Supporters
A few days ago I met with a supporter who just recently started
giving. She was actually the first
person who I had asked and to my surprise she came on board this month! I was
thrilled.
She’s older and has grown children, one of which is a nurse who
has taken her to Hawaii.
“Wow, I wish I could be retired, do what I want all day, and have
a daughter who makes lots of money and takes me on trips,” I thought in the back
of my head when she told me this information last
fall.
Silly me …
To show my appreciation for her decision I took her out shortly
thereafter. This beautiful old
woman wasn’t afraid to tell me about her family.
I came to find out that her daughter’s husband, who is in his fifties or
early 60s has had a serious loss of brain function and his wife is the sole care
giver and bread winner in her family.
Her daughter also helps supports her four children and along with this
has a health condition herself.
Next my supporter went on to describe the fact that her son is
living a lifestyle which she, as a Christian, can’t condone, but “What can you
do?” she says.
They told me that supporting our supporters is a ministry
too. I believe it.
I’ll be praying for my friend/supporter and I hope by listening I was an
encouragement.
Another
confirmation
Sometimes I wonder if I really am effecting enough people. After all, sometimes I find myself with
certain students over and over again.
Should I be reaching out to
more?
Not according to the student I spent more than four hours in the
car with a few weeks ago.
She says that she hasn’t encountered any bad people in America and
she hopes she never will. She says
that I’m one of those good people, that I helped her time in America be the
positive experience it is. All
but one of the persons she names off are Christians and the one that isn’t has
a family member who is.
She says many other things that bring joy to my ears as she
describes coming to our weekly fellowships from the beginning and not feeling
lonely but making friends right away there. And about all of us on our ISI team
helping her in many ways.
Phew, I’m glad I’m doing what God has called me to
do!
We had lunch this week with
a Chinese family
Her parents, one of her sisters, and her niece, are visiting from
China! Loren revived a call a few
minutes prior to their coming and we scrambled now knowing there were five, not
three, guests having lunch at her home.
We greeted them with excitement, however.
Her father must have been equally delighted because he wore a grin on his
face almost the whole evening. It
reminded me of my days in china when I’d be invited over to the home of someone
I didn’t know and would spend the entire time smiling because though I was very
excited I didn’t understand a word of what people were saying.
Thankfully, however, my friend is a good translator and she
explained what we said to her family and vice
versa.
Her little neice squirmed in her chair and stuffed rice in her
mouth and played a little with her
food.
Her sister also smiled, and sat refined in her chair.
Contributing to the conversation at times, at others politely
listening.
Her mother laughed and blushed as we asked about how she and her
husband had met. (They were
neighbors from a young age and got married as soon as their formal age for
marrying, 21 and 22 came about.)
Chinese persons generally shy away from talking as much about
feelings.
We chatted a great deal about commonalities in our families. They have four girls just like
our family and Loren and his father had worked in a sawmill which is the similar
to one of the companies my friend’s father owns. Her father is an entrepreneur and has
started two manufacturing companies from scratch.
The latest of which makes large recycled, plastic bags and also water
purifying systems.
We showed the family our backyard.
“I told them they were going to see a very nice American family with a
very beautiful house and a very beautiful yard.” My friend told us.
Our house was built in the 80 and is anything but extravagant but they
backyard is very beautiful. They
were pleased.
There was a near accident outside, however, my friend’s mother
nearly broke her ankle as she fell off the porch.
Thankfully she was just fine.
Despite this incident, they all seemed to have a good time. Before they left, Loren shared a few
storied about some of the Asian articles in his home, embedded in each was a
story from the bible.
As the niece was putting the final pictures on a picture she was
drawing for Loren I gave my friend’s father a pile of Chinese Christian
magazines I’d collected from a student.
He smiled graciously and took them and flipped through them as he
waited. Loren followed this by
giving him a Chinese bible.
My friend’s family left our home admits promises to host us if we
came to Guangzhou.
I pray my friend’s father will read the
magazines.
Ready for bed?
Not yet!
Exhausted, I put the final touches on a project.
Suddenly I realized I was supposed to Skype with a student!
I was now grateful for the extra work because I hadn’t fallen
asleep.
The call came soon.
It was the second Skype date we had had. The student was a new 6 month Christian,
back at home for the summer before returning to complete her last semester at
Fox.
She greeted me warmly, seeing the giant teddy bear her former
roommate had left and subsequently I inherited.
I sat on the bear and listened.
Listened to my friend tell me about leaving her comfortable home
and coming to live with her uncle, a business man, in the city so that she could
work in an internship for the summer.
Three major difficulties stood out to me in our
conversation.
1)
My friend
wonders why it is so hard for her to get an internship.
She wanted to know why life was so hard, especially when God is
involved. She mentioned a
Christian friend of ours with cancer.
She has been reading her update and knows that this person is looking on
the bright side of things and trusting God has a plan.
“I don’t think I can do this” she
said.
2)
My friend
was angry at her uncle and his wife.
“They’re so conservative” she said. It is extremely hot weather in Guangzhou
and yet her uncle won’t allow her to turn on the air-conditioned.
She blew up at her uncle once when he got angry
after she turned it on against his wishes.
3)
My friend
is frustrated by not being able to find a job, even though she’s choosing to
work for the summer rather than be lazy at
home.
Three positive things I identified that I
did.
1.
I listened to what she said. I think
I’m getting better at listening because I said less to begin with.
Caiyun needed to vent her frustrations, not get
advice right away.
2.
I also
needed to be willing to listen to how my responses were being received. There
were a number of times I could tell I’d said too much too fast and I needed to
slow down and summarize in about 5 words what I’d said in
50.
3.
I needed
to share scripture. I narrowed it
down to the passage in James about being quick to listen and slow to speak. I tried sharing another but it went over
her head. “I get that one” she
said in response to James.
I was thankful.
At the end of our conversation we shared our prayer
requests. My friend wasn’t
comfortable praying out loud so we agreed to pray on our own later.
We said goodbye as the clock had already struck midnight for me.
I’m still praying for her and I’d appreciate your prayers
too. We have another Skype date
next week!
One thing leads to
another
One of the Chinese students who’s only loosely been connected
with our ISI ministry, I text told one of his friends to let him know it was his
birthday month and if he comes he gets whatever he wants in the way of food or
dessert. His friend told me he
wanted watermelon so I went to grocery outlet and purchased
it.
The student came, bringing two of his friends with him. These girls are now headed off to an
event with me on Saturday.
At the end of the night I was amazed to hear that this student
could cook. “Wow, I’m so
impressed” I said. He then
invited me over sometime for dinner.
Oh how I pray that each interaction is significant.
I don’t think that just spending time with students is a waste. I really feel that one thing leads to
another.