we get going at 7am, eat, get kids to class, worship starts the day the right way
then we go to class, where we hear how the day is different from every other day during announcements.
we have 5 or 10 minutes between each class but it's nice since the teachers do the rotating instead of the students,
there are about 28 students and 32 kids.
today I mentioned to someone "the kids make friends so fast here, two days and they've got 4 best friends"
the reply was "yup that's wycliffe mk's for you."
that was the first time someone called my kids MK's and it had a mixed feeling to it, awkward, at first but we're starting to get a feeling of "we belong". Truly the staff here are the type who love you instantly and are honestly rather invigored by our presence. It is mostly older members volunteering here in the US who have been on the field for a while, and still desire to serve.
One older gentleman named Bud, who is one of Calvin's teachers (5 teachers for preschool) said "I teach here because it's boring at home." he used to be a teacher/principal in some tough gang areas. You know someone loves kids and teaching when during their break, they venture into the game room to see what the kids are doing and "be around" them.
classes over we meet with whatever STAFF that day, a PA or whatever... during meals and daytime personally kendal and I try to rotate who we sit and talk with, to get to know old and new members alike, and we've found quite a few people with PNG ties or aims. We've gotten a lot of our questions answered that way as well, well.. same questions different perspectives... all great.
Tomorrow is "chapel" for the entire Wycliffe campus, and we're told it is the most attended chapel because everyone loves to hear our 3 minute testimonies. It really excites them to hear the "new" members and what they have to say.
Kendal and I gave our 3 (6 total) minute testimony on day 1, wanting to get it over with, and be able to focus on others. We went first, and really you can say a lot about what God is doing during those 3 minutes.
It is interesting to me, having been at conferences before and going through the standard "getting to know you" drills, that never quite work. Here, we all share for 3 minutes, we all repeat the correct pronunciation of the names, and we all really bond during that 3 minutes as tears are shed and laughs burst out. We already feel very close as a body both to the other members and to the staff. We are trying to get to know them more deeply as we can.
WE learn a ton of stuff, not only technical about how Wycliffe works, but the spiritual preparation side of it as well, communication skills, survival skills (interpersonal relationships) etc.
The pace is faster than I remember back at Biola. It is much like drinking straight from a firehose, but the great thing is they recognize that and equip us with tools for reference later. Also they use what seems to be an effective building block method so as we understand, we progress. Personally I'm finding myself very interested and engaged.
You can jsut tell when material and teaching is honed and when it is poor, and this place is honed (training camp #24).
(it rhymed.. didja notice)
We spoke with a couple who were at PNG for 36 years and the Calvin loved to hear how to say "4 and a half" in Tok Pisin. (pidgin).
We were able to socialize tonight for a bit with a gal from PNG , Maggie, and a couple 1 month married, and we played "Settlers" (a board game). Maggie had announced it once and got a big excited shout, so we invited her over to teach a "newbie" course on it and had quite a lot of fun. She kept saying to me "you are a Geoff Russell Jr." whatever that meant.
It was in reference to my strategy thoughts and plain orneryness I think.
The game was a lot of fun, socially, and that says something because I won't like a game if I don't like the people playing it and these were good people.
The kids are doing very well, Calvin is adapting to a pre-school schedule of 7:45am - lunch - 3:30pm splendidly, and even voluntarily takes naps.
For now that's the pace. It sort of "flash rained" here.
It was a praise as well or a blessing because we visited a doctor here on campus that understood going into the field and so he knew PNG and knew what to prepare us and ask us about, as compared to our home doctor who looked at us like we were crazy when we mentioned PNG.
God is stretching us in many ways right now, and as you probably know, that invigorates and exhausts you.
The campus is great, it's exciting to see so many people after the same purpose, some living here on furlough, some visiting family, many in training, some staff and workers.
Everyone here treats us so warmly. It's not a creepy "we want your business" kind of welcome but more of a "we're united in serving the one true God." warm.
