China Trip

From the countryside of China to the neighbor next-door, the Lord is opening many doors to serve various people groups through the ministry of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. To prepare for this ministry, IBLP (www.ati.iblp.org) is hosting a two-week intensive course, which will cover the basics of TESOL and equip people to minister through it.

Location and Dates: Riverfront Character Inn, Flint, MI, 6/15 – 6/30/04

Cost: $600 (includes materials, room and board)

Program Details

Mr. Doug Sadler will be the instructor. He has been a pastor, worked with Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, and now works with Youth With A Mission leading teams of young people on mission projects in North America and abroad. Mr. Sadler holds a Master’s degree from Regent College and a TESOL certificate from Providence Seminary.

Goal

Course Content

Skills

The course is built upon a foundation of Communicative Language Theory and task-based learning.

Age Levels

The course will prepare students to teach English to a variety of age levels, from children to adults. It models active discovery methods in class, which can be utilized in the ESL classroom.

Language Levels

The course will prepare students to teach at a variety of levels, from beginner to advanced. Students in this course will be serving in Taiwan, Mongolia, Malaysia, and China in the near future!

"I went into this course totally unaware as to what I was getting into. TESOL has benefited me in many different ways and has opened doors to many opportunities. It has been exciting to see how much can be learned and taught from a little thing such as a newspaper article. This course has encouraged me to think on a broader scale, think in deeper terms, and also to be more aware of things taking place around me. I have learned that the teacher does not have to make things complicated for the students to be able to learn something, and that it is okay for the teacher to make things “fun” for the class."

"I have come to realize the importance of the English language including parts of speech, verb tenses, intonation, and so forth. Before, I did not fully understand the importance of those aspects of our language. I now understand how and why they enhance a person’s work and study, and also that they are important aspects in teaching the English language.

As a result of this course, I have come to look on the English language in a whole new light. It is a gift to be invested in whether we use it only for everyday living or plan to teach it in various countries. I feel blessed to be a native speaker and to be able to share it with others.

Before I attended TESOL I had no idea what a great influence the English language had around the world. People needing to know this language so they could provide for their families, war refugees needing a home and work, and also individuals needing to know our language to get into high job positions and/or higher education."

"Teaching English as a second language is definitely a strong way to minister to people in need. The Scripture says that true religion is to minister to the widows, orphans, and to those who are afflicted and in need. That is exactly what we are doing as English teachers. What a unique, practical way to serve other people and nations.

As for missions in general, I have come to realize that a person can be just as effective for Christ by teaching English as they can by literally preaching from the Bible. These people who have come to our country and also the many others around the world have a real need. To minister to their need is one of the greatest ways we can influence them for Christ. It is also important to realize that we can be just as effective for Christ in our own country, community, home, church, and family, as we can by becoming a missionary in some foreign country. It is easy to get the idea that to serve God most effectively we have to go about doing “great things”. Christ said that even if you give a glass of water in His name you are giving it to Him. Little things do matter and can make a big difference."

"Through this course and listening to the stories and testimonies of others, I have gained greater clarity regarding my ministry and the purpose for which I am going to China. It is my prayer that I go with a servant's heart, not as one who is trying to convert these people to my ways and culture. God has created each culture in His own special way.

I pray that my time in China will be a time of Spiritual growth and that I will learn as much or more from the Chinese people as they will be learning from me. I go with an open heart, ready to hear what the Lord would teach me.

Future preparation would be for me to concentrate on gaining confidence in the areas of the English language that I struggle with and to learn common phrases, questions, and answers in Chinese.

The testimonies, scriptural insights, and fellowship with like-minded believers have been such a blessing and encouragement to me. I am excited about what the Lord is going to do in my life and pray that He will use me to bring light and encouragement to others."

Phone call...Jeremy called from Pinghu, which is a city of 6 million people. Procedures at the airport were routine--show passport, pick up luggage, and head to the hotel! The team has been on the go both Friday and Saturday from 8AM to 8PM! They hope to have internet access soon. They have met their hosts, toured the area, and are coordinating for English Camps which begin on Monday. Today, they went to a church, but had their own meeting in preparation for this week. The food is good--though different than the 'burgers and fries' dishes! The weather is hot, sunny, and humid--just like Mississippi! (Plenty of bermuda grass, azaleas, and magnolias!) Jeremy's roommate is from Oklahoma, and Johanna and Brooke are rooming together (as they have done in Indiana and Michigan)!

P.S. Send this to whoever you want and please excuse any mistakes--no time to proof-read!!!!!!!!!

Ni Hao!!

Dear All,

We were able to get internet connection here at the hotel though sometimes it does have an attitude problem!!!

Today has been a very nice day though I did get off to a very exciting start. I was using Brooke's curling iron this morning and noticed it was extremely hot. I very cautiously started to curl my hair. Suddenly it started to smoke and smelled like something was burning. It clean burned off about a half an inch of one section of my hair!!!!!!!! You should have seen the melted charcoal strands on the iron!! As I was pulling it away from the rest off my hair, the tip melted and completely fell off!!!!! Fortunately it was not noticeable where my hair melted off.

Church today was very touching. The church here consists of several different sanctuaries and meeting rooms. One had been specially prepared for our group. In fact, electricity had been put in there just for us by the government. We sang some, had a time of testimony and then Ron shared some things with us.

