Sept Newsletter - Ming Chen

This is my second successive year going back to DuAn and I really thought everything was going to be the same. Boy, was I wrong! This year instead of having an international mix of teachers in my class, the Canadian team was preset into teaching teams months before the camp started. Instead of having a class of 22, we had a class of 15. Instead of having 3rd year high school students, we had 1st year students. Instead of just grazing with the sheep, I was called to shepherd the flock. God threw a wrench in what I thought was going to be a picture perfect vacation with God.
First and foremost the kid I valued like a brother and with whom I thought I would be able to spend time over the weekend, came one week ahead, so we only got to spend a couple of hours together. Second, the teacher whom I had met last year was assigned to a different class and it was very awkward knowing that we were to focus on our individual class. Thirdly, the mix of students we taught, had very limited English skills and were very naïve and shy. None of them had emails and already I was so disappointed because how can I follow up after we leave. Not to mention the usual quarrels when planning lessons and dealing with a rumbunctious teenager teacher. However, God was working despite my fears and inadequacies to lead and teach. God used me to lead my first kid to Christ and we went through the commitment prayer. I helped them to perform a powerful drama “Choices”. I managed to teach pronunciation every single day. I showed my co teacher the value of seizing the opportunity God has given us. Even though I’m still saddened by what I think were missed opportunities, I am still hopeful that God will bring me back to DuAn, so that I can serve Him alongside the many great brothers and sisters globally and with Partners International (PI). There is still nowhere I would rather be than vacationing with God in DuAn. His love forever hangs like a banner over China.

這是我第二年成功的回到了都安。起初我確實以爲和往年一樣，嘿，我錯了！ 今年，我這一班的老師不是國際混合，而是全部來自加拿大，他們在這個夏令營開始前幾個月就預先將教學隊伍組織好了。而且，一個班有15名而不是22名學生，學生是高一而不是高三年級。我不只是喂一只羊，而是牧養群羊。在我看來，神似乎破壞了我所期望的與神共度假期的完美畫面。 首先，也是最重要的，一個我看待像兄弟般的学生，本以爲周末能和他在一起，結果他提前一周來了，所以我們僅僅呆了幾個小時。其次，我去年遇到的老師今年被分到不同的班，而且得知我們要集中精力在自己的班上，真是覺得這樣不合適。還有，我們所教的混合在一起的學生非常天真而且害羞，他們的英文水平極其有限。而且他們都沒有電子郵件，儅我們離開后，怎麼跟進他們呢，我已經非常失望了。更不要說儅我們作教學計劃時常有的爭執，以及和一個十幾嵗吵鬧的少年老師打交道的事。但神一直在工作，儘管我有些畏懼，而且帶領和教課的能力也不足。神使用我，讓我帶領第一個學生歸向基督， 我們一起做了委身的禱告。我還幫助學生們演出了很有影響力的話劇“選擇”。此外，每一天我都會教學生們英語發音。通過這些，我讓一起工作的老師們看到了抓住神給我們的機會的價值所在。儘管我仍為那些我認爲是失去的機會難過，但我还是充滿希望。神會再次把我帶囘都安，與那些來自全球傑出的弟兄姐妹及協同差會一起侍奉神。我去任何地方都不能和去都安與神度假相比，神的愛像一個巨大的橫幅永遠飄揚在中國上空。