Thursday, May 10, 2012

Walk in the Light

    Light. Truth. Life. The book of John is full of these words and imagery. Believe. This is the main idea. Seemingly simple concepts, but there is so much depth to them. This week I had the opportunity to explore these ideas with my classmates. I am always amazed at how much better I can understand a passage after just observing in detail - looking closely at the words used and the style of writing. John's intention is to share Jesus' ministry in a way that exposes the reader to the light of his teachings.
    A fun part of every week here is our Proverbs skits. Every Tuesday we have to perform a short skit illustrating the wisdom behind a proverb. This has been an interesting and fun experience. I am not much of an actor, but my group got pretty creative this time. :) The Proverb we are trying to show is Proverbs 7:23 "Until an arrow pierces through his liver; as a bird hastens to the snare, so he does not know that it will cost him his life." The point is that instant gratification has lasting consequences. Here is a video of our skit:


    
    Also, I got to translate in class today for the first time! Our speaker spoke in Spanish (though she also knows English) and I translated to English. All our classes our translated because we have both native English and Spanish speakers. It was an interesting experience to say the least. I understood everything fine, but putting it into words that are understandable in English is harder than I thought it would be. It's important to communicate each point clearly. However, translating was great practice for my comprehension of Spanish. Apart from class itself, everything is going well. I realize that I talk a lot about what we're learning in class, because that consumes most of my time. This course is more academically challenging than any one class I've ever had (of course, during college I had 4 or 5 classes going on at once, but still). But it's so good!  Next week I'll post more about my life outside of class.
 

Friday, May 4, 2012

Beautiful Things

Over the past two weeks, I have been very busy with studying. This Bible school is super intense - sometimes it seems like I'm in exam week of college over and over again! I've also been distracted with thoughts of what I'm doing after the school is over. But amidst the stress and craziness, I have enjoyed the beauty of little things.

Waking up to the sound of birds chirping
Enjoying a cup of steaming coffee surrounded by friends
Being still and soaking up the morning air
Finding new wisdom in a verse that before was incomprehensible
Folding warm laundry fresh out of the dryer
Going out for desserts with the girls
Jogging on a Saturday morning
Receiving encouraging words from friends

Sometimes my mind is overwhelmed with all the homework, and I just need time to soak it all in. In these little moments God gives me joy and peace about being here. Some days are great - I feel energized and ready to learn. And others I am just worn out. But I know that despite the ups and downs of life, everything will work out. For we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him, those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Here are some of the joyful moments I've had over the past two weeks:

Reuniting with my DTS family




Rooming with these amazing women!  
Dessert night with the girls

Life is good. Thanks for your prayers! :)