Happy 4th of July! This year, we celebrated with a bang with many friends, tasty American food, and a ridiculously large amount of fireworks. We all enjoyed our time with the workers and celebrating the independence of our country. Also this week, we have really seen our language skills take off as we are able to have more and more conversation with the restaurant owners, street vendors, and friends. It is very exciting for us to be able to show Father’s love by communicating with the locals. On Friday, our teacher will begin teaching us character, so we are all very excited to begin learning! Kate, our teacher, is a student who wants to teach foreigners when she graduates, and we have been able to take a few “field trips” to restaurants to get to know her better and see if she is interested in studying the Good Book with us. After she finishes her final exams, we will hopefully begin to study with her, so please pr for that. Many of our friends are taking exams all week, so it has been a slow week with meeting friends, but it will pick up again after Thursday once exams are over. Unfortunately though, many friends will also leave after exams, so please pr that we can be continuing to pursue friends and rely on Father’s plan as we meet with friends and share Father’s love with them.
From each of us!
Meghan
This week has had it’s fast times and slow times for sure. Saturday was really hectic with 5 appointments plus English Corner, but Father good and gave me plenty of energy to have quality conversation and fun with each and every friend I met with. Thanks, Father! Many of my friends are taking exams this week, and then several will leave as soon as they are done testing on Thursday afternoon. One friend, Cynthia, I’ve been studying with and she is really understanding well and learning a lot about J and Father. It has been really exciting to see her ask good questions and the “lightbulb moments” have been beautiful. Thursday is our last meeting though because she is going home for the summer, so please pr that our time together will be productive and that language will not be a barrier. When I ask her questions about her thoughts, she just generalizes to what the population thinks and never personalizes it for herself, so please pr also that she will personalize the information and take it to heart.
Laura
Happy belated 4th of July! We celebrated with other Americans here and ate American food. This past weekend I went to a friend’s house in the countryside. The scenery was beautiful. There were many fields of rice and corn. I got to see a farmer training his water buffalo how to walk on the paths between the rice fields. Jessica, Nila, Helen and I washed bamboo mats to sleep on. Helen was surprised that we use sleeping bags in America instead of the mats. Our last night there, I got to hear Helen share the story of J with her family. That was Awesome! I also ate the spiciest chicken feet I have ever had. This week heart matters have been really difficult. Will you pr for my heart attitude and vulnerability with my team, Father, and friends?
Becca
There are a lots of goodbyes being said here. This is a hard time for us, not just saying goodbye to friends, but our heart attitudes as we move forward. Our hearts are counting the days of return, this is challenging in many ways. My heart wants to say time is running out and only think of here and now. When the truth is we have no more time than we did before. Father doesn’t work base on my time, His time is eternal. Father reminded me of this when I sent a friend off. This friend and I never met before this and I was regretful of that. Father worked in that hour I had with her. I was able to tell her who J was, and is. She had never heard of Him and she thought that Father was good. I was also able to give her a Good Book to read over the Summer Holiday. I even had a chance to introduce her to Jessica, so she could answer her questions when she returned to school. This was only possible through Father and my friend’s willing heart to meet me so early. I was encouraged during that hour, I was reminded that I had more that enough time to plant a seed, and that Father will work with however little or much I share with friends. Pr for me as I listen to Father’s promptings, that I will quickly obey. Pr for me that I will see the bigger picture of what I am here for and to remember Father is outside of time.
