The Amity Foundation held its 2008 Winter Amity English Teachers Conference in Guiyang, China, from January 20-26.  More then 50 teachers participated, most originally from North American and European countries and who have been teaching in very poor areas in Guangxi, Gansu, and Jiangsu Provinces.  Amity teacher Mr. Tom Morse, who has been teaching for half a year in Guangxi in southern China, was a participant.

In the conversations, Rev. Dr. Xiaoling Zhu, Global Ministries Area Executive for East Asia and the Pacific, learned that Tom was enjoying what he has been doing and learning.  He seems very healthy and happy.  The Amity Foundation Education Department staff had very nice comments on him, too.  Tom’s term is one year.  After just 6 months, he has already requested to extend his term from one year to two years.

Amity Foundation was founded in the 1980s by church leaders in China.  Its missions include: education, social development, agriculture development, medical service, Bible printing, etc.  The foundation also provides several programs for western church members:  Service-learning/Service-exchange Program (1 week or more) in less developed areas in the western part of China; Summer English Program (1 month) to offer oral English training to middle school English teachers in small cities and rural areas in China; Young Adults Program to teach oral English at county-level middle schools in the Nanjing Area, while learning Chinese and exposure the local society; Amity Teachers Program (1 or 2 years or more) to teach in small teacher-training colleges in western provinces of China.  To attend these programs, the paticipants must also be involved in Amity social development projects in very poor areas in China.