when we knock, HE opens

"I LOVE this school but..."

That small 3-letter word is the precursor to so many excuses and explanations. It's that little word that can change the entire meaning of a sentence. Something so small, and yet so powerful.

Prayer. It's that 24 hr hot-line to the Ruler of the Nations, and yet, so often overlooked. Prayer changes what will one day be history, and is at our disposal any hour of the day. Something so small and yet so powerful.

When we pray, things happen. Many times we don't see a difference after praying, but is this a reason to be stop? Of course not. On the occasion that the Lord sees fit to let me see Him work, I get really excited. Most often, I think we simply have to pray, believing that God hears, and trust Him, in His infinite wisdom, for whatever answer He thinks best to give us.

Have you ever known anyone to 'exhaust' prayer? Do you know people that pray too much?

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:6 (Christ commands us to pray)

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (we should constantly be praying!)

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Matthew 7:7 (God will answer)

If you REALLY believe what you SAY you believe, what would have to change?



I'm really excited. This is what God did for me the other day.

"I love this school, but..." I've had a harder time getting to know the kids. With around 800 students, It's the biggest school I've ever taught at on a weekly basis. Teaching has been going well. I teach in the English classroom which means the students come to me. They file in for class and 40 minutes later they file out. The homeroom classes of four of the six classes that I teach are clear on the other side of the school, and I'm pretty sure it would take me the entire 10 minute break just to walk there and back.

This presented a small problem. I decided to pray and ask God specifically to help me connect with these kids and give me opportunities at school to talk and play with them.

God answered in 3 different ways!

1) During one of the longer breaks (20 min) I ventured outside to the play area where children were playing all sorts of games. As I meandered I happened upon some of my students. They were playing tag. I asked if I could join them and they happily agreed. During the game one girl said in Chinese, "You can run? Wow!" ha-ha. It was a fun bonding time. One class later I asked my teacher if I could eat lunch with them (I usually eat lunch with a couple teachers). When he told them the class ERUPTED in applause and cheers of excitement! After lunch we talked about all sorts of interesting things together: Mangoes, ice cream, favorite colors, places I've been in Taiwan, etc. It was awesome!

2) One of my 5th grade classes is quite small, with only 11 students. One of the two boys in this class is always dragging his feet when he comes to class. Literally. He lays his head on the desk, doesn't smile, and has an expressionless look on his face for the majority of the class.
After class this week, I walked down the hall to their classroom with a deck of Uno cards. I walked in and asked "Do you want to play a game?". When they saw the Uno cards they suddenly got very excited. We settled down on the floor and started playing. This specific little boy that I wrote about above was one of the most energetic ones playing! He was having fun!
After a few games the bell rang. Back to class.
If that wasn't enough, after lunch I was sitting at a desk practicing Chinese when he walked past the English classroom and he smiled and waved at me! :O I'm hoping and praying that this new discovered enthusiasm will spill over into English class. : )

3) I only teach one 6th grade class at this school, and it's a special class for musically talented students. Everyone in the class plays one, or more, musical instruments. During the break before their English class with me, I visited their homeroom. We started talking about violin and I asked a student if I could hear him play. He was shy and quickly shook his head, but he said I could play something. They got a violin for me and I played a few bars of a classical piece I know. I handed it to him and he played something. The violin got passed around. I'm glad God has me teaching this class. We have a common denominator in music, and I look forward to getting to know them more in the year ahead.

I saw God work 3 times that day. Although many of these answers were small, I know they were "Heaven sent". It's the small answers that add up and make a difference. I want to say "Thank you!" to everyone that is praying for me. You have NO idea how much I appreciate your prayers. God hears and He is answering.

In Christ Alone,
Josie 林以恩