Several of Calvin's Mosaic floor students helped the Chinese Christian Church of Grand Rapids celebrate their New Year on Sunday, February 10. Sze-Yui (Horasis) Leung, Jelling Lai and Lin Xu led a rousing song that was familiar to most of the members of the intergenerational group gathered for the special program and potluck. Shing Kit (Jack) Cheung played the Chinese flute and Hao-Ran (Timothy) Li the piano. Finally, Lin Xu brought out his accordion and brought down the house. He studies accordion independently with a teacher in Detroit, traveling there twice a month for a long lesson, and has a very full course load—philosophy, Japanese, English, history and piano.

He took first place in two of the biggest U.S. competitions the past two years—one sponsored by the American Accordion Association and one sponsored by the Accordionists and Teachers Guild International.

The only child of parents who both worked for an airplane engine manufacturing company, Xu was raised by his grandmother who lived with the family in an apartment in Sichuan Province of the Peoples Republic of China. Because he learned quickly and was "shall we say, really cute," his mom started him, at age 6, on accordion which he was "really reluctant to do because it was boring."

Xu dropped accordion lessons at age 12 because of "heavy burdens from school and mainly because of laziness." He came to California when he was 15 to live with friends of his parents and attend a language school of 100 students from 50 countries. When he discovered that his former accordion teacher had moved to California to study in a Chinese seminary, Xu moved in with him and picked up the accordion again.

He then transferred to Fremont Christian High School because it was closer and less expensive than the language school. During his junior and senior years at Fremont Xu practiced accordion two hours a day. In the midst of loneliness and struggles, fellow student and friend Mike VanderWal and other students not only introduced him to Calvin College, but taught him to depend on God for strength and guidance. When VanderWal passed away suddenly on January 11, Xu remembered all those lessons and comforted Mike's family at the memorial service held in the Calvin College chapel.

Xu recently recorded a CD for family entertaining and private use to help raise money for his college expenses. He credits God for his blessings and his mom and dad for being so supportive and "trusting me and always being there to help me pursue my dreams." Xu hopes that they see and believe in the God who has been good to their son.

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