Frances Wu 吴恩慧
今年是Frances第五次参加YSMP了，这次的旅程和以往有什么不同，又带给她怎样新的收获呢？
大家好，我叫Frances，中文名字是吴恩慧。今年是我第五次参加YSMP。这次非常有收获，因为与以往相比，今年参加VBS的孩子是最多的。当我在思考今天要分享什么的时候，我发现很难准确地写出自己想要分享的内容。在培训期间，我们学到了用不同的方式传福音。然而，当我们实际去做的时候，却从未逐步遵循那些方法，我们会让神在我们心中作工，引导我们以谈论一些与对方生活相关的话题。同样的，现在我也向神祷告，希望我能信靠祂，求祂赐给我正确的话语，并让我的见证能够触动你们的心。
在这次YSMP中，我负责的是晨间手工课和学前班的教学。今天我将着重于分享学前班教学的经历，不过以后我也愿意跟你们跟你们分享我在晨间手工课的经历。作为学前班主要负责的老师，我教了三天全部的课程。我在此非常感谢我的助教们，他们忙碌周到地帮我维持课堂秩序，并确保所有孩子都能参与其中，因此，我能够单单专注于教学部分。我有一个学生叫Isabel，她是我其中一个助教的姪女。她很安静，似乎没有专心听讲。她的姑姑总是要特别关注她，让她在课堂上集中注意力。
在这三天里，我最希望他们记得的就是福音和我们的主题记忆经文。我每天花大约五分钟的时间，一遍又一遍地重复主题记忆经文。我知道他们开始厌烦了，但我想确定他们知道主题经文很重要。这句经文是罗马书12:2。学前班的版本是：「认识神，选择顺服祂。」我会问他们「认识谁？」他们会回答「耶稣！」这是主日学的标准答案。我告诉他们，虽然他们的回答在某个层面上是正确的，但根据主题经文，我想要的答案是「神」。我还会问他们「选择顺服谁？」大多数人会回答「神」。我浅笑一下，因为那是之前我所说的答案，但我告诉他们，记忆经文上写的是「祂」。我们这样重复了几次，然后就到了吃点心的时间。虽然看起来他们当中很多人没有认真在听，但我需要相信神正在他们心中动工，让他们能记住我们的主题经文。
VBS的最后一天，有一半的学生提前离开，而这是我最后一次有机会教他们关于福音的内容，这让我的心情有些低落。当我分享耶稣为我们所做的一切时，我多次问学生是否相信祂，以确保他们不是因为朋友举手而举手的。我很高兴看到他们都举了手。我知道这些学前班的孩子年龄还小，可能不太理解他们所做的决定，但我希望这能鼓励他们继续来教会。
在最后一天的聚会上，有一个环节是让学生自愿背诵主题记忆经文。我问了一个比较活跃的孩子是否愿意上台背诵，他点了点头。当我们排队等待时，他突然不想去了。我说没关系，于是我们回去坐下。我看向Isabel，想着是否应该要问她。她很安静，似乎不太想上台。随着队伍逐渐缩短，我感觉到神在催促我去问她，于是我问了。她慢慢地点了点头，我们开始排队。我和她一起复习了记忆经文，并准备和她一起背诵。
轮到她的时候，她开始变得害羞。于是，我开始和她一起背诵。我说「学习」，她跟着说「学习」。我说「关于」，她跟着说「关于」。当我要说「神」时，我给了她一个鼓励的微笑。然后她自己背出了剩下的经文，不再需要我的帮助。我站在那里，感到震惊和喜悦。她在课堂上有认真听讲，并且已经记住了经文。我露出笑容，对她说，「妳做得真棒！」我们回到座位上，她的姑姑很感谢我。她很感激我为她姪女所做的一切。我点头微笑，但心里想着，不，这不是我的功劳。这是神在我的课堂上工作，也在Isabel身上工作，让她能够在大家面前背诵出经文。这件事更让我知道我不用为任何事担心，因为神总是帮助我们。
在整个YSMP期间，最让我们惊喜的是许多相对安静的孩子公开承认了自己的信仰。这让我想起列王纪上19:11-12「耶和华说：『你出来站在山上，在我面前。』那时耶和华从那里经过，在他面前有烈风大作，崩山碎石，耶和华却不在风中；风后地震，耶和华却不在其中；地震后有火，耶和华也不在火中；火后有微小的声音。」这提醒我在VBS期间，有很多孩子总是举手或大声回答问题，但也有些孩子很安静，似乎不想回答问题，其实他们有在认真听讲，并且真的知道答案。这表明神在他们心中作工，成为他们的声音，让我们听见他们。同时，神也推动我们去聆听他们，去看见他们渴望认识祂的心。这也是我在YSMP期间感受到神做工的其中一种方式。
对我个人而言，目前是我在加州州立大学北岭分校就读的最后一年，未来有很多的不确定性。但正如神教导我在教学前班时要信靠祂，祂也在教导我要信靠祂来引导我的生活。祂让我看到一些可以选择的职业道路。我也和那里的Paula师母谈过，她给了我一些我从未考虑过的建议。（这些建议不属于本文范畴，但欢迎随时来问我。）
在整个YSMP期间，神让我学会了更加信靠祂，并且在祂为我们准备的事情上更为灵活变通。尽管我们会感到不确定，但祂总是在那里引导我们，并为我们制定了完美的计划。我希望你们也能在生活中面临任何不确定的时候，选择更加信靠祂，希望我的分享能鼓励你在明年加入到我们YSMP短宣事工中。谢谢大家！
以下为英文原文：
Trusting in the Lord
Hello, my name is Frances. My Chinese name is 吴恩慧. This is my fifth year at YSMP. This year has been very fruitful as we received the highest amount of kids joining us for VBS. As I was thinking about what to share today, it was hard for me to write it in the exact way I wanted to share it. During our training, we were taught different ways to share the gospel. However, when we actually share the gospel, we never follow it step by step. We tend to share the gospel in a way that relates to the person and we allow God to work in us to take the lead. So in the same way, I prayed to God and asked that I may trust in Him to give me the right words to say and for my testimony to touch your hearts in some way.
