What a crazy week: English Clubs in Beijing & on the Western Campus, Movie Night, the Philip Hayden Foundation, Couples Night, and the blur of another exciting week in China!Wow! It’s been a busy week, and as I slump down in the chair at the computer on this Sunday afternoon, I find it difficult to remember all of the details of the past week. It really has been as blessed week, and we have witnessed his faithfulness in many ways. Thank you for your thoughts!
We have many reasons why we are thankful this week:
1. It’s obviously Spring! Many of our students are starting to find boyfriends and girlfriends. We used this as an opportunity to have a Couples Night with students. The four of us went to dinner with three student couples, and it was a blast! We discussed our dream jobs and our favorite moments of the week.
2. All four of us went to the Western Campus on Friday night for an English Club and it went really well. Shannon and Peter went to Beijing on Saturday for another English Club and it also went well. If you are interested, I’ve already posted the pictures on facebook.
3. On the way to the Western Campus Peter, Shannon, and Jess just happened to run into a couple of our students. They had other plans, but they decided to change their plans so that they could go across town to the other campus for English Club. It was a great opportunity to share our lives with them during the evening. You can also find these pictures on facebook.
4. Jess and I took two students to the Philip Hayden Foundation on Saturday afternoon, and, as always, the visit had a tremendous impact on our friends. It is amazing how one visit to an orphanage can spark so many great conversations. We also ran into some like-minded American friends who were visiting PHF, which was an unexpected blessing. It’s always nice to talk to other Americans once in a while; I suppose that’s something we took for granted before this year.
5. On Saturday night, Jess and I hosted another movie night in the English building. Over 100 students came to see Cinderella Man, and they loved the movie. The next official movie night is on June 7th.
6. Everything should be set for our return home on Thursday, June 12th. We should be in Maryland just long enough to get a good night sleep, and then get on a bus with 40 high school students heading to Virginia. We are very excited to have the opportunity to spend the first week of our summer with many of the American students that we have worked with in the previous four years.
Things to continue thinking about:
1. English Week from May 22 to June 1
2. We are starting week 9 of the semester, and week 10 is the all important evaluation week for the college. If for some reason this week doesn’t go well, it could affect our English Week.
3. Our time with students outside of class
4. Peter and Shannon’s wedding plans
5. Please continue to remember our families in America who are struggling with illnesses.
Thank you for your thoughts,
Brad & Jess
