I have around 12 other students that are coming into the first semester of study with me. By the end of the semester, we will be close friends I'm sure...we will need each other's shoulders to cry on.
We also had an hour and a half language aptitude test in the listening lab. Man was that hard! The test is designed to rate your language learning ability. It was not a pass or fail test, but I felt like I failed it.
The test included:
-Memorizing numbers in a made up language after a few minutes of study.
-Memorizing 20 vocab words in a made up language after 5 minutes of study.
-English grammar section
-Spanish grammar section
-Phonics section
-Reading section
This test will place me into one of two levels of grammar class tomorrow. We will see which one in the morning.
In the afternoon, we all gathered for a get-to-know-you time in the fellowship hall. Our dean, Dr. Manny, spoke to us and orientated us to the school and its mission and vision.
The president of the school also gave us a short challenge from the Word of God to remember the big picture of God's call on our lives to share the Gospel on the mission field. When the tough days come, with tests, quizzes, long nights, little sleep, and limited vocab, we need to remember that God is faithful and will strengthen and encourage us through the semester.
All the administration, faculty, staff and winter volunteers introduced themselves and told us what they do on campus. They all were so welcoming and mentioned that they had been praying for us, by name, for several months now. They all expressed that it was a great privilege to guide and serve us while we are here studying. Many of them were former missionaries to Latin American countries and understand what it means to go through the rigors of learning a new language.
All the second semester students also had a chance to introduce themselves and their families to the new students. They each gave words of encouragement, lessons learned, and praises to God for His working in their lives during the last semester. Hearing from them was a great blessing to me. I felt like we got to know them in a better way, just by hearing their testimonies. We pray that many, if not all of these couples will be life long friends as we serve on the mission fields across Latin America. The above picture is of Dan and Diana Kunnari (our GMSA co-workers who are also going to Chile).
Now to Grandma's cookin'...
My Grandpa Irv and Grandma Rhoda Flinck live in Mission, TX (15 miles away from campus). We made it a point to stop by for supper with them before school starts tomorrow. My Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Danny, and their son, Taylor were able to be there as well. My aunt has been a public school teacher in the Mission area for 15 years. It will be great to be able to spend time with these family members during our time in south Texas.
This is my last "free" night to post before reality hits hard tomorrow. My goal is to continue to post often in order to effectively communicate with those who care enough to stop by the blog. Thank you for praying for our family during this time of adjustment and further training for serving our Lord in Chile.
No comments:
Post a Comment