James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To those
interested who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As my first week of lectures has come to an end, I can see that I will be
getting very busy as the term wears on. For this reason I am planning on
working well ahead, particularly with regards to the required readings but
also with regards to the assignments that I am able to do in advance.
Having said that, I am confident that I will not be overwhelmed if I work
hard and effectively. Ironically then, I suppose, I joined the philosophy
class (which happens on Wednesday afternoon where I have a free spot on my
timetable). I really enjoyed my first lecture and some of the students
recommended that, if I can, I finish the course this year and thus, not
have to worry about it later. I won't let it get in the way of my primary
studies but I have started the required reading and have found it
fascinating (Sophie's World for anyone interested). I also have the
opportunity to do sign language which shouldn't require an incredible time
commitment (and, more importantly, one that I can afford) so I plan to do
that too.

As you read this, you may think that I am, at least mildly, insane. Well;
as it happens, I am already aware of that. I figure that since I came here
to learn, I should probably do some learning. Furthermore, while I'm in
first year I will have the most time for this sort of thing so I'll take
advantage of it (a sentiment that I feel may not be shared by some of my
peers). Having said that, I don't think that I'll take on anything more,
especially right now.

Our timetable here is one week long (with 10 subjects for first years) so
I have now had at least one lecture in each subject. I think that my
favourite subjects will be Hard Questions, essentially an introduction to
theology (as well as related topics such as the defence thereof etc.), and
NT Greek, which I am still really enjoying.

The majority of my "free" time is spent reading; most recently I have been
reading "The Message of Ephesians" by John Stott, an article out of
"Church, Worship and the Local Congregation" by D.B. Knox, "Sophie's
World" by Jostein Gaarder as well as numerous smaller articles that have
just been printed up for us by authors like J.I. Packer and chapters out
of books like "Encountering the Old Testament".

In short, and I suppose this phrase is getting old but nevertheless holds
true, I'm still loving it here. It is nice to be settling into routine now
you can pray that I keep on top of my work and maintain a sharp mind
during all the lectures.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or
think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

James Cuénod

--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ

Greetings in the name of Christ,

Let me begin again by thanking you all for your prayers. I praise God that
there are people such as yourselves who He has placed in my life for
encouragement and prayer and I pray that I would not "be wise in my own
eyes" but that I would "Fear the Lord and turn away from evil".

Lectures have finally commenced, however slowly. I began on Thursday with
Hard Questions (a theology course) and Church Life (a short course
regarding church life). This was followed, on Friday, by more Greek,
Public Speaking (our preaching course) and Learning Development (a course
on how to study/learn). Today I the only new course was Biblical Theology
(which is a course designed to help us to interpret the Bible in light of
the rest of Scripture). It is good to be getting into the swing of things
and I foresee a lot of work in the future (we did not have all our
allotted subjects on Thursday or Friday for various reasons).
Nevertheless, I am grateful to be here and I am still thoroughly enjoying
it.

As I mentioned last time, I went on camp on Monday morning which gave us,
the students, a chance to get to know one another better and there was
some preaching. The structure was a lot like the Honeyridge Church Camp
with specific sessions but plenty of time to relax (although it was
primarily to get to know one another so there were fewer sessions). On
Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, the second and third years had
gone back to college and started lectures. We began the Learning
Development course (which is required by the government but does seem
useful) discussing note taking.

On Sunday the 8th I went to two new churches. I went to Tokai in the
morning which is a CESA church. It was very interesting; the worship was
probably the best of all the churches that I have been to, however, the
sermon was topical (though I am told that this is rare), the topic was sex
and they had an infant baptism. Strangely, I think it is probably one of
my better options at this stage. In the evening I went to Mountainview
Baptist; the teaching was pretty good, unfortunately they were a bit too
Charismatic (in the theological sense of the word) for my liking.

Yesterday I finally attended the college's church, MCC (Muizenberg
Community Chapel). It was okay but I disagreed with the interpretative
method used on the parable that was presented (Luke 20). Also, because it
is the college's chapel, the speaker is always different; I would prefer
to be under one good pastor.

I also had my second Hebrew lecture yesterday. I can't remember whether or
not I mentioned this; a lecturer from BI (the Bible Institute, a Bible
college in Kalk Bay) offered Hebrew lessons to the students here. We will
be doing Hebrew in second year (we will kick off second year with Hebrew
Week) so no one was really interested because either they were overwhelmed
with all the new Greek or they were already doing Hebrew. Being marginally
odd, however, I decided to investigate. It is only an hour and a half on
Sunday and a tiny bit of time during the week for homework and I think
that it'll be of great benefit to me next year. So, I am now familiar with
the Hebrew alphabet as well as the vowels and dipthongs.

I am truly looking forward to the coming term and, more particularly the
coming week when I finally have a full week of lectures. Please remember
me in your prayers and praise God for the opportunity of being here that
He has afforded me.

Flourishing in the gospel,
James Cuénod

--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ

James Cuénod's Newsletter 2009-02-06

Hello again everyone,

My first full week at GWC has just drawn to a close. We had a college
braai to celebrate the end of "Greek Week" which was great fun (the Greek
Week - not the braai; I'm pretty much neutral towards the braai). I can
now translate delightfully large amounts of Greek (we did 5 chapters of
Duff's NT Greek textbook in the 7 days of Greek Week).

