I HAVE STUDENTS!!!!

It’s a done deal…I’ve met the students and I’m now “very committed” to the work ahead.  There’s no turning back.  And so I will press on to the high calling from God (smile).

What a beautiful group of young adults.  There are only sixteen students this semester.  I have eight of them in my Worship and Music Basics class.  These are the second and third year students (in a three-year degree program at Durban Bible College).  I have the eight first-year students for my Music Fundamentals course.  And then I get all sixteen students for choir!

I had only seven students for my first class…but the missing student came by my office today to get the materials he missed yesterday.  The most difficult part of this teaching assignment will be learning the names of my students.  They have names that start with or include letter combinations that make sounds we don’t have in American names.  One of the sounds puts the tongue behind the front teeth…sort of the sound we make to call the dog or cat.  Another sound is a “click” at the back of the mouth…a distinctive click.  It’s interesting listening to local radio and hearing the clicks.  If I heard it at home I’d think something was wrong with the station.

These students are very mature in their knowledge of the Bible.  I asked them yesterday to write a definition of “worship” so I’d have an idea where we were starting.  They all gave me permission to share their definitions:

v  “Worship is to tell God who He is.  To give praise to Him.”

v  “To glorify and praise the name of God.  To bring honor to this sovereign King of Kings.  Also to give thanks for what God has done in your life and for what He is going to do.  Basically to magnify His name."

v  “Worship – to honor God in our lives through obeying him through songs, praise, giving.  Our whole lives should be an act of worship.”

v  “Worship is everything that we do and the lifestyle we live that brings glory to God.”

v  “Worship is acknowledging him as God in all his greatness and attributes, just to praise him for who he is and what he means to our lives.  Worship is honoring God.”

v  “Worship is a lifestyle where a person or thing is created to honor and respect something or someone.”

v  “Worship – is giving God all the glory, telling Him who He is and appreciating Him as God not asking anything from Him but telling Him how great God is.”

As you can see, we’re starting in a very strong place.  Ron Owens, in his book “Return to Worship: A God-centered Approach” says that we do not worship God because we do not KNOW God.  To that end, tomorrow we’ll be studying twelve names of God that reveal His character and attributes.  I learned a new name in my studies…Jehovah-Gomlah.  I let you look for the meaning if you’re interested (smile).

The first year students were delightfully friendly and we had a good time in our first fundamentals class.  I’d been clued in ahead of time that “rhythm” was an issue, so we practiced some clapping/echoing and had a few laughs with that.  We also chanted the nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty” and I showed them that they were speaking in rhythm.  The rhythm actually helps us to remember the words…just as it does in music.  They seemed to enjoy the class.  We’re keeping it sort of low-tone because it’s not a graded course…just a pass/fail course.  There only requirements are to attend and participate…makes my job easy.

CHOIR!!!  What a delightful surprise today.  I had a sneak preview yesterday morning during devotionals when they sang an acapella tune and I could hear beautiful harmony.  There are 13 guys and 5 girls…and I have to say the guys are wonderful singers.  The majority of the guys are South African.  They quickly picked up on rhythm and were adding drum taps on top of the desks to the music I introduced them to today.  But personally, I have to say, the highlight came when I introduced a simple chorus I’d written for them to try and they caught on immediately and turned it into something really special.  I had hoped it might sound “good”…they made it sound “wonderful”!  As a musician, it was sort of a personal moment of pride – gasp.  I asked God to forgive me later.  I know Who gave me the words and Who put the music in me.  I want Him to receive the glory.  I’m hoping we can perform this chorus as part of their Missions Conference next month…with drums…and maybe guitar.  We’ll be recording it and filming it and can hopefully share it with everyone.

So these first two days have truly been a blessing.  I’m feeling a little like slipping from the frying pan into the fire…there was so much to do to prepare…and there’s still so much new to do.  Grading sheets…matrixes for grading…study guides to help hone out the important materials from all that’s being shared so that testing won’t be a work of futility.  But I feel like the students are willing to show grace and allow me to adjust…and that’s a blessing.

I also need to say what a blessing it is to be back with Sundrum and Marilyn Thomas.  He is the head of DBC and she works in the office.  I love working with joyful people, and they are both joyful people.  South Africa is a lot more “laid-back” than America.  Grace and mercy abound here.  There’s a lot of encouragement and a lot of smiles. 

This morning one of the students shared a devotional from John 13 referring to Christ washing the disciple’s feet.  He used the verse just prior to the event to share that Jesus knew what His purpose was…Who sent Him…and where He was going.  He challenged us to not “guess” whether we’re doing what we’re called to do, but to KNOW that we’re called, to know WHO called us…and to know WHO we’ll be accountable to.  It was a wonderful devotion.  Every day starts with devotions, led mostly by the 3^rd-year students.  I love hearing young men preaching God’s Word faithful and handling it properly, so these morning devotions are a daily blessing for me.

Yesterday after school Marcie took us to see Ashby and Pearl and their daughters…Abby (8) and Sneha (5).  These two precious children will be coming to speak to Marcie’s “Child Development” class tomorrow.  They “practiced” for us in their home and it was amazing to hear how clearly and decisively they are able to share the Good News using the “wordless book”.  They quoted Scriptures…sang “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”…they are serious about sharing God’s love with others.  They both testified that they’ve witnessed to friends…friends who are Hindu and Muslim.  What an incredible blessing to see the work these parents have done with their daughters…future missionaries I’m sure.

As you can see, our adventure has been a blessing.  It’s not easy rising before dawn…it’s dark here at 6:00 a.m.  We leave for school by 7:15…but we’re home relatively early each day (3:00ish).  We’re enjoying the fellowship and the Bible study.  Dan’s repaired and cleaned some windows and put together some chairs that needed tending to…he’s finding ways to be a blessing every day.  Today the students seemed to really appreciate when he sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” during choir.  I wanted the students to get an example of “dynamics” because I’d been told they just knew one dynamic…loud.  Dan was a wonderful source for this exercise.

We appreciate your prayers…we are living very blessed lives right now.  I miss my children and grandchildren and enjoy “Skyping” with them on the weekends, but it’s just not the same as those hugs and kisses.  I’m glad for the busy days that help with the homesickness.  Thank you all for loving us, encouraging us and praying for us.  We truly believe God brought us here and we look forward to returning with wonderful stories of His work in us, around us and through us!