Take time to be thankful – Beverly Kalnin Nov 2014 eNews

by Bruce Cockburn, Canadian singer-songwriter; songs performed at Tyndale Seminary

 

It could have been me put the thorns in your crown,

rooted as I am in a violent ground.

How many time have I turned your promise down,

still you pour out your love, you pour out your love.

 

 

You entered a life like ours to give us back our own.

You wanted us like you as choosers not clones.

You offered up your flesh and death was overthrown.

Now salvation is ours, salvation is ours.

 

In the midst of despair, you are hope,

in the face of death, you are resurrection.

We bring before you all who are sick,

in despair, lonely, confused, or close to death.

 

Come Lord Jesus, 

come with healing in your wings,

come and raise the dead, come our faithful lover,

come and turn our betrayal to trust.

 

 

       In October and November, we celebrate Thanksgivings; thanking God for His bountiful blessings and Jesus for pouring out His love and bringing our salvation. Not only in North America is Thanksgivings observed but in many other countries as well including among the Christians in Thailand and Myanmar.  We should retain this wonderful spirit of thankfulness all year long.

 

       I am thankful for having the special opportunity to study full time at Tyndale Seminary.  This semester, I am concentrating on three areas of study: Systematic Theology, Leadership Development and Ethnography Research.  The classes are illuminating and challenging.  For my ethnography project, I am researching the Myanmar education of young people, now immigrants to Canada. On Sunday, I attended the lively church service at the Toronto Myanmar Christian Church. Afterwards,  I interviewed in depth two young people, one Karen Christian who had only been in Canada one month and a Burman Buddhist who had been in Canada eight years. Both finished their high school studies around the same time in 1998.  I was excited that they were goldmines of information! 

 

       I received a suitcase full of our old mission display materials that I had completely forgotten about.  Inside I found my beautiful Jubilee scarf from north Burma that I thought I had lost.  Even more special were old Frontier Messengers.  I started glancing through them and came across an article written by Peram Pungya, Daniel’s older brother, who lead the mission work in Myanmar.  He shared about the poor educational system and government plans to destroy Christian young people.  It was written at the same time as those I interviewed studied!  Was this a coincidence or is God showing me something?   I have more students to interview and observe this coming Sunday.  Then comes the long process of transcribing all they said on the computer, deleting the recordings, looking for patterns and key phrases, analyzing and drawing a hypothesis.  I am excited by the ethnography approach as it will be very useful for my future cultural and spiritual research in both Thailand and Myanmar.  

 

      There is much more that I would love to share about my studies!  I held my first major mission endeavour on the student council this Monday, Nov. 10th.  I brought in a special speaker, Messianic Rabbi Ben Volman who spoke on “Why the Holocaust matters.”  It was a provocative and powerful message and gave us much to chew on.  I recommend that you read this message found on his blog at www.messianicinsight.com.  Later this month, we are holding a Christmas coffee house with desserts and coffee, music, sharing and mission testimonies.  I will be sharing on Thailand and Myanmar and an African pastor will also be sharing his ministry. I have opened a mission prayer room on campus that meets on Wednesday afternoons.  Please pray that these events will stir up the students towards missions and to becoming more concerned and involved as God leads them.  

 

       I was blessed with a visit from my friend and prayer partner, Miriam from Ohio in October.  I took her to many different worship experiences here in Toronto – a Tyndale chapel service and a tour of the new campus,  an evangelical Anglican service at Wycliffe College, where I had studied before, followed by a wonderful fellowship meal with students and faculty there and a Messianic service at Tree of Life Congregation, again with food – Jewish bagels and other treats.  Then we also attended the Myanmar church Thanksgiving service which had many special songs, testimonies and delicious Burmese food.  We also visited my old friends in Keswick, north of Toronto on Lake Simcoe and of course my daughter Elizabeth and baby Marc.  In addition, Miriam visited tourist sites with a Thai young friend she knew from Thailand.  We saw God work in her heart and in many others as we spent time praying together.  This was certainly a packed but enriching week for Miriam!

 

        In October, we also held a very productive FLC Canada board meeting.  We usually meet at a hotel but this time I invited the board to Tyndale Seminary.  I guess the Burmese culture came out in me because my greatest concern was whether they would like the food at Tyndale and whether there would be enough!  Thankfully they did and we had a great time together there. I also devote time when I am not studying, to sharing and encouraging other students. Some meet with me to talk about their future mission plans and ask for advice.  Others ask for prayer.  The girls on my floor sometimes come into my room at night for counsel and for special prayer.  I am glad that I live on campus and can do this.  I sometimes join in on the fun events (not always as they begin after 10 PM!) They recently held “Tyndale’s Got Talent” that was a lot of fun.  It went on until midnight!!!  Now, my studies are getting heavier and many papers are looming ahead that need to be finished by the end of November and early December. So, I have to concentrate more on my studies.  Pray that I will do well in my studies, stay healthy and still have time to encourage others.

 

         Please also pray for FLC mission work in Thailand and Myanmar. Evangelist David Sangmai’s wife Ah Shan is very ill in the hospital. They minister is Keng Tung, Shan State, Myanmar.  Also, my two sisters-in-law in Myanmar, Daniel’s sisters, Nang and Nen both lost their husbands this year and need our prayers for strength and comfort.  

 

         Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement!