James Cuénod's Newsletter 2012-07-24

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.

I am now a week back into college having had four weeks off. After exams,
I flew to KZN and went to my cousin's wedding in Pietermaritzburg (well,
outside PMB, in an area that's actually scenic). He was my second cousin
to get married and in the space of a couple of months. As always, I think
it's awesome seeing Christians get married. I was only there for two days
though, by Sunday we (the family and I) were driving back to Joburg. I
suppose that this is where I should throw in the fact that I watched Les
Miserables on the Saturday night which I quite enjoyed - I'm still
thinking about it but I think some interesting things could be said about
grace in contrast to Jean Valjean (that's for another time though).

In Joburg I didn't do any work. This was pleasant but frustrating and I'm
pretty glad to be back and trying to be productive again. On the other
hand, I managed to see friends from school a number of times which was
awesome. I also got to see some friends from college (who graduated with
me last year but went to work in churches). It was good to catch up and
see how they are doing. They could also give helpful advice to me
considering I'm planning on working in a church next year. I finished
reading a few books as well so I feel good about myself - I'm still going
through Lord of the Rings which is one of the best reads I've had. I also
took the time to update rekindle.co.za which has not had any attention for
quite some time. I still need to do a bit more on it but it's seen some
major improvements (if you have a smartphone, you should look at it and
compare it to the way it displays on a computer screen).

After two and a half weeks in Joburg I returned to KZN a few days early
for ministry week. I stayed with Graham (one of the guys doing honours
with me) and just had fun in Durban (where the weather is ignorant of the
fact that it's winter). Ministry week was good, perhaps a bit
disappointing because the team did not really gain in terms of learning
about the church we were at. Even so, we were involved in a holiday club
and so we had the chance to spend the week with a lot of kids who
otherwise wouldn't be at church. I also had an awesome time with my hosts
who were extraordinarily encouraging - hopefully I'll be able to keep in
contact with them. But it was all over pretty quickly and I find myself
back in Cape Town.

Last week I made the most progress on my dissertation that I've made in
quite some time (like 1/2 terms). I finally have a topic that I like and
that my supervisor is happy with. It feels like quite an accomplishment.
What lies ahead now is a church history assignment that is due next week
for the church history course we sat last term and some measurably
continuous progress on our dissertations. I also have the bishop's weekend
away to look forward to in a few weeks' time but that's about it.

Kyle, my flatmate, is having a rough time with some people he knows so he
could use prayer and considering I'm his friend I could use some prayer in
relation to that as well - it's hard to say what about, wisdom and grace
to say what's appropriate and helpful for both of us is all I can really
ask for. Of course, you can always pray for my devotional life and that
the struggle with sin wouldn't become a "snuggle" with sin. Probably most
importantly in this term is that I'd be particularly self-disciplined
since I have a no constraints and can easily be sidetracked.

As always, thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

In Christ,
James Cuénod


--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
http://www.rekindle.co.za