NTM

First the good news:  Our leadership team has asked me to make a slight change of ministry. I will still be teaching but on a different subject – linguistic analysis. Our normal course at the Missionary Training Center is 1½ years but about 10 % of our student body stay for more advanced training in how to develop an alphabet and study grammar patterns in an unwritten language. I will be teaching a class of about 10 students for 5 hours a day for a full semester. The following semester I will accompany those same students to Oklahoma to coach them while they do a 9-week practicum studying the Cherokee language. For the most part I am excited and looking forward to this new challenge. However, it has been many years since I have studied these principles and have a huge task ahead of me as I prepare to teach.

Now for the "bad" news: Just over 2 weeks ago I woke up seeing some things in my left eye that shouldn’t have been there. After examining my eye the specialist told me that the retina was torn in 2 places and that I needed laser surgery to prevent detachment. He also told me that I was not allowed to read or drive or do much of anything that required moving my eyes for 2 weeks.  Although the laser work is healing well there is still cloudiness and a large floater in the center of my vision. The doctor says that the cloudiness is common and that it often clears up in a number of weeks. So far it seems to be about the same. Please pray that it will clear up and that I will be patient as I wait.