español

A huge part of my missionary position here in Taiwan, if not my main position, is being the best teacher I can be for my students.  This includes finding innovative and engaging ways to teach them, not once in a while, but every day.  Especially with my Spanish classes, for which I have no curriculum, this takes a lot of time and effort!  But God always gives me the grace to do my job.  I especially notice His power on days when I´m so tired I don´t know how I´m going to get through the day.  I´m DEFINITELY not a perfect teacher, but I try my best and we know that God can use even our mistakes for good.

Here is a video I made for one of my Spanish classes including Spanish vocabulary for hobbies.  The video stars some members of Team Taiwan, so I thought I would share it with you.  Humor is a huge tool that we use to connect with students and people in general, so it´s stuffed with silliness (maybe you need to know these characters to really find it hilarious! I don´t know).  Well, enjoy!


In Christ,

Anna Gruen

Galatians 6:9

The Honeymoon is Over.

... And after three weeks of well-behaved students, we're now starting to settle into the ordinary rhythm of school.  The newness has worn off-- students get bored quickly again, and they need motivation to keep working.   I've heard that the first year of teaching is a LOT of work, and I'm finding it to be true, especially as I create my own Spanish curriculum as I go (the school has no textbook, and doesn't want one).  I feel like I can never get ahead, and I look at my calendar and wonder how it's already Tuesday when yesterday was Friday.  BUT, you Americans know what I'm talking about.  Business is an integral aspect in American life.  Often times we don't know how to stop, and so I know you understand.


Teaching is rewarding, but so messy.  What is the best way to explain Jesus' parables to English learners?  Are my students comprehending everything?  Are they getting the information they need for their big exams?  Are they developing as people?  Am I showing equal concern for all students, or am I showing favoritism?  How do I engage the boys and girls in my class, when their interests and learning styles are so different?  These are the questions of a teacher, and sometimes I think these questions largely go unanswered.


If I had time to write, I'd tell you more about the house church I visited.  The place was flooded with food and families ready to welcome in new students of the local universities.  I'd tell you about the hiking trip I went on with a Taiwanese family, and all the Taiwanese things I learned and saw and ate.  I'd tell you more about Team Taiwan and how we at times drop personal plans to be there for each other and offer a hug and a listening ear.  Mostly I would tell you about my students.  They are each so precious, and I can't believe that I've been entrusted with their education and development.  God has blessed me with a handful of Christian students in each class that give me so much joy, and many more students who are willing and want to learn more about the Bible.  Please please please pray for my students.

In some ways, I feel as if I have finally passed over into adulthood.  I now no longer just take care of myself with an occasional helpful action offered to a friend, but I have children to take care of on a regular basis.  It changes the entire way I think and live.  I hope that I can be a blessing while I am here in Taiwan, but I sure am being blessed back quite a bit.  God is always teaching me and maturing me.  I guess He's good at this sort of thing:

"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:6

I have confidence that this is true for all of you serving on the mission front back in America.  God is doing great works in you.

In Christ,

Anna

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Week 2

Well it looks as if I am settling into the groove of teaching.  I've decided that I absolutely love it.  I feel empowered as I connect with my students, teach them, and learn from them and colleagues too.  It's good to have a meaningful job that is accomplishing something worthwhile.  And now that most of my pre-lesson anxiety seems to be dissipating,  I hopefully won't be as exhausted as I was after my first week of teaching.

This week's lesson in Bible class was the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  I tried to make it personal and relevant to their culture of Taiwan in today's world.  We talked about how thorough and joyful is God's forgiveness (he doesn't just grudgingly welcome us back-- He runs to us!).  The students were engaged and seemed to understand.  Praise God for this opportunity for them to hear the good news!  It's easy for me to worry about my lesson and my performance as a teacher, but I can only do my best and pray that God will change hearts.  If He can speak through a donkey, I guess He can work through me, despite my mistakes and faults.  :)

In my last post I told you about the questionnaire I gave my 9th grade Bible students.  Here are some examples of my students' faith life:

"I believe on Jesus and God.  I chose my faith by myself before I went here.  I didn't any certain faith, so when I learn something about God, I think I want to believe Him, and follow the roles that Bible told people to do.  I think God is real and that's why I would have chosen believing in Jesus and God."

"I go to the temple to bai bai (worship ancestors).  I would go to the temple because my family would go to the temple to bai bai and my family affect me to go to the temple.  And I just follow with them to go to the temple to bai bai."

