My time is passing quickly and plesantly

These past few weeks have been filled with productive labor. I have been teaching 7 classes a week, which keeps me very busy, and have recently started to reach out to my students. Everyone here is so kind and generous, and we are blessed to be in a country filled with generous people.. even if some of them are being generous for selfish purposes, that does not exclude the fact that they are kind people. It is sad to learn of their culture and the demands of their obedience within their society.

Some activities that we have recently done: visited Wuhan University, which is very much like the scenery in Arkansas with the hills and trees (minus the palm trees), visited the infamous Walking Street, sang on stage for a talent show, found some excellent salons that wash your hair and give you head massages, and a few people that were in the program a few years ago came to visit us from the States for a few days (which is how we were introduced to the salons that gave head massages). October 1 is a national holiday here, celebrating the 60th year of communism, so we have a week off from teaching and classes. September 30th, we are leaving to meet some other teachers in the program, and we are going on a Yangtze River cruise to see the Three Gorges and the Three Gorges Dam that was recently built this year. It is suppose to be one of the largest dams in the world now.

I believe that is all the news for now. If you want to see some videos that I have posted, please go to photobucket.com, and look for courtneylaynesidwell11 in the search bar under 'people'.

Please continue to pray for our team and that we effectively reach out to those we meet here.

Thank you!

"We have the greatest reason of all

We'll build a city or we'll fall
We'll build a city without walls" --Braddigan

"Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand." --Isaiah 53:10

August 31, 2009

The Arrival

We made it to Wuhan, China last Sunday (August 23) at about 10:40 a.m. and have been very busy since then. Every day we have had someone accompany us around the city and campus. Two student ambassadors (English names Stephanie and Frank) have been helping us almost every day, making sure we have everything we need and showing us around. One of the previous teachers from last year, Daniel (whose apartment I live in now), came to visit us on Friday and Saturday to show us around and take us to the teachers' gathering.. about an hour and a half cab ride away. These gatherings are held about once a month to talk about what's been going on and our progress, and to sing and have a devotional. We also met another Chinese student tonight, named Charles. He took us out to eat near campus.

Sunday, we received our teaching schedules and a list of our students in each class. My classes start on Monday, September 7th, and will continue until January 10th. I will be teaching 7 classes of oral English, all consisting of post graduate students. Stephen started his first bout of teaching this morning, and Drew and Emmalyn will start teaching next week. We plan on writing a syllabus for our classes this week.

Tomorrow, we will go to the international affairs office to sign the second half of the contract. It looks like a busy week ahead of us, yet again.

I will try to keep everyone updated. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. :)

"A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting." --Henry David Thoreau

" With men it is impossible; but to God all things are possible." -- Matthew 19:26

Few Days Before Leaving

My journey begins on Friday morning. I leave from the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport at 11:30 a.m., fly to Dallas, and from Dallas to Los Angeles. We all leave Los Angeles at 11:30 p.m., and get to Hong Kong after a 15 hour flight, and finally fly to Wuhan, arriving on the 23rd of August. The time difference will be 13 hours ahead of Central Time. We will have a week to adjust and prepare for classes, which start on August 31st/September 1st. Please pray for all the teachers and our travels over there.

"So sing it loud let your voice fill up this space
Cause if the energy's good its gonna take the place
Well don't fight it, invite it, gonna set you free
Well step into the light it is happening"
--Barefoot Truth 'All Good Reasons'

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
--Deuteronomy 31:6