I haven't spent much time on anything else really because we've been
getting a lot of vocabulary to do every day and on days when there is not
as much vocabulary to do, we're learning strange grammar. I wouldn't say
that I have it all figured out; with what we have done so far I understand
it but need to practice it quite a bit.

My Greek lecturer, Jonathan More, seems brilliant; he arbitrarily sprouts
French or Latin (and of course he knows Greek and Hebrew) during class and
today he wrote a play on words on the board in Italian saying, "I think
that's how it goes, my Italian isn't that good…" – mine isn't either.

I may be able to do Hebrew in the coming months with a lecturer for BI
(the Bible Institute; a nearby Bible College that used to be closely
related to GWC). He was at the college a few days ago and said that he
would be giving free extra lessons. Of course, next year the language
school will be "Hebrew Week" but I may as well get a head start if
possible.

I don't have any plans for this coming weekend except that I want/need to
explore the churches and find a good one. On Monday I will be going on the
"Commencement Camp" which is a time to get to know other students
(regardless of what year they are in) and then Wednesday I will return
with the other first years after a day of something that only first years
do (other people return on the Tuesday evening). Next week Thursday then
is my first day of lectures and next on week Friday I will have my first
non-Greek-Week Greek lesson which means that there is a full week until my
next Greek lesson so I hope I retain all that has been taught over the
past few days.

If it seems like all I talk about is Greek it's probably because I do.
We've been finishing between 14:45 and 16:00 every day (except today) and
starting at 9:00 but have had a lot of homework so although our lecturer
told us that because Ancient Greek is not spoken anymore they do not use
the immersion technique, I certainly feel immersed.

I hope there aren't any spelling or grammar mistakes here, I don't have
time to proof read the mail because the library is now closing. My
profound apologies if there are any.

Once again, I appreciate the prayers and support. If there's anything that
I would like prayer for right now, it's that I find a good church to join
down here. Other than that, I am still loving it here and I praise and
thank God for this opportunity.

James Cuénod

--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ

Newsletter 2009-01-30

Hello brothers and sisters in Christ,

Thank you very much for your prayers and support. I have truly appreciated the knowledge that there are people praying for me "back home". Almost a week has elapsed since my arrival on Monday morning. Arriving a day early allowed me to settle in before having to worry about registration and lectures. In case anyone is not aware of my location; I am at the George Whitefield College (hereafter referred to as GWC) which is in Muizenberg, Cape Town. My room is one of the larger rooms as I think it should normally support two students, however, I am on my own here. It is very comfortable and much larger than my room at home (with the added advantage
that I do not have all the muck that I have accumulated in my room at home in my room here). My room overlooks a lovely slate roof and is conveniently tucked behind some high buildings (more specifically; the college and another res house) so as to prevent me from being distracted by anything annoying, such as the sea or birds (although the sky is unfortunately visible if I move close to the windows). I get three meals per day and we alternate washing up the dishes (Fridays and Sundays are
the best because the supper is packed and thus there are no supper dishes).

On Tuesday we began the registration process, receiving a number of forms, and getting a tour of the surrounding area and the campus. Only the first years were there which allowed us to get to know one another a bit (though there are still people whose names elude me). The library is delightfully big and I foresee myself spending a great deal of time there.

Lectures began on Wednesday morning after the veterans (anyone who isn't here for the first time) had registered which took an hour. Immediately before lectures, though, was chapel. Because it is language school (which ends at the end of this coming week) we have chapel every day. The preacher for this period (since it will normally be a student as far as I know) has been Gavin Millard, a local CESA (Church of England SA) pastor. He has been expositing Jeremiah and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

It is now, as I have said, language school. I, therefore, have been learning Greek, a class taken by Johnathan More. I can see that it is a subject that will stretch me but as of now, I have been loving it. At the time of writing I can construct simple sentences and have a small, but rapidly expanding, vocabulary. The pace that we have been going is fast and I think that the slower people may struggle because of that but I am trying to read a day ahead in the text book so that the lectures are not
completely foreign and I am also trying to keep at least a chapter ahead in vocabulary; the killer of many a procrastinating Greek student.

The interaction that I have had with the other students, specifically those in res, has been marvellous. We have already had discussions about various issues (such as spiritual gifts and the doctrines of grace). There are many Baptists studying here including the SRC (student representative council) member in charge of my res. There are students here from Sudan, Tanzania, Ghana, Zimbabwe (and possible more) and a few from South Africa; probably only by a slight majority, most are from Cape Town. Tomorrow I will be taking a hike up the mountain that is usefully positioned behind
the college. I am told that it takes approximately three hours to get to the top.

I am still unsure which church will become my spiritual home here but I have about two Sundays in which to figure that out (I wrote this on Friday afternoon, since then I have been to St. Peters which was good but I am not sure whether I will make it will be the church I fellowship at). Most of the lecturers seem excellent, a few seem slightly eccentric but I'm looking forward to all my classes (I am particularly delighted that Greek is coming on so fast though). Many of the first years will be doing their BTh (as opposed to just a one year certificate in Theology) which
means that we will go all the way through together which should be good.

I am truly grateful, once again, for the prayers and support from you all and I look forward to what the coming year brings.

In Christ,
James Cuénod


--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