How to Burn Calories and Sleep Deeply

Our new student orientation and "old student" welcome back party

Annette teaching at the Instituto Especialidades Juveniles

We anticipated that the first week of classes would be busy but had no idea what all it would end up entailing. During these past two weeks we have among other things:

• interviewed 4 new students
• interviewed 2 pastors of new students
• hosted an orientation for 10 of the new students which was followed immediately by a welcome party with older students
• prepared and taught 11 hours of class
• participated in 2 staff meetings
• attended a wedding of a student
• met with new full time students to talk about their acculturation process
• met with assistant teachers who are helping us this trimester.

The fact that things are going well at the Institute and that we have a lot of the bugs worked out has meant that God spread us out to meet other needs, specifically the deteriorating relationship of some new friends.

Their relationship has been bad but this week things really began to unravel. We helped set up a meeting with a counselor/mediator from our church here and it became clear they could/would not agree on terms for a contract specifying how they will share time with their newborn baby. The details make it a long story but where it touches our life is that He has spent the night here most of the week. He is very spiritually sensitive in his brokenness so we spend long hours talking. We also spend intense time with her.

We appreciate your prayers as we try to be God's agents in their lives without letting it consume our lives, but for right now we're in the trenches.