Einstein and the Great Salmon Rebate (Sign No. 4)

When we last left off on Sign No. 3 and our mission adventures in BBB, I was recounting how God led us to a school where the principal had providentially been compelled to halt teaching for the day.  So when we arrived, we had, much to the surprise of the principal and ourselves, the opportunity to go into all the classrooms and spend the day with the students.  Amazing!

Two years later, my wife and I were back in BBB.  Having apparently learned nothing about over-planning, this time I was ready and armed - I had prepared an entire lesson, with books and maps.  I had rehearsed in the native language.  I even had some magic tricks to engage the students and break the ice.  I was ready!

So when we arrived in BBB, we headed to the school, and this time the principal, teachers and students were ready for us, and I was ready for them.  I proudly lugged my books, maps and magic tricks to the classroom, stood in front of the class and dived straight into the ice-breakers.  So far, so good, they loved my little rope tricks, we were laughing, having a great time!

OK, now time for the lesson to start.  So I got ready to share the story of Albert Einstein.  I had chosen Einstein because he was universally famous, and the culture of the country prized mathematics and science.  His story was also interesting - he couldn't get along with his teachers, he had failed examinations to get into the Swiss Federal Polytechnic, and upon graduation he couldn't find a job for 2 years.  Despite all his later achievements, we also know he was a humble man, stating that "It is an irony of fate that I myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration and reverence from my fellow beings, through no fault and no merit of my own."

So I stood up, opened my mouth... and froze.

I couldn't remember what Einstein's name was in the native language.

As the kids looked up at me expectantly, I shuffled my feet and panicked.  Without his name, my lesson would make no sense.  I even thought, I'll just have to redo the magic tricks until the lesson is over!  AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!

Then to my amazement, my eye caught sight of a ragged old poster hung over the side of the classroom wall.  I walked over.  I couldn't believe it.

It was Einstein.  And there, in big bold characters was 爱因斯坦 (OK so everybody now knows BBB is in China, fine, I couldn't think of any other way to explain this story with the same effect!).  I was saved.  I don't know how old that poster was - but it had obviously been there for years.  There was no poster anywhere else in that bare classroom.  God had known, and prepared, long before I had even known I would go to China, that I would be standing there, panicking about what Einstein's name was in Chinese.

These words never spoke truer to me: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works which He prepared in advance for us to do!" Ephesians 2:10

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When I recall God's work in my life over all these many episodes, I cannot help but want to share it with everyone.  This is why I write this blog.  He is amazing.  I have found that if we open our eyes and seek after Him, He will be found.  And He provides for all our needs.  Bad things happen in this life.  Things fall apart, things are hard - health, family, work.  Of course.  We've messed up this world.  And that's exactly why He needs to save us.  He's right there.  He's already reached out His hand.  All we need to do is grab onto it and hold on for the ride.

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But what about the Great Salmon Rebate in the title of this blogpost?  A few years later, I brought my family back to BBB again.  It was the second last day of our time in BBB, and we were happy, but tired.  Some of us remembered from previous trips that there was a place we could have salmon that is literally caught and cooked right there in the restaurant.  Freshest salmon ever.  But after counting up all our expenses, we realised that we would be short of cash and couldn't afford it!  We were so disappointed!

Then the next day, as we were settling the bills, the innkeeper turned up.

He told us we had overpaid him for our lodgings.

AND NOW WE HAD ENOUGH.

You might think, no big deal.  But think about it.  This is not the Westin, where there are published rates and email confirmations!  The place looks like 龙门客栈.  You half expect Chow Yun Fatt and Michelle Yeoh to float serenely above the roofs.  The innkeeper is literally sitting in the courtyard, with a squirrel on a leash that he caught in one of the rooms.  He could have charged us 3 goats and a basket of walnuts and we wouldn't have been able to argue very much.  So when he says we've overpaid him, it's like he's basically giving us money that he didn't have to.

God provides when we walk with Him.  The Bible records that Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, and had twelve baskets left over after everyone had eaten.  That day, we had our salmon, and more than enough to go round too.

Sign No. 4A and B.  Done :)

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