I'm Taking Linguistics!

I only got 3 wrong on my Linguistics test, which is REALLY good! If you miss under 10, they highly recommend that you take it, and under 5 is a definite recommendation. So, as of today, I'm signed up for the course! Of course, God could always close this door if He has something else, but it seems that He is leading in this direction. It's super cool!

So what does this mean?
Instead of only being at MTC for 3 semesters, I will be here for 4 and 1/2 semesters. The first semester of the linguistics course, I will be here on the MTC campus studying. Then, for the 1/2 semester, I will be in Oklahoma doing a practicum with the Cherokee people. We'll put everything we learned in Linguistics to use there.

What do linguists do on the field?
Being a linguist means that you are better equipped on the mission field to analyze the grammatical structure of the target language. Linguists typically are the ones to develop an alphabet for unwritten languages and set up the literacy program in the tribe (i.e. teaching people to read their own language). Since they have extensively studied the grammar and language, linguists are also often (though not always) the ones who translate the Bible after there are believers in the tribe.

What kinds of classes will I take?
Here are the classes I will be taking as a part of this course:

• Phonology (108 hrs.) presents an in-depth look at the decision-making process used in determining what the alphabet should be for an unwritten language. The candidate will learn to distinguish significant sounds from insignificant sounds and write up a description of one
• Morphology (57 hrs.) gives a detailed look into the way that words are constructed. The course will use a variety of languages to present examples of morphemes and their alternate forms. The candidate will learn to correlate language forms with meanings and to organize an explanation of the language in an orderly and understandable way.
• Syntax (103 hrs.) looks at the many ways languages can form multiword constructions. Phrases, clauses, and sentences are all studied as preparation for the study of an unwritten language.
• Applied Linguistics (51 hrs.) gives the candidate an opportunity to deal with a large set of language data in order to determine its inherent phonological and grammatical structures. The candidate will prepare a paper explaining their insight into the language
• Advanced Linguistics Issues (45 hrs.) combines an introduction to discourse analysis with a look at some less common phonological situations.
• The Practicum (325 hrs.) gives the candidate the opportunity to put into practice the skills and abilities developed during the previous courses. Language data will be gathered from native Cherokee speakers and analyzed. The candidate will summarize the findings regarding phonological and grammatical structure and compile them in a paper.

I would really appreciate your prayers as I am trusting God with this next step of my life. I am also currently in the process of researching mission fields to see where God may have me serve overseas. I'm super excited, but it's also a lot to think about. I would definitely appreciate prayers!

Back in MO

After a long 12 hour drive yesterday, I'm glad to say that we're safely back on campus in MO. We had an awesome time with family and friends back home. It was great getting to see everyone back home! We had a pretty full house with my friend, Rachel, from MTC as well as Josiah's brother, Jotham, and his friend Ryan from New Tribes Bible Institute. Overall, it was a very great and relaxing time!

My surgery went well (I don't remember it), and I slept almost 2 full days (from medicine, I think). Thursday-Saturday, I was in a lot of pain because I stopped taking the heavy pain meds, but thank God for Advil! Thankfully, I'm doing pretty good right now. My jaws are a bit sore and stiff, but I'm not in much pain, which is a huge blessing. Thanks for your prayers!

Today, we got back into classes. We had a class on time stewardship, and then we took an hour long test that determines how good we might be at linguistics. Linguistics is a huge part of tribal work because it deals with the nitty-gritty of how languages work and the grammatical structure behind the language. The linguistics training here at MTC is an extra 1 and 1/2 semesters after the basic 3 semesters. Only a few people can get into the linguistics training each year, so they test people to see how well they would fit in the program. If you're not going to do well in it, they don't want you to take it (for obvious reasons :-) ). Plus, they want you to have a genuine interest in the subject. I find it quite intriguing. It's like a puzzle, and I love puzzles, so it's pretty fun! Anyways, I'll let you guys know how I score on it pretty soon!

