It’s drawing near to the year end. Again. Inevitably.

I’ve been thinking about write something to review. It took me one week to look back, and reflect upon myself. The old (although not very much) stories flashed across my mind. And I found them ever clear and simple. 2007 is the best year I’ve ever had, so far.

Records,

1.       About university study,

    I was thinking cancel the item for the humiliation of my being deprived of scholarship this year. Due to the change of officer in charge of scholarship management, the game rules are changed this year. I with other several candidates lost our scholarship. Administrators’ game in power or whatever, it’s a totally bad news for me. However, when I think it over after 2 days, I can see myself haven’t made enough efforts to the studies. Suppose I was on the top of the award list, by no means I could lose the scholarship. If I have to find someone to take responsibility for the loss, it could only be myself.

    Anyway, shool studies are basically going well. I picked up a little French and forgot them all after exams. Besides all the rest courses are concerning with English. English essay reading might be the most challenging one. However, it’s worthy. Essays are carefully selected, through which I get to know the ideas in the world’s biggest brains. The course broadens my horrizon in terms of literature, philosophy, linguistics and subjects in the sphere of culture. And it reminds me that I should…think, and… reflect from time to time, to form a perspective of my own, in the end. Some of the articles are really wonderful, that give me pretty much enlightenment. I feel being led along a mysterious path, the further I go, the clearer a picture I have. Now I open the textbook, and on the first page I can see a sentence I’ve put down the other day: My understanding towards the essays in this book is based on a Christian’s perspective. Believe it or not, I found theories to serve as the doctrines of my faith, or, my Christianity belief is solidified through my study into the texts which seem to be with no connection of Christianity. It’s God’s guiding.

    Other courses include public speech, business translation, science article translation, pragmatics, literature traslation and even law documents translation. They are delievered by great professors. I am deeply impressed by them. I feel sorry because I have never been a disciple-type student.

2. Family

    2007 wouldn’t be not too much different with 2006 or 2005 if grandpa still lived. Grandpa passed away in the end of 2006. Till now I haven’t let myself accept the fact, or I can say, I dare not leave myself truly feel the loss. Fortunately, I live basically in Beijing, far away from home. I regard grandpa still living, in Shanghai. But sometimes, the self-deception doesn’t work. I remember the other evening, when I was walking alone in the streets, iPod started to play Adagio-Moderato by Jaqueline Du Pre, I was drowned in sadness. And tears kept going out of my eyes.

    To grandma and auntie, they suffer too much in the past year. I cannot inmagine how they get through the hard time.

    As to my relationship with parents, I should say it keeps going in a unique way. Sweet and torturing, love with pressure. It caused too much agony to both sides. And we have been wasting too much tears. I guess they love me too much and want to protect me from any possible hurt. Like all the parents in the world, they try to steer my to a secure future which I found inconvenient with my dream. But it is obviously unrealistic. In a word, traditional parents vs. post-80 daughter, typical conflicts.

3. L’amour

    Falling in and out of love, either records once.

4. Health Condition

    At Christmas Eve, I tried hard to recall what I was doing the same time last year. I found out in the end that I spent a high-fever night. 3 o’clock in the morning, vomitting at the hospital emergency…What a special Christmas for 2006. And for 2007, almost the same time, I was ill. So Christmas Eve was a sleeping night. Truly peaceful.

    As a vision for the whole year. Health condition is fine. Compared to the first one or two years of university life, more or less I have some progress. Maybe it’s because of the good mental condition.

    There’s problem with my right knee. It has to be fixed in the coming year. Operation is an option. I escaped it 5 years ago. But as I can see from the recent condition, it’s only problem of time. Sooner or later, I have to. God! It’s terrible!

5. Faith/Spiritual Life

    I think I know Christ more in this year. Through good and bad experience, I learned lessons of love, share, and forgiveness. I might not be a religious one, but God preserves me and guides me along the way. Praise the Lord.

     I understand in 2007 that the realities are hard to face, while the truth is hard to figure out. Life is full of ups and downs, turns and twists. When I look back to what I’ve been through for the years, I thank the Lord. Without those hard time or wrong paths, I wouldn’t have known what is of Christ. Chasing the wind is seeking in vain. Jesus is of my faith as the truth and the path.

     Besides, I am very happy to see what happened around me in this year. I witness God’s almighty and God’s love. Miracles as the outsiders may think, it’s the proof of “Jesus, he lives.”

     I changed place for Sunday worship in deep autumn. The new place is composed of basically university students who are from various universities in Beijing. I witness the work God is doing among the young generation in China. Large number of Chinese Christians’ prayer I heard before for the nation peace and prosper, for the young generation’s faith now became a real picture in front of my eyes. Praise the Lord. At Easter and Christmas Celebration, I saw it by my own eyes that Christ the Savior makes his plan realized at his pace. The girl I took there first knew what Christians are. She was surprised at our songs for praising the Lord. She said, “hey, you guys are so rock!” Yes, knowing Jesus Christ does rock!

