Holocaust Memorial Day

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. Today we remember the over 6 million Jewish people who were killed during the Holocaust by Hitler and his henchmen. In college I devoted two years of my history studies to this specific topic. I have written many papers on the experimentation on children, twins, pregnant women and siblings at the hands of Joseph Mengele. Joseph Mengele was known as the "Angel of Death" who stood at the gates when new prisoners would come into Auschwitz. He decided who lived and who died with a twist of his hand to the right or left. He also personally selected from the new inmates, those he would begin experimentation's on. I can honestly say that this type of evil boggles my brain. To treat people as inhuman, which is what they did, is horrific. Hitler had laws passed which made it legal to kill the Jewish people. Lets not let this happen again to anyone! Teach about the horrors of the Holocaust to your family. It saddens me to read articles like this: "One in Five young Germans unaware of Auschwitz" Or this: "Cars burned and Jewish Neighborhood attacked in Hate crime" . Remember what happened to these people, don't let your family be ignorant about this.

News Articles regarding Anti-Semitism:

Sharp increase in Anti-Semitic Activity in New York
Hate Crimes at Queens libraries and Jewish temple
Anti-Semitism at Occupy Wall Street Protests
Arab Spring sees rise in Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism widespread in Germany

Recommended Reading: 

Night by Eli Weisel (A personal favorite!)
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Tears of My Soul (about the Cambodian Genocide)
Tramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom
The Diary of Anne Frank
Number the Stars (an elementary reading book about the Holocaust)
The Holocaust: A history of the Jews of Europe during the second world war by Martin Gilbert (A more in depth study of what happened)
The War Against the Jews 1933-1945 by Lucy S. Dawidowicz (A textbook I used in college)


Also remember that there have been other times where large numbers of innocent people have been slaughtered like animals. One instance is the Cambodian genocide from 1975-1979 where over 2,000,000 Cambodian people were killed by their own people (Khmer Rouge)! The started murdering the educated, those who held political office and those who served in the military. They forced the people out of large towns and into small villages to live in filth and fear daily of being exterminated. Tears of my soul gives a heartbreaking account of what happened, its a good read. Another instance of mass extermination is the Rwandan Genocide where around 800,000 Tutsis people were killed within the span of 100 days. These events are tragic. Please pray for those involved in these three massacres, for family still alive who suffered and for those who were the killers. Pray that they repent and put their trust in the Savior. Pray that God takes away any anger and bitterness and uses these horrible events for His glory. Similar to how He did with Corrie Ten Boom.

~N

A day in the life of Fei...

