Feverish

The last few days of any program are nothing short of feverish. Classes are finishing, and every learner wants to spend time with their teacher. Meanwhile, the teachers are trying to wrap up final packing, fill in papers for the team leaders, debrief each other on the program highs and lows, and maybe fit in a little last minute shopping for family gifts back home.

The final program was seamless. Each class presents a five minute or less skit or song to show off their English learning. They range from simple singing to complicated rewrites of Chinese folk tales that somehow incorporate all the idioms that have been learned during the program. This all is preceded by a closing ceremony that mirrors the opening ceremony with the whole team on the platform, under lights, speeches by administration, a Chinese English teacher, a non-English teacher, a student, and one of the program directors. Gifts are given and accepted, and there is a general folderol that accompanies this part of the world. It’s ceremony, it’s ritual, it borders on boring, but there is a security in knowing this is the way everything starts and stops and without the ritual, the program would lack authenticity. And the speeches from the three levels of learners always blow us away with their content and appreciation.

After the final program, the entire crew of close to 150 troops across campus to a restaurant where there is a buffet lunch. Classes sit with their teachers, and the air is bright with flash pictures. More gifts are given by learners to the foreign team.

The next day all those team member who had not been to the Great Wall because of weather the previous week took off to see the sights. The bus driver evidently didn’t bother to check his directions because a 90 minute trip took them close to four hours. Fortunately the bus was air conditioned and the team likes each other.

On Sunday many, many learners came to church with the foreign teachers, a continuing demonstration that God is at work on this campus and in this country. Church, for those who are thinking a tiny house church huddled in some dark corner, is a huge building on the main highway, and the English service alone seats well over a thousand. Plus five or six Chinese services of equal size.

Sunday also saw the first few of the team leave, with another nine early Monday morning, and four more midday. Bags are packed, teaching supplies are packed and stowed into the International School offices, and the left over coffee, bread, milk, yogurt, and peanut butter handed over to a grateful Brit who actually eats those foods.

And the team leaders, AKA, us?  Well we’ve also been feverish but not just in final packing out. My husband had food poisoning Friday night, and has recovered. We’re hoping to be on a plane tomorrow, but a resistant fever persists for me. This morning, before the other director left, we gathered in our room and they prayed over me, asking the Lord to dispel the fever and silence the attacks.

What an incredible joy to know that God is not limited by time or space.