Wicked Smaat

I can spell and understand the Greek Alphabet. I now understand the progression of time between the second captivity (Persian rule) in the Bible (Jeremiah) and Jesus' preaching. I can now leap tall buildings.... no, wait, that's next week...

Hi! It's been an enlightening two weeks and, not to mention comprehensively exhausting! I have literally spent ALMOST (not quite, due to re-developing the discipline of 'all consuming work' - that's a virtue, right?) every moment not in class, reading. I've read about the History of Biblical Interpretation, History of the Jews, Greek Grammar (!), Apologetics (in SPADES!), the crisis in the N. American church in Mission, and (thankfully brief due to everything else) Learning Styles. For the most part, I'm having a great time! (Bonnie - you would LOVE my apologetics class - it's scaring the socks off of me! The professor is very opinionated, but also very rational and direct.) I am quickly becoming a coffee drinker (still just decaf, but I know...it's a gateway drug...but tea takes too long now in my little bubble)

In the social scene (yes, there is a mild one still able to function), I've started running with Jessica, a USAF Chaplain candidate and I'll be studying with Sarah this Saturday for Greek. I'm still getting together with Jennifer (my next door neighbor) occasionally and am considering taking on a 4hr a week cleaning job with her to save some $ for books next semester. My world is a lot smaller here and I am still in the phase where I appreciate that, though my tendency to network and include people is making this a difficult lifestyle to maintain! I am finding though, that I will need to read/study/write during most of my waking hours. I am aware that I may have bitten off more than I can chew. Despite that, I still feel that I should continue (at least for this semester) and see what comes of it.

Times with God have been very encouraging. I've felt very disoriented especially these past two weeks as I've been adjusting to the workload, but I have felt the Lord encouraging me in this endeavor and giving me great patience and grace with myself and others. It has been of great encouragement to me as well to get various ems and letters of encouragement from you all - I have counted them among the ways the Lord is caring for and encouraging me here. Please, do stay in touch! (Though it may take me longer to get back to you now - but please don't give up on me!)

Prayer Requests:
- I've been hearing from some of my former students at RIC and it sounds like they're doing GREAT; as such, they're under some moderate Spiritual attack, so please pray with me this month for them as they get back into the swing on campus and meet new people (including their new staff worker Kathy Cooper!)

- Please pray that God with continue to 'terraform' my mind so as to be able to process/integrate complex material quickly - pray this especially for my Apologetics class - there's a lot to catch up on here in terms of learning about formal Logic and Philosophy.

- Pray that I would acquit myself well on papers that are beginning to come due starting this week and as I learn a new paper formatting style. Pray that God would give me favor, inspite and wisdom as I write.

- Pray that God would continue to show me a proper balance of work and play here - that I would have enough of both.

- Please send me any prayer requests you have as well - we do pray at the beginning of each class and it is not uncommon for us to bring our personal requests in as well.

**Please note, that due to the increased work load, I'm going to have to start writing monthly now - though I will still be checking this site daily to see what y'all have to say!***