We had lunch and supper at the school. In the afternoon we had a time of instruction and training, getting ready for tomorrow. On the way back to the hotel after supper several of us were able to ride in a bycicle rickshaw!!!!! It was sooo much fun. The men driving seemed mighty proud to be driving around American ladies. Everywhere we go people stare at us and get excited to see Americans.

Tomorrow is the big day-----I was one of the first, if not the first, to complete my lesson plan for tomorrow. We have to leave the hotel at 6:45 a.m. Each of us will have a teacher's assistant who is Chinese. They are here to see how Americans teach English, practice their English, act as our translators, and such.

Please keep us in your prayers!!!!!!

The food has not been as bad as many people have tried to convince us it was. Some things I have not liked or even tried, but there is usually a couple or several things I like.

Our teammates are all very nice and seem to be well balanced and serious about their work. I have enjoyed getting to know them and doing things together. There are no "quite a character's" if you know what I mean. Jeremy's roommate looks like a dark-haired Charlton Heston. My roommate looks like a southern belle (Brooke).

Well, time to go and finish the last minute preparations for tomorrow.

Oh, I meant to tell you that this week we only teach in the morning. Our classes begin at 8:00 and finish at 11:10. The afternoons will be spent sight-seeing, touring, shopping, and preparing lessons. The next two weeks we will be teaching all day. 3000 students are expected and each teacher will have 25-30 students. If the students do not have English names we have the privilege of naming them. That would be fun!

Well it is time for me to go--Xia Ji An (good bye!)

Lots of love,

Johanna

Monday, July 19

Phone call...Johanna called, very cheerful after her first day of teaching. More detailed info in the emails, below!

The Beginning

Dear Mom and Dad,

Just wanted to give you an update on what's going on over here. The first day of camp-what an experience. Talk about some bright kids! I am stuck with 30 6th graders and an interpreter/assistant. My assistant is sixteen and speaks English well. She asked me to give her an English name, so I called her Gracie. When we first arrived at the school we were swamped by students and teachers. We were given a welcoming ceremony and then went off to find our class and try to figure out what we were up against. Tomorrow will probably be a little less hectic and we will probably be better prepared to get on with the English.

Talk to you later,

Jeremy

P.S. We only have internet access at the computer lab at the nearest school from 12:30 till 1:30.

First Day of School

Dear All,

Well, today was our first day of teaching and it went very well. Our class time is divided into 4 periods. We have small group time where we are in our individual classrooms, big group where we go to listen to a story and often a skit, and then we have electives which is when we go to a class of sports, manners, or Christmas. I know it seems odd to have a Christmas class in China, but the school boards wanted that for the students. After the electives we go back to our classrooms. The story today was on obedience. We teach three character qualities throughout the week. Because we had an opening orientation we only had one class period in which we actually taught.

The classrooms are not at all like the ones in America. There is a chalk board, desks, and chairs and the rooms are not as clean. We had the windows open and it was breezy, so the heat did not bother me. Each of us American teachers have a teachers assistant who acts as our interpreter. My assistant in a young guy who is named Daniel. He has gone to an International school and speaks English very fluently, almost without an accent. My class consists of 30 students. The first thing I did was to tell them my name and a little about myself. They were excited when I told them how many brothers and sisters I had. I showed them the two family pictures Daddy printed off the evening before we left home. They thought it was very neat. The next thing I did was to give all of them English names!!!!!!! That was the best part if the class! I named some of them after each of my family members and also named one of them Rhoda since Ms. Rhoda loves China so! I'll take pictures of them at some point so that you can see your namesakes. The one I named Brad is so cute and is very smart. He is the most talkative one so far and asked the most questions. I even named one for Papa. After, we worked on vocabulary using flashcards. The students already knew all off them except for crayon. We the played a game using the flashcards. Everyone was well behaved and things went by very quickly.

This afternoon is open for whatever we want to do. Several of us plan to go visit some of the shops here in Pinghu and also go to the P.O.

I hope all is going well at home!!!!!!

Lots of love,

Johanna

Tuesday, July 20

Ni Hao!!!

Dear All,

Our second day of school went very well. We knew what to expect so things were a little more orderly and on schedule. My students are extremely bright and perceptive and I do get them to talk. We are encouraged to get the students to talk as much as possible so that they can practice their speaking. Brad is so cute and is always the first to volunteer for something as well as being the most talkative. All of the students are so well behaved and are very interested in what I have to say. They are like sponges and just soak up what I have to tell them. Whenever a teacher is not doing something, we are swamped by the students for our autograph. It would be interesting to know how many name cards I will have signed by the end of the month.

Yesterday afternoon----

After lunch, Bekah, Dana, Heather, (one of the interpreters) and myself, went out to visit the stores, shops, and also the P.O. We left the school at 2:00 and did not get back until after 5:00. We went into so many shops, clothing stores, shoe stores, saw the town square which is like a park on the East River, and had a blast. Who knows how many miles I walked that afternoon!!! We also got to see some of the poorer sections of town. We have so much to be grateful for here in America! If many people could see some of the living conditions here, they would think twice before complaining. I feel so blessed to be an American and to be part of the family that I am.

The prices here continue to amaze us. A rickshaw ride is only 5 yuan. Speaking of rickshaw, I rode two yesterday. They are soooo much fun to ride.

