Feeling busy? Yes we know the feeling. We are in the CLA training mode now, having just finished the first stage of phonetics and grammar. Learning another language may seem impossible to some, but when God mixed up all the languages, He kept them sensical to the ones speaking them. Does that make sense? They DO break down, you can notice patterns, it is NOT impossible. A little hard and frustrating maybe, but if everything was easy, we wouldn't need God would we? Hmmm.

So now it's CLA...Culture and Language Acquistion. We are discovering that if you really want to learn another language, it is imperative to try to understand and learn the culture...which of course you do by getting to know the people. Hence, all the focus on relationships! For example, some missionaries in Africa really wanted to get to know the Kenyan people. So what would YOU do? Invite them for dinner maybe? SOunds good to me. Everyone loves to be invited over.....well do they? What is the goal here? Friendship, right? Well, the way Kenya people make friends is, they show up at your doorstep. "Hi, we're here!" Awkward? To you maybe. How willing our we to step out of our comfort zone to get to know people? To experience something different. To find out what makes people who are different than us tick?







Yesterday, all the first and second year aldies and staff went on an "outing" to Barrie. Check out a map if you don't know where that is...I don't either. We went to a glow-in-the-dark putt-putt golf place first and then to a mall and dinner. Here are some highlights.

A little slide show from the past few days...

It has been brought to my attention, by my precious Dad, that there could be some problems with this post. Apologies if you have come into some trouble with this post. I was trying to save some $$ and found this free tool on the web. Unfortunately there are no REAL protections from going to this site, if you are an adult, and the application source site has some 'raunchy looking' slide shows. Please forgive my lack of researching this! I have removed this from our blog for this reason.

Please delete your previously received emails as they will still have links to this site. - I pray you'll understand.

Roland

Snow's Coming - Praise the LORD!

This weekend we just got a small taste of the coming of Winter. We had a few light flurries, some stuck to our van for a little while, and then we had some rain mixed with snow and sleet to wash things all away again. Just a little taste of the winter that is coming.

To be sure, the staff here continues to let us know that it is really "too early" for this to be anything like winter. They have not, however, said anything about it being an easier winter or a shorter winter than last year. So it may be that winter WILL arrive early and stay just as late as it usually does.

What a comfort to know that God will continue to be with us through the entire time. Facing a winter without God is hardly imaginable to me anymore. It has only been a short time of developing this relationship with the God, but it continues to bless me daily. Since I came to trust what God has made plain in the Scriptures, my life has been a journey of amazement and encouragement, even when times have been difficult. So I would not dream of facing a winter without God again, ever!

One of the passages in the Bible that reminds me of how knowing God is a blessing, comes from the first letter written by Peter. In chapter five the Apostle writes to encourage those who believe as he says 'casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you 1Peter 5:7' - reminding them that God is the one who will raise up someone who is humbled in His company and HE CARES DEEPLY for everyone. The companionship with the Almighty, a privilege of every believer, is a blessing I do not take lightly especially because He cares for me.

The coming of winter reminds me of the wonder which lies ahead, the account of the miraculous, a witness of the depth of God's caring, the testimony of truest humility ever expressed in humanity...The Birth of the Christ. Winter's approach is the catalyst for me to once again to reflect, with amazement, on what God has done to ensure I would know Him...WOW!

Snow's coming - - -> PRAISE THE LORD!

Roland(for the family)
2 Corinthians 4-5