SBS - More Pics with Me

 

SBS - Week 5

This is what Fall looks like! The leaves are amazing. What is more wonderful is the friendships that have come and slapped me in the face. The couple is Mark and Ashley and from the first week we have been great friends. They study with me, introduce me to new things like how to order an American coffee (yes it is a whole new language). They just bless my heart.
There are just so many incredible people to tell you about but I am sure over the next 8 mths I will get through them all.
We had a retreat (where the pic of the cross by the lake was taken) this week as a class. We just chilled out in a big cabin on the lake, I even got to paddle a canoe into the middle of the 64 km lake (okay not the very middle). It was awesome spending time away from the computers and books and just getting to know each other. We had a great time and ate lots of bad american food - that I thoroughly enjoyed for a few minutes before it wanted come back out. heheheh.
We did Luke this week. 22 Chapters and lots of work but praise God I got it in and babysat (had to get my kid fix) for our leader too. And organised for the entire school to write notes of encouragement to one of our friends who is really struggling with the work. (I don't know how second language people do this - I find it hard enough and this is my first language and I have finished university - crazy).
This really is a great time of blessing in my life. I have never worked this many hours but the payoff is worth every second. Really ... but please continue to pray for me. I can feel the difference when you do and it keeps me going - something that I treasure more than coffee and chocolate (two of my best friends)!!!

SBS - Montana is Incredible!!

The lake, the sky, the mountains all in this incredible weather - I am truly blessed to be here!

 

SBS - Week 2 - 4

So week one was great. I thought that reading Philemon (which is only 24 verses) was rough. Boy was I in for a rude awakening.
So Philemon is on Chart. Then came Titus that was then 3 whole chapters and 3 charts. So lots of freaking out about only having a week to do all that work. Every chart is about 2 hours then add 2 hours for working out the historical background and about 8-10 hours of reading through, colour coding and making the strucutre (called horizontals).

Then came Ephesians - the only book of the bible I have personally read more than 20 times. I was worried that I would not get anything new but it was incredible and God showed me so much I had never seen through using this Inductive Bible Study technique. So Ephesians was 6 Chapters = 6 Charts in 4 days. FREAK OUT!!
Galatians was next - but this time it was 7 Charts in 3 days. WOW ... That was a hard week. I thought that God had made a serious mistake and I needed to get out. The revelations were awesome so I stayed. Up until this point had classes in the morning and at night - about 25 hours a week. Plus 6 hours of work duties and the Galatians meant 60 plus hours of work (not including meals and volleyball) over 6 days - Sunday is off!

I was not ready for Mark - 16 Chapters, 17 Charts and 4 days!! That was the biggest jump and we all went a bit crazy. So that was about 70 hours of work. Thank God I am getting better at this whole thing so the time is cutting down.
But when I don't write know that it is that I literally don't have an extra minuted to do it. However I do get to check emails briefly in class (sometimes) so thanks to everyone who has been updating me and encouraging me. It reminds me that I am still human underneath all this study!

SBS Classmates

In true Katie style I got every student and staff member to make a silly face, then I printed them out and did a midnight mission (with a friend) putting all the silly pics on everyone's door. It was hilarious lying in bed hearing people's responses to their pictures as they woke up! Too funny. I love what they let me get away with.