Yesterday coming back from our outing we were nearing the hotel and a man came up and asked us if he could take us out to dinner, in English. The Chinese girl who was with us told him to leave, so he did.

All of the teachers and assistants love to hear about the U.S. Most of them hope to go there some day. They are so helpful to us and try their best to make our stay here as pleasant as possible.

Often we have problems getting onto the internet back at the hotel and that is why we have not been able to send pictures. I was able to get on it once there, but it was quite slow. I will keep trying though because I know you are eager to see some pictures. I have taken a lot of good ones, too.

I think of you often and hope you miss me as much as I miss you!!!

Lots of love,

Johanna

Wednesday, July 21

Johanna called again...working with the children is a joy. Meeting the Chinese people encourages a sense of friendliness, and gratefulness...

From A Different Part Of The World

Dear All,

How are things going at home? Things are going very well here.

Today was another good day of school. The first period went very well and the students seemed to understand what I was trying to teach them. In our large group, I was asked to be in the skit that went along with the story. Josh, the guy who is in charge on the storytelling, brought a lot of wigs and things for props and dressing up. I looked hysterical in a long blond wig that was very much tangled, and a green hat. It was a lot of fun. The story was on the character quality of love. Brooke video taped most of it. For our sports period, (Grant is in charge of that), the children had an over-under relay race using water filled balloons. After that they tossed the balloons back and forth to each other and tried to catch the balloons so they would not pop. It is needless to say that many children got wet that day!!!! My class is getting more comfortable being around me and every morning when I pass the windows to get to the door, they all start yelling "Good morning!!!!"! and "Hello!!!!!" Brad has a big sense of humor and can be very funny. I got a funny picture of him holding my Chinese umbrella. The students love to have their picture taken and I am able to use it as a motivation for them to get their work done faster!!! ( Not that I need to though.) We took class pictures today and they loved it! They did not want the pictures to be of the boys and girls together so we took some of just the boys and others of just the girls. They are very shy about doing guy/girl activities.

The last period today went smoothly but they had some difficulty with understanding personal pronouns. In the Chinese language they do not have she, he, him, her, etc., so it is a little confusing for them right at first. Tomorrow we will probably have to review that.

Jeremy also had to give his students English names. He named several after the guys here that we are working with.

Yesterday afternoon---

After we had lunch and checked and sent our emails, several of us went out and did some more exploring. I think I have been over all the shopping areas here in Pinghu. Yesterday the group we went out with was Josh, Nate, Jeremy, Me, Sarah, Elizabeth, Liz, Christine, and Mrs. Wagley. When we were down at the East River, Josh asked a guy about some of the directions on the map he just bought, and before long there was a huge crowd of people gathered around him to hear him talk. Josh can speak some Chinese, and so he ended up talking with these people about America and China. It seemed that everyone within eyesight wanted to get in on it. What a neat experience! I took some pictures of it and even video taped some. Everywhere we go we are observed so closely. People love to tell us the few English words that they know. We will be walking down the street and passersby will say, 'hello", "thank you", "bye, bye" and whatever else they might know in English.

Also, along our walk, we came across a man and a little girl cutting off the heads and claws of crawfish. We stopped to watch them. Around here so many people ride bicycles and motor bikes. We stopped at a motor bike "dealership" and took some pictures. A brand new one only costs in between $300-$400!!! Brand new bikes cost under $20. I must say that after all the walking we have done, we were tempted!

The clothing stores sell some of the cutest, feminine, clothes and shoes, but nothing will fit me. (Very disappointing!) I am just too tall! Brooke has been able to find some cute things though. At a bridal shop here you special order your dresses and they cost only $40-$50 custom made!!! The ones we saw on display were absolutely beautiful. (I thought about going ahead and ordering one), what do you think?)

We have been told to not tip the people or to be generous when we are out shopping because the people here don't realize that we are just being nice and generous. They think that they are cheating us and getting away with it. This leads them to think that we are stupid Americans and it will cause problems for tourists or other teachers in the future.

Please email soon!!!!

Lots of love,

Johanna and Jeremy

Wednesday --

After school, Jeremy, Nate, Shawn, Sarah, Cory, Joy, and I went to a very nice coffee shop here in town We had our own private dining area and sat on couches at the table. We had so much fun! I had a mocha ice which is similar to a cappaccino. Jeremy and Shawn ordered an American hot dog. A little while later, the waitress came and said that there was only one hot dog in the place! So they ordered the one hot dog and decided to split it. They said it tasted very much like the ones at home, however, it was fixed much more elegantly than what is common in the states. I had one of the french fries that came with it and it tasted great!

JKB

Thursday, July 22

Update

Dear Mom and Dad,

Things are starting to fall in place. The classes seem to run more smoothly every day. We leave the hotel at about seven every morning, and usually arrive at the school about half past. The classes start at eight and go till ten after eleven. In class, I really don't spend much time on grammar. Most of the time is spent playing little games that actually apply what they know. It is kind of difficult to teach sometimes because I have to do so through my interpreter, Gracie. Over all, though, teaching English isn't bad.

I am getting pretty familiar with the Chinese culture here. Everybody just kind of does their little thing and minds their own business. The people overall do not appear to be too aggressive and many don't seem to have much purpose in life...

