A Lesson on Love

Today I was confronted with a situation that really made me stop and think. The last two years of living in Hong Kong have provided many more opportunities for me to be the "Good Samaritan" than when I was living in small town America. If you're familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10, you know that a man asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life and Jesus replied by saying, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27) When the man asked who his neighbor was, Jesus told a parable about a a man lying on the side of the road after being beaten up. Two supposedly "religious" leaders (a priest and a Levite) passed him by, unwilling to help. Then finally a Samaritan (who were hated by the Jews) man, came and went out of his way to help this man. Obviously, this man was the neighbor to the one in need.

As I was walking with my roommate, Jen, to watch some friends play ultimate frisbee today, we passed a man on the side of the road. He was leaning up against a fence on the sidewalk, slouched down, and appeared to be sleeping; his arm was bleeding and he had a 10 dollar bill in his hand. As always, I felt an urge to help him, but soon my thoughts were overcome with fear and doubts and questions. How quickly I rationalize walking by, thinking he probably doesn't want my help, or, "I can't help him; I can't even speak Cantonese." So...I continued walking, but as Jen and I looked at each other, we knew we were both thinking the same thing...how can we just walk on by like nothing is wrong? Luckily, she said to me, "Is he okay?" So we walked back and I simply asked him if he was okay. He seemed to quickly "wake up" and responded that he was, in fact, okay. He got up on his feet and seemed to be very grateful that we asked.

I don't mean to share this story to point out how great I am or anything like that. Rather, I hope it can be a reminder of how Christ calls us to help those in need and to love our neighbors. I believe it's these simple acts of love that will bring Christ's Kingdom to earth. I was quite disappointed with myself; it's so easy to criticize the priest and the Levite man in the story of the Good Samaritan for being too self-righteous to take time out to help, but when I was confronted with a very similar situation, unfortunately, I responded in a much similiar way. If it hadn't been for my roommate's simple question, I also would've walked on by.

If Christ's people don't take the time to stop and love, who will?

Gotta Love 'Em!

I decided after 8 months of curly hair, it was time for a change. So, I decided to get a straight perm. Four hours, 4 hair washes, 2 head massages, and at least 6 different aprons later, my hair was silky smooth! As expected, I received many comments from the kids, some of which are quite funny. They are always honest...I'll give them that much! Here are some of them:

"It makes you look so weird."
"What did you do to your hair?"
"You're straight hair makes you look strict..."
"I didn't recognize you. You look like a Mandarin teacher."
"I liked it better curly." (Gee, thanks....why didn't you tell me that yesterday when my hair WAS curly???)
"You look like a banana." (Hmmm....could it have been the banana shirt I was wearing? :))

Today after school I was approached by some of my 6th grade boys asking if I'd supervise them in open gym, so I decided to do so...it is the weekend after all, and the grading can wait! I challenged them to some "Lightening", and it was so much fun. After that, I sat on the sidelines and observed as they played softball. It definitely brought back memories of those carefree elementary days playing kickball, basketball, and softball at recess! Oh, to be a kid again! Since I can't go back in time, why not enjoy the simple things in life when we're given the chances?

Trash 'n' Fashion

On Friday the Middle School Student Council had an event called Trash 'n' Fashion. The students in each homeroom had to create a costume made of all trash for their teacher to wear. We then gathered in the theatre and had a fashion show, complete with a proper runway, lights, the whole shebang... it was my fashion debut...first (and probably last) time on the runway! As you can see below, I was the "Statue of Neevelty"...above I'm with all the other wonderful sixth grade teachers!

Marvelous Malaysia

Mt. Kinabalu-- SE Asia's tallest mtn.

I spent the last week in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. There was a teacher's conference there that I attended Thursday-Saturday, so Maria and I headed out on the previous Saturday-- ready to explore and enjoy Malaysia. It was a great trip! We started off by heading up to the mountain area, where we stayed at a peaceful resort (where we could even see stars- imagine that!) and hiked around in the national park one day. It was so beautiful, and we just had a great time checking out the rivers, taking pictures, and even making a "commercial" under one of the pavilions when it rained. Everyone needs to keep a little kid in them, right? haha...

