She is a petite and outgoing Asian-American and I am a lanky and pale white girl. We have been doing a study together, and one of the things we've really been convicted about is His heart for the needy and the poor in spirit.

Jodi and I shared from the Word about this in the middle of the congregation of Americans, Indonesians, Indians, and the lone guy from Madagascar. Then we decided to get out and actually do something, since there were so many of us there. Because we don't have to pay for a fancy building, music equipment, or pastor salaries, we usually have tons of money left over from offering. So on that day, Jodi and I decided to split everyone up into groups and purposefully wandered around downtown with some of the offering. We bought hot food for people and handed out scarves that my aunt had mailed me.

We gave a lot of money and love to people on the street who were disabled, desperately poor, or just had the lowest of the low kind of jobs (like the impoverished street sweepers). Not many people ever stop to notice them or even look them in the eyes to show them that they're also dignified human beings.

My favorite story was with my friend Joelle. She had taken one the scarves that my Aunt Susie's 92 year-old friend had lovingly knit. Joelle was on the hunt for someone really special to give it to. She finally found him--a man who people would shrink back in horror from. He sat on some stairs in the cold, as thousands of people walked around him without acknowledging him. But he couldn't see their looks of horror and avoidance because he is blind. His face is severely burned and deformed. He has no hair, no eyes, no nose, no ears. He basically only has a mouth. Joelle crouched down next to him and gently put the scarf in his hands so that he could feel it. Hopefully it will keep him warm and he will know that the Creator of the universe loves him.

Although I talked about Christmas last week in class, there have been many conversations with some of my students since then. Some of them are actually going to come with us to a Christmas type "service" tomorrow with Chinese brothers and sisters. Your continued thoughts would be appreciated!

Now for another random story to cram into this blog. Last night we went out for a banquet dinner in honor of Christmas with our foreign affairs office, the school's vice-president, and the dean of the foreign language department. We went to the nicest restaurant I've ever been to in Nanchang. I'm not sure what it is called, but it's in a very old building, like it's ancient China. The food was pretty good (all 17 or so dishes!) and the owner of the restaurant is somewhat of a celebrity. Apparently he is famous for being able to write Chinese calligraphy without even lifting his brush.

He heard that some foreigners were visiting, so on this rare occasion, he decided to grace us with his presence. He said he could write my Chinese name in this special way so I wrote down the Chinese characters for my name: 谢佳曦. First he said my Chinese writing was really good, so that made me feel somewhat encouraged. The last character is particularly difficult, especially if he was going to write it without lifting his pen. He seemed a little chagrined about that last character. He said that this would be a "test of American-Chinese relations." He succeeded, however, so I've included a picture of him at our banquet and my Chinese and English names that he wrote using one stroke.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!