I am sorry it has been so long since my last update. This past month has been very busy, but I am finally starting to get into a rhythm here. My weeks are full of language learning, language teaching, and helping out at the school/library.
I spend fifteen hours a week in formal language study with a language helper and several additional hours a week listening to recordings and practicing with a teammate or some friends at the school. I am now teaching the level 1 afternoon class at the school, which meets on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 4-6, and that has been going really well. In addition, on the mornings I do not have language, I am at the school for conversation classes or helping in the library.
Through spending so much time at the school, I have started to get to know some of the guys that come in regularly and am able to practice my French a little after the conversation classes. Hopefully, as we get to know each other better, I will be able to improve my French and be able to talk to them about more than just what I have later on in the day or what I did yesterday.
Since I have been here, I have been constantly reminded of how Dad likes to use uncomfortable situations to teach us valuable lessons. Last Thursday, the water pump for our house broke, so we did not have running water, and, since everything is closed on Friday for the weekend, we knew we would have to wait until at least Saturday to have any running water. Thankfully, we had a barrel here with water so we could take bucket showers.
On Saturday, the repairman (for one reason or another) did not come until around 9 pm to try to fix the pump. A little after 10 pm we started to get running water, but that only lasted until around 7:30 Sunday morning. The water was off and on throughout the rest of Sunday and most of Monday, but, thankfully, came back Monday night. Since then, we have had it for most of the day, but it seems to shut off sometime after 10 pm and come back on before we get up in the morning. While this whole experience was somewhat uncomfortable, it reminded me to be thankful for those things which I often take for granted. The fact that I have consistent, running water during the day is a blessing that many people around the world do not have.
Praises:
• The students I have for class are really engaging with the material and learning quickly
• We are able to do dishes and take showers during the day
• I am meeting and getting to know some people in the community
• Language study is going really well
Requests:
• I would continue to rely on Dad to teach through me rather than seeking to teach on my own power
• Energy to fully engage with language learning every day
• Discernment for how I should be spending time and who to develop relationships with