     The last Sunday, Emmanuel Church’s UIBE students sperated from students of other universities delivered Sunday worship for the first time. It marks the establishment of UIBE LC. Due to the number of  UIBE students Chiristians getting larger, the development realized God’s schedule.

     I want to mention George, who teaches Graduation Thesis Composing. Although many classmates might think he is giving too much preachments, I admire his courage and confidence to give spiritual wisdom to the students. As a scholor specializing in enterprise management training, his knowledge, business sense and thoughs in his mind are…crazy, only this word gives the closest description. In US, he had opportunities to work for White House as Chinese expert. For Christ’s good news’ sake, he teaches in our university as a guest lecturer. Power and faith from God being inside, he shows how a real Christian keeps in line with God’s will, following God’s guide, and undertaking God’s mission.

     My neighbour dormmate as well as classmate got baptized in 2007. I never realized from which exact moment, she started to speaking of God’s good news. I just thank God in heart that Jesus the Christ makes more and more people know Him, which is the Way, the Truth, the Life.

     Xin my highschool classmate. Once upon a time I regarded him as the last one who could accept Christianity belief. Now he is almost my closest friend in Christ. We have lots of same understanding of God. Now when we looked back to our dark time, which we’ve been through together or respectively, we can truly take it easy. I thank God in my prayer for my dear friend. When he knows God’s words, God’s love, and especially His mission on him, he becomes a person live with full energy and kindness inside giving off frangrance to people around him. And whoever is in Christ will know, it’s true. Because, we all do. I pray to God that he becomes a very fine Christian for God’s use.

     This year’s headline of faith is from Kenda. She is the forever lengend for SIS female football team. 2006 is her last year of university. We fought to the final play, although we failed to get the championship, SIS football girls carried forward the glorious history of female football. That was the beginning of story between Kenda and I. When Kenda talked about Christianity with me on QQ, I never realized she would be what she is today. Even when I took her to the church I belonged to, I had no idea what’s God’s plan on her. That was her last 3 or 4 weeks in Beijing, she was about to graduate. When she told me after her first prayer (for years) to God, she received the offering letter from her dreaming university in HK to have graduate study, I took it for granted. How could I know that is the turning point of her spiritual life? I have no idea what God has done to her in that past year, but when she left message to me on QQ the other day and told me that she had devoted to God’s work for full-time service, it was really a surprise. I cannot tell the appreciation and praise I have to God. If someone asks me why. I’ll tell him/her, Kenda used to be the last-could-believe type, from men’s eyes but not eyes of God.

     At the concert held by Emmanuel church, when the music started, when thousands of young people sang in the same faith, “One Way, Jesus. Lord you’re the only reason for my life.” I said in heart, Lord, I wish I can know you more, I wish I could love you more.

6. C’est La Vie

    I’ve said at the very beginning that 2007 has been the best year I’ve ever had so far. It doesn’t mean it’s a tranquil year without difficulties. To the contrary, it’s a stormy year. Good and bad things happened one after another, as a friend judged— dramatic.

    In Spring, SIS female football team got into year’s Final Play, once again. And struke the second rank in the end. We made too much efforts for the whole season. The stories happened along the whole process I don’t want to look back. That’s the best time. And the peak of triumph. Things changed right after the game, inevitably and doomed. My friends know it is my hardest time for the year. Desperation fights with expectation day and night. Sister said, pray, Julie, pray to the Lord. At those days, I was completely caught by dark power. I was hardly able to speak. Only the Holy Spirit signed for me in front of Lord. To a lesser or greater extent, I am so lucky to put everything behind and start all over again.

    On the one hand, because of I had experienced the tortures, I could understand others in sufferings more than before. On the other hand, when I was in depression, I got the support from sisters and friends. I learned how precious love is. It is the greatest power to better the world.

     My stay in Turkey should be a strong stroke for 2007. I’ve been thinking of recording the heavenly days in a well-composed article. Those people I met in Turkey show the great hospitality to me. They make me believe however different we might be with each other, love and understanding lying inside are the common treasure we have, which is given by God the Creator, the One, and the Only. I’ll keep the memory of Marmara, Aegean and Mediteranean for good. In the last days of my stay, the melody of La Isla Bonita lingered in my mind, that is because I found myself in it. I love Turkey, and Turkish people. Hope one day I can go back to the great land.

Ending

    When it came to the exciting moment of cross-year point, sisters had a toast in the dormitory. The fourth new year we’ve had since we knew each other. And the next year, we just don’t know where or with whom we might be. Like the past 2004, 2005 and 2006, 2007 is another year of victory. Cheers for what? Maybe, for another year of survival. Only the friends of heart know how it tastes for each other. A Farewell to Year 2007, with joy with tears.