Back to School

The school year has started. There are nine on our team, and thousands of students to reach. The task is huge, but not impossible.

Middle school exam scores determine which high school a student will attend, and typically only students who attend a good high school will go to the University. An average day in the life of a high schooler might look something like this:

6am - wake up and read a book - in English
7am - prepare for their day
8am - after a bus or a bike ride, arrive at school
8-5ish - school is very structured, and high pressure, students generally interact with just their teachers and a small group of classmates.
5-6:30 travel home and spend time with parents
6:30-10/11 - homework then bed
(Students often have classes 6, sometimes 7 days a week)

For many of my friends going to college was the only goal they ever have had, and have spent their whole lives up to this point working towards that goal - so they can get a job and make money. Many of our friends say that college is much easier than high school. Almost every college student is in some sense trying to "find themselves" but in China, I feel like this is even more true. For many, college might be the first time they've ever had to ask themselves questions like "How should I spend my free time?" or "Who should I be friends with?"

"Finding Yourself" It seems impossible to actually find yourself until you find your Father and understand how he sees you. Only then can you really know your purpose and really find satisfaction in your heart. It's always sweet when this happens, but when a Chinese brother or sister finds their identity in the Father at this crucial time int their lives, it seems like really amazing things can happen really quickly.

The next few weeks are a really important time of year for us. We want to meet tons of students and show them that there are more purposeful ways to spend their free time than shopping and surfing the internet. We want be the ones to ask them the hard questions that they have never thought about before. We want them to know that they can live for more than a good job that pays. We throw parties and have studies with those who are seeking and we really need your pr@yer. Our hope for this semester is that every major campus would have a group started. We are on our way to seeing that happen.