Next it was time to hit the beach! We went to some surrounding islands for the next two days. We hiked around, saw monitor lizards (huge lizards in the wild that are like 6-8 feet long!), enjoyed the beaches, and did some amazing snorkeling. I have never seen such beautiful coral or such colorful fish before...it was incredible! I'm pretty sure I found both Nemo and the Rainbow fish! :) Side note...the first Survivor (Borneo) was filmed just about 30 miles down the beach!

Maria & I at the Farewell Dinner

Alas, it was time for the teacher's conference. Although I have to admit I wasn't thrilled about spending my vacation in workshops, I have to admit, it was well worth it. There were so many great workshops that I learned a lot from. The theme was based around sustainability and the environment...so interesting to learn how poverty is so closely linked with taking care of the environment. Anyways, I learned so much and came back very inspired. It didn't hurt that the conference was held on the ocean front, with pools right up to the water. :) We definitely took advantage of those as well!

Well, it was back to work and back to reality for me today, and I had a great day. It's great to have a job that makes coming back from break easy. I can't say I was anxious to roll out of bed at 5:45 this morning when my alarm went off, but I can say that I started crying when we started talking about how close the end of the year is during our faculty meeting today. I am so blessed to have a job that's so hard to let go of...and for that I'm very thankful. :)

Spring Break!

Well, not much news to report, except for the fact that it's SPRING BREAK and I'm pretty excited about that! :) Today we had color day at school. Each facegroup (homeroom) had a color to wear and was supposed to accessorize as much as possible. Then we assembled together for a catwalk and judging...the kids loved it. It was a fun day to walk through the hallways and witness lots of energy and extra personality flowing from the colors...a break from the boring ol' uniforms!

Here I am with my wonderful face group...I love these kids!

Well, tomorrow I'm off to Malaysia. I'm heading there with my friend, Maria. I've never been so unprepared for a trip in my life. :) The duties of teaching took over my life, and we just figured out where we're staying yesterday! Nothing like good ol' last minute planning. So, we really have nothing planning...just going to go with the flow. We're hoping to explore some islands, soak in some culture, do some hiking, and then head to an international teacher's conference toward the end of the week...should be a good trip! Hmm...to bring the grading along or not...that IS the question! :)

The Hard Reality

Today I had a meeting after school for "departing expats"...people leaving our school. While it was overwhelming to learn of all the things I need to do before I leave--involving taxes, insurance, my retirement fund, banking, and more--the more difficult part was the realization that I am in fact leaving. That hit me pretty hard this afternoon. I couldn't stop the tears.

I've learned to love it here. It's amazing how the right choice can sometimes feel so wrong. However, I know that God has something new for me, and I need to cling to the promises that He has a plan for me and that He's numbered all of my days. He knows what He's doing, but sometimes the surrender is difficult. I don't see things clearly; I can't see the full picture.

I'm sure this is just the beginning of many emotional days to come as I prepare to leave this "home" full of students, friends, colleagues, places, and memories that I love, but I trust that God will bless the rest of my time here and lead me the exact place I need to be next year. Please pray for me and keep me updated on how I can do the same for you. I hope to have exciting news to share regarding the next adventure very soon. :)

Fire Drills & Softball

Excluding 2 fire drills within like 2 hours, today was a pretty normal school day. It never ceases to amaze me how I can have all day to work on lessons or grading and come out of the day feeling more buried than at the beginning of the day. Oh well...there's always tomorrow! I'm learning to deal with unfinished to-do lists. :)

After school I was able to play a scrimmage softball game against the high school team. It was supposed to be teachers vs. students, but since there were only 5 teachers, we didn't want to hurt their self-esteem by whoopin' them even though we only had half as many players ;) so we had some students on our team as well. Just kidding! It was a lot of fun...definitely felt like a summer day with the sun out! Made me long for those lazy days of summer and sunshine. Yet, I'm definitely not counting down the days yet...too much to enjoy here before I leave. If anything, I want to enlongate (is that even a word?) my time here!

No...unfortunately my college friends didn't come to play the scrimmage today, but the picture goes along with the theme and brings back happy memories of intramural softball at NW!

Well, my supper is just about done...sweet and sour chicken, so I'm gonna wrap it up. Thanks for reading!