Like I said in my last post, I'm working on getting pics up. Hopefully they'll come within the next day or so!

Update on Surgery

Surgery went really well, thanks for praying! I woke up freezing cold in the operating room, and my whole mouth was numb, but I wasn't in any pain, thankfully. Since then, I've been sleeping pretty much all the time. There's been almost no pain, swelling, or bruising, so I'm very thankful!!! I'm able to eat soft stuff pretty regularly, and I'm a bit more alert this morning (already had an 1 hour long nap). Thanks for all your prayers!

Since I'm home for the next few days, I'm going to try to post a bunch of pics so you guys can see my last couple of weeks at MTC.

Back home!

We made it back home safely! Thanks for all your prayers! The drive was long, but bearable because the four of us took shifts driving.

I have surgery in 1 hour, so please be praying! It'll be good to get the teeth out, but, as my grandparents were saying, I'll be enjoying Thanksgiving through a straw... yay.

:-)

Losing my Wisdom (Teeth)

We figured out why I'm having fevers each morning. My wisdom teeth are bothering my mouth (basically, I'm teething... go figure...). So, my parents talked with the dentist yesterday, and he said I need to have emergency surgery to get them out. The plan was for me to have them out two days after Christmas, but now, I am having surgery on Tuesday at 10:30am (yeah, two days before Thanksgiving...). I'm kind of nervous because I've never had surgery before (which has been a huge blessing!). So, Josiah, two friends, and I are driving the 12 hours home this Sunday instead of on Tuesday like we had originally planned. Please pray for safe travels and calm nerves for me. Thankfully, the dentist prescribed an antibiotic, which I started yesterday, so hopefully that will start pulling down the fevers.

Thanks for praying!

When Trials Come

I don't know if any of you have ever heard of the song "When Trials Come", but it's an incredible song that has given me a lot of encouragement over the past few days. Life here is wonderful, but sometimes stress creeps in, and I find myself discouraged. I've been having a fever on and off for the past few days and there are a lot of other things that could cause me to quickly throw up my hands in defeat and exhaustion. But God is more than faithful, and I know that I can depend on Him.

 

When trials come, no longer fear

For in the pain our God draws near

To fire a faith worth more than gold

And there His faithfulness is told

And there His faithfulness is told

 

So what's up with classes? Last week, we started our Phonetics class, which has been SUPER fun so far. This class will continue until the end of the semester. We are learning how to recognize, hear, write symbols for, and speak every sound that humans (in any language) make in speaking. It's pretty cool, but it's also making us see how incredibly stupid the English language is at times! This knowledge will help us further down the road when trying to learn a language that has never been written before.

 

Within the night I know Your peace

The breath of God brings strength to me

And new each morning mercy flows

As treasures of the darkness grow

As treasures of the darkness grow

 

Things at ministry are still really neat, but also discouraging at times. We never know what to expect when we show up. Last Sunday, I ended up talking for an hour one-on-one with one of the guys who told me basically his entire life story. It made my heart hurt so much for him. He is a Christian, but he hasn't been discipled very much, and it shows. He's scared, hurting, and very much alone in the world. It's so hard to hear stories like his, and yet, it forces me to my knees in prayer for him and all the other guys at the home. Every night, I know His peace.

 

When I am weary with the cost
I see the triumph of the cross
So in its shadow I shall run
Till You complete the work begun
Till You complete the work begun

 

Ultimately, through everything that's going on right now, I'm struck by the brevity of our lives and the urgency that we have to live every moment for Christ. Our world is dark and only going to get darker. Our society has wholeheartedly embraced evil, and, while I did enjoy getting to vote for the first time yesterday, I think that America is quickly setting itself up for failure. As such, we as Christians need to be even more proactive about sharing the Gospel because we never know how much time we'll have. Whether it's here with the guys at the boys home or overseas, I want to constantly see the triumph of the cross and run in its shadow until Christ completes the work He's begun in my life and in the lives of those around me.