I love y'all and I miss you and I am looking forward to being with you again. I am running out of time, so I will have to talk to you later...

Love,

Jeremy

Thursday--

After lunch, several of us went out to get a real Chinese massage! It was so neat and felt wonderful. I kept thinking of Grandad while the girl was doing it because Grandad has told me about these massages several times. The girl who was doing mine thought that I had beautiful eyes and hair. She was very pretty herself, too. While our massages were being done, we were served watermelon slices and green tea. Green tea is the common beverage here just like iced tea is at home. We had a great time.

This evening several of us girls went to the local beauty parlor and got our hair done. It felt so good to have our hair done like that. Afterwards my hair was so light and silky and felt so good. The fragrance lasted several days. I will say that the cosmetologists here are different than the ones back home! Because it was at night and getting late, Grant stayed with the girls who were finishing up last. Poor guy, he was trying so hard to talk intelligently with us about our hair and understand our excitement!

JKB

Friday, July 23

Friday--

After lunch we went to an old village that was about 40 min. away from here. This place was at least 1000 years old and was still very inhabited. It was a poor old worldish place. We toured several placed that rich people had lived in. The more wealthy and prestigious people had higher thresholds. The higher they were, the higher the doorstep. We had to practically clime over some of them. There was a river running through the middle of the village. We stopped at many of the shops there as well. At one point along the stream, there was a group of young people sketching the place. It was so neat! The streets were so narrow and the place felt haunted with old memories and times past. Even tough there was quite a number of people there, the place felt so quiet and still. In the U.S. it is so easy to forget that people still live like that. Those people were so isolated from the rest of the world and even from nearby cities. Again I was overwhelmed with gratefulness for the many blessings I have. We have so much to be grateful for! The U.S. has many problems and has made its mistakes, yet it is easy to see the blessings and rewards of a nation and people that have the heritage that our nation has had and have righteous leaders and forefathers. What a gift!

JKB

Saturday, July 24

Hello

Hello All,

Things are going pretty good, now. We finished up the first camp today. Yes, we do teach on Saturdays. This evening Johanna, Brooke, and I and Shawn are planning to go out to eat pizza. I have ridden a rickshaw three times now. Back to the camps, during the last class period I was literally swamped with kids wanting my signature. I signed hundreds of caps, cards, and notebooks. What touched me the most, though, was when one of the boys in my class came up to me and said that he would really miss me next week. We will start more camps Monday morning. At these camps we will teach classes in the morning and the afternoon. It will be a very intense week.

The weather here is very hot, about the way it is at home. The day before yesterday the temperature was 104 degrees. This can make teaching and any kind of activity a little difficult.

I find it hard to write a nice, long email because we are given so little time on the internet. However, Johanna and Brooke were able to get onto it at the hotel, so I will give it a try later. I am receiving everyone's emails, and I hope to send more later.

Love,

Jeremy

Saturday--

Dear All,

Sorry for the delay in emailing you, but yesterday the power was off and the day before that some things came up which I will tell you in a bit. I do not have much time to write this, so bear with me regarding mistakes!!!! I have not been able to get internet access at the hotel lately and that is funny because several others are able to. We only have an hour to use the computers here at the school.

Today, Saturday was the last day of our first camp. The children swarmed us afterwards to get our pictures, autographs, and to say goodbye. I just love signing my autograph!!!!(Thankfully!!!) The children were so ecstatic to receive my card with the pictures on it. They also went wild over the candy I brought. Yesterday each of the students wanted an individual picture taken with me. So we lined up and I posed for 31 photos. It was a lot of fun even though (or maybe, because (ha! ha!)) we held up everybody in the bus. Jeremy and Josh came to look for my team assistant and me because we were not in the bus yet. This morning I took the laptop to the school so everybody could see their pictures. They loved that. Yesterday I showed them my family photo album and the magazines I had brought and had the best time looking through them and asking questions. The people here love to hear about the U.S. I also showed them some American money and they thought it was pretty neat. They liked the pictures on the back of our quarter. The boys thought that the tractors were neat. In this part of China you don't see any tractors. There are a lot of gardens around here and it is very common to see the people wearing big straw hats stooped over and working in their gardens by hand.

Back to teaching--- the students are very bright and catch on to things very quickly. If they had the advantages that we Americans had, many of them I thing would be so far ahead educationally. The children are so hungry to learn and to be loved and to "succeed" in life. For them education is the only key to fulfilling these dreams. Without education and high grades, the Chinese people have no future. My students told me that this was their first time to ever see an American or a non-Chinese. Pinghu is a good size city but most of the inhabitants are isolated from the rest of the world.

To conserve energy, and also probably because the power system is not strong, the power goes off every 2 or 3 days. They rotate the power outage around the city. It goes off at 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. we have gotten accustomed to it so it does not bother us much. So if the power is off on one side of the city, we do our shopping and sightseeing on the other side! I think I have pretty gotten the schedule down! In the evening Jeremy, Nate, Brooke and I went out to get ice cream. We had a lot of fun, though we were in a bit of a hurry because every Wednesday and Saturday night we get together in small groups to have times of prayer and testimony.

JKB

Sunday, July 25

Johanna called...Busy first week--but this coming week will be even more busy with all-day classes! All is well. She has some emails to send, when phone access is available!

Sunday--

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARAH!!!!!!!!!

