Lazarus Lives!

Luke 11:21-27

"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

Luke 11:32-44

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
"Take away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

So Long, Farewell

Goodbyes are not natural. There’s something really wrong with saying goodbyes and I’m not sure we were ever made to say them like we have to sometimes in our life.

As my dad says, in Christ, it’s never goodbye for always, but a “see you later.” Even those are hard enough.

This week was full of good byes to students, coworkers, and friends in Taiwan. I’m headed to the States (as I type this, I’m sitting in the Detroit airport) for five weeks of reenergizing, refueling and (hopefully) relaxing with family and friends. I’m really looking forward to this time.

But saying goodbye to the students was really heartbreaking, especially the kindergarteners. This is for two reasons. First, I don’t have any promise of seeing the kindergarten students again. They are moving on to various elementary schools in the area. A few will attend CELA classes after their Chinese school, but really only a small percent of the110 kindergarten kids I taught this year. Second, those 110 kindergarteners were God’s answers to so many prayers this year. God gave me great joy, encouragement, inspiration, and refocused me through their unabashed adoration, curiosity, simple statements and humor this year. Their enthusiasm for “Bible time,” their child like faith, their hugs and high fives, their smiles, their artwork.

I started my journey to the States late Saturday night. Saturday during the day, amongst the packing and cleaning, I was able to attend the dress rehearsal for the big kindergarten graduation/end of the school year ceremony/ballet/performance. It was amazing! These kids have been practicing for months, and it really came together – when I get home, I’ll add some pictures to this.

And here are those promised pictures!









I cried like a baby as I watched them up there. They were so focused and intent on doing a good job, and I was overcome with pride in them and how much they’ve grown and again in thinking about how much God has done for me through them this year!

In E4, the goodbyes were not as tearful, but just as touching. A couple students wrote me notes. One gave me a tiny jar with two red seeds. She wrote, “In Chinese culture, seeds mean miss you. I will miss you.” Another had made an embossed wooden keychain. It had my name on it as well as a heart with a cross on top of it. I often sign my name with that simple drawing of a cross in a heart and told my students it means, “with love in Christ.” I smiled that she had remembered that and thought to make it a part of the keychain.

I unwrapped one gift as other students eagerly watched. The giver of the gift was beside herself with excitement hoping I liked the specially picked item. Tipping the contents out of the box revealed a snow globe with two ceramic cats attached and it had “Miss You” written on it. The other students were really impressed with it! “Good job!” one student enthusiastically called out when he saw what it was. He thought it was the perfect choice, so how could I disagree?

Kids are cool.

On the plane for the longest leg of the journey, a 12 hour flight from Osaka, Japan to Detroit, I sat across the aisle from a girl who was probably three years old. I fell asleep on and off throughout the flight, but I’m not sure this little girl ever did. At any rate, she was wide awake anytime I was conscious. I would say, “Oh, her poor mother,” except that the girl was great at entertaining herself and would be playing cheerfully and quietly whenever I looked over. She didn’t seem any trouble at all – she just wasn’t sleeping. Then, it was hilarious. I kid you not, AS the plane is going down to land… the wheels are coming out for touchdown, the girl konks out onto her mom’s arm. I saw the mom look down at her and try to wake her up. Not now! You had 12 hours to sleep! But you can’t sleep now! Just a little while later, I saw her sitting on top of her mom’s suitcase having a nice ride towards customs – still wide awake and smiling.