Last year there was a particular student who really stood out to me.  Sophia professed to be a Christian and excitedly told me that she "read her Bible, too!"  She was the top student in her school and it seemed that most of the students loved her.  She was very kind and didn't seem to be snotty about her achievements at all.

At her school's sports day she accidentally dropped the baton during the big 6th grade relay race.  She was heartbroken.  Her class blamed her for their loss.  I didn't realize how much the event meant to 6th graders in this country at the time.  That afternoon I went to their classroom.  Some of the girls were crying and everyone was moping.  I comforted Sophi.  I couldn't have known what would result from that simple gesture.

My birthday was the next month.  Practically the entire school celebrated it.  I was thrown two surprise parties there on the same day.  Sophi bought me the most special gift she could think of: her town's most prized product, sour plums.  She also wrote me a cute, long birthday note in which she also thanked me for comforting her at the sports day.

Every week I looked forward to seeing Sophi.  She was one of those "blessings" God had along my path last year.  She always made an effort to speak to me in English.  We became good friends.

This year Sophi is going to a junior high school in a city 2+ hours away from her home.  She lives near her school during the week and goes home for the weekends.  She is the only student out of her entire graduating 6th grade class (of over 120!) who is attending this junior high school.  She told me herself that she is very lonely.

"Have you made new friends?" I asked.
"Yes, but..."
"...the old friends are best?" I guessed.
"Yes!"

I would really like to visit Sophi at her school.  Please pray that it would work out for me to go see her soon.


  There is a ton of pressure put on kids in junior high school in Taiwan. The constant stress of school, loneliness, and being away from home is really wearing her down.  Pray that God will bear her up and that her parents will reconsider how they are guiding her based on the Lord's direction!

When we were able to talk a little bit on Saturday, she said, "I hope that God will help me - but I don't know if He can."  Pray that He will show her His faithfulness and strength.