A great first experience tonight.

The first few days here have been somewhat full. I don’t know if I would call them “busy,” but there have many things to get done and prepare for. By this Wednesday, we have to have a General Teaching Guideline completed for our college, consisting of a basic course outline and objective for the semester. Nothing too difficult—if you’ve taught before. A little daunting at first, but good for me.

The fullness of the first few days has created a desire for interaction with the people. I have met a few, but time with them has been limited. The Master gave good time for study today (partly because of a cancelled class), and I felt prepared for the next day’s classes. So, after a quick sandwich for supper, I left for some time at the Key Café. I had not even made it completely out of the door when He placed His plan for the night directly in front of me. Ron, Linda, and Merideth were fellowshipping with several Chinese people and I stopped to talk for a few minutes. Mike was the name of the man in the group. I soon found out that his family had left China when he was 6, moved to Kansas, he had attended Texas A&M, and had just returned to China in March to be an English teacher (he is now 26). And that was just the beginning of my learning about him. The others soon had to leave, but Mike was more than willing to join me at the Café. We got some iced coffee and a brownie and just talked. I’m not a great conversationalist, but with Mike, that didn’t matter. He spoke of his family, his job in the states, his Corvette that he sold, his new scooter that he just bought here, his teaching experience (which was very helpful, especially for my first day), and much more. Mike is a unique case: he is a native Chinaman, but he speaks perfect English (if you consider a Texas accent ‘perfect’) and knows both American and Chinese cultures extremely well. He knows Mandarin as well, so he’s great to have around. After our coffee we went into the streets and had some food off the grill—cow tendons, grilled beef, potatoes, and wild mushrooms—all very good. A smart vendor would have ripped off the rich American, but having a national with me got us the normal price; and, he put in a good word for me to the vendor, so next time I go back, he’ll know who I am. All of that aside, Mike knows who HE is, but is not a Brother. He is an Americanized Chinaman (not necessarily a good thing!), but maybe this will provide inroads into his life. He has very few friends here since he has just moved back, but he is friends with several of the ETA Brothers. He is very eager to hang out and teach and learn; and I am eager to do the same. Remember Mike. A hard case in our faithless eyes; but we were all called when we were “still being sinners.” He is Faithful.

I relay this story for His praise, but also for your encouragement. About midway through our time together tonight I momentarily thought to myself, “Wow, it took a trip to China for me to be able to have interaction like this.” Then it hit me, “No, Mike is essentially an American. A man looking for something.” These kind of people are right on your front doorstep, too—like Mike literally was on mine. In my busy-ness of life, I’m often too self-centered to stop and see them. Don’t be like me. Take these Master-provided opportunities.

Gb.