weeks 4 & 5 of training

so much has happened in the last 2 weeks that it's hard to process it all...but i'll attempt to hit the highlights! first off, THANK YOU to all of you who have been sending messages & emails (especially those of you who sent mail for my birthday/valentine's day)...know that i have received them & been so very encouraged by them all. i wish there was time to spare to respond to each individually!

week 4 absolutely flew by. so many great sessions over the last 2 weeks...

-on spiritual warfare.

-on the persecuted church.

-on storying through Scripture.

-on creating a passion for prayer. side note: i'd already read dr. tom elliff's book, but that time under him was great! many of us felt very convicted & needed to hear that Word!

-on doctrine. if i'm completely honest, i have to admit i was NOT looking forward to these sessions. i loved seminary...but theology classes were not my favorite. they inevitably led to "disagreements" between men who all thought they knew the right answers & would rather argue over them in a classroom than get out & evangelize. it drove me crazy.

BUT...these sessions were amazing. like it was so poignantly stated over & over, "our doctrine should drive us to pray." & that we did. 

aside from sessions, i also started meeting with my stateside supervisors to learn some basic language since they are fluent in xhosa. i'm extremely grateful to have them! they randomly strike up xhosa greetings whenever they see me around. they've taught me how to read the language & now i'm working on memorizing specific Bible verses. my first is uyohane 3:16. 

john 3:16 in the xhosa bible "the gospel knows no boundaries" in other more random news...

-shot clinic #2 - 4 more vaccinations down...rabies, typhoid, yellow fever, & TB. 4 more to go in a few weeks!

-i started a quilt. yes, you read that correctly. there's a sweet lady & her husband here who live on campus and basically attempt to domesticate us for life overseas. don't be fooled, even some of the guys have been in there making aprons! let me just sum up that experience by saying this: quilting is not my forte. but man, i've been told i deserve a perseverance award. never again will i attempt to do that. it was fun while it lasted...here's to embracing new experiences!!

no worries: i'll post a pic of the finished product!

WEEK 5 was challenging in the sense that classes have become very draining…sitting for SO LONG. But, it was been my favorite week by FAR. other than the sessions i've already mentioned... the week started with SNOW...AGAIN. it started snowing sunday at lunch & was still going when i went to bed that night. by monday morning we had 4+ inches.  snow #2 we had special meal #2 - which consisted of a middle eastern dish. i still have no idea what it was...there were meatballs & other things i can't identify that we ate with our hands. who knows. but it was delicious! i gave driving lessons to 3 people who needed to learn how to drive a manual overseas. it was, well...interesting. let's just say it's going to take more than one lesson for them. friendships have truly started to develop...& friendships of great depth & accountability. i’ve really been praying that the Lord would develop the relationships here…because when things get tough on the field & we want to talk to people at home…the truth of the matter is, they’re not going to understand. these people will. there’s such a bond you form with these people – unspoken – but very present.  to tack onto that thought, i’ve gotten to have a ton of absolutely incredible conversations with people – hearing their stories. it's amazing the doors that will open when you just ask someone, "hey, so what's your story?" intentionality in relationships is so very vital. kind of sad to think we're on the downhill slope now!!