A Letter to My Grandchildren

Dear Sean, Janessa, Stockton, Landon, Bridger, Oscar, Sayre, Oliver, Lucy, Imogen, Anna, Eli, and Miles,

I love America. I always have. My father instilled this great love of our country in me, for which I will be forever grateful.

I know America has its challenges and problems, but.....

Living in China has only reinforced this great love for America and for FREEDOM.

Let me show you just one stark contrast between America and China:

America - a student doesn't do well in high school, but he has a chance to go to college and try.

China - a student doesn't do well in high school. He has no chance to go to college.

America - a student goes to college, he chooses a major; he changes his mind, he wants to change majors - bingo- he changes majors. Maybe multiple times!

China - a student takes the college entrance exam; depending on his scores, he is TOLD what to major in. He decides he doesn't really like that major, but he CANNOT - without great, great difficulty - change his major.

America - a student chooses his dorm, his roommates, his classes. And, he can change dorms, roommates, or classes any time he wants to.

China - a student is assigned his roommmates with whom he will live his entire four years of college and in the same dorm room the entire four years of university. His classes are chosen for him, except for PE, in which case he has a choice. He will be with the same students in most classes the entire four years.

I love these beautiful students; I love their goodness, their innocence.

They work so hard; they know it is a very competitive society they live in.

They want to please their parents. Their goals are always to get a good job and support their parents. Oh, they are beautiful.

But, we have something they will not likely experience for a very long time in their lives, and that, dear grandchildren, is FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL FOR THAT!

We must pay the consequences for our choices, whether good or bad, but oh, what a blessing from God to have a CHOICE!

I love you.

GMA H in China

Colin dreamed his entire life of being an engineer, but he did not get high scores on the college entrance exam, so he was put in the computer science program, which is quite watered down in this school.

Both Pixie and Chriscal are in English education which they both hate. Neither one wants to be a teacher - EVER. They will graduate in that field and hope to get a job in something entirely different. And, they are wonderful, hard-working, GOOD young people. But, they have little chance to choose want they really want!

Thanks be to God for CHOICE and FREEDOM!