So this past Friday was a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day." It started out fine, with me getting up and ready for my sub job at High School X. I usually know that my first two periods of the day (which were 10th graders) are going to be the best because the kids are still half asleep, which was the case today. I had some kids walk in and say "oh, this sub is nice," so that also lets me know the kids will be nice. Then fourth period rolls around and this insane group of angst filled 11th graders comes in. Now usually, the older the students (grade wise) the better they behave...well today this was not the case. I had a group of four girls with these horrible attitudes right from the start of class. They were just so angry towards me for no apparent reason. It took a while to quiet them down for me to take attendance and let them know that they would be taking a test. I made every student be completely quiet before I handed out the test and let them start. I caught several students cheating (which is not unusual but still sad). Towards the end it was difficult keeping the whole class quiet (those who were done with the test) while a few students finished the test. One girl in particular was looking through her folder, book and talking with her friends while working on her test (which of course is not allowed). So i told her she needed to stop talking....to which i got a smart remark about how I should have listened to her conversation to prove she was not cheating...and when I replied that even if she was not talking about answers to her test it looks that way from my vantage point she became belligerent. She was so rude and made me feel like the worst person on the planet. I was fed up with her attitude and apparent cheating that I called for a campus security officer to come escort her to the office. Doing this set the whole class up in arms (which is not unusual). Funny enough when the campus aid came in he knew who i was sending out before I even told him! I'm leaving out alot of dialogue here but you should understand that this girl was very angry and very argumentative for no reason!
        After this charade....another boy (about 10 minutes later) is standing up chatting with friends in the middle of the room. I asked him two times to please sit down to which he nodded at me that he heard but continued to stay standing. I then walked over to him (now this is a big boy mind you) and asked him again to please sit down. His response was "I will sit down when I want to sit down." I could tell this boy just wanted to "show off" that he could not listen to the teacher. He then asked why he needed to be seated, and I replied that I could not see the students behind him when he was standing. This response sent the class up in arms again because they thought i insinuated he was fat. Of course I did not, but clarified that anybody standing blocks the students sitting behind them. The student who i asked to sit down continually refused to so i had to call a campus aide again to have him sent out. This boy, though, walked out of class before the aid came (lovely children). When this aide came it turned out to be the Vice Principal. The VP asked the students who the student was. Not one student would give them his name. Then the VP had each student take out their ID card so he could check it against the attendance and find out who the student was. This was so terrible to me, not one student would give the name of the belligerent student.
         After fourth period was lunch.....which I cried during (nice way to spend a lunch eh?). Fifth period was great (10th graders) and then came 6th period. 6th period was another group of 11th graders taking a test. I had to get very firm with three boys in the class who were ridiculous and telling lies. I also (now this happened in more than just my 6th period class) had some boys start to hit on me. Now let me tell you....nothing is more demeaning than having a 13-15 year old boy hit on you while you are trying to manage and lead a classroom. By that time all respect has gone out the window. Being talked to in that manner by a boy makes me feel filthy. In the past this type of thing has gotten so bad that two boys were suspended and two other boys expelled for what they said to me....I could have even pressed charges against them (which i did not).
          Ok back to my 6th period class.....the kids were frustrating and just enjoying being defiant in the class. Towards the end I just sat down and took a deep breath. It was at this time that a girl from the class came over and pointed at my bible. She asked me If i read it often and told me that she reads hers all the time. She apologized for all the horrible students too. I know it was a little thing but it totally helped to lift my spirits. Although right after class when I went into the personal staff bathroom and had students run up and kick the door several times saying how much they hated me.....my spirits dropped again.
          When I got home, after crying in the car, i started struggling with my thoughts.  How can I lead a team of college students abroad if I can't even control a group of high school kids? How will the college students respect me if the high school kids wont? The high school kids treat me as if i am a fumbling idiot....why would anybody else treat me any different? Most of all I kept thinking about how unworthy I am to be placed on a team to do what we will be doing. How can I do this Lord? Who am I that you chose me to do this? I am not good enough to do this. I am no where hear qualified to do this. I am a loser who has been substitute teaching for 5 years because she can't get her act straight and finish her CSET and TPA's.
           After taking a long nap (its totally therapeutic for me) I woke up and got ready for PIE that night. We were running late and had no time for me to get food ready (since I am gluten free its harder for me to just go out and eat). That night....I had no dinner. I plugged on through and PIE went well. I even had a group of kids give me hugs after I shared the good news with them which was a first. I also had several people who truly thanked me for sharing what I did and saying "God bless you." It really encouraged me. I think God knew I needed that and brought those people to me to lift up my spirits.
         Alright....hope this is not a super depressing blog. I have had many bad sub days...and I really toned down this just so it was not super long (even though I know its long!!). I hope it does not make you feel sorry for me, please don't. Pray for those kids. That's what I want you to do. Pray for those kids, they need the Lord. They act that way because they are sinners in need of a savior, why should I expect them to act any different? Pray for them, please.


~N
    

My Uncle

I had this Uncle. He was a funny guy, he would tell crazy stories of things that happened to him while he was in Vietnam and  something crazy that happened yesterday with such excitement. If you ever met him, you probably did not forget him, he was a character. I loved that guy. One day while I was at work teaching, Chad came into my classroom. He pulled me outside, which is never a good sign, and told me that my uncle had passed away due to a heart attack. I was devastated. His death hit me really hard. You do not expect something like that to happen so suddenly to a person who seemed ok and was not very old. What really got me though was the fact that I had never shared with him the hope that is within me. I never told him that he could have all his sins forgiven and be made white as snow, that he could have assurance and peace knowing that he would be in heaven when he died. I never told him. Did anybody? I don't know. The thought makes my stomach turn. His death was traumatic for me, when I think back now I start crying almost instantly.

