Update on Emily Colton in China

3 months ago Catalyst helped send Emily Colton of Akron off to China for a 6 month journey. While serving in a nation that tightly controls internet usage, Emily was able to email this update to us today:

Hi family and friends!

I’ve just past my halfway point here in Asia and I think it is definitely time for an update. I’ve been here almost 3 months and I’ve experienced so many amazing things. (Other than the things happening in my life personally, a lot has happened in this country recently and I want to encourage you to keep praying for the people here.) During my time here I’ve really been seeking to understand my role here, and how I can be useful in God’s plan. Even though I know our Father is using me whether I can see the tangible evidence or not, there are many times that I want to just make a big impact. So… what is my role here?

I am a teacher…
I keep busy by teaching 2 classes at the school, one with the beginner class and one with the advanced class. We are now only 4 weeks from the end of our semester, and I cannot believe that the time has flown by so quickly. At first this role really scared me, as I’ve never formally taught in a classroom before and or even had training in this. When I first arrived I didn’t even know how to make a lesson plan! I basically hit the ground running when I got here, starting just a week after I arrived, but slowly I learned with a lot of help from fellow teachers. I feel like I finally am getting used to teaching, even though sometimes I still feel like a novice. Truly the greatest part of teaching is my students. (as it should be, i suppose!) I have grown to love them and therefore love the role of teacher. I think I first started to feel comfortable teaching when I could finally joke around with my advanced class. We even had a “slang day” last week, when I taught them words like “dude”, and “sweet”. I had a lot of fun listening to them create dialogs with each other trying to use these words and phrases.

One of the biggest challenges I find with teaching, is the fact that I am a “teacher”, which is a highly respected role in this culture. In this situation, I want to be a friend to the students, but at times, the role of “teacher” feels restrictive, making a deep friendship hard to get to.

I am a home-school teacher & big sister…
I am also a home-school teacher to an 8yr old girl named Anna. We do Science on Wednesdays and Phys Ed on Fridays. I’ve been excited to teach her volleyball, but she is quite injury prone and has already suffered a fractured wrist, a sprained ankle and plenty of cuts and bruises. Thankfully I just bought a volleyball and we are starting to practice in the park (while many on-lookers gawk and stare)! I have a blast with Anna, and she continually refreshes a child-like perspective in me. Sometimes when we go to the park together I feel more like a big sister or even another kid, as we hop on rocks over the creek, climb up mountains and read books in pagodas. We are constantly asked how we’re related (of course they think two people with red hair must be related), whether I’m her mother or sister or cousin.

As I teach, I also learn. I came to a realization, while sitting on a mountaintop, that teaching her about animals and insects and plants is giving me a new appreciation for all of the facets of creation. This place is a perfect place to re-appreciate nature because it is also so very different from home. From the mountains that seem to shoot straight up out of flat ground to the many varieties and uses of bamboo, I can’t help but see a very real glimpse of the creativity of our Creator. In my heart, experiencing nature here is like experiencing God first hand. I am so thankful to be teaching a subject that I can learn so much from!

I am a friend…
My roommates and fellow teachers have been not just my default friends, but also a huge blessing! It is amazing how quickly you can appreciate the few people who speak your language and know your culture when living among everything foreign.

However, the friends I have always been most hopeful of making are the friendships with students and that is quite a different challenge. Most students are very sweet and easy to get along with, but the deeper friendships I long for will take time to build. Getting to know the students through small dinners and class parties, we’ve built a good foundation of being comfortable around each other, joking with each other and even discussing some very tough topics in and out of class. I have been praying for all of them and several individually quite a bit this semester and I am hopeful to continue to see them grow curious or eager to learn.

I will be a camp teacher…
Thanks to our Father’s provision through many of you, He has given me the opportunity to stay here for the month of July to help with summer camps. Summer camp is a very unique situation in which we will spend 2 weeks at a middle school, team teaching with one of my advanced students. Not only is this going to be a lot of fun, with activity packed days, but this will also be a very good chance to get closer to the advanced students. By working together, we will no longer have the ‘teacher’/’student’ limitation and we can finally be real with each other.

Other Things Happening…
- Earlier this semester, we had 3 students go to a church in a bigger city and get baptized!
- Many students are at different levels in their walk, from curious to teaching other students.
- College Connection: 2week relational cultural exchange with students from Akron coming to pair up with advanced students and build friendships through many activities

Please keep praying for…
- Deepening friendships with students (the attached picture is advanced students)
- Curious/Questioning students
- Like minded student community
- College Connection: friendships, opportunities to share, energy
- Endurance for the rest of the semester
- Important decisions for the school

Thank you all for your prayers, love and support!

Living by his grace,
Emily