IMPORTANT: Yarp request

This weekend I had a lovely change of pace from the normal, be a recluse and have no human interaction for 2 straight days weekend.

I spent several hours with a friend I do not get to often see, much less spend significant time with on Saturday. And on Sunday, had some personal/life discussion with another friend who doesn't always like to open up about personal matters.

What is interests me about both encounters I had is that the Father showed up in both of them.

Let's see to explain these stories, there need to be names. Ok, uh... Son and Chan. That works.

Ok so on Saturday I hung out with Son.  I met Son through a mutual friend last year and our interactions have been strictly only through hanging out with the mutual friend at the same time.  Anyway, Son contacted me last week asking to hang out and we met up on Saturday.  We decided to hike a nearby mountain.  I almost died while Son was practically sprinting up the mountain like an Olympic athlete.  We stopped to rest and happened to hear a guitar and people singing (in Chinese).  I recognized the song and started singing in English.  They sang a few more songs and Son was translating some into English.  One line said , "I give all my life to J"  Son stopped translating at that point and said quietly,

"I don't want to do that."

"Why not?"

"Because then I won't be able to make my own decisions.  I can't make fun decisions or do what I want to do if I live for Him."

"Son, you do know people can follow J and still have fun, right?"

(pause) "You can?"

"Yeah. I'm doing and working what I love to do and I still follow Him."

"Well...that is the difference between you and me.  I don't think it is possible."


SUNDAY:

On Sunday, I hung out with my friend Chan.  I met Chan a few months ago and we have become pretty good friends.  Chan has never had much interaction with foreigners besides some foreign teachers and me so Chan is still getting used to my American-ness at times.  Chan likes to pull the China culture card a lot and say that is why Chan does or says things.  Turns out, Chan knew about a Chinese Fellowship some people attended. Chan had been invited to go by several people but was 'uninterested'.  I asked Chan what was the real reason and it finally came out.

"It's disrespectful if I go."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's disrespectful if I go and don't believe in it.  It is disrespectful to the people that do believe in J."

"Chan, no one will think it is disrespectful if you go."

"Elizabeth I have asked people before why they go and they said it is more to learn English and NOT learn about the Book or about religion"

"Yeah. That's true."

"You know this?!'

"Yes."

"And you don't think it's disrespectful?!"

"No."

(pause) "Well, in China..." (blah blah blah about how China is a collectivist culture and saving face and looking bad and being disrespectful things I already know about)

"Do you believe or not believe?"

"Now or forever?"

"Do you or do you not believe in J?"

"Now or forever?"

"Answer the question Chan."

"No."

"Ok so if you don't believe, what is there to be disrespectful about?  If you don't think this whole thing exists how will you be disrespectful about something that is not real?"

We both knew I had caught Chan between a rock and a hard place.  Chan collected their thoughts still saying they simply thought it was disrespectful to the people that actually believe and didn't want to be seen as a hypocrite.

Please be keeping Chan and Son in your yarps.  The Father is moving on their souls and thoughts.  Never before today has it been so obvious why I have been sent to China.  My time with Chan and Son is precious to me as I never know what I will say or do that will spark their interest.

67 Steps

67 steps.

 67.


Sixty-seven.


Steps.


67 steps is a lot and it is very few.   It is the number of steps I walk up every. single. day. Multiple times a day, or course.  I walk up them once to set my backpack and things down. Then walk BACK down to get hot water for my daily tea intake. Then sometimes I chill out in the teacher workroom or hike back UP the steps to escape into my batcave of a classroom.  Then I trudge down to the bottom floor again for lunchtime, and then climb back up. Then I normally come down about one more time before it's time to race down the steps to catch the bus home.  So, totaling that up comes to about...

402.

402 steps.  Not to mention all the running around I do INSIDE the classroom corralling children during London Bridge or trying to get 5th graders to understand the concept of Ms. McClure only possessing two ears with which to hear.

Also two of my third graders tried to tattle on another boy because he looked at them in the 'wrong' way or made a funny noise. I stopped, gave this face,

And then legitimately asked them what they wanted me to do about it.
Student: "Could you please say something to him?"
"Well.....he's not doing it anymore is he?  Annnndddd....the noise wasn't really directed at YOU soooooo..."

Nothing more happened after that.

Another one decided to start singing about poop and the different colors said feces could be. Sent him out of the classroom, told him third graders don't use that word, and asked if he could only use third-grade words from now on.  He sighed, tried to wriggle out of my hug, rolled his eyes, and sauntered back in.

Also, this gif is one of my favorite gifs to ever gif.

It is THE all encompassing REALLY?! face.  I give this look roughly 4000 times a day to students.  Particularly middle schoolers.  Since they are still elementary kids on the inside.   Never thought I would admit it but I actually really like my middle school students.  They are still at the age that they will stay interested and participate in a lesson but you can speak to them on a more real and personal level.  I think I surprised my sixth graders (my last year 5th grade) on how different I teach/act with different kids. 

