February 7, 2006—

Wow today was really interesting. It started out with me having a really bad sinus headache, and from there it only got worse… or so I thought. I went into teacher training today feeling extremely discouraged, I had a sinus headache, there were rumors of me becoming a team leader for the first time. One of those days that you would want to sit in bed for hours upon end, and sulk. I wasn't ready to become a team leader, and my instinct said "The staff would never trust me being a team leader. I still have a hard time remembering to take my backpack out of a restaurant. Give me the responsibility of being a leader?!……….No way!"

So me, my confidence, and my sinus headache sat down at teacher training. Rowan gave off the team assignments. "And Faith 2: leading will be Zachary Brown, and assisting and translating will be Robin Hsu." I replied with "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!" he acknowledged our team and everybody cheered for some really weird reason. Well now I felt even more discouraged and for some reason unknown to man my sinus headache got worse.

After team assignments Rowan read Hebrews chapter 11 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen... etc. The scripture got me thinking………then God spoke to me "Isn't it ironic that your reading through Hebrews 11, doubting that you'll ever make it through the night, and the rest of this week, and your on what team? FAITH……FAITH 2?……..by tonight you will have something to share about faith and what it WILL do for you tonight". It felt like I had been struck over the head with something very hard.

As we went through the rest of teacher training I had more blasts from the past seminars in Taiwan. Exodus chapter 3 verse 12 "Certainly I will be with you." and Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the ends of the world." God brought me through tonight. It wasn't easy, but I felt, while I was teaching the kids, extremely protected and used in a good way. I feel God is in the process of painting a master piece, and I am so blessed to be one of his many and growing brushes.

All I have to say is, thanks be to God, for his faithfulness endures for ever. Amen.

Special thanks to Karen and Kennan for their time, encouragement.

—Zach Brown
ATI Student from NY