March 13

You know when a song stirs something in you the first time you hear it? "Where You Go, I Go" by Brian and Jenn Johnson is the most recent song to do that for me. It simply talks about the fact that Jesus did and said only what He saw and heard the Father doing and saying. And the song declares to God, "Where you go, I go. What you say, I say. And what you pray, I pray." I'm letting this work itself into my spirit. It's what I want to do. Now to get on with it...

I've been back at school for two weeks now. I'm back into the rhythm of it. I am still adjusting, fine tuning if you will. It is so tiring to be immersed in a foreign language. I am doing well in my class. I am just where I need to be with grammar but find listening a struggle still at times. This is natural I think. But that doesn't stop me from getting frustrated. Perfectionism is not my friend.

This semester is very different from the last one. The school and dorm are very full. This is a good thing. It means more people with a heart to reach the French speaking world. For me, it means a lot of new people, less personal space and a noisier dorm. I suppose that is part of the reason I am still adjusting, the familiar mixed with the unfamiliar.

I would ask all of you to pray for encouragement for me and the students here. I talked and prayed with a precious friend the other night who also feels the strain. Here are some of the thoughts we share: ~This is hard. Can I really learn this language well enough to then live and work or study at university in France? ~How do I do my school work and do what's needed to prepare for the future at the same time? ~Am I crazy to think God really wants me to reach a people/the nations? ~Why can't I just be normal? (The last one makes me smile. We would never be content with 'normal.' Nothing but Jesus will satisfy.)

As with believers anywhere doing anything that know who they are and what God wants them to do, the enemy doesn't want us to fulfill that which God has called us to do. So he sends discouragement in many forms. I have been told that people have been so discouraged learning the language that they have given up their calling completely and gone home to do something else. I am not at that point. Grâce à Dieu. But I am fighting discouragement. And a student shared about that discouragement at chapel today. So, we the students of Les Cèdres, could use your prayers.

I would also ask you to scroll down to the bottom of the last post and continue to pray for the things listed there.

Thank you for taking your time to read this and pray for me. Prayer changes things. Your prayers are a source of great strength and encouragement for me!

**The picture above is me with Becky and Carl Hudson. These wonderful people take care of me. I couldn't do what I'm doing without them. Thanks to you both!!