Bible school in full swing!

We are well into the Bible school and week five is about to begin. We have studied the book of Acts, Philemon, Leviticus, 1^st Peter and now John. Lots to cover in 4 weeks but since the school is only 12 weeks long we have to take advantage of every moment. We always work to keep the school a good mixture of rigorous Bible study and discipleship and most of what we do has a double purpose. The first to dig deep into whatever book we are studying while learning valuable Bible study tools. Second is to help the students wrestle with the truth that they are learning and to apply it to their lives.

I want to give you all an idea of what a typical day looks like: We start each morning with an hour of either corporate worship or prayer. Then from 9:15 to 12:30 we have lectures on whatever book are studying. Lots of coffee to start things off of course. In the afternoon from 2 to 4 we spend a couple of hours going over homework with the students answering questions and handing back assignments. From 4 to about 6 the students have work duties, helping to clean and run the base. It seems funny to spend a couple of hours cleaning bathrooms or sweeping floors but it gives them a chance to put what they are learning in the classroom into immediate practice. Dinner at 6 and them back to the classroom for more homework until bed. We mix it up with small groups and one on one sessions to help the students process and continue to move forward in their studies.

This is Jose one of our two Costa Rican students showing off his home work assignment. 6 pages of chapter titles for the book of John.

It is a very challenging school both for the students and for us as a family. Lots of time and investment in the students and all so very worth it.

We have been very blessed this last month to have had the opportunity to house sit for a fellow YWAM missionary family who have been in the sates. There house is about 4 minutes from the base in car and a 10 minute walk. One of our passions is for discipleship and we have been able to have more people over in the last month than the last 6 months at our own home. It has also lessened our stress level an enormous amount due to the logistics of living father from the base.  It has been wonderful and we are continuing to pray that God will open up a way for us to live permanently on this side of town.

Every fall we start to miss Portland, the change of seasons and getting to where our warm clothes that we have stored in Karen's parents attic. We are planning a trip home but not for a few more months. Our plan is to come home in February and Lord willing stay through the beginning of April. We have enough mileage saved up that we can cover 3 of our 4 tickets. So if anyone would like to help us get home to experience a Portland winter you can make a donation right here on our blog site by clicking on the link below or at the top of the page where it says “make a donation.”

We miss you all and wish you a blessed fall.

Douglas, Karen and the boys