march 2009 newsletter...
spring-ing into action...
Spring has arrived, bringing with it a series of monumental thunderstorms, budding flowers, and finally the opportunity to shed the layers of winter clothing. The "shedding" has also been figurative - this month has seen me emerge out of the cocoon of my classroom and into the full life of the school. I'm beginning to find my way into several new ventures, all of which desperately need prayer. Even as I crave prayer, I also want to encourage you by sharing the signs of Life I see around and in me. I marvel at how beautifully God orchestrates our experiences and our very beings to keep stretching us to know Him more deeply and serve Him more effectively.
- I've been disturbed at the pervasive problems with academic integrity here. In my time at Whitefield, I had the privilege of helping to advise the Honor Council for several years. By the end of last semester, I became convinced that a similar model could work here. Last week, we completed the selection of Council members and adopted an Honor Code for the school. We'll be launching the student-led Council publicly this week while we work on drafting a Constitution. Already, the students on the Council face a lot of criticism from their peers (and a lot of support, too). Please pray for wisdom for us and especially for protection for these students. Pray I'll be a worthy example of honor and honesty for them. They have a tough time ahead of them, but they and I believe the work matters. I'm grateful for the Whitefield experience that gives me a foundation.
Another encouraging new venture is a Sunday afternoon fellowship for high school students. Many students have grown jaded with Christianity and this is an effort to support students who are trying to hold on to faith in a difficult climate. I'm working with one of the boys' dorm parents to revive an old model that was thriving when I was in school here. We meet for tea on Sunday afternoon, sing for a while, pray for a while, and invite a different speaker each week. The group is still small, but a few sophomores picked up the leadership right away. So right now, all I have to do is show up! But please, please pray. The group is still in its infancy and fragile. A team from a church in Hawaii is coming out the first weekend of May to lead a retreat for students on Psalm 139 and the love of God. We're praying that the retreat will spark new faith and that the Sunday afternoon time will grow into a rich avenue for discipleship.- A colleague in the English Department has also approached me to help him out with a weekly "Secular Philosophy" Discussion Group that he wants to start for students who are not religious. I'm not sure why I've been asked, and have few details, but I'm really excited by the possibilities. Pray that the group will materialize and that God will create opportunities for me to speak Truth winsomely.
The Argumentative Indian in me loves the school's Model United Nations program. Just this weekend, we hosted our own conference, with over a hundred delegates from schools around India. I was assigned to supervise the Human Rights Commission, who worked to devise strategies for dealing with internally displaced persons and gender inequality. I'm rapidly seeing that our students need help learning the art of debate. However...my body appears to be in rebellion; I've been fighting off sickness the last couple weeks. Pray that I'll figure out how to juggle these responsibilities wisely and not shirk anything important. Helping students prepare their speeches has given me some great opportunities to interact on a different level than the classroom and it's been exciting.- Speaking of the classroom, I do still teach. My classes are ticking along towards external exams. When I walked into my AP U.S. History class one day this week, a student jokingly asked whether I thought he could go through life without the right hand that was going to fall off if he had to keep taking notes at the same pace. I smiled and told him he'd better hope he was ambidextrous. In all seriousness, though, it's quite a task to plan four different classes each day. But the students are wonderful. I'm at that much-anticipated point in the academic year where all the disparate threads we've been tracing are starting to weave together to burn a pattern of understanding in students' brains. I love watching it happen. Pray that I will be faithful in my duty to prepare them - for life, much more than for any exam.
- I've gotten involved with one other side project that I'm really enjoying (but am also a little shy about). A co-worker approached me a few weeks ago and asked if I'd help him record a few songs he had written. He and his wife (Pete and Dot) have quickly become close friends and I'm honored to be singing these songs of worship. Several are parables straight from scripture, and I think my favorite is a song imagining Mary Magdalene's experience of the resurrection. It's good to be involved with something creative and musical again. I'm praying that I will do Pete's songs justice, and much more, that this will be a pleasing offering to God. Pete's planning to share this CD with the community here when it's done, so please pray that the music will reach into the right hearts and lives.
- Finally, please pray for my family. As I've mentioned, my brother-in-law continues to battle a rare form of lymphoma. He recently completed his third round of chemotherapy. His and my sister's faith and peace through all of this seem miraculous. He recently wrote that he is not asking the unanswerable "Why me?" Instead, he is asking how his suffering can be redeemed, how it can change him for the better. Please pray that God would redeem and conquer Wungram's pain. Pray also for my parents as they work to prepare for a major transition to life in Atlanta this summer.
I'm continually mindful of the rich treasure God has given me in all of you. I pray that His orchestration of your life and calling would be made more and more clear to you. Thank you so much for your support!
Your fellow pilgrim,
Amy