Ok, I've been feeling the need to write an update, but I want to be in bed by midnight tonight. I've been getting into bed around 1 most nights (don't kill me Dad!)

I am loving Jr. High. And I've got a really cool story about how God worked things out on Monday.

It starts on Sunday night. BJ and I were in her room, talking and just generally having a great time (I know I keep saying this, but I LOVE being with Bonnie again!) Ginger knocks on the door and comes in. We talked for awhile and then we all prayed. Ginger brought up something really cool: "A three fold cord is not easily broken." So BJ, Ginger and I are now the three-fold Jr. High cord! At any rate, after that we went to bed. I was feeling a little uneasy about classes on Monday, and so dreamed about it all night. But the cool thing was that instead of having dreams of everything going wrong (like I normally do) I dreamed that everything went great. And oddly enough, even while I was dreaming, I was aware of the fact that God was encouraging me throughout the night, telling me it would be alright. So cool!

Then Monday I go to my first class. It is FREEZING. Literally. And the schools here have no heat or A/C. So I'm only half awake. The kids are only half awake. And we're all about to turn into ice blocks. I started off by introducing myself and my family. They kinda would respond to my questions, but not with much heart. Then I tried juggling for them. HA! And once again, I say HA! I couldn't even feel my hands because of the cold and I'm trying to juggle! I couldn't do any more than a simple fountain with four balls without dropping...and not just dropping one ball, but at least three! Then I tried Chinese Yo-yo. HA! I tried doing several suicides, and couldn't catch the hand sticks (remember, I still can't feel my hands!) So after the class is done, I tried talking with some of the students. HA! Yea, right! They wouldn't even try to talk to me. So, dejectedly, I went to my "office". Here at the Jr. High they have given me an office. It's an empty classroom. Now, that was very nice of them, but I'm afraid that after that failure, walking into a bare, cold, unfamiliar classes room and thinking, "Oh, great, now I really feel at home" was not much help!

So I started praying. I was feeling really down and as though I couldn't do anything right. So I got about as far as "Dear Lord, please h...." when Teresa walks in the room. Now I didn't really like Teresa when I first met her, and she was like the last person I wanted to see at that time. She told me to come with her to the next class. Now, maybe it's just a quirk of mine, but do you ever feel like you didn't really pray, or that your prayer didn't really get "sent" unless you finish it? So I'm walking down the hallway, feeling like I can't even manage to say a prayer!

But God heard me. And God came through like I'd never dreamed. From that point on, everything flowed wonderfulling. I could even feel my hands (and it hadn't warmed up any!) I connected with the classes, they connected with me. The bell signaling the end of break became something I hated to hear, bucause I was having so much fun visiting with my students. I ate lunch with one of my 9th grades and then one of my 7th grades invited me to come play basketball with them during PE. Wow! Even working with Teresa was great. I'm so pumped about going back tomorrow!

So Monday night we met in BJ's room again and debriefed (BJ and Ginger had great days too) and then prayed again. This morning I had to get up early to take the boat to Small Kinmen. I have six classes there. I was slightly nervous about teaching there. The Jr. High on Small Kinmen has a very bad reputation. So much so that when the gov. firsted asked the team to take on Jr. High, they were told, "But you don't have to do Small Kinmen!" Almost every teacher I told that I would be teaching in Small Kinmen said "Oh no! They are very naughty!" So I was a little afraid. But God came through again.

When I first showed up, they showed me the desk they had set aside for me in the teachers office area. I was like "wow, that's cool." Then they showed me the teachers break room and said I could use it whenever I wanted. And I was like "wow, that's really cool." But then they totally blew my socks off. They gave me my own dorm room there at the school! I've even got the key to it! WOW!!!!! I'm the first foriegn teacher they've ever had in forty years of being a school and they really are thrilled about having one. My room in Small Kinmen is almost better than my room here! This room is a little larger, but that room has it's own bathroom! Here I have to go down an outdoor walkway to get to the bathroom! Wow!

Ok, so I'm really thrilled about that. Then it's time to start class. The teacher tells me that this class is "very naughty" and that I shouldn't be bothered if they talk a lot. I told her that I wouldn't let them talk alot. And I didn't. At one point a boy was talking while I was talking. So I yelled "Hey!" at him in a rather aggrasive voice. He apparently didn't think I was yelling at him, 'cause he didn't turn around. I walked right in front of him and yelled "HEY!" even louder, and ruder. He turned around and I started shaking my finger in his face, saying "hey, do you want to stand up and talk English? No? Ok, then be quiet! Do not talk when I'm talking, do you understand?" He was rather shocked, but he didn't talk anymore!

All of the classes were awesome (even the "naughty" one). I had trouble getting them to speak English (they were very nervous) but I think once they get a little more comfortable with me it will be alright.

I esp. loved my last class, which is cool, because I've got six classes on Tuesday and so I'm a little worn out by the time number six comes around. But I know I'll love working with them.

My second to last class had several PlayBoy bunnies up on the walls around the room. I was (to say the least) very shocked by this. I asked the teacher why it was allowed in the school. She said that the students said it was from a brand of clothing. I said yes, but that the clothing was advertising PlayBoy and that it was disgusting and shouldn't be allowed (in those very words, none-the-less. I'm not the "Director of Blunt Affairs" for no reason!) She said that maybe it didn't have anything to do with the magazine. I said that yes, it did. She said maybe it did. I told her "No, not maybe. Yes. It does have a lot to do with the magazine!" She finally said it would be coming down in a week or two and I decided not to say anything else. I was very tempted to tear it off the wall and rip it up though.

Then something really funny happened. After classes the principle comes in to meet me. He says he wants me to come to his office and visit until it's time for the to head to the dock to catch the boat back to Big Kinmen. I thought that would be fine. From the way he said it, it sounded like it would just be me and him and the bus driver visiting together. So imagine my shock when we walk into his office and there are five girls there, all in their early 20's. They are dressed very fashionabily, their hair is done very fancily and they each must have spent an hour in front of the mirror that morning. The principle spreads his arms to encompass the girls and declares "Beautiful girls! From Taiwan!"

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, what do you do at that point? I felt like running away. I was fully expecting his next sentance to be "Pick one!" I wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

It wasn't quite that bad, but it was close. It turns out that they are students from Taiwan and they apparently have some sort of tie with the Jr. High on Small Kinmen. I never figured out what it was. But we ended up sitting in his office drinking tea (it tasted horrible! You probably would have like it Dad!) and trying to make conversation. It was somewhat forced conversation, but I did live through it.

I've got a ton more to tell you (some really cool stuff happened today in the drop-out class and afterwards) but I don't have time. It's 11 now and I still need to get with BJ and Ginger (if she's still awake...she's feeling under the weather) and do a little bit of lesson planning. And I'm feeling really hungry...I need some more instant noddles. BTW, Mom, thanks so much for the cerel...you've saved me from instant noddles for breakfast!

Love you guys! God bless you! Emails are always a good thing (Larry and Russel, I'll reply to yours soon!) jugglingjesusfreak@gmail.com