Bended Road, Bended Knee

First of all, I must start by saying this: Yesterday we hit a high of 70 degrees. We were able to walk around and take photo shoots such as this. This morning, I was graced with a beautiful gray sky and white fluffys bustling about outside my window. I must say for as shocked as I was to see them, I was mystified as I watched them float by. I’ve never lived on the sixth floor before, I’ve never had the opportunity to watch snow fall from six stories up. Truly, it paints a different view, and now I have a different perspective. Maybe, if for nothing else, I’m looking forward to the winter ahead just for the different perspective that snow from the sixth floor can bring. Thank you, China.

This is what I thought my day was going to look like today:

That would be masses of paperwork and a rather lengthy to-do list.

Instead it looked something like this:

Today includes a webcam, many glasses of tea, a notebook, a Book, some serious journaling...and don't forget the podcasts.

I awoke [to my amazement] at 8:30. First of all, I would like to document this day as being my first day in Harbin to wake up after 8am. For those of you who truly know me, you are aware of my love and need for sleep in my life. Since coming to China, particularly Harbin, my plans and need to do so have been thwarted day in and day out as loud, resonant music has filled the campus daily at 6am, or how fireworks are a common occurrence at wee morning hours.

I thought my day was going to be spent completing a to-do list. Completing the to-do list would set me to be well prepared for this week of lessons ahead. I thought my day was going to be spent grading the massive exam I gave my students three days ago. Grading these tests and returning results to my students as quickly as possible would surely be a service and testament to my students.

Instead my day began with a podcast from David Platt. That continued into a beautiful skype call with my parents {hi mom, hi dad…hi Nick! :)}. That turned into lunch with my teammate, Tiffany. That turned into a two hour deep conversation which led us back to my apartment, yearning for some more words of wisdom through David Platt. So we listened to him through yet another podcast. That led us into more deep conversations and sharing and discovering and encouraging, which by that point led us to dinner.

All that to say, the road that I had laid out for myself for today certainly is not what happened. I was able to enjoy quality time with a beloved teammate(ding ding ding ding!!). I was able to delight in the presence of Him with my teammate. Together, we had quality time on Bended Knee, seeking, yearning, expressing, loving, thanking, praising…adoring. We were able to identify a new call that has been put upon us as people women, as His children. I’m walking away from today with many new questions, a new curiosity to a part of my identity I have yet to explore, a deeper longing for answers as to who I and who we are created to be. It’s left me on a different road, a different course than I thought I would be encountering whilst in China. Isn’t it enough to just be English teachers, learn a new language, live in a new culture and build a few solid relationships along the way? Oh…oh wait, there’s more. Wait, You’re actually preparing me for life through this experience? You mean You really do want me, want us, to bask in the hearts that You’ve given us? This has nothing to do with teaching…

He says, “Woah nelly, but it does.”