| | It's day 2 of the AGAPE renewal conference. I came here with a friend, thinking it'd be cool to spend my memorial day long weekend in a Christian retreat. I had no idea this organization promotes charismatic movements in Chinese churches, and I had no expectations whatsoever. To be honest, seeing all these 40-something Chinese American adults dance, shout out Amens (very often with "Woo-hoos"), and clap spontaneously makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. I can feel them looking at the 20-something me, thinking, "Poor girl..What demonic power is holding her back? What's hindering her spirit? Why is she so stiff?"
btw, I don't know if it's the new yorker in me or what, but i find that i can get quite impatient with their singspiration routines. Seriously, they devote 45 minutes of assembly time to singspiration, singing only 5 very simple songs, each with two verses max. All those repetitions drive me crazy, and make me feel guilty at the same time, wondering if i've become too jaded and proud.
Anyways, the speakers are good. And i do learn a lot, despite the fact that the prolonged singspiration stresses me out quite a bit. the Lord is good. and i hope i have more to share in the coming few days.
Before i go, i just want to share that Pastor Jerome Ocampo's message on generational transfer really encouraged me today. During prayer time, I reflected on the career i have, the students i serve, and the wonderful colleagues i work with, and it hit me once again how exceedingly blessed i am. i have a dream job. yes i'm living a dream. there's no other place on this planet where i can find a working place so perfectly compatible with what i can offer (a nerdy, fob-y bilingual teacher in a Chinatown school..there's no better match!). Not only do i love what i'm doing, i am serving the sweetest, most wonderful and generous group of kids on earth, who never fails to make me feel loved and appreciated. God, I love them. In every prayer session in this retreat up to this point, when i should have concentrated on asking for direction or confessing my sins, etc, all i kept seeing in my mind were my kids' smiles. Their faces just kept popping up, and i had no choice (haha..not complaining here... they got me through those pro-longed and noisy prayer sessions) but to bless them.
On friday in school, during one of those silly casual moments, one lil boy raised his hand and told me, "Ms. Tu, you remind me a lot of my sister," and caught me off guard (i mean, i know he has a 20-something older sister, but the kid is half-German!). so stupidly i said, "oh, really? big one or small one?" (huhhh??? yeah i know..it didn't make sense even to me.) his words kept ringing in my ears today. what more can a teacher ask for? a half-German little guy, who i've shown quite a bit of "tough love" (aka. harsh, mean handling) to, had just told me (with very loving, dovey eyes and that adorable smile, btw, no hard feelings for sure ha!) he sees me as family. i never knew if my students can relate to me, and his simple comment was the most encouraging reassurance.
Everything good comes from God.
I see God everywhere, in great, powerful magnitude, in my work place, all the time.
Yes, I see Him in my lil 6th grade classroom EVERYWHERE and ALL THE TIME.
I have a dream job. i'm loving it.
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| | Posted 5/24/2009 12:42 AM - 2 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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