I was so disappointed that I missed talking to you on your special day! Jeremy, Nate, Brooke and I went out to celebrate your birthday! We went to a local pizza place here and had a great time. I even sang Happy Birthday. The others thought that was quite funny! We each ordered a 7 inch pizza which was very good. Our drinks even had ice in them!!! After our lunch we ordered ice cream sundaes. Daddy, you will probably think this as funny as I did, one of the songs that was playing while we were at the pizza place was Listen to The Rhythm of The Falling Rain! That was not what we would have ever expected to hear in Pinghu!

JKB

Greetings!

..I am almost halfway through this trip. I have a feeling the next two weeks will go by very quickly.

I played my violin in church yesterday. I just played Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. We had a Chinese pastor speak to us. He was great.

I have to leave for the afternoon camp in just a few minutes, so ta-ta for now!

Love, Jeremy

P.S. I tried calling you last night but the house phone was busy. Sorry!

Monday, July 26

Monday--

The first day of the second and third camps. Today was a bit difficult. We were using different curriculum and did not receive it until we were in our classrooms! I am teaching 4th in the morning and 5th in the afternoon. These students are pretty advanced, more so than last week. Needless to say, I was tired by the end of the day. Among the many things we are learning and putting to practice here are flexibility, maintaining a cheerful attitude when things are changing so rapidly in the schedule, and trying to stay prepared for anything and everything. I have 30 students in my first class and 21 in my second class. Last night Jeremy, Grant and I went out to dinner with 3 of the TA's here. Jeremy and I only got something to drink because we had already eaten. On the way back we stopped by a super market to pick up some things and to get an ice cream bar. We sat on some nearby steps to eat them. While we were eating them, I was quite shocked to see a guy in a Jungle Boy outfit! No details please!

JKB

Tuesday, July 27

Today the morning class went much better than yesterday. I have the cutest boy in that class whose name is Jimp. He is so smart and loves to come up and ask me questions in English. A few of these students already had English names, but most of them I had to name.

Today it went very well in class. The students were receptive and eager to hear. At the second camp, Jeremy, Josh and I were in the skit that went along with the story Ron was teaching. The story takes place on the farm and the mother (Me) sends the 2 boys out to the field to plant the corn. You know how the story goes; the boys would rather play than work, so they ended up planting all the corn under the tree and end the end they have to replant all the corn. It would have been a lot easier if they had done it right the first time. Josh had brought some props, wigs and some old clothes for these skits, so it is a lot of fun to dress up for them! We exaggerated our southern accents and had the best time! Jeremy was Jethro and Josh was Wallace. The children were sitting at the edge of their seats the whole time!!!

Did Jeremy tell you about the girl who sent him a letter? He does not want to respond to the girl but Brooke and I might. One of the TA's invited me to her house this weekend so I am planning on going!

It was sooo good to talk to you in person Sunday. This whole trip I have not been able to get Cristy Lane's One Day At A Time out of my head. I sing it here often. The song has been as much an encouragement for Brooke as it has been for me.

I love you and am looking forward to seeing you again!

Lots of love,

Johanna

Wednesday, July 28

From "Mi Lan"

How do you like my Chinese name? The students in my first class gave it to me. I think it is pretty!

Yesterday was an eventful day. At the afternoon camp, I taught my two classes, acted in the skit, and substituted for one of the teachers who is sick. The children in that class were 3rd graders. It was sad to see a few of those children crying because they missed their mothers and families. This school is also a boarding school and many of the children are boarding there this week. In this class, the children are so sweet and little, and it was so pitiful to see how they missed the security and comfort of home. This school is a very expensive school and during the school year most of the boarding students are there because the parents are too busy for their children.

This morning class went very well. During one of my "off" times, I was able to rest for about half an hour. Please pray for our strength and health. Fortunately, I am still doing great--despite our busy schedule and the heat. But, some of the others are wearing down a bit. I am grateful that I am used to heat, sweat, and long days of hard work. All the hard work on the farm has not been in vain!

Last night, after our time of devotions and team planning, a group of us went to the pizza place. That was nice and relaxing after the day's work.

Next week will be quite a different week. In the afternoon we will be working with senior high students. We have been thinking of creating enjoyable things to do with them. We don't think they will be interested in Deep and Wide or Peace Like A River!

In answer to your questions about the people, they seem friendly and nice. At the stores they are right at your back ready to help out and assist. The people seem to get into your face when talking a little more so than people do in the U.S. The shop people are poorer than the rest of the society. Most of the women dress very femininely and wear dresses and high heeled shoes. Even the more 'rebellious' type teenagers do not dress as badly as the ones in the U.S. You don't see much denim here, either. Everybody is very curious and enjoys watching us wherever we go. When we are in the open market, it is common for a crowd to gather around to see us barter with the merchants. They often think it is the funniest thing to watch! Parents are constantly encouraging their children to come up and say something in English to us and while walking down the street, people will yell out any English they know. The people here seem to be quite intelligent, yet so simple. They are very frugal with everything, but will go out of their way to make guests feel welcome and comfortable. The head people at the schools are so sweet and they always make sure we have bottled water and fruit in our teacher's room. Offering someone food and drink is a gesture of hospitality that one encounters often. Even at the hair salon they offer you something to drink.

