What We're Up To These Days . . .

The days of blissful Christmas break are over, and we're back to work, harder than ever.  I'd like to ask for your prayers for Neil today and for the next two weeks, as he will be leading a music workshop in the East Sepik Province of PNG, in the Urim language area, where they've been requesting this course for years.  This is his first village workshop since furlough, due to his myriad duties as Director of Language Services, supporting the work of Bible translation, linguistics and literacy in PNG . . . thus, it's been about two years since his last village workshop experience!  Neil feels a bit out of practice, and would appreciate your prayers as he goes to a new place and shares what the Bible says about music and worship, language and culture, and helps people think about what sorts of men and women they need to be in order to lead others in worship . . . He'll also ask them to think about their own song styles, and what sorts of songs their community needs-- then encourage them to compose new songs in appropriate styles . . . Scripture songs, worship songs, teaching songs, story songs-- whatever people are led to write.  Finally, the new songs will be recorded, written down, taught to others, and dedicated in a special final ceremony. 

Please pray that many participants will attend-- all of those whom God is preparing . . . pray that the Holy Spirit will move and inspire people with clarity and creativity.  Pray for strength and good health for Neil as he goes into malaria territory.  (The last time he left the Sepik, two years ago, he was very ill and had a long recovery.)  Pray that he will speak the words God wants him to speak.  Pray that he will be able to completely put aside thoughts of his directorial duties and focus on loving the Urim people.  (Neil's work has really piled up since the New Year began, and he knows he's leaving many jobs incomplete-- and there will be many more awaiting when he returns.)  Pray for safe and smooth travel . . . he'll be helicoptering in today (the helicopter will leave any minute-- it's a beautiful morning!), which should be quite an experience!  But on the way out, he'll have several hours of hiking to the road, will be picked up by a truck and taken to Wewak, and will fly from there to Ukarumpa on a Kodiak-- quite the logistics.  Most of all, pray that God will be glorified through this music workshop!  Thank you so much for your prayers over the next two weeks.  I'll try to keep you updated, as I hear news from the Sepik!

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Meanwhile, the boys and I have started the second semester of the school year, and it's been a good beginning.  The second semester is always a little daunting for me, as the AP exams loom at this time of year, and I take seriously the huge responsibility of preparing my group of students from all over the world for this grueling three hours.  For international students, the AP exams are much more important than for American high schoolers . . . good scores on the AP exams are essential for some of them to even get into university in their home countries, as these scores are what their home educational systems trust as proof that the students have had a strenuous academic program here at Ukarumpa International School (UIS), equivalent to what they would have learned in their home countries.  Needless to say, many students feel a great deal of pressure.  About half the students at UIS are American, and they will often receive college credit from their universities if they achieve high enough scores on the AP exams-- so their stakes are high, too, though not nearly the same as some of the students from the UK, Australia, Canada, Europe, and Asia.  And I feel nervous for them, too, every year, trusting God and hoping that I'm teaching them what they need to know, crafting and re-crafting my courses to be as useful as possible.  Thank you for praying for these UIS students, too!  There is a lot of uncertainty ahead at this time of year, as they anticipate graduation and a return to their "home" countries-- countries which often don't feel like "home."  I'm also still learning how best to balance my multiple jobs-- teacher, English Department Chair, editor for our branch, and of course, my #1 job:  wife and mom.  :)

Here's a picture of our wonderful UIS staff (preschool to grade 12), taken during our annual Professional Focus Weekend in October . . . I'm near the top center, in blue, squinting in the bright equatorial sun!  :)  UIS is a great place to teach!

Our three boys LOVE school here at UIS, and are "eating up" this school year, with relish.  ;)  James (11, 6th grade) is enjoying playing in the Middle School band, with rehearsals after school twice a week, and singing in the grade 5-8 choir, with rehearsals before school twice a week.  He has saxophone lessons with one of the UIS music teachers after school one day a week-- we are blessed to have a music teacher who is a saxophonist!  That means that Neil can just be an encourager, not James' main teacher (though the saxophone teacher will be on furlough next school year . . . ).  James also has good friends he loves to spend time with, and they are very creative together.  They've recently created a series of Lego Star Wars stop-action movies called the "Clone Man" series.  Cameron (8, 3rd grade) also loves school.  His favorite core subject areas are Social Studies and Science, and his favorite specials this year are Music and Chapel.  We've been so pleased with Cameron's academic improvement this year, and I find his class delightful (I'm their Sunday School teacher this year!).  William (5, preschool) only wishes that he could go to school MORE-- preschool is just three mornings a week, and he loves it.  We assure him that Kindergarten next year will be EVERY DAY.  :)  We also love that the three boys, though each three years apart in age, are each others' best friends, daily building Lego creations together, making up stories, and creating art projects.