During this YSMP, I was in charge of Morning Crafts and teaching Preschool. I’ll be focusing on the experience I had with teaching Preschool but feel free to ask me about Morning Crafts later. I was the main teacher for Preschool and taught all three days. My TAs had a busier schedule, so I was able to be the one to focus on the teaching aspect of our class. I’m forever grateful to my TAs for helping me keep the class focused and making sure we had all of our kids. I had a student named Isabel. She was one of my TA’s nieces. She was really quiet and seemed like she wasn’t focused on what I was teaching. Her Aunt would always dote on her to focus in class.
Throughout the three days, I decided that if there was anything I wanted them to remember from VBS, it was the gospel and our theme memory verse. I took about five minutes each day to repeat the memory verse to them over and over again. I knew they were getting tired of it, but I wanted to make sure they knew it was important to know. The memory verse was Romans 12:2. The Pre-K version says, “Learn about God. Choose to Obey Him.”. I would ask them “Learn about who?” and they would say “Jesus!”, which is the Sunday School answer. I would tell them that they’re technically correct, but the answer I’m looking for is “God”. I would also ask them “Choose to obey who?” and most of them would answer “God”. I laughed a little because that was the previous answer, but told them the memory verse said “Him”. We did this a couple of times before it was time for Snacks. It seemed like a lot of them weren’t paying attention, but I needed to trust that God was working in their hearts to remember our memory verse.
It hit the final day of VBS and it was sort of disheartening. Half of my students left early that day and it was the last day to be able to teach them about the gospel. As I shared about what Jesus did for us, I asked my students multiple times if they believed in him to make sure they weren’t raising their hands because their friend raised theirs. I was glad to see that all of them raised their hands. I know these preschoolers are young and might not understand what they are committing their lives to, but I hope this will push them to continue to come to church.
During the closing rally, there was time for the students to volunteer to recite the memory verse. I asked one of my more energetic kids if he wanted to go up on stage to say the memory verse and he nodded his head. As we were waiting in line, he suddenly didn’t want to anymore. I said that was fine and we went back to sit down. I looked over to Isabel and wondered if I should ask her. She was quiet and didn’t seem like she wanted to. As the line got shorter, I felt God tugging at me to ask, so I did. She nodded her head slowly and we waited in line. I went over the memory verse with her and prepared to recite it with her.
When it was her turn, she started to get shy. So, I started to say the memory verse with her. I said “Learn” and she said “Learn”. I said “about”, and she said “about”. As I was going to say God, I gave her a reassuring smile. She then recited the rest of the memory verse, without my help. I stood there in shock and felt joy fill my soul. She was paying attention during class and she had memorized the memory verse. I felt myself grin and told her, “Good job!”. We sat back down and her aunt thanked me. She really appreciated what I had done for her niece. I nodded my head and smiled but thought, no. This wasn’t me. This was God working in my classroom and working in Isabel to be able to repeat the memory verse in front of everyone. To show that I had nothing to worry about and God always has our back.
Throughout YSMP, many of the quieter kids who professed their faith would be the ones who surprised us the most. It reminded me of 1 King 19:11-12, which says:
“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”
It just reminds me that during VBS there are a lot of kids who always raise their hand or they always shout the answer. But there are kids who are quiet and don’t seem to want to answer the questions, but they are paying attention and they do know the answer. It just shows that God is working in them to be their voice for them to be heard by us and that God is pushing us to hear them and see how much they yearn to know about Him. So, this is one of the ways that I felt God working during YSMP.
For me, personally, I’m currently in my last year of College at Cal State Northridge. There are a lot of uncertainties for me. But, as God taught me to trust in him as I taught the Preschoolers, he’s also teaching me to trust in him for my life. He showed me some career paths that I could take. I also talked to the Pastor’s wife there, Paula, and she gave me some advice that I never really thought about before. I won’t share it here, but you are welcome to ask me about it later.
Throughout YSMP, God has grown me to trust in him more and be flexible in what he has in store for us. He’s always there to guide us and has a perfect plan for us despite how uncertain it may feel to us. I hope that you will be pushed to trust in him more for any uncertainties going on in your life right now and maybe that will lead you to join us for YSMP next year.
Thank you!
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