December 28, 2005

Dear Friends,

This year is ending with final exams for all the students. The winter break will begin in early January, so most of the teachers are finishing their courses in December. Jay has one student who had three final exams on December 25. We were blessed with visitors on Christmas Eve—visitors who sang with us, ate with us, and brought gifts of flowers and fruit. The celebration at the church was blessed by performances by choirs, seminary students, children, and youth groups. While most of the people in Wuhan attended parties and dances, believers celebrated the birth of Jesus as the true meaning of Christmas.

We have had a delightful time working with a group of seminary students this semester. Ten women and one man attend our class regularly. We are teaching them songs in English and doing a simple Bible study in order to help them talk about the Bible in English. They are such an inspiration to us. One young woman, called “Young Lily” by the group, has a voice that is what we imagine an angel’s voice to be like. “Young Lily” is very tall, very thin, and loves to speak English. That is not to say that she speaks well (she doesn’t), but how she loves to try! She is quite a comedienne and has the whole class, including the teachers, in stitches when she tells stories in English.

Another very special woman is Lucy, who organized the class and helps when we need translations. Recently she told the group that she had a good example of how God uses all events for His glory. When she started to study English six years ago, she said, she also began to talk to foreigners. The foreigners told her about Jesus, and that was when she became a believer.

One of the most difficult problems in teaching English in China is working with students who are used to memorizing facts rather than thinking or trying to use the language they are acquiring. For years, we have struggled with this situation. Now we see that the Lord has used this trait, as He uses all things to His glory. Seminary students in China memorize large sections of Scripture and often will recite Scripture while we are reading it. They even memorize the hymns and the number of the hymns. In the last class, we were discussing favorite hymns. I would say the name of the hymn, and they would give the number of it as it appears in the Chinese hymnal. It makes us wonder who is the teacher and who is the student. We in the Western Christian world have much to learn from these new Christians.

We thank all of you for your support, both prayer support and financial support. It has been wonderful to hear from some of you this semester. We’re always touched to hear from people who pray for us. Please continue to pray that the Lord will use our time here for His glory and that we can share His joy with our Chinese contacts.

We pray the New Year will be a year to rediscover the joy and delight in our Savior and that He will lead throughout the coming months.

Blessings and love,

Susan and Jay Boone

The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 246