Many of you know that I’ll be teaching at a university in Harbin (which will be pretty different than teaching Kindergarten in Beijing), but this time around I’ll also be serving as a team leader. My team will consist of a few recent college grads who are teaching and living overseas long-term for the first time, and likewise team leading will be all new to me. Fortunately I have a few good friends who are or have been team leaders with the same program I’m returning to, and have been a great source of encouragement and advice already. I asked a few of them to talk about the highs and lows of leading a team in China, and here’s what they had to say.

From my former team leader, Matt: “One of the greatest joys in being a team leader is that you get to work closely with both your Chinese colleagues and your North American teammates. Seeing individuals on your team grow and change over the course of the year is probably the most rewarding, since you’re often a front row spectator to the work that the Father is doing in the lives of your teammates. This is both an awesome and humbling experience.”

From Tanya, a current team leader: “For me, there’s no greater joy than walking with someone through life, sharing in their joys and sorrows, watching them grow, pointing them to Truth and speaking into their life (and allowing them to do that for me too).  Since that’s the most important thing I do as a team leader, I very much enjoy my job!  Is it challenging?  Yes. Exhausting?  Yes.  Frustrating at times?  Yes.  Rewarding?  Most definitely!  I honestly can’t think of anything in this season of my life that I’d rather be doing.  What a privilege it is to equip and enable young people to impact China for His glory while being such a key part of their personal and spiritual growth!  My prayer is that my team will go out next year, equipped with the lessons they’ve learned and the maturity and wisdom they’ve gained, and continue to grow and be used for His glory!”

And from Valerie, another current team leader: “There are two specific things that I really value about being a team leader. First of all, the people on the team are all in their 20s and going through a lot of transitions in their life. They are adjusting to life after college and the many changes that happen in your 20s. They are learning so much about who they are and what is important to them. It’s amazing to be a mentor for them during such a pivotal time in their life. The other thing I really value is that as we pour into our team it pours out onto the nationals around them. My hands only stretch so far and being a team leader is a great opportunity to impact my team so that they can impact their students and others around them. There are many challenges that come along with our job as we interact with our schools and try to build a healthy community with our team. Yet, the rewards far outweigh the trials. It is such a privilege to serve in this way.”

Can you see why I’m excited about this job? All three of these friends, along with others, will continue to be a huge help as I learn the ins and outs of team leading and experience the joys and the struggles myself.

When I know more about my team (I know their names and have seen their photos, but they don’t know where they’ve been placed quite yet, so we haven’t chatted), I’ll fill you in. They will be a huge part of my next year in China and I’m very excited to grow with them, pour into them, and see how the Father uses them to do great things! Thanks for joining with me to pray for them even now.

Here’s a little more info about what I’ll be doing as a team leader from my program’s web site. I’ll follow up soon with some of my own expectations concerning team leading, what I’m most excited about, most nervous about, etc.