Updated on August 4, 2011
Manna
This past weekend during our retreat time, Wu encouraged us to sit down and reflect on a passage from Deuteronomy 8 where Moses is encouraging the Israelites as they prepare (for the second time) to enter the promised land. He reminds them of the miraculous provision of the past forty years–their shoes didn’t even wear out!–and encourages them not to forget this provision when they enter the land of plenty.
As the team headed off to reflect, Wu gave us each a piece of “manna” to aid us in our time. As he handed out pre-packaged “french bread rolls,” I must admit I turned up my nose a bit. As I’ve mentioned before, the Chinese don’t exactly excel at bread making. And mass produced no expiration date prepackaged bread rolls are pretty much at the bottom of the bread chain. Dry, overly sweet, and a bit like I imagine a sponge would taste is the only way to describe them. Little did I know as I headed off to my hotel room that the lesson awaiting me was about to come from that very roll.
I snuggled into my hotel bed. Ok, stop. Snuggle seems to indicate somewhat of a soft surface. Those who have slept on hotel beds in China know that not much “snuggling” is possible. So I sat down on my hotel bed and flipped to the passage. As I slowly read through the passage a few times, I found myself drawn to the descriptions of the manna. The people of Israel were hungry. They were weary from walking around and they had no food to eat. So they complained to the Father. And He gave them manna so they wouldn’t be hungry. End of story.
Or not. Moses gives two reasons why manna rained down from heaven, and neither of those reasons was a physical satiation of hunger. It’s true, the Israelites needed physical food, and they got physical food. But the Father saw the much deeper needs hovering beneath the surface of that physical hunger. He saw their need to learn to rely on “every word that comes from the mouth of the Father” and their need to be “humbled and tested so that in the end it might go well with them.” His provision was aimed right for those deeper needs, and as a corollary also satisfied the surface need as well.
I’m pretty sure the Israelites didn’t request manna. In fact, I know they didn’t because they didn’t even know what it was. The very name manna in Hebrew basically means “whatchamacallit.” From the grumbles of the Israelites, I’m guessing they weren’t the biggest fans of this new substance. Manna was not what they were craving to fill their hunger.
As I reflected on all of this, and the Father’s provision in my own life, my gaze fell on the pre-packaged roll. And it struck me: His provision isn’t always what we ask for and in fact may not seem to meet our cravings and desires in the least bit. Indeed we may not like the taste in the least bit. But our dislike of the taste does not in any way diminish the fact that the provision was perfectly, lovingly, in all wisdom and goodness chosen for us. The Father delights in giving His children good gifts, even when they don’t have the eyes to see that the gift truly is good. It’s not the gift that needs to change; it’s our taste buds that need to change.
I looked at the roll again, and felt the gentle prodding to open it up and eat it. In my mind I said, “No thanks. I get the lesson. I don’t need to eat it.” But that nagging feeling didn’t go away, so with wrinkled nose I opened up the package and ate every last bite of the bread. And miraculously it tasted wonderful!
Nope. Just kidding. It tasted just as I expected. Like a sweet old sponge. But as I chewed on that sweet old sponge, I once again opened my hands in surrender and thanked the Father for his perfect provision. I thanked him for being more concerned with the deep desires and needs within me than with my worldly picky taste buds. And I asked for a joyful and trusting heart that willingly embraces those provisions that I have yet to acquire a taste for.
And when we came back together as a team, I thanked Wu for buying disgusting bread.
Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Updated on August 4, 2011
Sunday Snapshot: Fuling Tomb (Shenyang)
This weekend, the team headed to Shenyang for our annual team retreat. It seems a bit counter-intuitive to pack it up and head out of town during one of the busiest seasons of the year, but the trip has proven to be year after year just what we need at just the right time. It’s easy this time of the year to get lost in papers to grade, exams to write and give, and final activities and parties to be held. It’s easy to heap importance and significance and stress onto tasks that, when you take a step back and look at the grand scheme of things, really don’t matter all that much. And so we take a long weekend to get away, to enjoy each other’s company one last time for the year, to reflect on where we’ve come from and where we’re going, and to eat lots of Western food unavailable in our city.
This is what it’s all about. I go four or five months in between caramel macchiatos, which makes them that much sweeter. There are few things I enjoy more than curling up in a comfy chair, with a scone and macchiato, a journal and the word. Now that is retreat to me. Starbuck*s is the same the world over and there’s something extraordinarily comforting about that. Well, mostly the same. This venue did feature cuttlefish cheese bread and red bean scones in the bakery.
Our first morning in Shenyang, we all headed off to the outskirts of the city to visit the Fuling Tomb. It’s the tomb of the founder of the Qing dynasty and his empress, dating from 1629. Yep, that’s older than the founding of the great United States of America. Problem is, after living in China for five years, I don’t even bat an eye at dates like that. And the tomb complex? It looks a whole lot like other old buildings in China.
