Saturday Post -- 28/07/12

You’ll excuse a shorter post this week – as you might have guessed from recent posts, an international gathering in London is limiting still further my ability to multi-task.

In the kennel, mother and babes are well. Indeed, we’ve had to start factoring milk money into our weekly budget, as Poppy, like her pups, is certainly developing a taste for the white stuff. Some images:

And in the classroom, things have been shaping up nicely too. Students returned to school this week after the traditional two-week winter break and we resumed our studies in the gospel of John with the teenagers. Meanwhile, at FT, the Wednesday Community class also reconvened after the holiday, with the number of attendees doubling.

Particularly exciting for me were the English classes, in which we have been getting progressively deeper into our English-language book entitled ‘What Christians Believe’. Over the last few weeks, we have moved into the big territory of Jesus’ death and resurrection and their practical implications. As has been highlighted previously here, the notion of salvation by grace is an inherently challenging one in this culture, and it’s been a real thrill to have the class over-run week after week, as we’ve dealt with a whole slew of questions from the students by diving into scripture. I had stepped outside the classroom for a few moments on Thursday when I overheard one of the students saying, “This class is wonderful. At first, all we were doing was reading simple English sentences. But now, we’re not only learning English, but having such thought-provoking discussions.” When we launch next year’s classes, I’ll need to stick that quote on the poster.

Prayer

• For the youth group where, to tie in with the big event, we’re having an Olympic-themed focus in the next few weeks, beginning with tonight’s ‘Opening Ceremony’.

Praise

•  For the powerful impact the Bible-based English classes are having on our students.

¡Que Dios les benidga!

Craig & Amanda