Gift Idea #1

Some of my readers seem to be wondering, "If I know someone who is a teacher in China, and I want to send a present, what should I send?" With the semi-official start of the (American) Christmas shopping season, that seems to be an appropriate topic. As an American teacher in China, I can offer my personal perspective.

Idea #1: Kindle or Other E-Reader

If your favorite expat teacher likes reading books, this is a must. My sister Autumn and brother-in-law Andrew very thoughtfully sent me a Kindle (b/w, with keyboard and WiFi) shortly before my trip, and it's been great. You can read books on an iPad or other tablet computer, or even on a smart phone (which I have), but the battery life is limited and the LCD screen is not great on the eyes for long reading spells. The e-ink screen technology that Amazon developed for the Kindle is low-power and easy on the eyes. I loved it and used it a lot. Unfortunately, mine has died after about 2 years of use, and I really miss it. Reading books on my phone is not nearly as good.

(Note: Due to shipper restrictions, this is something that is more easily purchased in the U.S. and then mailed to a Chinese address personally.)

Please watch this space for future ideas!

Prayer Requests

First, praise God for restoring my health after some minor but uncomfortable problems. I suspect that He has been trying to teach me something, and if I attend properly to His lessons, things may work better for me.

Second, please pray for the worship service this Sunday. I've committed to leading the bilingual worship, which I can do, but I currently have no musician except for my own self beating time with my hand on my thigh. There are other possibilities, but so far that's all they are, so I could really use some prayer that God would bless our voices.

Finally, please pray for my personal life. It may be easy to find a girlfriend here if you're not choosy, but I've learned that it pays to be selective in the right way. That said, there are still a few excellent young women in my circle of friends, any of whom would probably make a very good helpmate. I feel that I need God's wisdom in this area.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying!