A November Update

As it has been just about a month since our last post, I thought it was time for a bit of an update.

The last thing Gina and I were expecting on Halloween night at a European Bible college campus was any trick-or-treaters. Halloween is not so big a deal in Germany as it is in the U.S. - whether you are for or against the holiday. It didn't occur to us to expect any costumed children at our door, so we hadn't bought any candy to give out. However, a pair of them knocked on our door just as we had sat down to watch a movie. Gina scrambled to find something in our cupboard to substitute for candy bars or M&M's, and managed to send the kids away happy. It seemed funny to us that in the U.S. we had never gotten any trick-or-treaters, but over here in Germany where the holiday isn't widely thought of, we got surprised by a couple of them.

November has been a pretty hectic month.

Gina has struggled with her health since September, and the mysterious illness, fatigue, and dizziness worsened to the point that she was basically flat on her back, sleeping, and unable to do much of anything. (For any of you wondering, yes, we can rule out pregnancy as a cause.) She was able to take a week away from her work and volunteer responsibilities in order to recuperate. During that week, we saw a doctor in a nearby village who was able to diagnose Gina as having a lactose intolerance. Last week, we went to see him again for a glucose test to see if Gina is hypoglycemic, and have yet to hear the results. The doctor has treated her very well, listening carefully to her complaints, and working with her in order to find out the root of the problem so she can return to full health. We have also had a lot of prayer support both here in our community and in various places at home where our friends and family are keeping us uplifted before God regularly. We believe your prayer support is the most significant reason that Gina has enjoyed relatively normal good health for the past week!

A challenge I have faced this month is related to the computer technology on campus. As much of my work teaching an online course, creating course material for the next class, and assisting students and faculty in research requires the use of the Internet, I depend heavily on a strong wi-fi signal both in the office and at home. The library book-keeping system, Heritage, has proved a constant challenge to my patience-level all year - but particularly in the past month it has broken down in some way almost daily. I've kept I.T. pretty busy with these problems, and they are able to temporarily get me back up and running. However, there seems to be a mysterious root problem that no one seems able to figure out just out yet. We are working constantly to get to the bottom of this, but in the meantime, I am generally able to keep up with my work load.

The on-campus students enjoyed a week of Fall Break at the end of October, followed by a study week with no other classes in preparation for a two-week course taking place at one of EuNC's learning centers in Romania. They spent the first two weeks of November in Sighisoara, Romania. The town has a population of roughly 30,000 people, and part of their time was spent experiencing the compassionate ministries work taking place among the elderly, children, widows, the sick, and the gypsies. They returned this past weekend, and a new four-week session of classes began on Monday. Gina and I continue to enjoy developing close friendships with these students, and enjoy every chance we have to spend time with them. During the Fall Break, we invited the only three students still on campus over to our home for dinner and dessert. We spent several hours talking, laughing, and playing a lightning-fast card game called "Dutch Blitz." Two of the students who went to Romania brought us back souvenir coffee mugs (which we collect from some of the places we've visited). I've led a lectio divina group among the students for the past several weeks ("lectio divina" is a devotional method of reading Scripture "deeply" - Google it to find out more). I also watch a television show called "Stargate Universe" regularly with another student and one of the other volunteers. Coffee breaks take place twice a day, and we eat lunch with the students two or three times a week. There are many opportunities to spend quality time either in a mentoring capacity or simply enjoying the company of these incredible young people who are preparing for ministry.

This past week was particularly busy, as the EuNC campus hosted the meetings of the International Course of Study Advisory Committee for the Eurasia region. These men and women dedicate a portion of their time each year to evaluating and approving educational programs for the training of those called to ministry. They came from Britain, Romania, and India to name just a few. Gina and I met Dr. Kent Brower from Nazarene Theological College in Manchester, England. Over lunch one day, Dr. Brower told us about NTC and did his best to recruit me as a graduate student. Time will tell how successful he was at this! We appreciated his willingness to take time with us and answer several questions as we took advantage of the opportunity to explore one possible option for after Gina and I end our service in January 2012. Of course, if Dr. Brower had his way, I would begin at NTC as soon as June of next year! I was particularly struck with how down-to-earth and approachable, and almost "fatherly" Dr. Brower was: he is the author of several books I've read as an undergrad and at seminary, and so he's something of a "big name" to me. I was pleasantly surprised, though I shouldn't have been, to find that he was a very normal, approachable man with a fantastic sense of humor.

We also met two faculty members - Simon Jothi and Prakesh Nemade - from South Asia Nazarene Bible College in Bangalore, India, with whom we had a number of enjoyable conversations. They were interested in having me spend a couple of weeks in India helping them develop their library. I don't know what, if anything, will come of that or NTC, but as always Gina and I are open and attentive to God's leading in all things. Gina also interviewed Monica Boseff, who assists her husband in pastoring a church in Bucharest, Romania, who shared an amazing story - you will have to read an upcoming edition of "Engage" magazine or "Where Worlds Meet" to hear it.

The month of December will find us returning to the U.S. to spend Christmas with our families in Colorado. We will spend three weeks there, and will return to begin our second year of service here on New Year's Eve. Aside from the much-needed time with our families, we are looking forward to visiting Starbucks, Borders, Barnes & Noble, and joining my extended family for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at Fargo's Pizza before meeting up with Gina's family to share and open Christmas gifts. Christmas Day will be spent doing the same with my family. We love having both sides of the family living in the same town - and so near one another, as well! Upon our return, the month of January will begin in a rush of activity as EuNC's Leadership Conference 2011 takes place. Author and scholar Leonard Sweet will be our seminar speaker. Students and faculty from the campus and many of our learning centers will be participating in this conference. I will also begin teaching an online course for the Netherlands learning center called History & Polity of the Church of the Nazarene, which is one of the required classes for those seeking ordination as ministers in our denomination. The six-week course will connect the Nazarene church within the broader Christian tradition, and cover such historical and theological matters related to who we are and where we come from as a particular faith community. The "polity" aspect will cover our denominational organization at various levels, and include an emphasis on the local church and pastoral ministry.

Thank you so much for your continued support through prayer, encouraging words, and financial giving. We have seen the importance of your participation in these regards particularly in seeing Gina through this difficult time with her health. Thank you for your faithful dedication to joining us in serving the work of Christ in the Eurasia region!