"I went to temple, because in Taiwan most people believe that, my parent also believe that, but I come to Concordia, I met Jesus.  Although I didn't meet him before, but I will try." 

"I belief in Jesus.  At first I didn't believe in any gods.  But until I came to Concordia and go to church. I decided to belief in Jesus.  God give me power and brave to do the things that I afraid to do.  When I sad I like to pray and talk to God."

When I first came to Taiwan, I was so overwhelmed by the people's need for the Truth that I became disheartened.  But now, I realize the importance of rejoicing in those students who do have faith in Jesus Christ.  These stories give me motivation to keep working hard, especially the stories that mention our school here as a catalyst for their faith.  Always, we have to fix our eyes on God's power and love and our promise of heaven.  When we look at the trouble around us, like Peter with the wind and the waves, we can lose hope.  But there is always hope when our eyes are fixed on Jesus!  He is our hope.

Team Taiwan has two new members-- Tracy from Chicago and Jen from New Jersey!  We will also be welcoming Zach from Arizona soon, which will complete our team for the year.  Please pray that they will adjust well to life in Taiwan and teaching, and that we can grow united as a team.

People of God, keep pressing toward the goal!  Chiayo! ("Step on the gas!")

God's blessings,

Anna

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One Week Marker

As I reflect on my first week of school and how much has happened, I can't believe I was so recently in America and wondering when I would come back to Taiwan.

I arrived early Sunday morning at 3:30 after a long journey (two flights, two taxis, and a bus).  On Sunday I had just enough time to catch a few hours of sleep, go to church, get the curriculum from my colleagues, and plan the first day.  School started Monday, and was a whirlwind until Friday night when I finally breathed and realized I survived the first week of my career-- praise God!

So far?  God has blessed my classes amazingly.  I have wonderful students and already have a good rapport with them.  I genuinely enjoyed the time in class.  It feels so good to be useful, to be responsible for such a precious thing (a classroom full of adolescent hearts and minds) and to be able to have  a positive impact on them.   God even gave me the ability to discipline those I needed to discipline, which doesn't come easy for me.  My first week was definitely not perfect, but it was a learning experience and very positive.  All praise and glory to God!


My class breakdown:

--   7th grade small group English classes
--   9th grade Writing & Bible   (both in the same class, with four different groups of kids)
--   9th, 10th, and 11th grade Spanish

One struggle:  I am not nervous while I'm teaching, but the time I spend waiting to teach is arduous.  I spend the time agonizing over, "did I prepare enough?  Am I ready to teach this lesson?  Will everything go smoothly?"  I'm sure once I get used to teaching, this pre-lesson stress will become minimal, but for now it's exhausting and monopolizes my free time.

My 9th grade Writing and Bible students' first assignment was to write a little about themselves so I could get to know them better.  On the handout was also a section on faith and what they believed.  Most of my students wrote "I have no faith" or "I pray to my ancestors".  A few wrote "I trust in Jesus", and of those, many mentioned the school as a main catalyst to their faith.  It gave me so much joy to see!

Whatever they wrote, whether Buddha or Jesus or ghosts or no faith, I wrote questions for them.  "Why do you believe this?"  "How can we know what is true?"  "What does this look like in your life?"  For my Buddhist students, I want them to seek truth rather than tradition.  For my Christian students, I want them to know why they believe.  I want them to make it their own, not just their parents' faith.  I want them to see how it makes them different from other faiths.   Wherever my students are in their faith, I am here to challenge it and help my students to grow.  Teachers can make such a difference.  Please pray that God would give me the wisdom, strength, and love to show my students Jesus, and that His Spirit would come to my students and create faith.

Today is Saturday and it couldn't be more relieving to have time to myself.  I'll probably spend the day organizing my desk and putting my room together.   Overall, it feels good to be back in Taiwan.  The amount of food I'm eating has been reduced to about 1/3 of what I was eating in the States (haha, it's a good thing, but what can I do when my mom is such an amazing cook?).  I wish I could send you all Taiwan tea with fresh passion fruit and pineapple because the taste is so heavenly that it's surreal.   Team Taiwan is just as goofy and loving as ever, and I already got to see some good Taiwanese friends from church.

That's it for now.  If anyone would like to email me and tell me how things are going in America, please feel free!  I would love to hear from you all.  You all have a very important mission in America and I pray that God will keep you safe, full of His Spirit, consistently in His Word, and passionate for His Name.  God's blessings to you all!  Galatians 6:9


In Christ,

Anna Gruen