school started!!

Monday

First time taking tube in the morning peak hour human traffic and it was scary and stress. I was squashed for the majority of time and reminded myself that I'd much prefer taking bus, as I could breathe better and enjoy the scenery. If not for learning God's word, I wouldn't want to come all the way here. I could love parts of the country or seek to satisfy my own desires by being here, but it'll all end up as nothing.

morning (9.10am - 12.15pm):
Director CA, started by opening up bible from Nehemiah 8:1-12. Jokingly, CA said even in the time of Nehemiah, there was a Cornhill course pattern...

Some points I took down:
- a gathered people learning under God's word
- attentive to God's word (verse 3)
- people had a relationship with God
- it was taught clearly (verse 8)
- there was conviction (verse 9)

Looked at Ezra 7:1-11 (especially verse 10) where we were challenged to look at how Ezra
"set his heart"
- his study of God's word shaped his lifestyle
- he does it / personal obedience
- teaches it
(have to figure this out, as my heart is prone to waver and mind gets distracted with other tasks)

He ended with Isaiah 50:4
"The Lord GOD has given me
the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
he awakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught."

There were lots of introductions
- the course and homework
- announcements
- the Proclamation Trust (PT) staff
- building facilities
- cleaning duty roster, etc

afternoon (1.30pm):
Came back to hear an exposition by SA, PT staff, on Philippians. Strict 7 mins to open up the meaning of the bible (ie, what it says and means in context, what's the big idea and why, also some pointer to the implication of the passage for us today), but not preach it to the group of 50 students (12 are full-timers).

(Something to think about: teaching and preaching a passage is different? But you need to learn to teach it before you preach it - conversations I'd had with friends and even my landlord, CH)

After that, I signed up for Greek, and was apprehensive about it, as we were given a Greek starter sheet to do homework by learning the Greek alphabets. How to read it? The symbols look like my maths university subjects, but I'll still give it a try.

Some had tutorials from 2pm, which just means meeting with a PT staff, to have a mentor to be able to discuss stuff with. I think these 1-2-1 meetings help alot in not getting lost in the midst of studying God's word. A personal touch and consideration by the school.

End of day, we were given homework to read through 2 Timothy.

My tutorial was on Tue, so I spent afternoon getting to know other people and got some banking stuff figured out.

Getting to know people, it helped when CA explained how different all our backgrounds were. London is really MORE cosmopolitan than other cities I've been.

Tuesday

Tube ride to school was wonderful! I wasn't squashed and could find a seat to sit. But, I still have to find out how to get to school by bus, just in case there's another tube strike!

morning (9.10am - 12pm):
Urgent prayer request for an ex-student who had cancer of liver. Broke off in small groups to pray for her. Quite amazing stuff when a paper detailing her condition/situation and what she asked us to pray for, helped us to know how to pray for her. And the paper contained a helpful reminder about "how good to know that the prayers of even us made righteous in Christ are 'powerful and effective'...what a great God."

Another morning exposition on Philippians by SA. Thereafter, we broke off into groups to discuss what we've read from 2 Timothy and share what we had picked up about what was going on with the writer, the recipient, the recipient's church. Also what clues there were about the circumstances that prompted the letter.

CA looked at 2 Timothy, showing us how to listen to the text and also how it gets from the text to teaching it and proclaiming the message.

lunch:
Interestingly, the one of the girls in 1st year decided to group all the girls together to go to a nearby park to have lunch (see photo). Amazing! Thank Him for his providence of such girls. Certainly helps to break the ice, since we're so new to each other. There were girls from Britain, Pakistan, US (Chicago), Northern Ireland and me, S'pore.

afternoon (1.30pm):
Had 2pm 15min meeting with CA's wife for her to find out how I am and whether I've settled down and what I hoped to get out of the course.

3.30pm, went with 5 other girls who met CA's wife, to go to CA's home nearby for tea. There was sharing of lives and how we were saved by Christ, and I got so caught up that I forgot I'd 5.30pm doctor's appointment. Sigh. I ran to tube and was 5 mins late, which thankfully they didn't strike me off their list, as notices around some clinics said it will do.

Took a leisurely walk back and pondered about the day.