Life has calmed down a bit...

View from my flat - we still have some snow

Last time I wrote I mentioned that my language school was ending and my Bible course at Cornhill would be starting once more. It has definitely been very different these last couple of weeks and a lot calmer. To be honest I've enjoyed having more time to rest and to meet up with people. When I was doing both courses at once I only really had time to meet one person a week. Now I feel like I have the luxury of time to arrange multiple meetings in a week!

Two big things (well for me) have happened in the last couple of weeks. Firstly I managed to open a bank account! I know that may not seem like a big deal but those of you who have ever lived abroad will appreciate what a milestone it is. You may well be asking why it has taken so long. Well the main reason is that I was rejected from one bank before Christmas because I didn't have residency and they didn't think I had a valid reason to need an account here(?!) That meant that I needed to wait until after Christmas especially now I've had the time to deal with it all. It was also an accomplishment for me because the advisor didn't speak English and I was forced to use my Slovene. It was not made easier because of my employment status. Basically, I just didn't fit any of their boxes and they didn't quite know what to do with me. In the end though my application was successful and I can now say that I used my Slovene in a complicated official circumstance!

The other big thing for me this week was giving my latest talk for Cornhill. Some of you may know that I was quite apprehensive about it as it was on a difficult part of Scripture and to be honest I had no real idea what I was doing or where I was going with it. Thankfully we have a God who answers prayer and I'm certain that it was only with his help that I was able to get to grips with the passage (Exodus 22:1-17 if you're interested). I even got good feedback for it which was a real answer to prayer. Whilst that passage may have seemed daunting, I'm even more terrified by my next passage which is on Ecclesiastes 3! In all seriousness I do feel like I am learning dependence on God and his ability to reveal meaning of Scripture. I know that I can't do it alone or in my own strength!

Whilst the next few weeks are still looking quite quiet I am really appreciating the chance to have fellowship with friends and people from church. Now that my latest Cornhill talk is done I want to spend this extra time focussing on learning vocabulary and practicing what I have learnt. I have arranged to have conversation practice once a week with my old teacher and I am finding that very helpful. I also want to spend this time catching up on my pile of Christian books that I have started but not finished. I currently have 4 on the go, all on different topics. My plan is to finish all 4 before I start back at language school. Feel free to check in and ask how that's going!

Anyway, please still keep praying for me, especially for my language learning. It would be very easy for me to get out of practice in this period and lose momentum but I know that this is what I am here for this year. Please pray that I would use this extra time wisely and in a way that glorifies God.