        At PIE, which is where we go out and share the gospel locally, I have a friend who sometimes struggles with passing out information or talking with people. I use my uncle as encouragement for her. I shared with her what happened to him and told her to look at everybody as my uncle. I like to do this, it spurs me on. I think, how many of these people have believers in their life who pray for them? How many of these people have believers in their life who might be intimidated to share with them and are praying for somebody just like me to share with them? How many of these people will be walking into eternity this week without Christ? Every day over 150,000 people die. Check out this website to see specifics...click on the death tab.  How many of them know that they can have reconciliation through Christ? How many of them have ever heard of Christ's name? Why are we not sharing? How can we not have compassion on them? I spoke with somebody once who told me "I just don't have a burden or compassion to share" that comment just turned my stomach. How can we not have a burden to share? God commands us to in Matthew 28: 18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In the Psalms they speak of sharing what God has done for them many times, for example: Psalm 22:31, 35:18, 35:28, 89:1, 96:2-3, 103:19-22, 105:1 and 107:2. There are many more verses about sharing the good news with others as well. Please, Please share, tell your family, tell your friends, co-workers, strangers, and those who come across your path daily! Please do it before the opportunity is gone. How will they know unless someone tells them?

~N

Hudson Taylor

One more demonstration of the power of prevailing prayer, — an experience for which the others were preparatory: One of his medical duties was to dress the foot of a patient suffering from gangrene. As a sympathetic Christian nurse, he longed to acquaint his patient with his Saviour. But the patient was an avowed atheist, and very antagonistic to religion. A Scripture reader who had visited him had been ordered from the room, and he had spit in the face of the visiting vicar of the district.
"Upon first commencing to attend him," says Taylor, I prayed much about it, but for two or three days said nothing to him of a religious nature. By special care in dressing his diseased limb, I was able considerably to lessen his sufferings, and he soon began to manifest grateful appreciation of my services. One day, with a trembling heart, I took advantage of his warm acknowledgments to tell him what was the spring of my action, and to speak of his own solemn position and need of God's mercy through Christ. It was evidently only by a powerful effort of self-restraint that he kept his lips closed. He turned over in bed with his back to me, and uttered no word.
"I could not get the poor man out of my mind, and very often through each day I pleaded with God, by His Spirit, to save him. ... After dressing the wound and relieving his pain, I never failed to say a few words to him, which I hoped the Lord would bless. He always turned his back to me, looking annoyed, but never spoke a word in reply.
"After continuing this for some time, my heart sank. It seemed to me that I was not only doing no good, but perhaps really hardening him and increasing his guilt. One day, after dressing his limb and washing my hands, instead of returning to the bedside to speak to him, I went to the door, and stood hesitating for a few moments with the thought in my mind, 'Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.' I looked at the man and saw his surprise, as it was the first time since speaking to him that I had attempted to leave without going up to his bedside to say a few words for my Master.
"I could bear it no longer. Bursting into tears, I crossed the room and said, 'My friend, whether you will hear or whether you will forbear, I must deliver my soul,' and went on to speak very earnestly with him, telling him with many tears how much I wished that he would let me pray with him. To my unspeakable joy he did not turn away, but replied, 'If it will be a relief to you, do.' I need scarcely say that I fell on my knees and poured out my whole soul to God on his behalf. I believe that God then and there wrought a change in his soul, ... and within a few days he definitely accepted Christ as his Saviour. O, the joy it was to me to see that dear man rejoicing in hope of the glory of God!" He had not entered a church for forty years.
"I have often thought since, in connection with this case and the work of God generally, of the words, 'He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.' Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. Sometimes it may be that while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, the hardness of our own hearts and our own feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things, may be the true cause of our want of success."

Limassol, Cyprus

Alright...only four more stops on this cruise blog.....this next stop is on the Island of Cyprus.

Cyprus is the island just below Turkey on the right hand side

A picture my mom would take :)

I LOVE this door!

All those sea sponges!!

This is for shan

Look at the shark heads and turtles in this shell store!

 Chad waiting at the bus stop

 This is some of the shops here that specialized in hand sewn tablecloths they were beautiful

 Well we spent the day relaxing by the beach and shopping in the quaint little town near our port. I was able to enjoy a delicious strawberry smoothie while chad and Aaron braved the crowds in the ocean. Cyprus was a pretty island that had a great beach!