January - so much activity at the start of 2016!

One of my New Year's resolutions is to write something on this website at least once a month. I'm under the wire this first month, but here we go. There's been so much happening, with work and family life, that it's been hard to find a moment to write about it all.

Work:

• The office and classroom environments at the Center for Excellence in World Arts have continued to be invigorating. My biggest job this month has been preparing for the upcoming Arts and Trauma Healing course. I'm part of a very fine teaching staff for the course. The 18 students have been spending January completing the pre-course reading assignments--a very heavy load of books and articles! I am working with four of the students, grading their reading response papers and essays as they complete each assignment. Next week, the students come to campus here, where they will have a couple of weeks of intensive face-to-face teaching time. The class is designed to introduce the concept of using the arts (music, drama, visual arts, dance, and others) in working with people who have been traumatized by natural disaster, violence, or abuse. Often people in these situations are unable to verbalize what they are feeling, and the arts can be a powerful way of helping them find initial comfort and expression of their anguish. With so many parts of the world engulfed in civil war and unrest, this is a topic that is of primary importance for many missionaries traveling to the field. Thank you for praying for the students and staff as we embark on this learning journey together during the next month. 

• This past week I worked with another colleague at the Center to present three one-hour lessons on using the arts for Scripture Engagement--that is, not simply translating the words of the Bible for people, but finding interactive and engaging ways of enhancing their understanding of what they are reading and hearing. Again, the arts are such a great way of deepening the understanding of the Bible and the Christian faith. We gave this presentation to a Scripture Engagement class of 10 students, all of whom are soon on their way to field locations (including Papua New Guinea). We shared stories and experiences from the field and had a great time answering students' questions and talking together about an important topic. Our classroom sessions were video-recorded, to be part of the curriculum for the online version of this course.
• You may remember that one of my potential tasks for my new job was to design a doctoral program in World Arts, which would be in many ways the first degree program of its kind. This week we were given the go-ahead to begin putting together the initial documentation for this program! This will take some time, and it will likely be 2017 before we welcome our first intake of doctoral students, but we're excited to be able to begin the process! Please pray for me, as a lot of the burden of this planning stage will be on me; but also pray for all of my colleagues and administrators, who will be giving me much help along the way. 

Family:

• What a month it's been for Joyce and the kids! This month Joyce began substitute teaching at the kids' school, UME Prep. She's loved her time back in the classroom and hopes for many more days of subbing this semester.
• James, Cameron, and William were happy to return to school after a wonderful Christmas break. They continue to do well in their classes, and they are making good friends.

• This weekend included two major performances, for James and Cameron. On Friday night, James and Cameron performed a song with the UME Prep Choir, which they are both members of. Then James took the stage, with his fellow students from Theater Arts I & II classes, to present an evening of Broadway favorites. James was great in the opening scene from "The Music Man," and in Stage Manager duties throughout the evening. It was a fantastic performance! We're so glad that our kids get to be at a school that values the arts.

• On Saturday, Cameron spent the day at a local high school for the All-Region 6th Grade Choir. Over 400 sixth graders auditioned to be in the All-Region Choir, and only about 80 were selected. We were so proud of Cameron for not only making it into the choir, but then distinguishing himself in the Saturday clinic and rehearsal. He was singled out for recognition as the most engaged singer with excellent diction. Saturday evening the choir, along with the 7th and 8th Grade Regional Choirs, gave a beautiful performance.

• We're attending a church that we love, and we're finding many ways of being involved. Joyce is playing cello and singing on Sunday mornings, as well as leading the bell choir. James is training as an acolyte (which involves a number of duties during the Sunday morning services), and I am training as a Lay Reader (or Lay Eucharistic Minister), which also brings responsibilities during Sunday morning services. The kids enjoy youth group on Sunday evenings, and we really feel that this is our church home--something we longed for all the years we were in Papua New Guinea.

• A couple of years ago, I participated in a weekly photo challenge in Ukarumpa. This year, I've decided to try it again: one photo each week, following a theme for the week. You can follow my progress this year, and get a glimpse of our life here in Texas, here: Weekly Photo Challenge 2016.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support. That's what allows us to be here! We are loving our new Texas home, and our school and work responsibilities. God has been good to our family, and we pray that through us he can be good to our community and the world.

A beautiful sunset view while working on the roof of our house this month