Our Lives Here - Part 1
I recently realized that you guys have NO idea what our lives here in Merry-land look like. What T is studying, what I'm studying, the kinda stuff we do as a family during the week. Those sort of things. Actually, maybe that sounds really boring to you! In the spirit of not-wanting-to-forget but also not wanting to shove everything into one never-ending entry, I'm going to split this into two (hopefully more readable) parts. So please come back for Part 2!
To start with, there are 21 students in our class in total, all but one of whom is married, and even the token single guy got engaged over Christmas. Most of us are somewhere in our 30's, with the oldest couple hitting close to 50 and the youngest being one of my closest friends here -- the baby of the group at 20 years old! We come from all over the world, though the vast majority hail from the East Coast, with Germany, Australia, Canada, the Bahamas, and Myanmar (Burma) being represented.
No surprise, T and I have loved getting to know our international friends. Before we got here we joked that on the first day in class T was going to stand up in class and say, "No offense to the rest of you, but we will only be spending time with those of you who live in locations that we would like to travel to in the future!" =) As it turns out, some of our closest friends here are the German and Aussie couple. I swear we didn't do that on purpose, lol! (We're still working on the Bahamian couple. ;) )
The guys tackle different topics in one-week chunks. For example: Biblical Theology (the systematic study of God as revealed in Scripture), Homiletics (the study of preaching), Old Testament/New Testament studies, Church History, etc. Many of these classes are broken up into 2-3 weeks, spread throughout the nine month course schedule. There are also week-long classes on topics such as marriage and parenting. These classes, which were strategically placed at the beginning of the year have had a tremendous impact on everyone's families, down to a person. It has been such a joy watching my friends fall more in love with their husbands with each passing month, and also their children!
The wives have monthly meetings together the first Saturday of every month that the wife of the "pastor" for the guys leads. I just sent my mom an email describing these meetings as "the best way to start the month that I could ever think of". This is very, very true. Not only is it a time for all of us to get together and catch up without the kids around, it is also a time where we can ask ANY questions we may have about growing as wives, mothers, women, the wife of a (future) pastor, etc. I love that dear B. (the woman who leads the group) says over and over again, "There is NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION." This has made all of us feel like we can be ourselves and ask whatever is really on our hearts and minds. Our time together and with dear B. has been invaluable. Other than the friendships I have made here, I think it is these "Ladies w/ B." meetings that I will miss the most when we leave.
Well, I think I'll leave it at that for now. I hope you've enjoyed this peek into our lives here. Part 2 is already mostly written, so come back before too long to read about another highlight of our lives here ... Gym Day!
Is the whole program 9 months, and then you guys move on to a congregation?
Posted by: Sarah | March 15, 2008 at 08:49 PM
Love this update. It's nice to really know what you've been up to. Can't wait for Part 2. Gym day, you say? :)
Posted by: Ninotchka | March 16, 2008 at 10:50 AM