Tell everyone that I said "Ni Hao"

Lots of love,

JKB

Things are pretty intense around here. Everyone is just about exhausted, but I think that I can hold on for another week and a half of teaching. I received a letter from a college student from a nearby University who is studying English, but had never met a native English speaker. She wanted to act as an interpreter or guide to gain some experience. Our leader and the others thought that it was "innocent", but I gave the letter to Johanna to reply to. Nothing would happen without Ron's approval, and if anyone did meet her, it would probably be as a group.

I am keeping notes regarding my observations of China and it's people on the laptop. With limited internet access it is hard to write all these things down and send them to you via email!

Talk to you later,

Jeremy

Thursday, July 29

Dear All,

Yesterday afternoon went very well. When we got back to our hotel we had a short meeting on guidelines and other housekeeping items. We have to be very careful about what we speak about and how we act, especially in public. No speaking about certain matters or beliefs is allowed in public, because so much would be at stake if we did. All the hard groundwork that has gone into this and any future work we may be able to accomplish in China would be ruined. Therefore, we are being good witnesses and letting our light shine through our actions and attitudes, not merely by our words. We are watched closely wherever we go and in whatever we do.

After our meeting, several of us went to the pizza place. I got a passion fruit slushy. It was so good!

How are things at home? Time for the next class,

Lots of love,

"Mi Lan"

Tuesday, August 3

From Mi Lan

Dear All,

Sorry about the delay in emailing, but the computers have had an attitude lately.

Saturday, the last day of the 2nd and 3rd camps, went really well. The students gave me so many gifts! One little girl gave me two live goldfish with fish food!!! The fish were so cute. Sadly, one of the fish died before the class was over and the other one passed away in the afternoon. I buried the second one at the afternoon school. Now, a piece of my heart is buried in China.

The children in the afternoon gave me food item gifts. One of the girls let me have some of her shredded dried fish.

One bite was enough.

Saturday night the boys played basketball here at the school gym. The Chinese played against the Americans.

Sunday was a good day at church. Jeremy played the violin. Rebekah also quoted the first 4 chapters of Matthew. It was a good service. In the afternoon, Jeremy, Brooke and I went out to the Ming Tein Coffee Shop for lunch. It was a good meal. In the evening, Jeremy, Nate, and I went to the pizza place.

In the afternoon, I was at the dress shop and did not have an interpreter with me, but there was a girl there who spoke English, so she helped me. We met her again at the other dress shop and she asked me for my email address. I received one from her yesterday!

Today at the morning camp, I met Sandy, the girl who wrote Jeremy a letter asking if we could get together. She is real sweet and Brooke and I are planning to go out together tonight with her.

Yesterday, Monday, was a busy day. The morning school is about 45 min. away and is in a very rural area. The school is the smallest one we have taught in. These have also been my 'less advanced' students. However, they are well behaved and eager to learn. After naming so many children this past month, I gave each of you another namesake! You will see the pictures of every student when I get back home since I take an individual photo of each one. My TA is very good and is quite familiar with the English language. Everything goes so much smoother when the TA's know more English.

In the afternoon class. most of my students are 18!!! They do not know how old I am though! I might tell them on the last day. Last evening I went out with Sarah to celebrate one of her TA's birthday. We went out to eat at her Mother's restaurant and had a great time. Her Mother's restaurant is a very cute, quaint, cafe style. They were so sweet and generous with us and refused to let us pay. The Chinese are so generous with their guests. There was also another TA with us who was a friend on Tracy's the birthday girl. To eat, we had rice, soy beans, fried pumpkins, french fries, onions and eggs (that was pretty good), chicken, and a peanut dish. It had chicken, peanuts, and some other things. They also served us watermelon. We had hot green tea and coke to drink. After, we went to her family apartment to get her birthday cake to take to the hotel to share with the others. The cake was very good and we had a great time!!! After that, Brooke and I went out with Heather, one of the TA's. Yesterday Jeremy was sick and was not able to teach. He went back to the hotel and slept all afternoon. Please pray that everyone stays healthy and strong this last and most intense week.

I have between 25-30 high school students in my afternoon class. We were told over and over that they would be very shy and that it would be hard to get them to speak. Most of us have not had that problem. The hardest part is going to be keeping the guys quiet while the rest of the class is working! I think that I may enjoy teaching them better, though.

It has been arranged for us to attend an actual Chinese service next Sunday. We have also been asked to sing 2 or 3 songs as a group. It is so pretty when we sing as a group.

Thursday, I am going with some of the others to Vivien's house for dinner. She asked if Jeremy would also come and bring his fiddle. I am excited about going!

Well, I'd better close now so that I will be able to read the emails you sent me.

Love you and am excited about seeing you again!!!

Have fun!

Mi Lan

Phone contact...Johanna sounded good, encouraged, and a bit tired! One of the 18 year old boys in the class wasn't too cooperative. He kept on singing to himself throughout the session. So, Johanna announced that she had a special surprise for the class.... Roy, the singer, was going to sing a song in English for the entire class! He balked--she said 'no'--he hesitated--the class prompted hi--he came forward--he sang...'Happy Birthday', in English!

Jeremy is teaching in the morning, and works with the elective sessions in the afternoon. It gives him time with the 18 year old Chinese boys in a less 'classroom rigid' environment.

Thursday, August 5

Wow!!!