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Updated on August 4, 2011
Story time
Recently, in my writing classes we’ve been working on a creative writing unit. The culmination of the unit is a group fairy tale writing project. Students select at random two characters (such as giant and wizard), a location (such as castle or forest), and a moral (such as love triumphs). They must take these elements and weave it into a story. The unit allows students to use the flowery language that I’ve been trying to eliminate from their essay writing all semester. Some of the stories are quite well developed, and I wanted to share one of the better examples with you here. For this story, the two characters were a farmer and a beggar, the setting was an island, and the moral was humility. Enjoy the story!
Once upon a time, there was an isolated island. The island was covered with fear, and the sea made a horrible sound. A crowd of crows were crying over the sky. The rolling sea gave a spooky feeling to the island.
All these views reflected that the island needed some changes. God also hoped a right person could alter these conditions. Sometimes God sent angels to look for the person. At last, he chose a farmer and a beggar. Read More
Updated on August 4, 2011
Food for thought
Considering how steep it was, the descent down into the valley seemed surprisingly easy, but perhaps that was because Much-Afraid desired with her whole will to make it in a way that would satisfy and please the Shepherd. The awful glimpse down into the abyss of an existence without him had so staggered and appalled her heart that she felt she could never be quite the same again. However, it had opened her eyes to the fact that right down in the depths of her own heart she really had but one passionate desire, not for the things which the Shepherd had promised, but for himself. All she wanted was to be allowed to follow him forever.
Other desires might clamor strongly and fiercely nearer the surface of her nature, but she knew now that down in the core of her own being she was so shaped that nothing could fit, fill, or satisfy her heart but he himself. “Nothing else really matters,” she said to herself, “only to love him and to do what he tells me. I don’t know quite why it should be so, but it is. All the time it is suffering to love and sorrow to love, but it is lovely to love him in spite of this, and if I should cease to do so, I should cease to exist.”
Hannah Hurnard, Hinds’ Feet on High Places
Updated on August 4, 2011
Sunday Snapshot: Names
These pictures aren’t from today. In fact, they’re not even from this week. They’re from that eventful to the big city a couple weeks ago. But I was waiting to post pictures of my Chinese nephews until I had decided on their English names. Granted, I thought I would accomplish this task in a much more timely fashion. If I should ever have children, their daddy better be decisive, otherwise said children may spend the first month or so of their lives without a name.
I had several criteria as I chose names for these little guys.
1) The names had to be easily pronounceable for Chinese speakers. I didn’t want the poor boys to show up in English class mispronouncing their own names. I have plenty of students with this problem and it always just makes me sad. In one fell swoop this criteria eliminated all names with “v” and “th” sounds, as well as names beginning with “r”.
2) The names couldn’t be too strange or unusual. Should the day come when the boys use their English names with foreigners, be it in an English classroom or a business meeting, I didn’t want those foreigners to suppress a laugh while wondering where on earth this Chinese man got that name. This criteria also comes from my experiences in the classroom. I’ve seen students with names like “Clean and Clear”, “the General”, “Cappuccino”, and “Wisconsin”. Yes, I said Wisconsin. Turns out some Chinese middle school English teacher named her class of fifty students according to the fifty states of America. Now that is one creative way to teach geography. Just think of the possibilities, “Now Missouri, who should be above and below you?”
3) I wanted the names to have significant meaning. I wanted the boys to have names to grow into, names that they would be proud to explain one day.
Alright, I’ve kept you in suspense for long enough. Wait, what? You already scrolled past my verbose explanations to see the names? Shame on you.
Without further ado, I present to you:
Jingbo, the older of the twins and the more patient of the two. Jingbo has an easy-going, quiet personality. He is more likely to contentedly observe and watch what’s happening around him than to voice an opinion. I’ve chosen the name John for him, meaning God is gracious. It is my hope that his life would be a testimony to this meaning. In addition, this name is special to me because it’s my dad’s name. My dad also has a quiet, peaceful personality, so in my mind the name suits Jingbo perfectly.
Jingran is the second born, and the feistier of the two. He has no shame in letting his voice and opinion be heard, and is already displaying a sharp mind. I’ve chosen the name Paul for him. First of all, the meaning of Paul, “small”, perfectly suits him as the smaller of the twins. Secondly, it’s my hope that his feistiness and sharp mind will be used for great purposes in the future, just as another Paul’s courage and boldness was used to spread good news many years ago.
So there you have it, John and Paul.
Now I just need to learn how to correctly identify who is Paul and who is John.
I can only hope that as they grow they look less and less alike! Or that they always wear different colored shirts.
