August comes to an end swiftly enough. The thrill in this month was my dissertation research proposal that was approved and that paved the way for me to proceed to the next phase of my graduate study program – the actual field research. I’ve been looking forward to the field research – the task of meeting people and asking to learn the actual culture and lifestyle being practiced. Following that, the next phase will be the tedious write-up followed by the defense, which is the “final exam.” My topic is “Raising Indigenous Leaders Through Christian Education: A Semai Model.” Upon successful submission, I intend to translate the entire manuscript into Bahasa Malaysia.
August was also a month my former students were here from mainly East Malaysia. It was great having to meet up with them again. And it was good that we had our annual barbeque of monkey meat!
August also saw me attending the annual Anglican Synod for the first time. It gave me a better understanding of its governing structure and also an opportunity to meet fellow workers from other parts of Malaysia. Johor has come into the radar of our BM Bible School, which means more work has to be invested with our co-workers there so we can synchronize our schedule for next year. But I am glad and happy for the progress.
September is another slow month with not much activity except preparing to launch the new curriculum for the School. We will launch it in January, as the new academic year. Right now I’m working on getting confirmation from prospective teachers for the dates and courses to teach in both the Penang and Ipoh centers. A possible date towards the end of the month is targeted for a trip to the jungles. Then early next month is SAM Penang’s first graduation service.
Thank you all for your prayers and partnership in this challenging ministry.
SB