Also my week has gotten considerably better in just 2 short days.
Reason #1

HECK. FREAKING. YES.  Except for the fact I have to wait an entire extra day to watch the new episode.  Really I just need me some Daryl (bow hunting action) and Glenn (Handsome Asian action).  I made the picture really big so that you can understand how big of a deal it is this show coming back on.  Last semester my friend Morgan and I would go on Walking Dead marathons.  We would promise each other we would only watch  1 MAYBE 2 episode and quit.  But we couldn't. The Walking Dead is a DRUG.  I can't not get enough zombie action.  Usually our viewing sessions take place on a couch, eyes glued to my computer screen, me smacking Morgan every time a zombie walks around a corner or Daryl/Glenn's life is hanging on the line, and Morgan yelling at me to stop hitting her and her gasping/whispering in awe with every thud of a machete. 

Reason #2

Royals Victory. I'm ready to party like it's 1985.  The best birthday present for me would be the Royals NOT playing on October 25th because that means they would've already won the World Series. 

Reason #3

I was actually quite productive this weekend. Got almost completely caught up with grading on Saturday AND went out for some drinks honoring a friend's birthday and met some lovely new people. 2 loads of laundry done, picked out literature to teach middle school music chillerens. HELLER! Wurrs gern ter ber lernern lerts erv muerserc! Praise the Lort!

And......yep. Done. Till the next time.

KRUP YOU and BLUE OCTOBER

In middle school, it's MOVIE WEEK!  We are watching West Side Story as a wrap-up to our musical theatre unit.  Of course, this is with middle schoolers and any kissing or romance/love is still gross to them.  But then when the exciting rumble scene comes on and people die/get stabbed that's when things get exciting and you hear the audible gasp from 22 twelve to fourteen year olds.

Random picture from a trip to the zoo last spring:

I'll let you figure out the problem.

Also I've decided to put out some music recommendations this go round:

1. Steven Curtis Chapman- Because he's awesome.  And a throwback 90s Christian artist that is still just as great now, if not better due to life circumstances that have been thrown at him in just a few short years.
2. David Phelps- Because I'm pretty sure his voice is a mix between King David's from the Bible and God.  In fact, he may be just King David incarnate what with the man's musical ability.
3. New American Classic- Make You Fall in Love.  I suggest taking a listen because it's good.

********************************

All that written above has been sitting in the drafts box for about 2 weeks.  Since then much has happened.

Ready?

And because I have to format the photos like that, I'm writing captions down here.

Photo 1: (Old man) This was an old man we had the pleasure of meeting at the Temple of Heaven.  The preying mantis on his head was his friend.  This bug just hung out with him and crawled on the man's sheng (Chinese instrument) when it was played.

Photo 2:  This is a photo of myself and an amazing person I have had the privilege of meeting since moving to China.  My friend Jordon is a unique, encouraging, man of God who lives and studies in Beijing.  He lived in Yantai my first year in China and I got to meet up with him again when visiting Beijing.

Photo 3:  I was nicknamed 'The Banker' on the McClure escapade through China.  I had all the monies so I gave my mother and aunt an allowance at the beginning of each day.

Photo 4: Aunt Daphne, me, and Momma in front of the Forbidden City.  Our tour guide April led us around an amazing day to the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace.

I also talked to 3 of my friends in 2 days. About an hour each.  Please. I'm always willing to Skype or chat or email or fb message or text anyone.  But I must warn you, I'm pretty bad at texting people back sometimes. or responding. But on Skype, let's talk for an hour. or two. or three. I think the longest I've ever talked is 3 1/2 hours on Skype. It was an intense session. There's a couple of funny photos I've taken from convos and I would love to post them but I won't embarrass anyone (Andrew). 

I also spent the day hanging out with a Chinese friend yesterday.  We just talked, ate dinner, and walked around for several hours. It was wonderful to have face to face conversation with someone and some meaningful talk and some shooting the breeze.  I told this friend that I felt that sometimes Chinese people only wanted to be friends with foreigners(me) because they wanted to learn and speak English.  He wrinkled his nose and said, "That's a really shallow- no I need a more poetic word. Maybe...selfish? Yes, selfish, reason to be friends with someone."  This friend is one of the most interesting people with which to talk.  He always has something to say and is very easy to talk to. (I have to end that with a preposition. sorry English people)

Also I have to go on a teacher rant here:

I will try to be as delicate as possible.  I hope that music/academia is the not the most important thing I teach students.  I hope that I will never be the teacher that will spend hours upon hours upon hours stressing/worrying about WHAT I am teaching my students or being overly meticulous about lesson plans.  While I am in China, the title of my job is teaching children music.  My REAL job is LOVING my children/students/the people that I encounter on a daily basis as HE loves them.  Ya know what I mean?

REPPIN' THAT KC ROYALS PRIDE ON THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!! #BlueOctober