JiYO

I have been restless. We arrived by train on Monday. Today is Friday. I received the type of classes I will be teaching. I am assigned to teach 6 classes meeting once a week of Freshman Non-English Majors, and 2 classes I will be co-teaching over 100 students with my teammate Colby and those students will be any where from Sophomores to Seniors. Those 2 classes are called English Corner. And they are going to be amazing! English Corner is not as much teaching as it is simply facilitating and initiating the students to talk and use their English skills in planned activities like debates. It's much more topical which I am SO thankful to have these two classes!! The only thing about it is every Chinese Freshman in College is required to take a month of training for the army. Meaning, the freshman don't begin classes until Sept 19. They are here on campus doing military training and marching around in their uniforms- it's intense. So, needless to say I have been completely restless. Most of my teammates have already begun teaching because they have different grade levels than I do. I have not begun and therefore, have not found much purpose in my day. This has been a huge struggle of mine the past two days. Not to mention, this is the first week I have felt like an outsider or "foreign" here in China. We are for the most part the only "foreigners" on campus and when we walk in to the cafeteria's on campus literally EVERYONE stares. It is so uncomfortable to have that many people staring at you as you make your way down the only aisle in the cafeteria in order to order food. Also, the menus in the cafs do not come with pictures or English. It is so frustrating to not be capable of communicating independently. I hate having to rely on others or hand motions to get across what I want to say. A beautiful thing about the Chinese people though, they are the most gracious people I have met.
We are in temporary housing this week, and that adds more restlessness. I want to move in somewhere- anywhere as long as I move out of my suitcases and into a physical place where my frame of mind will switch from temporary to permanent. I have been trying to find joy in each day since we got here but there is an anxiousness to move into my own apartment and decorate it. There is an anxiousness to meet and love on the students that the Father has been preparing me and them for. There is an anxiousness to find purpose in my time and a desire to find what I came here for: living life on life with my students. A constant theme and lesson I've been learning throughout my whole life is simply: patience. Something I lack. But, the Father has put it on my heart that it is one thing I still have yet to be tested on. So, today, the Father knew what I needed. I needed to move and get out. For me, I typically have my physical being situation reflect in my mental being situation. This sounds confusing, but what I mean to say is, that my circumstances play directly into my mentality. For example, if my room is messy and I have a big test to study for, I need to clean my room in order to start studying for my exam. If I am cluttered in my physical space- my mental space reflects that. Therefore, this awkward stage of transition is clouding my ability to find space and purpose in each day.
All this to say, today me and my teammates, Megan and Abby, went out on the town for an adventure. We relied solely on our own- no team leaders, no translators!! We caught the 160 bus toward town and found the exit after a jerky 45 minute ride. Pulling out our maps, we found our location and made a beeline for the "foreign" store. A place that might become a treasure chest to us! It holds more familiar foods and cooking supplies not found in other local markets! I found PANCAKE MIX!! And we found baking supplies and honey and oats to make our own granola! By His grace, we ran into another teacher from a different campus that works with our organization, Colin. He has been in Changchun for quite some time and knows exactly where to buy what and for the cheapest price. We spent the next 30 minutes following him around to little hole in the wall places where he greeted the owners' by name and shared his relationship with us. This way we can get great deals as he does!! It was amazing to stumble upon him and learn about these new places to find simple things like cereal! Cereal is NOT big here in China!! It's amazing what we take for granted in the US. On the way back, I found my honey jar to be leaking all over my bag and all over my shirt. This put a slight damper on the afternoon, but the bus ride went well and without a hitch! When we got back, we took a short nap and all of us girls decided to go on a run. DAYS LIKE TODAY ARE WHY I LOVE RUNNING. I simply had one of the best runs of my life today. Often times when I feel like I've lost my joy or purpose in life, I find I do my best Father time when I am running. So, we set out on a dirt path behind the school, and today I had my Ipod plugged in. I was zoning out- I needed to get out, be free, and find refreshment. My soul was thirsty. I set out a quick pace and quickly seemed to be surging over the dirt path, putting distance between me and my frustrations. I began to reflect on my lack of purpose and shared this with the Father. I understand that we were created to have purpose- our purpose is to serve Him. How so many people can go without Him for so long is beyond me. I need to have Him because I need purpose! Any other purpose besides Him in this life simply isn't enough. I could try to find purpose in teaching, but what about the days I don't teach- I can't settle for living between times of things that give me purpose. I need to find purpose everyday- and that purpose is Him. I hope that you too have found that same purpose. Anyways, I was flying (or seemed to be) down the dirt path and came across a paved road and began running up. My thoughts were losing pace with my stride and I found peace in His presence. I imagined Him running with me- (cheesy I know) but it's just like they say, "you can feel His pleasure when you are running!" Today I felt that. And I am so thankful for this time away- this passion that I can do and find joy in. When I hit a hill, a van of a bunch of kids drove by scaring me half to death, but yelling "jiyo!" (sp?) Jiyo means to add oil. It is there way of cheering someone on! This made my day having them cheer for me. That simple moment reminded me of my purpose in being here. It is not for me (although I'm sure I will learn much more than I teach) but it is for His glory- to show Him off to all who listen or see! So, today I smiled all day long because He has restored my soul and moved my feet to literally find strength and perseverance through the times of dim lighting.