Notes:
I really liked what the writer
wrote about our interview, though some things need to be clarified or
corrected. I returned to Eastern to enjoy the alumni reunion, but since my
colleagues in China are always asking me to find "more teachers like you"
I was also hoping to recruit new teachers willing to work in China (so I
had photos on display, and handed out information about JHF). Anyone who
knows me knows that I take my teaching job very
seriously, and that I am also serious about my relationship with Jesus
(this article may not show that balance as much as I'd like).
I don't exactly "work with" the Jian Hua Foundation
(JHF), though I'm proud to be a JHF "associate." JHF helps professionals from
around the world find jobs in China where their skills can make a
difference; their motto is "Serving the communities of China with hope and
love." JHF donors also help make up the difference between China's
low salaries and high costs for foreign workers (by helping with insurance
costs, travel expenses, Andrew's expensive school
fees, etc.).
I earned my BA (major: Sociology; minor: Social Work)
from Eastern College in 1983. I earned an MA (majors: Teaching English
as a Foreign Language and Intercultural Studies) from Columbia
International University in 1999.
The Bible verse mentioned above says that ALL Christians
are Christ's ambassadors: "20Now then, we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s
behalf, be reconciled to God. 21For He [God the Father] made
Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, The Bible, New
King James Version, 1982 [i.e., re-translated from the original Greek in
1982].
--Michael
