As has been widely published lately, China has been cracking down on blogs and search engines with content that they think is “inappropriate”. As a result, Google has recently created a censored version of its search engine, seeking to participate in their growing online economy rather than boycott it.

I’m not going to post an opinion on that now … but don’t be surprised if I start moderating this website a lot closer in the next few days (and throughout the year). Much of the “faith lingo” that is used could potentially lead to a block on the address from within the country. And that would just simply be uncool.

I just randomly came across this, apparantly written by a student. From looking at the results, I’m guessing that it was written about 5 years ago by Matt.

Thanks, bro.

When I was in high school, I once had to wear a corsage from some special occasion, probably a piano recital or something. When the event was done, I didn’t really know what to do with it, so I put it in the locker of a girl at school (probably one that I liked or something). I figured that girls like flowers, so she’d probably like this one … even though it was, well, dead.

So several weeks, or maybe even months, later, this girl came up to me and said, “Lance, I have a question for you. Don’t take this the wrong way … but did you leave a dead rose in my locker?”

I could tell from her face and tone of voice that she was horrified … and thus that it was a bad thing that I left the rose there. An immediate lesson learned about the mathematics of the female mind.

So naturally, I did what any God-fearing young man would do. I lied through my teeth. “Oh, it was living when I put it in there,” I said. And although she was still a little bewildered, she seemed to accept it.

There’s my confession. I’ve come clean, repented of my wayward actions.

This photo, which was taken at PVM’s 2005 Aqua Camp, reminds me of the persistance of my “breed”.

“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”

– James 1:26

[The Matrix, by webel]

On Thursday, I figured out how to splash before I land … and although I cannot divulge the secret behind this sweet new skill, I will say that that ability to transfer large amounts of force to a predetermined location will come in handy in my middle school classroom!

Someone stole my new MacBook today. It’s quite obvious that it’s been pilfered, but I’m not going to compromise the “investigation” by posting details now.

To be honest, though, the laptop itself isn’t really that important. Though it and Louie (my car) are really my only material possession of any value, I could care less about “owning” them. Rather, three things really bother me:

1. That something like this would happen at Pleasant Vineyard. This is a place where I expect more … where the standard of trust should be well above-and-beyond that of the world. Something is drastically wrong if anyone in this place would do such a thing … and something needs to be done about it immediately. Every week, so many people entrust to us the most important things in their lives (their children) … and it is essential that we do everything that we can to safeguard the emotional, spiritual, and physical safety of the precious little ones that we serve.
2. The whole reason why I bought this laptop was to open up communication with the outside world during my next year in China. I want to take thousands of photos and share them. I want to write stories of redemption and embarrassment. I want to video chat with the most beautiful girl in the world. I want to use the Internet to learn about the exciting new culture and language I’ll be immersed in. But now I have to second-guess all of those desires, re-evaluating if this should be a time of isolation and intrapersonal growth instead of experiential teaching and interpersonal growth.
3. This one didn’t hit me until late last night … but I’m quite sad that anyone here would have this little respect for me. After six years of pouring so much into this place, I somehow expect to be automatically given an extra measure of grace, personal safety, and mutual respect. I know I’m a screw-up with some glaring character issues … but I have loved and will continue to love these people with all my heart. So it honestly just hurts to be targeted so specifically and spitefully by someone who really doesn’t understand what this place is all about.

I know, it’s all kind of silly … it’s a laptop. I’m not sulking around or anything, and I’m doing what I can to not make a big deal out of it. But I’m a confrontational kind of guy, and I like a good Sherlock Holmes mystery. I want to aggressively get this done and move on, but unfortunately I’m not really in control of it all. It’s very humbling.

And in the long run, that’s probably the best thing about it.

The Swimming Pool
By Grace Pickering, 9 years old

A green rectangle,
Wet and fun,
Five feet deep
Please don’t run.
What a dumb rule,
Don’t run, don’t run
You got to run to dive in cool.
But obey we must,
To gain our Mother’s trust.
Or we’ll sit on a chair,
And see her firm stare.
Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes more,
Oh what an agonizing, humiliating bore.
I guess I should obey,
Or there I must stay,
Just staring at that rectangle night and day.

“Do you know what now? I feel so different after the camp is over. I can hear him more clean then ever. Tell all the staff, ‘Thank you guys and girls for helping me with Jesus a lot’ … I love Jesus so much that I cry out loud when he wants me to do something!”

