Christian In Bangladesh: 12/01/2012

Dear Friends,

At first, an apology for not having written for a long time, then best wishes for Christmas and New Year 2013.

This picture was taken today, 9 December 2012, from the window in my college room.

I sit at my desk and look out, and get a glimpse of the countryside in the horizon and today, the hope symbolised in a rainbow.

My current assignment as a student – a four-and-a-half thousand word essay – is about how we, rich Christians relate to poorer Christians. The buss-word is ‘Inaugurated Eschatology’: about how God’s Kingdom has already come with Jesus’ first coming that Christmas two thousand years ago and how it gives hope to our lives today, both in light of Christ’s second coming when everything will be made new; when such things as poverty will be history. It also gives us hope for today when we let that future reality take hold and let God reign today, in our lives, right where we are.

I am struggling with the academic way of thinking and perhaps more to the point; writing, but I am thankful to God for the opportunity to spend a year studying and I am excited about the fact that the focus is required, apart from having high academic standards, to be relevant for the work I am a part of at LAMB and Biblically based. It is to be true, relevant and good.

A friend reminded me, when I got my first assignment back a few days ago, that it is more important that what we learn is useful than that it is assigned good marks. (I wouldn’t mind both.)

Back at LAMB, the school seems to be running well, Dave and Shannon Snowdon who are covering for me, as well as the wonderful team of teachers are a gift from God. We continue to have challenges with visas, trained teachers, special needs and teachers who have been unwell. I do believe, however, that God is faithful and continues to care for us.

A number of children will transition into other schools from January. It is always with mixed emotions we say goodbye to children. At times we would like to keep them for a while but the alternative leaving would probably be worse.

The challenge parents face is always to know when is the right time, given the need for children to continue education in another system, sometimes in another language. Each child’s aspirations, potentials and gifting along with the family’s hopes and abilities – including but not limited to financial abilities – determine when is the best time to move away from LAMB School.

We are thankful for the time we have the children and we pray – do pray with us – that we will have helped them grow to their potential and that they know the God who loves them.

On next Saturday I plan to travel to Denmark to spend three weeks with family and friends there. In 2010 we hoped to have our whole family together for Christmas. I had to leave just before on 22 December to return to Bangladesh because of visa issues. If we succeed this year, it will be the first time since 2001 or 2002.