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Now for more details! Friday night was wonderful, and ISM was so blessed to have over 90 students attend our Valentine's Snack n Chat. It was great to see how many people turned out for the event and took part in the dancing that we had after the meal. Overall, the night was definitely a success! The picture at the top of this post is of some of our very full dinner tables. The one on the bottom shows a few of our girls dancing a new hip hop dance we were taught that night.




Although I am grateful for the numbers, I hope that this will not be the only time I see many of the new students I saw on Friday night. It's true that some international students that come to ISM events will only attend our activities once, but I would like to see more students come to multiple events or even come to our Sunday small group that ISM hosts for believers and seekers. As a ministry, we are reassessing what God's will is for this ministry. As an individual, I am trying to assess what God has for me in ISM. I enjoy interacting with international students, and I love the fact that many have begun to recognize me as a leader and constant presence at ISM events. I want to stay with ISM, but I can only imagine who will be joining me as an ISM intern next year. Irregardless, I am excited to see what God does!

China-wise, I am pleased to announce that my portion of the trip is paid in full. Thank you so much for all your prayers and provision! Even though May is a long way away, the trip is starting to become more of a reality for me. I could not ask for a better group with which to go, and I am glad that we have the time to meet and get to know each other well in advance of our departure.

I'll just leave you with a picture of Kunming. It is supposed to be 70-80 degrees the whole trip long.



Oh yes.

Just a quick update...

Last night was ISM's February event, our Valentine's themed Snack n Chat. It turned out to be the most widely attended event that ISM has ever hosted! We dined on spaghetti and meatballs, and my roommate Sammy taught everyone a new line dance for our evening's entertainment. Everyone I talked to really enjoyed themselves, and I am very excited to see more students coming in, though of course numbers are not the object of our ministry. Nevertheless, they are encouraging. More to come!

"Let China sleep, for when she awakes, she will shake the world."

I chose this quote by Napoleon not only because I was enamored by the historical aspect of it, but also because I believe that this is an accurate description of how the Gospel has the potential to move through the Chinese people as a nation. The fact that we are leaving for China in May has only heightened my interest in the work I am doing at Wesley with our international students. Whenever I tell my friends that I am about to visit their home country, I see an eager desire in them to share their culture with me in a new way. They tell me all the places that I should go, what I should bring back (tea), and what I should be sure to eat while I'm there. Their anticipation of my experience is so exciting, and I absolutely cannot wait until I'm on the plane headed to Beijing!

In the meantime, our group is reading The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun. I have wanted to read his autobiography for some time, so I am glad that I will finally have the discipline to do so. I hope that it will be a chance for us to understand more of what is going on in China's house churches and the heart that God has specifically for China. From the experience that I have had with my Chinese friends, I know that Chinese culture is warm, welcoming, and very community-oriented. It is obvious how God is already at work in Chinese culture, and I am so glad that I get to witness it.