I believe the last update i sent out was before Christmas and two weeks before the end of finals. The holidays here were a lot of fun. I was able to skype with my family early on Christmas morning and open my stocking and wrapped gifts my family had sent over. It was a great time despite the fact that i had to wake up at 7:30 to do it :). I love and miss them so much! As a guys team, we spent Christmas together in the morning and then headed off to have breakfast with the girls team. And it was a good call! Cinnamon rolls, scrambled egg-thingies, and biscuits adorned the beloved coffee table. I even contributed by whippin' up some waffles, including chocolate chip waffles. Before you start hatin', let me tell you that there is a tiny bit of culinary skill in these able limbs. I will admit that i didn't make the batter, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? Anyways, breakfast was amazing and it was fun giving and opening the gifts that we got for each other. I was given pancake mix, meat from wal-mart, and some dumbell weights. My kind of gifts. Later that evening we collaborated with the much loved women again to have an even more scrumdidilyumptious meal. I believe i posted pictures of the feast on my flickr account. Words cannot describe how good this food was. I am so appreciative of the girls and everyone else that contributed to such a great time. In all honesty, our time together was great. Just hanging out and lovin' on each other as brothers and sisters was much needed. I am so thankful for the body and the people that He puts in our lives.
That next week we started finals. 160 students speaking for an average of 5 minutes each really wears on you. We broke it up into two weeks and spent a long time sitting and writing down numbers 1-10. I got pretty good at my 8's. That tuesday myself and a few others went to my dean's apartment and had dinner with them as we had some pretty amazing home cooked chinese food. She taught in utah for a year so she has a good grasp of the english language and american culture, which is nearly non existent here. The week before we performed a couple of songs for Christmas at a foreign teacher party. Of course i was volunteered, so i played my guitar and halfway sang 'silent night' with another teammate who is much more gifted vocally. That performance was not enough, so we were told we were going to give a performance at a our new year's eve banquet in front of all the teachers and administration at our school. We ended up playing 'lean on me' and had a good time rocking out. It's kind of hard to hear, but you can check out the video here on my flickr. There wasn't as much food as i was expecting, but thankfully everyone else had wimpy appetites, giving more to gluttonous jordan.
The last week of school was our 2nd week of finals. When the students had finished their exams, i played a couple songs for them on my guitar that i brought in. The song list was composed of 'hurt' by johnny cash, 'worlds apart' by jars of clay, and 'Your love o Lord' by third day. If you sing half of the song in tune they think you're a rockstar, consequently reviving my dream of becoming the next american idol. I was also able to take ALOT of pictures with each class using a timer and 10 shot burst. Many of these pictures are on my flickr as well. I also asked them to write a Christmas card to a supporter on the list that i gave them. Unfortunately, some people didn't get any cards while some supporters received numerous ones. I am going to try and send those back home before i leave, but based upon the number of items on my unchecked checklist, it may have to wait. Anyways, my sweet students wrote many cards to my family and friends back home as well as a few to me. It's these kinds of things that make me want to be their teacher for the rest of their college career.
After our last week of finals, school finally ended and we had a reprieve from the busy-ness that is a result of end of the year festivities and responsibilities. That next next tuesday and wednesday, the majority of our team went to harbin in heilongjiang province, about 3 hours north of here. It is an even colder city in a province bordering russia. We visited the famed 'ice festival' on tuesday evening. It was so beautiful that i would even consider giving up another toe to frostbite. The skill in constructing these large, magnificent sculptures was astounding. It as an amazing opportunity, but again, the cold was horrid. My camera was so cold that every time we would go into a 'warmer' shelter my camera would fog up from all the moisture and then it would freeze. Thankfully i took a lot of pictures, many of which you know where to find. The next day we went to an old russian-style church in the city. Even though it was no longer an operating church, it wreaked of history and beauty as the dilapidated walls and vaults continued to deteriorate, exposing brick and and water streaks. I unloaded my camera on this one. I apologize since there are few pictures of myself, but i will try to upload some from my friend at a later time. The bummer about the trip was one of the girls losing her passport, but thankfully that is being taken care of right now. The train ride home was pretty interesting as we made some friends with a few of the nationals and one in particular. Unfortunately this fellow had a tad too much to drink and found a liking for the girls that were with abram and i. After a couple cheek rubs and pecks on the cheek while my back was turned, we quickly became the older brothers, denying any more contact and maintaining a pretty solid defense if i may say so myself. I'll try and grab some of the photos he took with them. They're priceless :).
Other than that, the past couple weeks have been very relaxing as most of my time has been spent sleeping and abiding in Him. He is giving me more of a desire to be with Him and showing me that He really is all that is worth living for. It gets me so pumped up about heaven. I'm seeing that there is so much more to this 'Christian thing' than we realize and i want a revelation of what that is. As abram and i prepare to leave for this 1 month journey, please keep us in your pryrs. We have been asking Him to open doors for us to step out in faith, to be Love to people, and to be obedient no matter how uncomfortable it may be. We want to be His hands and feet to this hurting world and not only live by the Spirit, but walk by the Spirit as well (Galatians 6:10). Everyone in our organization is required to go to this annual thailand conference (atc). It is here that we will be refreshed, rejuvenated, and sharpened as myself and 500 other teachers worship our Savior together and participate in teaching workshops. We will be exposed to different opportunities within the organization both in china and other countries. I ask that you would petition for discernment for me regarding the decisions that i have to make in these next couple months. All i know is that i have a strong desire to serve Him and go wherever it is He tells me. I want to be poured into, equipped built up, and sent out to share Hope and Love with this hurting world before our King's return. Wow, i feel like i could talk about this for a long time, but for brevity's sake i'll leave it there. Here are some of the requests i ask that you would lift up in faith:
- That abram and i would be empowered by the Spirit to love and step out in faith at His leading (there's no guide better than the Most High)
- That He would prepare our hearts as well as those we come into contact with
- That we would find favor and blessing throughout this trip and that it would be protected from the enemy's schemes
- For wisdom, discernment, and clarity to make a decision soon on what i will do next year
- For healing on my foot as i will be doing more walking than i would prefer (mark 11:22-24)
- For the body to receive the spirit of revelation in the knowledge of Him
Thank you for all your support through prayers, correspondence, and finances. I am so blessed by you and your impact in my life. If you need to get a hold of me, email will be the best way although i won't check it very often. I will talk to you in a month or two :). May He continue to mold and shape us as we abide in Him. To Jesus be the glory!
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