Eight Down, One to Go

We have now just finished our eighth unit of language study. Each unit is four weeks long, give or take a holiday weekend. That means that we only have one more unit or four more weeks to go before we get to move to Kalimantan. Yes, we are very excited about our future move!

Just today, I was reflecting back at how much we have learned since arriving in Indonesia. The language has especially made a difference in my life. Right now I am really enjoying reading novels in Indonesian. I never pictured myself having the ability to read novels in another language. Of course, I knew that I would learn another language and be able to speak it, but to read a novel in another language just for pleasure. That was hard to image.

I am in the process of reading an autobiography about an Indonesian pilot. It’s been really neat to follow this persons journey from learning to fly in Indonesia to being a bush pilot in Irian Jaya.

I have been doing my devotions in an Indonesian Bible for several months now. This was no easy task at first, but it’s become easier and easier as time has progressed. I have been amazed at how passages which I had read a hundred times in English and become dull to me, have jumped out at me in a new light in Indonesian. It’s funny, because it’s the same passage that I have known from before, and it says the same thing. However, it just hits me new in this different language. It’s been actually refreshing to me.

Flight and Maintanence Tests Finished

Praise the Lord. As far as I’ve been told, all of my written flight and maintenance tests for my Indonesian licenses have been passed. Last week we had to go to Jakarta so that I could take all of these tests. The tests turned out to be pretty straight forward, but there was a hard part in figuring out the differences between the American flight system and the Indonesian flight system. Thankfully, on my part, Indonesia has recently adopted most of the American air laws to be used in Indonesia. Therefore it was only a matter of review for a good part of the test.

Pray for us. We only have one more unit of language school left after this one. We are very excited to be moving on to our ministry in Kalimantan. Actually, we are so excited that we have a bad case of senoritis at language school. We really want to remain focused on learning the language here, and not just settle for good is good enough, but it's hard when we are so excited about the future. Thanks for your prayers.