living softly and bravely

Father God appeared to Elijah (in 1 Kings 19) as a low whisper…when Elijah was tired, afraid and needed help. Father God came quietly and gave him peace. That has been our prayer this month, that we could be the gentle whisper into the lives of those around us as they work on their studies, love their families and work with colleagues. As we all live in uncomfortableness of the smog, deal with the health issues of family members and study for exams and prepare lessons, we need more compassion and more of the Holy Spirit’s power to fulfill the purpose of the life we have been given.

This month we have been able to have English studies about Cain and Abel … where we talked about needing to give up our own way of thinking by the power of our Father in order to follow His way of thinking. One of our students said, “Why not follow God?” It was an encouraging step in her English studies. Our Father is faithful.

In the classroom, our freshmen completed their mid-term projects of making an English name sign which includes drawing pictures and writing down their dreams, hobbies and life mottos. When we give our examples, we include our hobbies, “studying the Bible” or “learning about Jesus” and our mottos: “God loves all the people” and “Show love to others.” We are encouraged to see that our like-minded students also write down that they too are followers of JC and wants to give love to others. In our English majors’ freshman class, a significant number of students said they were followers of JC, even the first day of class. We are encouraged that there is less fear in talking about their faith and more peace and joy.

We have also been more mindful that many of our freshmen are 17, 18 and 19 and continue to need lots of patience and guidance. As we head into our 6th week of working with them, they are getting better and better at paying attention and not getting too distracted!

Our sophomore pre-education majors have been tired as they took mid-term exams in many of their classes this 8th week of the term. We are holding oral English mid-terms over two weeks and having our students work in pairs to tell us and show us “How to _________,” such as “go to the supermarket,” “go to the zoo,” “celebrate a birthday” or “clean the house.” They choose and write their own list of “how to’s” and create their own actions. We have enjoyed watching their performances and seeing how they have improved over the past year and a half that we have been together. They have progressed and learned to prepare well. PTL! 

In our family, our younger brother, Kerry has had some significant health issues. He just finished one surgery that was very successful, thanks to our Father’s mercy, and has another planned for early December. There are many uncertainties in life, but we also have many certainties in the One we serve. Our Father has gone before us each step of the way. We’ve spent a lot of time praying together and encouraging each other as our Father gives us the opportunity to trust Him even more and to share the news of His love with the doctors, specialists and people we meet along the way. It’s been a good time of sharing and caring. The gentleness of our Father’s grace and the power of His strength abounds always more and more.

We recognize that the life of the people in our community is challenging because of the environment and the on-set of winter. We’ve learned to be more compassionate with ourselves and also extend that same gentleness of spirit to those around us. This weekend (November 12) we gather with our friends to cook and eat together and be thankful. We are thankful for so many things, including our Good Father.

We've turned down the heat in our apartment and are more now a bit more comfortable - at least we can wear long pants! A cold front came through and the air was clear for a few days. Yay!

Our prayer lately has been, “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.” 2 Timothy 4:5