Beautiful baby!

ANCC Campus

This is a view of the main house (Easneye).

The side of the main house. From the side of the main house, one can look back to the cafeteria (people are seated outside at tables to study). An example of the British way of phrasing negative or denial statements: politely apologetic. In the U.S., this would be more commonly stated directly: Management is not responsible for lost items.

I intend to find out the history of the place and will then share it with you. It is a missions only Bible college with the largest missions focused library in Europe (those who know my reading habits know that will cause severe difficulties for me :)). There is a mannequin with an outfit from Hudson Taylor's missions in China in the library. It is intentionally nondenominational. For instance, Sunday services are not offered on site, but rides are arranged to local congregations. Students are often intentionally assigned to churches that are very different from what they are used to. This can be useful, as missionaries are often sent to areas to work with Christians coming from many backgrounds. Fulltime students are assigned to practical ministry projects to work within congregations and ministries in the community (I won't be, as I am only here for 10 weeks). So anyway, here are a few images from around campus.

I tried a different area of the property for a walk.

The picture below doesn't really do it justice. There are logs on the ground where people can sit and reflect or pray (two people are there in the photo), and the view of miles of rolling hills is quite immense.

Do you think that the pine cone balls or gumballs in Louisiana are bad? Not sure what this British version is, but it looks painful.

ANCC Walk About

We are to keep to the footpaths so as not to disturb the pheasants. This phot was taken with as much zoom as my camera could give.

Do you see the rainbow in the photo above?

ANCC Walk About

This is a bomb shelter in the woods nearby left from World War II.

We are allowed to walk along footpaths on the nearby properties of woods, rolling hills, pastures and streams. There is also a wildlife preserve with swans and lovely places for birdwatching.

Songshare

I heard a new song...which I liked.

Everything

by Tim Hughes

God in my living

There in my breathing

God in my waking

God in my sleeping

God in my resting

God in my working

God in my thinking

God in my speaking

Be my everything (4x)

God in my hoping

There in my dreaming

God in my watching

God in my waiting

God in my laughing

God in my weeping

God in my hurting

God in my healing

(Bridge)

Christ in me

Christ in me

Christ in me the hope of glory

You're my everything

All Nations Christian College

London fast food: Surprisingly, I opted for Bangladeshi instead. Tasted like Indian with pineapple mixed in it. View outside and inside my room (my half). The other half belongs to a German girl.

I arrived at the college Sunday afternoon and classes began bright and early Monday. Unsuspecting, as soon as I put my bags in my room, I was asked, "Do you want to go for a walk with us?" We returned over two hours later just in time to go to dinner. I'm not sure exactly where we went - through woods, fields, over bridges and into a village (may have been the village of Ware - pronounced "where") - but there was nothing for me to do except keep following if I wanted to get back to where we came from.

The buildings are old and really something to see (will post photos another time). The classes so far are interesting, and I thought that I would just post tidbits from what happens or quotables. While this college has degree programs, I am enrolled in a special 10 week course for those going directly to the mission field (just happens to have been recently designed by a couple of missionaries to Nepal, who happen to have done work at Anandaban (and know Murdo and the wife has a PhD in Molecular biology) and just happen to be here to observe the course so they can develop an online version). This week's focus is on "Who am I?" - biblical perspective and personality/learning style tests to advance our team making abilities.

• We need to be a community of learners. Student drivers with a learner's permit here must have an "L" sign clearly visible in their car. One of the teachers says this "Learning" symbol can also be a symbol of a vertical relationship to learn from God and and a horizontal relationship to learn from other people. We need both connections to be in a good position to learn.
• Elijah and his retreat to the mountain was used to investigate identity and mission issues. God knew the answers, yet twice He asked Elijah, "Why are you here?" using very intimate, soft language. What was his life context? He was an introvert, prone to depression yet thrust into a life of public ministry to people who really did not want to hear it. He comes to a place of crisis - time of judgment - in between success and failure in ministry. He runs. Advice says don't run from your problem, but often times we do. God meets Him, but doesn't give theological answers right away. He feeds him. In Jewish life, theology often comes from food. God then sends Elijah on the path where Israel started - the wilderness and Horeb - but he will meet God in a new way. There God says in a very soft, intimate and gentle whisper, "What's happening? What's going on?" God knows, so why does He ask...twice? To see things from God's perspective. Circumstances and crises are not about things - everything is about, to and through Him. So God asks Elijah gently, "Tell Me, what is going on?" God comes close, very close and gives Elijah a new calling, function and commission - to train people, anoint kings, to be a faithful servant to equip others. Elijah's role was changing, bringing new challenges and roles.
• So here are some points to think about - meditate on:
• So, what is your context? Into what circumstances has your life been drawn?
• What crisis are you facing? What decisions are you having to make?
• What are you doing here? What are you doing here in this position now with God?
• How does God come close to you?
• How do you hear Him? How do you know His call?
• What is God commissioning you to do?

