A Crutch, A Couch, and A Coach

A crutch, a couch and a coach all represent three different parts of our life right now. We are continuing to serve here in Lijiang, Yunnan, China. We are blessed beyond all measure to be here and to be with the team that God has provided to be with us! The school is surviving and we hope to be faithful stewards of the opportunity that has been allotted to us as I serve as Principal and Jewel serves as Principal’s wife. (I really couldn’t tell you which of those two jobs is harder!)

A Crutch

Well, I’ll start by explaining our most recent difficulty. I LOVE playing soccer. That is not the difficulty. When considering cause and effect you could definitely label my love for soccer as a cause. I was invited to play soccer with my friends Vince, Devin and Redrum. It was a night under the lights. Our team was down at the half (by like 8 points lol) so our coach (who happens to be the boss of my hosts) switched up positions and told me to play forward and not to worry about coming back to defense. So I decided to give it my all! We did pretty well and scored about five points for their 1 in the second half. But, with about 20 minutes left to play, I made a quick stop and a quick turn which worked together to provide a not-so-beautiful popping sound. I felt my knee get weak and started limping. “This has happened before”, I thought to myself. It reminded me a great deal of the time when I tore my ACL playing soccer during my senior year of high school. Well, we thank the Lord that one of our student’s mothers is a doctor at a local tumor hospital that recently got a brand new MRI machine. It took beautiful pictures and I walked out of the… ok I limped out of the hospital with a cane knowing that my ACL was still mostly intact. The small tear will have me using the cane for a month or so while it heals back up. We are very thankful that I do not have to go to Thailand in the middle of the school year for a surgery and that the testing, doctor visit and medication cost less than $100!

Soccer With the Guys

This is My Left Leg :)

A Couch

Alright, this part we are pretty excited about. We presently live fairly far away from the school. The school is in the north part of town and we live in the south. So, Jewel and I have been looking for a new place to move into. Our current apartment is ¥1,800.00 ($265) a month. It has two bedrooms and one bathroom with a living area that together totals 90(ish) square meters (970 square feet). It came with furniture which adds to the price a little bit. If we were going to move we were hoping for a couple of things. We wanted the price to stay in a similar range (2,500 a month max) while growing in size by quite a bit. We want the size to grow so that our family’s size can grow (No, that was not a subtle birth announcement. It is just a fact), and so that we can have people (like you) come to visit and stay with us. This sounds impossible I know. How can you grow in size but not grow in price? It gets more impossible when you know that apartments in the north part of town are generally more expensive anyway! But a verse comes to mind. Matthew 19:26 “… but with God all things are possible.” That’s right, we are currently looking at a two-story, 200(ish) square meter, 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom apartment! God is good. That’s where the couch comes in. Not only is the apartment an amazing size, but it comes almost completely undecorated! This is great because of a term called, “pretty, pretty”. The idea is that if you put two things that are individually pretty together than they will be pretty, pretty! Usually they are just pretty ugly… So we are excited to paint, build, and add items (like a chosen couch) to our new apartment. 

A Coach

This has to do with the school. As we are growing, our older students are well… getting older. So, we are trying to make a way for them to travel to America. Whether it be for high school or university, I am contacting institutions to find out what the requirements will be for our students and how they can stand out in the masses of Chinese students who desire to attend American schools. One way that we are going to get them ready is SAT/ACT prep. Right now our oldest student, Mary, is preparing to graduate in two years. I have started to work as her “coach” on Khan academy as she takes the SAT practice exams and prepares to study abroad. If you know of any schools that might be interested to receive students from our school, please let us know! 

We covet your prayers, and I love hearing from our friends in the states so please drop a line! 

Shalom! and 安从上帝我们的爸爸。
Christopher D. Pearson and Jewel N. Pearson

A Year End

We are coming up on the end of our second year here in Lijiang, Yunnan, China. It has already been such an adventure and a truly exciting journey. From stumbling, stuttering, and sprinting through the Guangzhou airport to making Lijiang our home, Jewel and I have been blessed the whole way.

