Thankful for Dinner...

Thankful for dinner… and it’s not even thanksgiving yet.

It’s been a hard time lately. Conversations have not been the most eternal. It’s been frustrating. I could go on, but I’ll skip the crap and get to the good part. Tonight.

I was talking with some of my students (as I make all of them eat with me for a meal in groups of 4). One brought along her friend from high school and as I did my pre-meal routine, she noted and we found a common bond. We celebrated having the same Father with a high five. That was the beginning of the conversation.

It later went through may different parts including how Americans view Chinese people, why I came to China, do I like Chinese food, etc. But the best parts were what I will share.

I’ve seen it before, but yet I want to see it again and again. Somehow the language between us became much more common. Their English and listening suddenly improved and my thought were simple and direct. We had met in the middle, a direct conversation. I even realized it in the middle that dang, her pronunciation is much better than before. I guess that He’s bigger than I keep forgetting.

One student, we’ll call her Chocolate, had mentioned before she wanted to read the Book and know more about it. I wasn’t sure if it was just a “push the foreigner’s button” type of thing or not. But she brought it up again tonight and told me that her parents “are both believe buddah” and she does, but she wants to believe in the Jesurs. I asked why. She said because she belied the Jesurs could help her and take care of her. When she told her mom of the choice she wanted to make she rebuked her and told her not to tell her father who would be very angry at the idea. … but she still wants to know. She’s had a friend who they’ve lifted things up together with during times of operation. She shared how she tried to find a Fellowship because she felt like the Son could help her during the surgery, although she wasn’t sure why. “I think it’s because He loves me and wants to help me” she tried to explain. “I think so too!” I said. “He does love you. You don’t have to try to believe. Just ask Him to show Himself to you. … to all of you.” I said as I looked around the table. They all nodded.

Another one said her grandma and mother and father were all in the family. She guesses she was too. (Eh… we’ll come back to that another time.) She asked if there were schools in America to study the Book. I said yes, she sighed with jealousy/despair. She wants to study it more and know more about it. She later asked what my favorite chapter was. “Mines the Poetry of the David. I think they are very beautiful and explain…. They…. Yeah” she commented. I searched for what my favorite one was? I ended up on John somehow. Another girl piped up, “I know the John! I told you when I was 8, I had ever read the Book. They taught me about the character John.” (That’s why it was my answer tonight.)

I realized maybe lately I’ve been looking for bigger doors or have just tried to be too cautious, or have just missed the boat, or been too lazy or whatever. Anyways, tonight, I saw it and we popcorned over it, then before we left, I reached back grabbed it and brought it back to the center of the stage and He opened it up for a very edifying conversation on both ends. All of the previous came out of it. I also was able to share why I came to China was to love people. “Will you go to other countries later then to love people?” one student asked. I told them how next year I thought I was going to go study the Book so I could love people better. “So this year you’re loving people instead of G?” one student asked. “No, I think the only way I can love people is by G loving people through me.” One of the previous students had made the comment earlier, “We like you more than the other foreign teachers. We don’t know why. There is something different about you.” So I was able to bring that back and say “Remember when you said…., well I think that’s because it’s G loving you through me. It’s G loving you.” Her eyes lit up like someone had just kissed her. It was beautiful.

I am super thankful for tonight's conversation. Out of the 5 girls that were there, 1 is a believer, 1’s family is and she reads the Book and wants to study it, 1 wants to believe even against her family, and 2 of them are just getting swept up in it and are loving it. It’s pretty awesome. I am so thankful for Him and His working. It was so encouraging to me. I really needed it. To see what He was doing here in them, in me, through me, and just still doing. So Thankful. Please lift up these girls. We'll call them the Chocolate 5. He's doing work, lets Think them in. I can't wait to see what He does this year. I'm so relieved and encouraged by it. Thank you so much for lifting us up and not giving up or laxing off. It's been so hard. I'm so thankful for His faithfulness and His faithfulness in ya'll. To Him be the Thanks and the goodness and our affection.