Well this morning went very well, but I fear that this afternoon will not have the same story. Yesterday afternoon I was having some difficulties with my four 18 year old guys. Except for those four, my students are wonderful and I really enjoy teaching the highschool kids. One of the guys asked me if I was married and at first I very coyly told him perhaps. However, I said that I would let them know the last day, last period. I do not dare tell him that I am his own age!!!! Most of the Chinese think that we are older than we really are. These four guys have a problem with authority, responsibility, and playing hookie! The first day they skipped two periods and yesterday they would have skipped another one but fortunately Tiffany found them and brought them back! What did Tom Sawyer's teacher do when he played hookie? Thankfully, Ron realized how these guys were behaving and offered to teach the last period for me. I was very grateful! The rest of the class is great though!

It was soooo good to hear from you!

I've got to go!!!

Me (JKB)

Saturday, August 14

Jeremy & Johanna are home!! The flight from Shanghai to LA was delayed, and they missed their connection back to Memphis. After spending a night at the LA Airport Marriott, and some "severe negotiating", with airline personnel, they flew Friday night (the overnight flight) from LA to Atlanta and then to Memphis, arriving at 8:30 am., local time. After a 36 hour, halfway around the world journey, they made it home safe, sound, and tired--with 1400+ photos to show, stories to tell, and new friends made in a far-away land! Thank you for your prayers & encouragement during this month of life-changing ministry!

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January, 2005 Trip

The Institute In Basic Life Principles called, inviting Jeremy & Johanna back to teach English Winter Camps in

Pinghu, China from January 20-February 11, 2005!

However, they had to decline due to their college schedules. But, Jordan, age 17, will be going...and he is eagerly looking forward to the challenges and opportunities! Preliminary estimates call for up to 5000 students, elementary through high school age, during these camps. Jordan has already been corresponding with some of Jeremy & Johanna's Chinese teacher assistants and friends. Needless to say, they are eager to meet Jeremy & Johanna's 'little brother'!

Email Jordan

Here is the trip info:

Cost: $1200

January 20: Depart Memphis January 21: Arrive Shanghai (14 Hours Ahead Of Arkabutla Time)

January 22-25: Orientation/Touring

January 24-29: Pinghu Camps (AM & PM)

January 30: Rest

January 31-February 5: Pinghu Camps (AM & PM)

February 6-8: Rest/Touring February 9: Chinese New Year February 10: Meetings/Touring

February 11: Depart For U.S.

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Jordan's Updates

Friday, January 21 (China Time)

Hey Daddy,

Sorry for not calling from the airport, we had to board early and other things. The flights were great. Chicago to Shanghai was 15 hours, 45 minutes. It was long, I didn't sleep at all. We have been going through teacher training this morning, we have more this afternoon. Camps start Monday morning, we have morning and afternoon classes. There were 2 other team members on my flight. I've got to go now. My room is 8206. I'm rooming with Jeremy Bartlow, he's great. I'll e-mail longer later.

Love,

Hoss

Saturday, January 22

Hey ya’ll,

Teacher training is over. I guess I’m ready for the real thing. Today we had teacher training from 8:30 till 3:30 or so. After that we hung around the school working on various teaching related things. At 5 everybody started going places for dinner. I went to Champion’s with Ron and some of the Verity students. There are some interesting people on this trip. Even Jeremy, my roommate, was saying he’s never been on a trip with so many, I guess you could say lively, people. I still haven’t met everyone. With 55 people it’s hard to get everyone’s name and remember them. Plus all the Verity students were off today because they went through training Wed - Friday. I think the teaching is going to be so easy. I’m excited and looking forward to starting Monday. The weather is cold and rainy. There is a continual wind blowing, which makes it even colder. I haven’t been able to get on the internet in my room because you have to get an international internet service provider. But there are lots of computers at the school that we can use whenever we need to. In the one lab that we use, there are 64 computers. This morning for breakfast, Jeremy and I went to the hotel breakfast. We had hot milk, fried egg, a type of greens that was pretty good, and I can’t remember what the name of the other thing we had. It was like a dumpling with a meat inside. We had them for lunch as well. We have been going to all kinds of new places to eat. There are a lot of good Chinese places around. I’m trying to find a place that serves fish lip soup. I want to be able to say I’ve at least tasted it. I’m typing this out in my room, and it’s getting late so I need to go to sleep now. We have to meet for church at 10. I’m having a ball and I think of everyone often.

Love,

Hoss

Jordan called from Pinghu...All's well!

Sunday, January 23

Hey,

It was great talking to ya'll last night. We had a good walk and stopped at a neat Chinese shop to eat. There were 4 of us. Jeremy, Christina, Sherry, and me. We went to the Chinese church for service. We did have our own service. It was really neat. I'm ready as can be for tomorrow. I need to write out my teaching plan tonight. We have 4 40 minute periods, one of which is a large group session. I have young kids, which are supposed to be some of the hardest to teach because they know so little English. We have morning and evening classes. I think I've figured out how to hook up to the internet from my room, I'm going to try tonight. Well, I need to move along, I think of ya'll a lot.

Love,

Hoss

I figured out how to hook up to the internet in my room. So now I will be able to send a little better e-mails, I hope.