I wanted to give an update on LJIA. We are moving! The location we are in now is in the middle of a village. It is neat for those of us who are into that sort of thing, but not so much for the parents who are not from the village and send their children to our school. So we will be waving goodbye to the mud walls that make up the buildings surrounding our present complex and the dogs that have chased us through the village street (and did in fact bite me once); and we are saying hello to the new facility in Coart Village. Yes, it is called “Coart Village” but it is more like “Coart Shopping Center of Beauty and Awesomeness”. Maybe you can tell, I am a little excited for this move! Jewel has encouraged me through many hours of laboring over powerpoint presentations and promotional videos, and Dom’s idea has been accepted by the Coart team. The move will take place at the end of July and beginning of August. We have had a few new children enroll already and we are praying for even more. The more children enrolled, the more influence we are able to have here!

As this year closes, we have already started reading the prologue for the 2016-2017 year. Applications have been turned in, acceptance letters have been sent out, and training documents have been edited. We are hoping to begin next year very smoothly and with the help of our present teachers’ hard work in filling out form after form of ideas for orientation/etc., I believe that it can be possible.

If I could ask you to consider one need that Jewel and I have. We are trying to raise support to purchase a car for when we return in the fall. The rainy and winter seasons can be harsh, and I want to be able to provide my wife, as well as other teachers, a ride safe from the elements. The vehicles that we are looking at could also be used for village travel! If the Lord lays it on your heart, I know we would be greatly blessed by any donation. I am also giving a CD of Christian music that I have recorded to anyone who would like a copy. Please contact me with your email address and I would be happy to send it your way. - https://www.gofundme.com/car4chris-jewel -

We are never forsaken.

    Christopher D. Pearson

So a Man Sharpeneth the Countenance of His Friend

The reference is from Proverbs chapter 27 and verse 17. It reads, "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." 

It seems to always be a while in-between these posts. Jewel and I want to thank everyone who has been praying faithfully for us. We know that we have been blessed. We have been given the opportunity to come over to this wonderful country without having to raise support due to the job that we have at Lijiang International Department of Huayang Academy for Language and Culture. I could not express to you just how thankful we are to be working here with these children every day, and striving to help them to grow. 

I wanted to express the great joy that Jewel and I have whenever we get to speak to one of our dear friends back in America. Those of you who have taken the time to be an encouragement have done just that. This week I feel more sharpened than I have in a while because of the opportunity that I have had to meet online with many of my brothers in Christ. 

A couple of updates for you to consider in prayer. The first is the possibility of growth for LJIA. The details are still being worked on, but I hope that you will pray earnestly that God might be glorified in the growth of this school. The second is an opportunity that has been presented very recently. As the Lord has led Jewel and I along so far, I believe that He is leading me into a continuance of my education. After a great deal of research into programs, I have decided to apply to attend PCC's graduate program. The entire course (Bachelor of Science in Educational Leadership) is online, and I am actively pursuing the completion of the application process. I hope that you will pray for Jewel and I as we open up a fresh chapter, and I know you will. 

Thank you again for your encouragement!

In Christ,

Christopher and Jewel Pearson

Investing in Preparation

Happy New Year from Christopher and Jewel Pearson! We are very grateful for your thoughts, prayers, and encouragement.

    As I think about a new year beginning, I laugh to myself because, where I am, I celebrate three. Working in a direct way with a school makes you think about your year in terms of a fall and spring. Your year begins when new teachers arrive, new students enroll, old students return, and new books are used. Americans celebrate their new year traditionally on the first of January. This is a celebration of the solar year. It takes the earth 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45.51 seconds to orbit the sun. (Yes, of course, I just looked that up! :) ) The Chinese, on the other hand, celebrate their new year based on a lunisolar calendar. Their new year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. With these three new beginnings fresh on our minds, it is easy to remember Dr. Sexton’s quote, “The Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”

    One such beginning has just been brought into our lives through certain events. I will outline them for you in a moment, but, first, I want to explain the impact it is having on my heart and mind. See, today, we were reading through Luke 12 and I had to re-read verses 35-40.

