Highlights.
- Our Welcome Dinner was the best one so far! Every one of the dinners just gets better and better! More and more students come and I can easily see how all the relationships have grown so much these last 8 months. We had 18 total this time with students from Haiti, Russia, Vietnam, China, Iran and Malaysia.
- School has started and all the students are back from their summer in Iran, Russia and Mexico. I asked our student from Mexico what he missed most about the US while he was gone and he said- this group! Wow. Thank you Lord that they can sense your love and goodness!
- We were asked to come to the Student Orientation for international students! The FLC Student Personnel Assistant invited us to come! In fact, she let us go first and introduced us. Me and 3 of the students were there, we all wore our International Life t-shirts, we had a great welcome packet and gift bag to give to each student and then we got to talk about what we do and are all about. It went so well.
- This is more of a personal highlight. I have been having a great time reading through the Bible again this year, <promise>. I am in the NT now. I have some neat stuff and insights I am posting on this website. Go to the top and click on Erv>>Erv's Bible Study. Or, just click here. I have also put up some very useful tools to get the big picture of each book in the Bible. The drawings for each book summarize the main messages and the Word Clouds show you what words are used the most (by size) and both provide great insight as to what God is saying.
- My daughter came to our Welcome Dinner for the students. She was just perfect with them. I need her to come on staff with us! ;) Here is what she texted me after she left- You are truly blessed, that is an amazing group of people! Amen, Cori!
- I start tomorrow as an ESL assistant at FLC! I will get to know all 120 I students and tutor them!! Praise the Lord for that! I am excited. There was no budget to pay me but that is fine. I am just happy to be recognized by the college and especially to have more contact with the students! Plus, it will be useful as they consider hiring me to run the student computer lab.
- Made improvements/updates to our webpage. It is being used more and more now by the students.
- I am seeing more improvement in my frontal lobe recovery :)
Lowlights.
- With so many students now it is hard to find a common time where they can all meet for Talk Time. A good lowlight to have ;)
- My wife and I are still not unified on how clean the house needs to be before our student dinners.
- Not really a lowlight but my wife is now raising support for her efforts. Her target is $500/month. Her first check, if she has funds, will be on Sept 15. Right now, I take $1000/mo for my salary. I believe my current level of support is around ~$1300/mo. Rather than using my extra $300 as a buffer, ISI could just give that portion to my wife each month.
Story 1 - Rona*
This story is not about a student but the Student Personnel Assistant at FLC. I was so happy that she invited us to the I student orientation this year! That is uncommon. Not only that, she introduced us first and spoke highly of us! In fact, she is coming to our Talk Time this Friday. This really appears to be an act of God giving us favor in her eyes. Also, 2 of our students have been selected to be 'ambassadors' for the college and work for Rona! So, you can see God is really pulling everyone together. First, it was me coming to FLC after I thought God wanted me at Sac St. Then it was the ESL teacher being a Christian and inviting me into her class. Then it was the Student Personnel Supervisor inviting us to have a table at the Opening day of the RCC. Then my wife came on staff. Then a nearby church invited us out and their missions board connected strongly with us. And of course, it all started with all of you! None of the above would have happened without your support at the very beginning! Right now, I feel like I have a front row seat and just get to watch God show Himself strong on my behalf.
Links
Donation: http://isiervthomas.weebly.com/donate.html *** All Donations Are Tax Deductible ***
Metrics: http://isiervthomas.weebly.com/metrics
Nations in the US: http://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Document/2015/by-the-numbers.pdf
FLC Club (FB page): http://www.facebook.com/international.life.flc
FLC Club (webpage): https://sites.google.com/site/flcinternationalclub/
My Talks: http://isiervthomas.weebly.com/my-talks.html
Pics: https://plus.google.com/photos/+ervthomas/albums/6053038271389882641
Prayer Requests
- That God would start our new year off with a bang! That the students who have been in their home country this summer will be equally as excited as last year when they return next week. That we will make a great first impression on the new International Students at Orientation on Aug 15 and that they will appreciate our welcome packet. That everyone will come and have a good time at the Welcome Dinner at our house. <<Yes!! See above>>
- That God would give me favor in the eyes of the FLC dean and ESL teachers as they consider me to run their computer lab. That God would confirm it if in His wisdom it is as great an opportunity as I think it is. <<Ongoing. I believe me working as an ESL assistant now will be a great first step>>
- That I do well as an ESL assistant. More importantly, that I connect well with the students and that they can see Jesus in me in all that I do.
- For Megan*. That God would continue to show Himself to her and build on the experience she had with Him at Easter. That she would know for sure she has found the relationship with Him she desires. Pray for my wife to be able to follow-up with her soon and say the right things.<<Ongoing.>>
- For Ana* and Zoey*. Like Megan* that God would start drawing them to Himself and making them aware of their need for Him. They are both great friends with Megan*. That perhaps Megans* seeking will inspire them to seek also. <<Ongoing>>
- That we can start an Alpha club (Bible study) with the students that are interested in learning more about the Lord. <<Ongoing>>
- That God would help us get over the hurdle(s) in lining up the 20 Christian volunteers who will meet with and practice English with the FLC students.<<I am now at 4>>
- Many opportunities have arisen with more students, faculty, volunteers and churches connected with us- host families, greeting students at the airport when they arrive, weekly talk partners, Bible study, dinners, assisting the college... We certainly need wisdom to know what we can and cannot do, that the Lord will direct our steps.
Admonition
“You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me" - Ps 139:5