China - Team Experience Summer 2019
My Experience in China
Taina
My experience in China was incredibly eye-opening. Being able to communicate with others without language was extremely amusing and showed the love we shared for one another.
Teaching the students was awesome! I am only 17, and I have never taught a class in my life before then. Yet all my students were so willing to learn and very welcoming.
When we were first introduced to our students, they were staring, confused because they had never seen people who look like us in person before.
After about 5 minutes of weird looks, the students were playing rock, paper, scissors, thumb wrestling with us, and they even showed us a hand game in Chinese called Hamburger.
We all immediately connected; especially my bff Alice and I. She was the first to spark a conversation with my sister and me. She even took a selfie of us on her cool watch.
Teaching my students was amazing but learning from them and sharing a special bond was my favorite part!
The friends we made along the way will forever be in my heart. Everywhere we went to eat, people would spend all day preparing the food for us and would often be like a feast all for the “Americans.”
Everyone was so generous and sweet. They give gifts without expecting anything in return. They also would offer something at least three times and if you said no to all three they would accept it.
As a picky eater, I did not expect to love Chinese food. Turns out I love it! Trying so many foods from across the world was amazing! All the new flavors and textures were so different than the “American-Chinese” food I was used to from Mandarin Express or Chinese takeout.
The most heart-moving experiences I had in China were saying goodbye to my students, hearing them cry so hard, and our visits to the orphanages/nursing homes. The sweetest kids were playing with us, holding our hands, wanting attention, and affection.
Having so much love for someone who doesn't understand anything you’re saying is so frustrating. This trip taught me how to show love without saying a word.
I would go back to China in a heartbeat, even if the airplane trip there was exhausting, it is so worth it. I will never ever forget this life-changing experience and all the friends and memories we made.
China
Enjoli
China has changed my life so much! I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity! The first week and a half we were there, we taught over 100 beautiful students with Mover English summer camp. It was amazing!
The children’s minds were like sponges, ready to soak up every ounce of knowledge they could. In the morning we would give a lesson, and in the afternoon, we would go to different scenic adventures.
The last day of camp was so precious! It was time to say goodbye and have our closing ceremony. There wasn’t a dry eye in the auditorium! All the children were bawling!
I think it’s because they felt the love and power of God, uniting them for a week and now it was time to go back… disconnected from the constant stream of love! The Holy Spirit had been moving in them, in all of us and you could feel the passionate love through every little sniffle and tear that shed.
After camp, we got to explore Wenshan and a couple of other cities. We met so many new people with so much love that was contagious!
The last day before we start traveling back, we visited the Mengzi Orphanage. I fell in love with one of the baby girls and I broke down!
How could I already love so many people just after meeting them?
This whole trip, I felt so beautiful, accepted, and deeply loved by the most genuine, pure-hearted people! God blessed us so in so many ways!
We had a awesome team, safe flights, gorgeous scenery, and we got to meet our new Chinese family! Thank you all for your prayers and support! We love you ALL!
Common Ground
Kevin
When visiting China, it is easy to realize we share so many similarities. No matter where you are from, you want your basic needs met… like food, clothing, & shelter. As parents, we want our kids safe and we want them to have a better life than we currently have. As humans, we have a desire to give love and be loved in return.
I feel like even though we have more freedoms in the U.S. than China currently does, that they are in fact the free ones. Here is why:
When families & friends in China sit down to eat a meal, it is more of a social gathering to get to know everyone than to just satisfy one's hunger. Also, food is shared on a lazy susan and you kind of peck at the food while listening and building special bonds. In the US, it is becoming a rare moment when we even sit down together as a family for a meal.
In China, I could leave my cellphone, wallet, or $100 bill in the middle of a classroom full of students and they would immediately turn it in, without even having a thought of keeping it for themselves.
Even when taking a taxi & James or someone may have prepaid without me knowing, the taxi driver made it clear that he/she couldn’t take our money. In the U.S., most taxi drivers would gladly take double payment and not tell you the ride was prepaid.
Lastly, no matter how tough life is for them, the people in China have this childlike happiness. They would love you genuinely and give you their last dollar or hot pot.
I was so impressed and overwhelmed how they laugh, live, & love hard. This was my big take away and how I want to live my life. In the U.S., you would think that since we have the freedom to worship we would definitely out love them. But I find, for the most part, that is not the case.
I was amazed at the closing ceremony when saying goodbye, how the Holy Spirit flooded the auditorium with His love and how the kids were so overwhelmed having never experienced that before. It goes to show that when we have Christ in our hearts and love the best we can… God honors that and shows up in many mighty unexpected ways.
Please don’t think that I don’t like living in the U.S., I love it here. I just wish people’s hearts (including mine) were more innocent and genuinely humble and loving. Trust me… I am still working on my heart. I now understand James & Kate’s hearts & why they can’t wait to go back!