Love,

Hoss

Monday, January 24

Hey folks,

The first day was tremendous. After getting everyone thoroughly confused by switching things around so much, the Chinese leaders finally let us get to work. I have had so much fun!!! Most of ya'll have namesakes already. Mama, you have a very sweet namesake. My first class, 1st graders, knows practically no English. So I had to totally change my lesson around. I will go ahead and teach my original lesson tomorrow. The afternoon class is a ball. They have a fairly good knowledge of the language, they write and and read O.K., but the speaking part is kind of shady. I would like to try really hard to work on the speaking part tomorrow. The only thing is, I have to do two different lesson plans due to the difference in knowledge. Over all I'm having more fun than I should. I need to get started on lesson planning for tomorrow, so I'm gonna run now.

XOXO,

Hoss

Tuesday, January 25

The second day went well, it's hard to have enough planned. My kids are so smart!!! So today I had them teach me some Chinese. It's very complicated and they love to hear me attempt the pronunciation. I would like to plan for two days ahead. I want to spend some time with my T.A.'s. A couple of guys and I are planning to buy a bunch of fireworks and go to the lake to shoot them for the Chinese new year. I need to run along for our evening meeting now, I'll try to e-mail later.

XOXO,

Hoss

Wednesday, January 26

Hey guys,

I'm having a lot of fun, but I'm very busy. I have been doing a lot with Jeremy and I have been with the Rodrigueze's a lot. Christina and I are going to the market together soon. Teaching has been a challenge because it is hard to prepare enough because my students are so smart. I love them!!! They are so sweet. I have pictures of everyone so you will all know who is who. I really want to send a long e-mail, but we are very limited with computer use. I'm fixing to go out with Ron and another guy. We are going to go to Champions and the the Century Mart. I'll try to type an e-mail on my laptop and send it when I get back to the hotel, but I do need to get my lesson plan all ready for tomorrow. My Chinese name is Shuai ge, pronounced Shwy gu. It means handsome guy. (At first it was handsome bear, but they shortened it to handsome guy.) I need to run now.

XOXO,

Hoss

Monday, January 31

Hello folks,

I'm so sorry for not e-mailing, but the computer lab has been closed the past couple of days because the staff has been off for the winter break. I have so much to tell, but I have to be in a meeting in a few minutes. I'll try to type up an e-mail and send it from my laptop tonight.

XO,

Hoss

Wednesday, February 2

Hey folks,

We have been so busy the past couple of days. It has been impossible to get to the computer lab when it is open. This afternoon I was invited to go to one of the middle school teacher's house. 5 of us went, Ben, Cristina, Cristina, Sheri, and myself. It was so neat! Teaching this week is very hard because I have 1st graders. They know no English. They know the alphabet, their numbers, colors, and family. One of the teachers told me that I ought to just play games with them. I think tomorrow I'm going to bring a couple of toys to hide and let them find them. If they find a toy, they get to keep it. I will be so glad when this week is over. The kids are very cute though. I have been enjoying the food, everything except the cafeteria food that is. I have been spending a lot of time with the T.A.'s. My T.A. is so sweet. Her name is Pamela. One of my buddies has a T.A. who is my favorite. She is SO sweet. I have spent time with Mao and Johnny, and Yule a lot, too. Or rather, they have been with me a lot! O.K.--I need to scoot for our meeting.

Love ya'll,

Hoss

Thursday, February 3

Hey folks,

Today has been fun. I taught in the morning, then took three Chinese girls out to have pictures made. I can't wait till you see them. I have been staying on good terms with everyone, I still don't know everyone's names. Jeremy and I are still getting a long wonderfully. There are a couple of guys that have guitars here, the ones that have been here for a year, so I have had a chance to play some. Last night I was at the dorms until 11 playing for some of the girls. I have eaten at the Ming Tien, Champions, UBC Coffee, plus several other places that we have unearthed. Well, I need to run to dinner now. We are going to play basketball tonight, I don't know if any Chinese boys will be playing or not. Mao and Johnny have family related things tonight so they get a break from the Americans.

Hoss

P.S. It's snowing here now, fairly heavy snow too

Friday, February 4

I need to run for a basketball game with some of the guys, just wanted to drop a note telling everyone Hi. One more teaching day to go!!! I'll talk to ya'll later.

Sunday, February 6

It has been rainy and dull. We went to church this morning, we went to the Chinese church for service. After church we came back to the school for lunch, then we left for Shi Tong. Shi Tong was really neat, I got a few things there. Mama, you will probably be surprised to hear that you have 10 children. I have a "Chinese sister". I can't wait to tell you all about it. I don't want to try to tell about it in an e-mail, it's not as fun as telling in person. I need to go now, I'm going to shoot some more fireworks if it has stopped raining. We leave for Su Zho at 7 in the morning so I want to get to bed fairly early tonight.

XOXO,

Hoss

Friday, February 11

Jordan arrived home--tired, but excited and grateful for a wonderful 3 weeks! New friends, a bigger perspective of life and ministry, and memories that will last a lifetime! In fact, he is eager to serve again in Pinghu, and also in Mexico!

Being light in the Far East!

First...TESOL —Flint, MI (June 15-30, 2004)

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Location and Dates: Riverfront Character Inn, Flint, MI, 6/15 – 6/30/04

Cost: $600 (includes materials, room and board)

Program Details

Goal

Course Content

Skills

Age Levels

Language Levels