vistas

::: answering our prayers, today God opened two new vistas in the areas of language learning and the prospects of college ministry...

• first, regarding language learning, we have a new japanese teacher whose experience and expertise are far more than what we originally expected given our limited budget...the timely circumstances leading to her availability (and agreement to teach us at such an affordable rate) point to God's favor and faithfulness...

• second, regarding college ministry, this morning i introduced myself as an available "english resource person" to officials at a local university that specializes in foreign studies...while uninitiated approaches are often resisted, i was received positively...minutes into our conversation, the rough sketch of a weekly english class and other activities on campus were being drawn up...after that conversation, i walked to one of the bulletin board areas where, sensing the Spirit's lead, i struck a friendly, twenty-minute exchange with an articulate student named takeshi...we shared a chuckle when we discovered that his nickname "buby" (boo-bee) sounds like "bobby"...God quickly gave me favor in his eyes...soon i plan to meet him and his friends on a regular basis...

...both of these vistas -- answers to prayer -- carry the promise of expressing and extending the gospel through relationships of all sorts...

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