Updated on August 4, 2011
China makes me smile
Five years in and there are still random sights that make me smile and giggle. And make me so happy I made the decision to move across the ocean.
Random laundry. Drying in random locations. This particular set of clothes was drying next to the main market street just outside our campus. Somebody has some nice fuzzy pink pajamas.
Speaking of pajamas, I love the fact that said clothing item is appropriate indoor attire regardless of the time of day…and appropriate outdoor attire when running a quick errand. Apparently, some in China view such uses of pajamas as inappropriate. I found the following article about Shanghai’s attempt to banish pajama clad folks from the streets of the current World Expo host absolutely delightful. First of all, I love the fact that people do live their lives–indoors and outdoors–in pajamas. Secondly, I love the fact that some higher up official hatched the idea to put the kibosh on this perhaps strange, but also charming behavior. Forcing people to stand in lines for the Olympics? That’s understandable. Sending granny home to put on “real clothes”? That just seems wrong.
Updated on August 4, 2011
Glorious
The strong winds, rain, and chilly temperatures of the past few days only made the bright skies of today that much more glorious. The temperature was that perfect spring balance of not too cold but not too hot. The air was only occasionally stirred by a light breeze. Strikingly blue skies with puffy white clouds perfectly set off all of the green growth the rain had brought. Glorious.
It was a day meant to be spent outside. Grannies and grandkids swarmed the parks on campus.
It was one of the few days in which I would actually encourage you to breathe deeply. More often than not in cities in China, deep breaths result in being assaulted with some less than desirable aromas. But for a few fleeting weeks in May, when the lilac bushes are teeming with flowers around campus, breathing deeply is exactly what you need to do.
I remember days like this when I was a student. I remember sitting in class just willing the clock to go faster so I could go outside. At that time it never crossed my mind that my teacher likely shared that sentiment, and perhaps felt it even stronger. Today, everything inside me screamed to either cancel class or move it outside. But I didn’t. I knew that would totally ruin my street cred as a strict teacher.
I like my street cred. It makes my students work hard.
But boy was I happy when class was over. I went straight to a lilac bush and took in a deep sweet breath. No joking folks. I literally walked out of the building and went straight for the bush. I was trying to rid my nose of the lingering smell of the bathrooms I had just passed.
The only thing more beautiful than all of this green growth and glorious weather? The fruit showing up in lives across our campus. It’s that season where hours of investment and living life together and the Father’s tender gardening skills are bringing forth an incredible crop of new growth. There’s a mighty sweet aroma being released on this campus.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Updated on August 4, 2011
Bad news for my mom and my waistline
I love ice cream. Every summer when I return to the States, I make sure to get my fill of ice cream because I know I’ll go the next four or five months without it. While describing ice cream as a motivation to return to America may be a bit extreme, it is a definite perk. For the past four years in our small town in China, we have not had a single container of decent ice cream. Green pea and corn flavored popsicles? Red bean filled ice cream bars? We have plenty of those. In the winter, they sell them out of cardboard boxes on the street. Creamy, rich, smooth, flavorful American-style ice cream? Nowhere to be found.
That is, nowhere to be found until about a week ago when Rachel discovered a new brand of ice cream in the freezer at the tiny neighborhood store we refer to as the blue store.
It’s a box with three small containers of ice cream. The flavors look surpisingly normal–with not a single vegetable to be found near them. The pictures indicate one container is cookies ‘n cream, one is traditional rocky road, and one is rocky road with vanilla ice cream. Rachel bought a box, gave it a try and reluctantly reported to the rest of us that good ice cream had finally made its appearance in our city. I say reluctantly because she knew spreading the news would mean a quick disappearance of all packages of said ice cream. Sure enough, in a day all the boxes were gone. We held our breath. More often than not, we find a food we love, we buy it all, and it never comes back again. But a day later the freezer was re-stocked. It could still disappear within a week or month, but for now we seem to have a steady supply.
There is now one less reason to ever leave this city (bad news for my mom). Ice cream has reentered my diet (bad news for my waistline). I also now have a reason to whip up batches of my dad’s hot fudge sauce, which I’ve been making with dark chocolate cocoa. Oh my goodness, I’m in trouble.
My judgment of the quality of this ice cream, though, may be a bit skewed. Below is my favorite snack to take to Chinese class.
You may say, “What’s odd about that? It just looks like pretzel sticks.” But take a closer look at the flavor.
Yep, green bean flavored cracker sticks. Five years in China and I think that is a perfectly normal, acceptable, and tasty flavor combination. I just haven’t come around to green bean popsicles yet. That’s going to take at least another five years.
Updated on August 4, 2011
Sunday snapshot: Surprise!
