Come and See

A piece I wrote that didn't get into our latest update: 

“JC turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” John 1:38-39.

When I look back at the time I spent in Xi'an I remember Him continuously teaching me this “Come and See” theme. During a book study my friend challenged me by asking, “How did JC preach the good news?” I started reading the Word with that question in mind. I saw that JC loved to speak in parables, tell stories, and always asked questions. He loved to ask good questions to get his listeners to think, while not always giving them the answers. By doing this the his listeners were always left wanting to know more. When I was learning this back then little did I know how much this theme would apply to my life today as a teacher.

With the law here and for security reasons I am very limited with how much I can share. I sometimes have to remind myself to not live in the fear and to have boldness, but also having discernment and knowing my life rests in Dad's hands. I ask daily for God to show me how to live out his love in my classroom when I can't directly speak truth from his Word. I'm learning that love comes out through listening to my students, taking interest in each of their lives, caring about them, helping them, or giving advice. My students love it when I sit on a desktop in front of them because they know they are about to hear a story. They hang on every word wondering whats going to come next.

Last night Dave and I were at dinner with some of my students and one of them told David, “When Mrs. Stacy teaches she moves my heart and I feel the joy that she carries with her.” At that moment I grabbed my husband's hand under the table and had to hold back the tears.

Lately I've felt that days go by in my classroom and I wondered if I have had any impact. It was God's perfect timing and a way that he showed his love to me by letting me hear her say that during a time I was discouraged. I took it as a blessing and encouragement from God to keep pressing on. This week I am renewing my contract with knowing as of now I'll be the only foreign teacher who is a believer on campus next year (I only know of two other Chinese that are, out of 1,200 teachers). Join me in praying for my students and coworkers' hearts, for me as I tell stories that will leave them wanting to seek more, for more like-minded teachers to come to my school, and for me to know how to live out His love.