Happy November!

Hi again everyone! Once again, I write to let you all know what I've been up to this past month. I've had a great month, with it's up's and downs, but every month is like that :).

In my last report I mentioned we were going to have a seminar to attract students for Session 6. Well, we had our seminar, my father was the speaker, and his topic was "Is the Bible YOU use from GOD or from MEN?". We had a pretty good turnout. There were about 20 people each day of the four-day seminar.

We finally started Session 6 of classes! I have been so glad to teach, and am taking both the good and the bad. I am teaching, or helping teach, 4 classes this session: "Jesus: Man of the Bible", "Can We Believe the Bible?", "Archaeology and the Bible", and Greek 1. The most stressful has been the first. I have a student who is playing the "devil's advocate", as we like to call it. He may agree with what you're saying, but he pushes you around trying to make you say something wrong to test if you really believe what you are saying. He has been a test for me. Please pray for me, that I may have patience with him.

The other classes I love, especially Greek. I am teaching with my sister Rachael a group of 6 students the Biblical Greek language. Rach and I were fellow students in 2004-2006 and underwent the same program we are now teaching. We are enjoying it very much. It's difficult for me right now, because we are at the basics (including the alphabet, basic grammar) to know what it's like NOT to know these things, since I've known them for so long. Please pray for our students, that they'll have the determination to stick with their studies and not give up. The prize at the end is worth it!

On the family level, my brother Jon is engaged! He asked his girlfriend Gina, who you all have most likely heard about, to marry him on the 6th of October (I think). We are all so excited for them! They have set the wedding date on February 16, 2008. Please be praying for their plans.

This last week was an interesting one, all the Holidays and such. Of course, Halloween trick-or-treating occurred and I'll hazard a guess there will be many a cavity! I wish I wasn't too old for that stuff! Along with Halloween, which the Philippines adopted from the Western World, there are two other holidays which Filipinos celebrate: All Soul's and All Saint's day (November 1 & 2). They are based on Catholic traditions mixed with pagan rituals. On All Soul's Day, the Catholic believers go to the cemetaries and have a "family reunion" with the living and the dead. They visit the graves of deceased relatives and bring food, deserts, and practically anything the dead relative liked or wanted during their life. Cemetaries are crowded with hundreds and roads are closed to allow people to walk around. It gets really crazy! All Saints is set aside to honor the large number of Saints in the Catholic church. What happens here is basically the same thing as November 1, visiting the dead.

Well, tomorrow we have another church outing and will fellowship with the brethren all day. We will go to a park overlooking the city, have our services, then have a potluck lunch and spend time together. I pray you have a great Sunday fellowship and thanks for your continued interest!

In him...

Sara Murrell

I have created a new photo site, click here to see the pics from our furlough and here to see the pics from this last month (October). These pics are LONG overdue :)