Dear Family and Friends,
Week Two,
Well, I’m still alive, and that’s something. Actually it’s considerably better than that. I am alive and kicking, if a bit tired, and still loving every minute of it. Chinese continues to be hard, and there are definitely fleeting moments when I’d like to chuck it out the window. But those moments are rare and pass quickly. They usually come on after I have been studying for hours and it is late. For the most part it is very interesting, and I am definitely learning Chinese fast. There are now only five of us, and I believe nobody else is going to leave. We have passed the winnowing period and now the only people in class are those who are really serious and have put aside other things so they will have time to do Chinese.
Other than that, the Chinese front is just about the same as last time a wrote, though I’ve been told that we will be introduced to the writing system the beginning of the fourth week, and I have this Wednesday off!!! Yeah, 4th of July!!! I’ll probably spend it sleeping late (that is getting up at 8 am instead of 6:30 am) doing yard-work, and studying more, unless someone around here invites me to a meal or something.
It will be kind of be hard for me on the 4th, because I really want to be at home with my family, perhaps going to the Smiths house for their BYOB barbecue, I mean BYOM (if you didn’t understand that joke, don’t worry about it, ever heard of System of a Down?). Or maybe they will have a cookout at home and invite Nana and Grandpa over. Well, anyway, that would be a good prayer for me, that I wouldn’t feel too lonely on the 4th.
In other news, I think I’ve nailed down my church. Its called Grace Central, and its a plant church, though this fall they are going to start the process of training church leaders (elders, deacons, etc.). The pastor, Greg Blosser, is very good. Not as good as you Pastor Smith, of course ;)>, but definitely interesting. His focus in sermons is much like yours, a lot of emphasis on the covenant and our relationship with God and his promises/blessings/curses for us. We are going though the book of numbers, last Sunday was chapter 14. They do the services very similar to CPC, though they sing praise songs as opposed to hymns and psalms because they just have two guitar players and nothing else. But they are very good praise songs, not the usual mushy feel good stuff you get at “new age” churches.
Turning my thoughts to college life in general, I actually don’t really feel it is anything that special. The only difference is that my family is not here. When I was at home, I was mostly responsible for everything myself anyway, so thats not very different. I am so excited to get back into school after missing it for a whole year, its just like old times. Columbus is not that different from Shelbyville or Louisville, its actually kind of in-between. The trees look the same, they sky is the same, the sun rises and sets. So the only difference is that I am not with my family, and that is hard. Being home-schooled, I grew up being with them all the time, even when I was doing school. Dad has worked at home for most of my life, and Mom’s work was us. This is something I will have to get used to, of course, because I will never live at home again. It seems almost wrong that for me to “have a life” I have to leave my family behind. That is not really how it is, but that is the world’s standard. I praise the Lord for e-mail and telephones, and all the other ways I can use to keep in touch with my family (love you guys!!).
And of course I miss everyone else too, at church and everything, its just you all haven’t lived in the same house as me all my life, so your just not quite in the same league *wink*.
If there is anything that you would like to know about that I haven’t covered here, send me an e-mail and I’ll mention it in my next update, feedback is not illegal you know.
Love you all, stay safe, be well, and God bless.
In Christ
Lydia Thomas
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” – Proverbs 1:7