Photoshare

These are some nice shots from around London.

Some nice pictures taken during the week before I left:

TLM Orientation Update

Hey, everyone. I just wanted to assure you that I am doing well, so here are some photos. Ah yes, the video above is the view from my hotel room. Yes, I am happy I spent 9 months living with Penny close to the Baton Rouge airport. I can sleep now. Saturday, Elisa Yule from Sydney, Australia arrived. She will also be going to Anandaban with me, although after orientation she will return to Australia to finish her finals for her PhD in Occupational Therapy first. In the meantime, I will go to a 10 week crosscultural ministry course called "enroute" at All Nations Christian College. http://www.allnations.ac.uk/index.php?section=About%20Us We will then meet up in Kathmandu for language school. Since she already spent 15 months at Anandaban, she has been very helpful in telling me about living there. She attends Hillsong in Sydney. On Sunday, we walked to the nearest church to the hotel which was "high" Anglican. It was neither "rattle your pearls" nor "raving pente" (raving pentecostal).

On Monday, we began orientation along with Suchita (from India, receiving 3yr finance training here in London), Linda (Dutch, leaving for a 1yr physiotherapist internship in India), Margretha (Dutch, personal assistant in the Dutch National Council offices), and Ranjit (works in community development in Dehli offices).

We went out on Tuesday evening to Central London, walked about Piccadilly Circus and ate at a mexican restuarant. It was the first time to eat mexican food for many of them, except for myself and a Jenny, who works in HR and is from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The cheese was something more european, so nachos were a bit "different". The picture below includes (left to right) Joanna, who also works in the TLM HR department, in the foreground and then Jenny, Margretha, Ranjit and Suchita.

Sorry, I do not have pictures of the actual training times. Too busy then paying attention. :) I will probably be moving to the student quarters at the college this weekend. Lectures begin bright and early Monday morning. The course will end on Dec 1, after which I will then fly to Kathmandu for language school, which will definitely be a longterm prayer topic. Have you seen their alphabet?? http://www.omniglot.com/writing/nepali.htm

Arrival in London

Well, I have arrived safely in London. Thanks for your prayers. They are very much appreciated. Leaving everyone was very difficult and painful. Thankyou for the beautiful cards, letters, notes, photos and scrapbook. They will help alot. Please pray for Murdo and Rachel MacDonald and their kids, Esther and James. (I am currently training to take Murdo's place when they leave in March.) His father in Scotland just passed and Murdo and his family have flown in from Nepal. His father had just celebrated 50 years in the pastorate this past summer, which Murdo and his family had been able to come home to attend.

Departure Update

Hey everyone, my tentative ticket is for this Thursday morning. I wll fly out of Baton Rouge at 11:55AM to Dallas with a 3hr layover and then a 9hr flight straight to London.

Airline Sacrifices Goats to Appease Sky god

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Officials at Nepal's state-run airline have sacrificed two goats to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god, following technical problems with one of its Boeing 757 aircraft, the carrier said Tuesday.Nepal Airlines, which has two Boeing aircraft, has had to suspend some services in recent weeks due the problem.The goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft Sunday at Nepal's only international airport in Kathmandu in accordance with Hindu traditions, an official said. "The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights," said Raju K.C., a senior airline official, without explaining what the problem had been. Local media last week blamed the company's woes on an electrical fault. The carrier runs international flights to five cities in Asia. It is common in Nepal to sacrifice animals like goats and buffaloes to appease different Hindu deities. © Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC47086020070904