To be a teacher...

At last I've got an update.

I'm going to attribute my scarce blogging to impatience. The internet jugs a long at a very slow pace when attempting to access certain websites, blogger happens to be one of those sites. Recently the connection had sped up so I think that it will be fair to expect more updates.

Time is going by really quickly. It's hard to believe that it is already almost November. This feeling that time is moving so quickly hit me today as I walked into my school. The first day of school, my friend and roommate Ted brought Micah and I to school. It was a very overwhelming feeling to be entering a high school campus the same size as my college campus with twice as many children, all speaking a foreign language. Every single one between the ages of 12 and 18 and flying higher then a kite on the first day of school.

Today Ted came back with us for the first time since our first day. What a difference 2 months makes. Today I was leading Ted into school. Of the 2,000 or so kids that are on the campus, I know 450 of them. When I walk into school their is no longer a feeling of uncertainty, this feeling has been replaced with joy. It's exciting to walk into school and meet 450 eager 12 year olds who love to say, "Hello Mr. Matt!"

G()d has greatly blessed my teaching. I love to teach with Micah and our kids are so eager to learn. We have very few discipline problems, and most of our kids seem to be learning new things every class. I'm sure that our classes make a mockery of the teaching that is done in the U.S.A. Class sort of feels like a variety show featuring songs, stories, acting, inside jokes and made up characters.

This will be a time of my life which I'm sure will be in part defined by teaching. I spend most of my time teaching or preparing to teach. I am currently teaching 20 class periods a week and 4 studies. Soon I will start 1 on 1 instruction and might even start some tutoring.

Teaching the Word has been awesome. It's one of the coolest feelings to be digging in the Word and other sources in order answer questions. It's incredibly rewarding because I get to share simple truths with people who have never heard them, but most importantly want to hear them. At the same time my own f*ith is edified.

Teaching has been humbling. Here I am, a graduate from a very specialized college with almost no knowledge of science, math, politics, law. I teach lawyers, professors, and students from Peking (Harvard of China), Microsoft engineers. Each day reminds me of these words, "But G()d chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; G()d chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Chris Jesu, who has become for us wisdom from G()d that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

I think Him every day for friends who are humble. They are willing to sacrifice their prestige, in order to learn the Word. They speak in a language not their own, they cannot fully express their ideas, and they are taught by people who have far less prestige.

G()d is great.

Matthew James Werner