     “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.”

    This has impacted my heart deeply for a couple of reasons.

I am a steward of LJIA during the administrator’s absence.

    I take this very seriously. While Bro. Dom is away, I have the responsibility of watching over the workings, teachers, and students of the school. I know that God has placed me here to serve by helping Bro. Dom. I do not want to fail him upon his return. I want to be a faithful steward of the opportunities and time I have here. I want to be ready for his return!

We have been robbed for the second time.

    We are fine, and no harm was done besides some money being stolen. However, this made me think about what I could do to be PREPARED for what might come. The brothers and sisters here have helped us greatly by helping us to interpret conversations with our guards, local police, etc. They have also helped me to find a video camera that I can place in my house to alert me if/when someone breaks in.

    These two things together have been heavy on my heart recently. The desire to be a faithful steward, and the desire to be prepared for someone to enter my house at a time when I will not know. So when this passage was a part of my reading today, it really stuck with me. I have been meditating on the challenges set forth in this passage, and they are greatly magnified by the reality of these things in my life at the present time.

    The return of the Lord is said to be like a thief in the night. No man knows the day or hour. I am putting this video camera in my house because I want to be as prepared as I can for the possible thrice return of our unknown thief. But there will not be two precursor returns of our Lord. He will come, and I am to be found faithful at THAT time. The video camera does not come free, and neither will our preparation for the return of Jesus Christ. It will cost our lives. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Will we prepare? Will our lights be found burning? Or will we be the ungodly servants who do not the will of their Lord. See, the wicked and slothful servant of Matthew 25 still had what his lord had given him, but he had not invested in preparation for his return.

    My challenge to you this new year is the same challenge that the Lord has laid on my heart. Invest in preparation for His return! Let your light so shine before men TODAY! Stop putting off your resolution for time spent feasting on the goodness of God’s Word. Stop deceiving yourself by being a hearer and not a doer of the Word. Allow the fruit of the Spirit to grow in your heart TODAY! Invest in preparation for the Lord Jesus Christ cometh at an hour when you think not.


Love in Christ,

    Christopher and Jewel Pearson

3 Weeks Left: Lifetime still to go.

    Where to begin with an update? Things have been very busy here in a tiring but great way. I suppose we can begin with the present and then take a look back.

    This weekend, some of the workers at the school took a night train to and from Kunming. We did this to take a physical exam that is necessary for a specific Visa. The trip began at 8:30 when Bro. Dom picked us up near our apartment to bring us to the train station. We arrived, got through the ticket check/ security section and then waited a few minutes to board. It was all rather painless! There were four girls and myself traveling with our group. The sleeper rooms have 4 beds and a door that can lock. So naturally I was in a room separated from everyone else. When we first got on the train, I was the only person in my room and the train left the station the same way! At 11:30, the train stopped in Dali and I had three passengers join me. But they were pretty quiet and that was very nice! I think the girls stayed up late and talked about girl things, but I can’t say cause I wasn’t there! We arrived in Kunming at 6:30 the next morning. We groggily waddled out to the curb and caught a taxi to our exam. Other than being stuck in the arm with a needle that process was also pretty painless! Afterwards we caught the subway to the Metro area. No, not the metropolitan area, but the area that has the store Metro in it! There is also a Burger King, an H&M, and a Starbucks! Metro is like a Sams Club or Costco, so it is a very nice store to be able to visit and get things from. So, we spent 10 hours walking around, chilling in Starbucks, and possibly watching some people avenge for their second time. We got back this morning, and the sleep was much better on the trip back! So I will practice and study for choir practice tonight, and help clean the house! We are very thankful for a safe trip!
   

