March Update

My New Apartment
I’m just about all settled in. All the boxes are unpacked and my pictures are hung and my plants are on the balcony. And I finally have internet! There are some minor electrical issues that need to be taken care of, but one of the men at church is going to come and take care of them for me very soon. I think Biscuit likes it too!

EET Course Offerings
A lot of my work is centered around our online school, the EET (Escuela Evangélica de Teología or Evangelical School of Theology in English). We are currently in our third year and have a total of about 60 students in our system. We average about 30 students in any given quarter. I thought you might be interested in seeing our course offerings for this academic year:

Fall quarter - Synopsis of the Old Testament I, Synopsis of the New Testament I, Principles of Biblical Interpretation, Christian Spirituality, Theology of Missions I

Winter quarter - Synopsis of the Old Testament II, Synopsis of the New Testament II, Evangelism and Discipleship, Christian Doctrine I, Theology of Missions II

Spring quarter - Synopsis of the Old Testament III, Synopsis of the New Testament III, Christian Doctrine II, Homiletics, Romans


English Students
I have added another English "student" to my regular activities. Emi and I meet on Tuesday nights twice a month. She is the girlfriend of one of our Wednesday night students, Mariano. Her English is good but she is taking courses and wanted some more practice and help with some of her class assignments. She is a delight to meet with. Please pray that God will use these meetings to further His kingdom.

This month’s quote:
“It’s a bit of a mystery what God chooses to remove from your life--and what he allows to remain. You cannot help but ask for that heartache, that nagging difficulty, to go away...But when the challenge remains--when it insists on coming along for the trip--the great question inside us swings in a new direction. Might this thing I long to be different be the actual crucible on which God chooses to shape my soul into something of beauty that perhaps only he sees? Could this disturbing interruption of my plans be the actual way God is molding my heart in some new manner? Will I let God transform me in this?”

Paula Rinehart, Better Than My Dreams

Have a Blessed Easter!

I came across this video today on Max Lucado's website. If you have about 10 minutes, I think you will be blessed by watching it. It's a wonderful reminder of what Christ has given us through His death on the cross.

May your Easter be blessed! And may your times with family and friends be sweet.

American Missionaries in Europe

As the dollar continues to fall against the euro, and our buying power diminishes greatly, I keep wondering how much longer American missionaries can afford to stay in Europe. When does it become "too expensive" to keep us here? Is this something we just have to "ride out" or is this part of His plan to cause the Church in Europe to begin taking more responsibility for it's future? Could God be wanting to raise up more missionaries from within Europe to do the job? I don't have the answers. And for those of you who might be tempted to think my faith is faltering, it's not. But I can't help wondering how much longer we should stay here under these circumstances.

Pray for those of us who are serving in Europe, that we might have wisdom to know God's will in this matter.

Adolescent Depression

Last night, as Kathy and I were with our Wednesday evening English conversation group, one of the women shared that her son is dealing with depression right now. This happens to be the member of our group that attends our church. This is the third teenager/young adult at our church, in the last six months, that we have heard is dealing with depression. Is this something new? Or has it been happening for a long time and I just haven't heard about it? Maybe it's just because I'm not working with young people any more and I'm "out of the loop." But it's a little disturbing to me.

One of the members of our Wednesday night group is a doctor. Kathy asked her last night what she thought the reason was for the apparent increase in adolescent depression. Her opinion was that young people are spending too much time inside, in front of computer screens, and not enough time with their friends. One of the other young men in our church, that is still recovering from a serious episode last summer, said that his doctor told him he needs to get outside in the fresh air and exercise more. So part of his new daily regime is at least 30 minutes of walking outdoors.

It could be one more reason for us to encourage the young people in our lives to get away from their video screens (whether they be computers or television) and develop spiritual community among their Christian friends.

February Update

Moving?
I have the opportunity to move into a larger apartment in L’Ametlla (the town where the FIEIDE office is and where Jon & Kathy live). The rent would be about $100 per month less. The problem is that my contract on my current apartment runs through May and my rent has been pre-paid until then. We are in negotiations to see if we can work out an agreement that will allow me to obtain the new apartment with a minimum of financial outlay.

I hope to sell some furniture and appliances that I won’t need as the apartment has all the appliances and built-in closets that I didn’t have here, but I will probably still need to raise about $800. We are meeting again on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 3). Please be in prayer that we can come to a fair agreement and that God will provide the additional funding needed.

Health Issue
Almost from the moment I returned from my visit to the States for Christmas, I have been experiencing dizziness. I tried taking some antihistamines (something my doctor had prescribed when I had a similar experience several years ago) but it didn’t seem to help. Kathy took me to the doctor last week and he prescribed a different medicine and has scheduled an x-ray of my neck this week in an effort to find the cause. (It is apparently not an inner ear infection.) Please pray that God will give the doctor wisdom and bring healing.

This month’s quote:
“Isn’t it the greatest possible disaster, when you are wrestling with God, not to be beaten?” asked Simone Weil. To put it another way, what feels like a defeat at the time may emerge as an enduring victory. Jacob the cheat walked cockily on two good legs; Israel limped into history as the father of nations. The real value of persistent prayer is not so much that we get what we want as that we become the person we should be.

Philip Yancey, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray for God’s intervention in the negotiations regarding the new apartment.
2. Pray that God will bring healing in regard to the dizziness I have been experiencing.
3. Continue to pray for the relationships we are making with our Wednesday evening English conversation group.
4. Pray for new or increased giving to meet my monthly support need.