Graduation

It was a great weekend! Saturday, several of the men from our small church plant and I went to a small, rural community and fellowshipped with three families that have been conducting a "house church" for many years in their very simple home. They led the singing and I had the priviledge of sharing God's Word with them and then they fed us. What a humbling experience to be fed by people who do not have a lot of the world's "stuff" but are rich in grace and hospitality. I wanted to bring all of you along!

Then Saturday night was the graduation banquet for the college. We were celebrating with the eleven students who have completed their five year degree course and the nineteen who have completed their one year certificate course. The highlight of the evening was the message from Philippians 4 by one of our more recent graduates who is church planting. What he shared was so practical and powerful. I came away rejoicing in the fact that God has used this school to help mentor such a young man. The fact that Carol and I were sponsors for his wedding probably influences my thinking as well.

Sunday was graduation at the college and what a great time of rejoicing that was as well!

Today was the first Sunday School class for adults at our small church plant. We are using locally published materials. We are starting with a study of the Gospel of John. We had an excellent attendance!

I am teaching for the first quarter, actually I am going to alternate with a couple of other people but I really want this to be their "thing".

Saturday, March 25 we will be taking a small group of people from our church to visit a nearby mountain community that has a small gathering of people that represents the only group of individuals that Biblically can be called a "church". We want to encourage them and see if we can develop ways to give them some simple guidance.

This is the kind of thing we want to do for several places that we have visited recently. Please join with us in thinking how we can best glorify God and encourage these people.

We just got back from a three day break which was very helpful to us. The boys enjoyed snorkeling (Mark for the first time), swimming in the pool, watching movies (The Incredibles, Around the World in 80 Days [old,old,old], and others), and going for short walks.

Carol and I enjoyed all of the above and reading. Carol even got some time to do some organizing. Something she had wanted to do for a long time. She is so good at it that I think she should contract her services for others. I probably should be the first person to hire her.

Tomorrow is the final exam in my Hebrew class. Yes, I am still a student and still trying to figure out Biblical Hebrew. I have a great group of classmates and I wish I could utilize their abilities to take the exam but alas, that is still called "cheating" and not "collaborative" effort.

Well, I will close for now.

Vance