The title of this post says it all: I am very busy!
It's been a crazy week. I am preparing to go on a service trip to give out scholarships to children in a small village. These children don't have enough money to go to school, so the scholarships help out with that. I leave on Saturday to meet my group, and then on Sunday morning we head out bright and early on a relatively long van ride. Then, we'll spend 3 days, I believe, in the small village, then we'll return home. It's a quick trip, but that's all I could really take off of work. I think that in the process, and while I have some free time before and after the trip, I will be getting my hair cut. I'll try to get a before and after photo :)
I will get back and teach for 2 days, and then I am off to Thailand to see some college friends! One of my friends is getting married, so another friend and I decided to go to celebrate with her! I will be there for about 3 days, so a very short trip.
Besides that, I have been working on planning ahead before my 'vacations'. I want to make sure that my lessons are all planned so that I do not have to worry about them when I am traveling. So far I am all planned for the 2 days after I get back, and mostly planned for the rest of the classes that week! That's exciting :)
That's all for now, I think.
How has your week been? Let me know in a comment or e-mail :)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
it's April already...the middle of it to be exact
So I guess it's time for some updates, huh?! I haven't been updating as often as I should, so again, I apologize about that. Sometimes it just feels like I am in the groove of life, and I forget that it's interesting to other people, so I don't!
Well, to start out, I found out the importance of running my dehumidifier all the time. I found mold on multiple items of clothing/bags today, and now I need to find a way to get rid of it. One is a dry-clean-only kind of a deal, so we'll see what happens with that.
I am starting to plan my trip home. My ticket has not been purchased yet, but pending the approval of my supervisor, I have the flights picked out. I already have a couple places booked, so please let me know if you'd like to have me to your house or church to talk about Macau!
Easter was great--I'll write about it in my next post that should be coming up prettyyy soon!
Enjoy your day!
Well, to start out, I found out the importance of running my dehumidifier all the time. I found mold on multiple items of clothing/bags today, and now I need to find a way to get rid of it. One is a dry-clean-only kind of a deal, so we'll see what happens with that.
I am starting to plan my trip home. My ticket has not been purchased yet, but pending the approval of my supervisor, I have the flights picked out. I already have a couple places booked, so please let me know if you'd like to have me to your house or church to talk about Macau!
Easter was great--I'll write about it in my next post that should be coming up prettyyy soon!
Enjoy your day!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Great News!
I just wanted to announce that I will be extending my contract...aka, next year I will stay in Macau! I will be in America towards the end of July until about mid-August**I thank you all for your wonderful support and for keeping in touch by reading my blog and/or e-mailing me!
**The dates are not set yet, so I do not know exactly when or how long I will be there, but it will be around that time.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Tears Made in China
I went to China yesterday and today. It was a good time. There was a group from America who was able to go and spend some time there helping out the center, and I was blessed to get to meet them! They're from Omaha, so from around my neck of the woods!
But the story I want to tell is not from the time spent in China--it's the time that I was walking back to Macau at the boarder gate.
Let me back up this story. The boarder gate is where people wait to get money from others--aka beg. They have baskets to drop money in, and usually have a couple coins in it. (I think they keep some money in a pocket, but still--they don't have much)
I always feel guilty walking by, not giving money. But if you have seen August Rush, you have an idea of what kind of situation it is--the money goes to a slum dog, or whatever they're called. I always want to give food, because that's something that they can have, and it doesn't go towards alcohol or drugs or a slum dog...but I always forget. Then I feel guilty walking by, but I usually forget about it soon after I see the line and how full it is and realize that I'm gonna have to wait for a very long time. Shallow of me, I know. This time, I was thinking about this guilt that I always feel passing by. (I especially feel the guilt after reading Deuteronomy where it says that that you should give to the poor and needy and such). So I was thinking about this ever since I had decided that I was going to China this weekend. While I was shopping with Lily, I decided that I wanted to get some crackers to put in the beggars' cans. As I got off the bus, I took out the crackers, and self consciously walked through the mall.
I began thinking: they're gonna be like, "why is this girl giving me crackers?" "I'm asking for money, not crackers...what good will this do?" "This is not gonna help, so why is she thinking it will" or something like that. As I struggled to open the extremely-difficult-to-open package, I thought...should I really give them this? They might scoff at me in confusion. But my answer came with the open bag. I got ready: I handed a package of crackers to the first person. A lady with a baby ran towards me. I put 2 in her bin because of the baby. As I walked by, they all noticed that I had the crackers. They looked at the bag with huge eyes, and looked at me with the biggest smile I've seen--even bigger than when I give them money on occasion. Everyone aborts the plea for money and focuses all attention on me, saying "xie xie" (thank you) many times as I pass by and put a small package of crackers in their can.