– Josh, PVM camper, in an email after week two

I was just asked to write the following article for The Eagle’s Eye, a yearly magazine distributed to our entire school system. It was really difficult to write about myself, so I hope it turned out well!

A visitor to my classroom, the Middle School Digital Media Lab, might think that he’s walking into a strange new world … dozens of slick computers sit on the desks and thousands of shiny CD’s and colorful music posters cover the walls. While I’ve enjoyed teaching thousands of CHCA’s fantastic young men and women in this vibrant setting for for the last five years, I am even more excited to be stepping out into a new classroom halfway around the world next year … in China!

Several years ago, God began cultivating in my heart a desire to grow in compassion for God’s children and awareness of His global kingdom. After visiting some friends at a trilingual Moroccan school in 2003, I began to research missions organizations, international schools, and non-profit organizations that send teachers around the world. I applied to programs in Africa, South America, Asia, and the Pacific, learning many important intricacies of teaching and living overseas.

Eventually, I discovered WorldTeach, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides opportunities for individuals to make a meaningful contribution to international education by living and working as volunteer teachers in developing countries. Based in the Harvard Center for International Development, WorldTeach quickly impressed me with its organized training, support structure, and highly-regarded reputation in the countries where it operates. After further research, my initial impressions were confirmed through numerous references, web resources, and conversations with past WorldTeach volunteers.

While my heart wasn’t set on a particular geographical area of the world, it quickly became obvious that the WorldTeach China program was the best fit for my needs and gifts. Subsidized by the Hunan Provincial Education Department, this program is designed to place volunteers in areas of the province that desperately need English teachers. I applied for and was accepted to this program, which will send me to the city of Changsha in August for three weeks of intensive in-country language and culture training.

Once the training is complete, I will travel to my yet-undecided yearlong teaching placement to take up residence in a very different classroom. Even if the walls are bare and the room has no Internet connection, however, I am still looking forward to teaching conversational English to some wonderful 11 to 18-year-old Chinese children. The school will also provide me with a western-style apartment, and WorldTeach has already organized an extensive network of field support and continued training throughout the year for the 20 other volunteers in the country.

I am also very pumped about the personal adventures and challenges that lie ahead. China is a country rich in culture and heritage, and I hope to immerse myself in the community and travel the beautiful country as much as possible. The food in Hunan is fantastic, and learning the language (I currently speak no Mandarin) should present some fun and memorable challenges. I will also have the opportunity to complete my Master’s degree by the end of the school year, and I am thrilled at the Sabbath-time that awaits next year as I spend more time with my heavenly Father and open my eyes to His global masterpiece.

And while I don’t expect to go and “change the world”, I eagerly anticipate seeing the fingerprints of God next year. The impact of Christianity on Chinese history is anything but sparkling, and the government has a history of using its laws and administrative rules to stringently control religious expression, organizations, and publishing. Nevertheless, there are up to 100 million Christians in China and Jesus is vibrantly grasping new hearts every day, resulting in an astounding change in the culture and climate.

Ultimately, I am sad to miss a year in the life of these wonderful CHCA students but eager to pursue the exciting new adventure that God has designed. The support and encouragement from the CHCA family has been overwhelming, and I look forward to seeing how my experiences in China shape my teaching and relationships back in Cincinnati next year!

—
Lance Webel has been teaching Digital Media in the Middle School since 2001. You can see stories and photos from his adventure next year at http://webel.net.

I broke my left pinkie toe two nights ago at our PVM dance party. Not a big deal … you can pretty much expect that when you’re moshing barefoot with a bunch of teenagers.

Then, this morning I was moving an empty file cabinet and … well … you know … dropped it directly on that toe. Yeah. It’s pretty ugly.

But don’t worry … it’s all good. I have superman bandaids!

This photo is the result of my experimentation with long exposures and light at night in Chicago’s Millenium Park.

I just received this prayer request:

I ask that you lift my family in your prayers. There have been many stressful moments just today, to name two: my brother was in a car accident and their new cow ran away (two different incidents). My brother is alright but a little shaken up and the cow is no where to be found. Please pray that the Lord’s peace would prevail (and that the cow would come home).

Now, I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with this request … I’m sure the cow was a very expensive and necessary part of the family farm … but I just find it to be udderly hilarious.