    Thursday I took my drivers test. I had not taken it because I knew it would consume time and I wasn't sure if I needed it yet since we don't have a car. But, because Ian and Candace left their vehicle here, and we wanted to take a teacher trip at the beginning of next year we decided to go ahead with the process. It began with regular paperwork stuff going back and forth to government buildings trying to persuade them that my vertical drivers license was simply an under 21 license that had not expired yet. The problem was that it looked differently than their recorded VA license. I knew that the process would finish with a written exam so I began to study. At first I was quite nervous because I could not find a good way to study. But I did find many blogs and comments mentioning the difficulty of the test. It is a 100 question test chosen randomly from a pool of 900+ questions. You must score a 90 or above in order to pass. So I really began to study! I found a website (http://www.chinese-driving-test.com/) that had questions on it, but i had no way of knowing if these were even the right questions to study. Then, Wednesday, I finished my paperwork to take the test and they scheduled me to take it at 9:00 the next morning. So I made a mad search to find the correct questions to study. I was able to find a document that contained the questions with the correct answers. I started separating the more difficult questions in order to study the ones that would be harder. While I still wasn’t positive that these were the correct questions, they did line up with the questions from online, so I felt pretty good about it. I had taken the practice test Wednesday night until I could get a 100 on it. Then I took it again twice the next morning and got a 100 on both. Turns out that the questions were exactly the same! So I was able to get a 100. Later that day I brought the paperwork in and received my License!

    I was also able to take my boys, and Jewel’s boy hiking on a mountain the other day. That was a great opportunity to spend time with them outside the classroom! We’re going back to America in three weeks. This has been an awesome but fast year!

Easter Weekend

     Does not Easter feel like Thanksgiving? My heart is full, for this past Easter weekend was an incredible opportunity to share the Good News! Chris and I held our first children's activity for our S.S. kids this past Saturday. They were allowed to invite one friend to come with them that didn't attend our S.S. From ages as young as 2 and as old as 10, everyone showed up and most brought a friend. Everything we do has a purpose, so the craft, the games, the lesson, all pointed to one Person. We are so grateful that even in China, children are waiting and wanting to hear about the One who could save them. I'm also happy that our friend Grace joined us here in China not long ago and has constantly been helping with the children's work!

     I won't be jealous that Chris and I didn't get a classy Easter photo together like all the ones I've seen on Facebook. Okay maybe a little. :) But our Easter Sunday brought many many people in to hear this Good News and also many children! We had a special time of singing and also eating lunch together after the meeting.

P.S. I hope you understand all my acronymns and "clue words." :)

Teaching Update

    Well, it sure has been a while good friends. I don’t know who will be reading this, but I hope that you find the update worth the time! We continue to enjoy the opportunities that present themselves all around us, and only wish that more of you were here to experience these things with us!

    Teaching has been exciting, and very rewarding. Jewel is teaching 1st grade, and I am teaching 2nd. Now, it would be a lie to say that it wasn’t tiring every now and again, but I have found that there is a wonderful responsibility and perfect opportunity to train those who have been placed in my care. Teaching 2nd grade is, for me, mostly about reiteration and excitement. Every day “k” comes before “i” and “e” and “c” before the other three, “a”, “o”, “u”. But I have come to enjoy the challenge of making these things fun and memorable. (I just hope I am doing a good job of it!)

    Second grade is not the only opportunity I have to teach. I have been given the privilege of teaching Geometry to our two high-school aged students. This takes a little more than reiteration and excitement. I have determined in to make this as painless as I can for my students. I know that the higher maths can be daunting, and certainly have a capability to drive the mind to consider digging ditches for a living to be the best option. (By the way, I highly appreciate those who dig ditches and did so for three years through college.) But, I ALSO know that Geometry is attainable if explained thoroughly and simply. Because of this desire, I have devoted much time to studying the Geometry book myself. I have enjoyed the journey so far and hope that the next unit (Proportional Qualities) won’t have my head!

    Jewel thoroughly enjoys teaching first grade. I’d even venture to say that she loves it! Which isn’t too far of a stretch since, to quote my wife, “I love teaching first grade.” She always has awesome stories at the end of the day about something her students did or said. (These usually involve a young Chinese lad named Luke) She spends “Happy Friday” every week having a great time with her kids, and brings a baked treat for them. She really is a great teacher and is enjoying the experience.