On our team, there’s no such thing as minding your own business. Our lives are unmistakably and unavoidably intertwined. Let’s just say there aren’t too many secrets around here. We know more about each other then some of our own families know. We all live on two floors of the same apartment building, and are always in each other’s homes and lives. For better or for worse, we are together. Which is why surprises are nearly impossible to pull off around here. So when Rachel proposed to the girls a surprise shower for Jennifer, we knew we had to put a secrecy plan into action. We knew the primary target of the secrecy plan was Daren, Jennifer’s husband. Daren can not keep a secret from Jennifer. Not for a week, not for a day, not even for five minutes. We know this fact from experience. If Jennifer was going to be surprised, Daren couldn’t know about the shower before she walked into that door. Part two of the secrecy plan was to also not tell any of the boys on the team about the shower.
And what do you know, it worked! Jennifer was completely and utterly surprised (as was Daren). Even with out of town guests coming in, we managed to keep her completely in the dark.
We had a fun ladies’ afternoon celebrating and anticipating the (hopefully soon) arrival of Lucy to the Clements family. The theme was girly polka dots & rabbits (Lucy will have a Beatrix Potter room).
There were guests from the nearby “big city.”
The main attraction of the party was food (have you caught on that this is a main attraction at all of our parties?).
We had games to play: Boggle using the letters from Lucy’s full name.
And “Lucy items” pictionary.
Which taught us who in the crowd had drawing skills and who lacked them. We all got a kick out of this “stuffed animal.” It’s creator shall remain nameless (and no, it was not me! didn’t you see my art skills in the picture from my class?).
Sam wanted a chance to try out her drawing skills as well. Can you guess what she’s drawing?
Thankfully, Jennifer’s team won, so she could make off with the awesome sheep basket prize. Little did she know we would have given them to her regardless of the game result.
After a quick break for dessert (thanks for the cheesecake mix, dad!), it was time for presents.
We all oohed and awed over girly dresses and toys.
The boys in the Clements house aren’t going to know what hit them.
Conclusion of the party? We can’t wait for those sweet little feet to come fill these shoes! C’mon paperwork, move quickly please!
Updated on August 4, 2011
Perseverance
Last week, due to my trip to the big city, I skipped my Chinese class on Wednesday. After the drama of the train station and returning home around 11:30 pm, I also decided to skip my 8 am Thursday morning Chinese class. If I was a more motivated student, I would have reviewed the lessons I knew I was missing and would have tried to learn some of the characters. Instead, in reality I didn’t touch my Chinese book from the time I left my class last Tuesday until the time I walked into the classroom this Tuesday. Uhhh…yeah, not such a great idea on my part. I found myself struggling through class, stumbling over characters that I knew I knew but for the life of me couldn’t remember. You see, Chinese is not my first nature. I’m trying to change my brain to be able to listen to, speak, read, and write Chinese. It’s not something I can just pick up and work on when I have the time and inclination. In order for my brain to change, it’s something that I need to persevere in working on day by day. Let me confess something: effects I’m pretty lousy at persevering.
The same principle can be applied to exercise. As I’ve mentioned before, I spend my mornings with Jillian. If I’m consistently working out 4-5 days a week, it becomes much easier to complete the workout. Not easy, but easier. If I go a week, or two, or like what happened during my winter travels, six weeks the workout becomes quite painful and unbearable. If I want to be physically fit, I need to exercise regularly, as in multiple times each week, the rest of my life. I will never reach a point where I say, “Woohoo! Now I’m completely fit, I can just sail through the rest of my life.” That’s just not the way the body works. Once again, perseverance is necessary.
The point I want to get to is, that if this is true of the mental and physical nature, how much more true is it of the spiritual nature? Just like it is not in my mental nature to think and process in Chinese, it is not in our spiritual nature to follow, obey and do the will of the Father. If we want our natures to be changed, it’s going to require a whole lot more time with the Father than just a check-in for a couple hours on Sunday, and when I have a few spare moments during the week. Just like with the physical body, we are never going to reach a point in our lives where we say, “I know the Father enough, I’m good enough at following Him, I don’t need to spend as much time pursuing Him.” If we have chosen His way as the way, the path and the direction of our lives, then we’ve signed up for a path that takes daily commitment and perseverance. No wonder Paul found the need to admonish us to finish the race. We are so apt to sit down and declare, “That’s far enough.” But we don’t realize the fruit, and joy, and peace, and blessing that we forfeit when we fail to persevere. It feels so good when I’ve been faithful in studying my characters and reviewing my lessons, and I go to class and have no problem reading an entire dialogue just in characters. There’s a sense of accomplishment when I finish the cardio section of my workout video and realize I’m not out of breath. How much greater will the joy be when we hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”?
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of the truth.
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