I still had 7 left when I finished, but I couldn't walk back through the line. I didn't know what to do with it. I walked into the boarder, and I couldn't forget about it this time, because there was no line for me to wait in--so nothing to cause my mind to wander. I actually got emotional about this. I was fighting back tears.
How grateful were they for a small package of crackers? How horrible was it for me to think that maybe I shouldn't do that, because they'd think of me strange? Is that the only food they'll see today? What in the world can I do--there are thousands, probably millions of beggars in China. Probably hundreds or thousands in ZhuHai alone. I have so much stuff, but I know I can't just give it all away to them. That wouldn't help anything. I wish there was a way to help more. I know that my one cracker wasn't a huge thing, but it made their day. I didn't give enough. I would recommend for everyone who walks through there to just bring a package of individually wrapped food of some sort to give--they appreciate it so much, and when they appreciate a small package of crackers so much, you know that it's needed.
Sometimes it's so easy to get annoyed with beggars, and we group them as a bunch of poor people instead of seeing them as people. I urge you to look at them as fellow people who are in great need.
I just pray that God would provide for them, and would show them His love and that He cares enough to die for them and to sacrifice His love for them.
But the story I want to tell is not from the time spent in China--it's the time that I was walking back to Macau at the boarder gate.
Let me back up this story. The boarder gate is where people wait to get money from others--aka beg. They have baskets to drop money in, and usually have a couple coins in it. (I think they keep some money in a pocket, but still--they don't have much)
I always feel guilty walking by, not giving money. But if you have seen August Rush, you have an idea of what kind of situation it is--the money goes to a slum dog, or whatever they're called. I always want to give food, because that's something that they can have, and it doesn't go towards alcohol or drugs or a slum dog...but I always forget. Then I feel guilty walking by, but I usually forget about it soon after I see the line and how full it is and realize that I'm gonna have to wait for a very long time. Shallow of me, I know. This time, I was thinking about this guilt that I always feel passing by. (I especially feel the guilt after reading Deuteronomy where it says that that you should give to the poor and needy and such). So I was thinking about this ever since I had decided that I was going to China this weekend. While I was shopping with Lily, I decided that I wanted to get some crackers to put in the beggars' cans. As I got off the bus, I took out the crackers, and self consciously walked through the mall.
I began thinking: they're gonna be like, "why is this girl giving me crackers?" "I'm asking for money, not crackers...what good will this do?" "This is not gonna help, so why is she thinking it will" or something like that. As I struggled to open the extremely-difficult-to-open package, I thought...should I really give them this? They might scoff at me in confusion. But my answer came with the open bag. I got ready: I handed a package of crackers to the first person. A lady with a baby ran towards me. I put 2 in her bin because of the baby. As I walked by, they all noticed that I had the crackers. They looked at the bag with huge eyes, and looked at me with the biggest smile I've seen--even bigger than when I give them money on occasion. Everyone aborts the plea for money and focuses all attention on me, saying "xie xie" (thank you) many times as I pass by and put a small package of crackers in their can.
I still had 7 left when I finished, but I couldn't walk back through the line. I didn't know what to do with it. I walked into the boarder, and I couldn't forget about it this time, because there was no line for me to wait in--so nothing to cause my mind to wander. I actually got emotional about this. I was fighting back tears.
How grateful were they for a small package of crackers? How horrible was it for me to think that maybe I shouldn't do that, because they'd think of me strange? Is that the only food they'll see today? What in the world can I do--there are thousands, probably millions of beggars in China. Probably hundreds or thousands in ZhuHai alone. I have so much stuff, but I know I can't just give it all away to them. That wouldn't help anything. I wish there was a way to help more. I know that my one cracker wasn't a huge thing, but it made their day. I didn't give enough. I would recommend for everyone who walks through there to just bring a package of individually wrapped food of some sort to give--they appreciate it so much, and when they appreciate a small package of crackers so much, you know that it's needed.
Sometimes it's so easy to get annoyed with beggars, and we group them as a bunch of poor people instead of seeing them as people. I urge you to look at them as fellow people who are in great need.
I just pray that God would provide for them, and would show them His love and that He cares enough to die for them and to sacrifice His love for them.
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