My cup runneth over

I woke up this morning, excited for a day off. After a week of performing, I was exhausted. And I was discouraged and sad. Leaving my babies has been occupying my mind a lot lately, and my heart has been heavy. 

So yeah, I was excited for a day off to rest. 

Woke up around 9 am. Wandered around my apartment and was getting ready to go watch the Kindergarten performance. 

That’s when my phone rang. It was my teammate Anna, who had gone into the office that morning because she had to teach. 

When I saw her name pop up on my phone, I groaned. The first thought that crossed my mind was, “Chinese communication fail again-I’m probably going to have to teach.” I wasn’t happy at all when I picked up that phone. 

“You need to get your butt down here,” Anna said.

“Why?” I groaned. 

That’s when she said it.

“Dustin’s mom and grandfather are here in the office.”

I don’t think I’ve ever moved that quickly in my life. I screamed in her ear to make sure they didn’t leave until I got to meet them. 

And then I ran. I ran almost the entire way to the office, stopping only because some of my babies were leaving with their parents and wanted to say good-bye. 

I burst into the office, and there they were!! THEY WERE HERE!!! THEY WERE ACTUALLY HERE!!!!

Dustin's mom, Dustin, and me. Boy refuses to smile in any group pictures.

Me and Dustin with his Grandfather and Mother. I think he looks like his Mom.

Words cannot express the joy I felt at that moment! Three weeks to the day before I leave China, Father gave me this gift! It was everything I could do to keep the tears from coming. 

I love this kid so much!!

His mom can speak a little English. And I found out that his grandfather, from whom Dustin got his amazing English, only began learning English 2 years ago. And he started learning it so he could help his grandson learn English. How sweet is that?! His grandfather kept making me laugh because he kept pointing at Dustin and saying, “Naughty boy. Naughty boy.” But you could so tell he loves his grandson very much. 

His mom told me that when he doesn’t have my class, he misses me. I’m sure some of that got lost in translation, but I didn’t care.  She told me how beautiful the photo was that I gave to them. I’ve also had a cough, and when she heard my raspy voice, she was very concerned. Her exact words were, “Drink water. Lots, lots, lots of water. You must. Must, must must.”

She told me that a classmate of hers has a daughter who is going to study in Ohio-so she will put her in contact with me and Anna. Hopefully she can come see us! I told her that if Dustin ever wanted to come to America, he could stay with me and my family. Dustin got very excited about this!

After a photo shoot with the family in the office, I wandered outside with them as they prepared to leave. Dustin took me and showed me all of the little projects that were on display outside our section. He taught me a few Chinese words, none of which I actually remember now. 

Then we went to the playground on campus, and while he played with a couple of his classmates (Caleb and Grayson), I sat and talked with his mom and some of the other parents there. I laughed so hard at the boys who were running all over that playground. They had so much energy, I got tired just watching them. 

Caleb and Dustin

The most hilarious part was when they decided to “re-enact” the scene at the beginning of every class. Dustin stood there and shouted, “1, 2, 3.” And Grayson immediately sat up straight and came to attention. Then Dustin said, “Good morning, class!” To which Grayson replied, “Good morning, Meesa Lindsay!”

I about fell over I was laughing so hard at them. 

Then it was time for Dustin to go. I said good-bye to his mom and gave him a hug, thanking them. Grandfather had wandered off somewhere, so I didn’t get to say bye to him.

As I walked away, the tears started to flow. My heart was so full of joy, I thought it was going to burst. All I kept saying was “Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father!” 

Several months ago I had asked Father to give me the opportunity to meet this little boy’s family. But by now I had given up hope that that was ever going to happen. I mean, I have exactly 3 weeks left in Taiyuan, and all my weekends are completely full. I thought there was no time.

But Father … that phrase has been the story of my life in recent years. But Father planned for it to happen this way. He blessed me so much today with this gift. I know it might not seem like a big deal to a lot of you, but to me, this was a miracle. This little boy is so dear to my heart, and I’ve been so blessed to be his teacher this year. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like without him making random comments in English, telling me whose birthday it is in class, making silly faces at me when I’m trying to teach. I love all my babies, but this one has a special place in my heart. And he always will. 

Father saw fit to bless me, and I am so grateful to Him for this opportunity to finally meet Dustin’s family.  I know it was His doing that brought them here today, and I can’t thank Him enough for it. Even now as I write this there are tears in my eyes-tears of joy and gratitude. 

Today I can honestly say, "My cup runneth over."