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Thiessen Newsletter January 2007 |
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January 17, 2007
Dear Friends,
The new year brings thoughts of assessing and making plans for the near future; with reflections on how much or how little some things have progressed. For starters, RuthE rung in our year with her twelfth birthday (her grandparents and my sister’s family were still here for that), piñata and all. A few days later she got her cast off, and needs just three weeks more of gentle care, and she should be good as new. She doesn’t want to get back on the bike yet, but we’ll get there. She is a young lady now, up to my nose already. I’ve attached a photo of her without the cast, up in the “wall-fort” I built for her and Philip. He will turn ten in a couple weeks, and wants his friends to come over for a sleep-out up there. With temperatures in the mid-fifties, we’ll have to make sure we have lots of extra blankets.
Anne has completed her six English courses from Ohio University with an “A” in all of them. That gives her enough credits to go on to study for teaching high-school English. She’s contemplating a program in Texas that lets her study from here and finish up with twelve weeks of student teaching up there. We’re weighing the options now, so that’s one thing to pray for.
With three high-school classes (7/8, 9/10, 11/12) and some writing teaching with the younger grades, she keeps busy, modifying her curriculum as she goes. Sparking interest and motivating excellence seems to be a universal challenge for teachers.
I’m getting back into the swing of mentoring a small handful of people in this area. People involved in several kinds of the things we do. Phil is back (from NC), going on to Yolo, and making plans for learning that Mixtec variety and partnering with Alfonso for concerted discipling for church planting. Jill is up in Texas for now, trying to understand what God has for her, now that the YWAM school is over. Both get high marks for language learning, acculturating and missions “theory” grasp. Pray for Jill as she figures out how all that prepares her for the next steps.
After Anne’s birthday (tomorrow) I’ll be traveling in Guerrero for ten days, visiting Ometepec, Yolo, Tlapa and Metlatonoc. I haven’t been out to Yuvinani in two years, so it’ll be fun reacquainting with those guys. Part of this trip is to invite them all to the Easter celebration we do in Ometepec. Third year now. A group of ten from Vineland, Ontario, will be joining us for that event, and I need to set up some accommodations and transport details. Pray for them, and for identity and unity among the Guerrero Mixtec churches. Pray for Lamberto, who diligently looks for ways to bring the news of the Kingdom of God to fellow teachers. And Gabriel; the same among carpenters and family in Ometepec.
I’ll be back for Philip’s birthday (Feb 03), be around for a week, and then off for a week trip to visit my father. He’s got cancer, with who knows how long, so I’m taking advantage of the time now. Obviously that’s something for prayer.
I’m glad so many of you liked the Bruce Cockburn song. The actual song was too big to go out over the internet easily, so I cancelled that part, if you tried to open that attachment.
Blessings, Robert.
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