Today I finished my OSLAT exam at bible school and it went well. After I got through the rough math parts it was all smooth from there on. Next week will be the enrollment and this thursday I will meet someone for an interview and I think I will choose my classes then. I am really really excited to go to school, which is a surprising thing for me! I am looking forward to the learning and growing and the new opportunities it will bring for me. I am also happy that I will be able to apply everything I am learning in the church as I go, apposed to four years out of the ministry. The school has great facilities and is right in the business district so everything it right there.
This last Sunday was great! I preached in the morning service which I don't normally do because its for the mothers and they do not speak good english at all. But I went ahead and gave it my best, and it did not look so good. People did not seem to be listening and saw a few heads learning to far forward or back. I was actually discouraged because I thought it went terrible, and the people were half hour late. But after the service I had two people come up and tell me how much they enjoyed it and told what part was their favorite. Then one mother began to share about how she was so happy in our church, and that its always her son who is maybe 5 years old who reminds her to come to church. I was so touched, and after feeling so down it was just what I needed to hear. Sometimes its so frustrating serving the urban poor, but that was one of the beautiful moments. It was so nice to hear because she has 5 kids and is 28 years old, her husband is a alcoholic and after working four days will drink all the money away. I sometimes feel like we are getting no where with this community, but I realized that its really going to take time to get into the peoples lives. One observation new missionaries always have here is that the people in the squatter areas are always smiling and joking and happy though life is pretty rough. For my first 2 years I was fascinated by this, but I realized that in a lot of cases its simply a way or hiding or suppressing their true feelings. I brought that point up at the mothers fellowship/bible study on Wednesday and I had hit the nail on the head. One mom sitting beside me looked at me and the others and said it was very true. So now we are really getting into the lives of the families and are going to be able to hopefully bring some healing and restoration for these people. This is something to please pray for because, again I am in way over my head, but I know that God will do what He has planned.
One other prayer item has come up as well. The squatter community beside the church has been told by the catholic church that they cant come to our church or they will take away the card that gets them free medicine. This has already effected the church and maybe half the mothers don't want to come out because of the fear of losing their card. Its frustrating because the catholic church does nothing at all for these people, and they are in desperate need of God, but they continue to hold them by stuff like this. Please pray that the mothers will still come out, and that this persecution will stop, and God will use this to His glory.
Next week is enrollment, and I am still not sure if I will take on a full load or just do the first semester half time. Please pray for this as well. I was hoping to just go full time to make the process a little quicker, but I am still not sure, but next week I will have a better Idea.
Thank you all for your love support and prayers!
Brett
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