Why is English becoming universal?

Take the 'gh' from 'cough'
add the 'o' from 'women'
add the 't' from 'nation'
add the silent 'ugh' from 'dough'
and you get GHOTUGH
reading FISH!

If you want to know why I love OTHER languages so much, this is one reason...

Recovering Sounds from Orthography
Brush up Your English

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough.
Others my stumble but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, bough and through.
Well done! An now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps.

Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird,
And dead -- it's said like bed, not bead.
For goodness' sake, don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat:
They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.

A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there's dose and rose and lose-
Just look them up -- and goose and choose,
and cork and work and card and ward,
and font and front and word and sword,
and do and go and thwart and cart.
Come, come, I've hardly made a start.

A dreadful language? Man alive,
I'd mastered it when I was five!

(T.S. Watt (1954) in The Guardian. Cited with permission in Taylor, Insup and M. Martin Taylor. 1983. The Psychology of Reading. New York: Academic Press. p. 99)

Back at SIL again

A little less than a year ago while at SIL, I created this blog. I began it with the following quote:


"Surrender is not the surrender of the external life, but of the will; when that is done, all is done. There are very few crises in life; the great crisis is the surrender of the will." -Oswald Chambers


I'm still working at this lifelong battle of surrender. I am back to updating, and I hope to let you know all about my happenings of the summer. :) I'm enjoying myself here at linguistic boot camp. It's very difficult though, and I have classes from 8-5 (with a couple breaks). All I do is study, play some volleyball, and have conversations full of words like bilabial fricatives, phonologically similar segments, cannibalism, etc. More to come. Homework is screaming my name... until next time...

All together again.

Here's the latest!!! We had such a wonderful Christmas full of love, joy, laughter, and surprises!

Ohio & the Baptism

What a blessing it was to see Mary, Joe, and the fam in Ohio! I'm the proud godmother of little Jacob Daniel and Johhny was reunited with his goddaughter Lily. What fun!

Introducing...

...the newest LBT candidate!

Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to pray as I seek the Lord's guidance and will. There are many steps in the application that I need to go through, such as interviews and tests. I'm somewhat nervous, but God's grace is really evident and I'm excited! Praise Him!

Daring to Dream

My dream and call is becoming more of a reality every day. I ask that you will partner with me in prayer as I make my application to Lutheran Bible Translators. I just sent in the first part of the application for candidacy trusting the Lord for His guidance. I praise Him for laying this burden on my heart, and I'm grateful for the grace He has poured out on me in allowing to know my call. It's hard to believe that in six months, I will be graduating from Northwestern; and in about eight months, I will be moving to Texas for additional linguistic training, Lord willing! I have had countless frustrations and feelings of inadequacy, but Christ is my refuge. I am hesitant in posting the bulletin, because my plans are not set in stone, but I NEED prayer. There are many decisions to be made, and I get confused. For example, do I want to partner with WMPL or Wycliffe? Where should I go? Who should I go to? Pray against Satan's attacks and that I do not allow him any footholds in my life. I'm so excited to know what God has in store, so it's difficult to keep my mind on present tasks such as Greek and Hebrew studies and the like. Thank you for all the support and advice I have received, and please keep them coming.

The Latest

Hysterically Ironic!

My last first day of school!

I was sitting in Environmental Science on Wednesday, and a friend behind me reminded me of the fact that that day was my last first day of college! Incredible. It has gone by so fast, yet I have a whole two semesters to go. This semester is going to be a heavy load, but I'm looking forward to all that I'm going to learn. My class schedule is full:

Intermediate Greek I
Classical Hebrew I
Environmental Science & Lab
Music in World Cultures
Portfolio
Directed Study focused on Bible Translation Theory

The Lord is teaching me so much in discipline, patience, and priorities. I was just offered a nanny job which starts this Wednesday. Hopefully I'll find a second one after a few interviews. I thought about going back to Baker's Square, but my knees could use a break for this semester at least. Recovery has gone suprisingly well, and my therapist is happy. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I pray the results are noticeable improvement.

In my last post, I mentioned that Esther (my sister) was in an immobilizer from a work related injury. She had surgery a couple weeks ago on her left knee (same as mine), and the recovery isn't going as well as we anticipated. Please keep her in your prayers through this time of pain and frustration.

Our family is having a wonderful time together in seminary housing. Mama is hoping to substitute teach this upcoming year, Daddy is helping the Bible Schoolers move in today (He's the new Director of Student Outreach at AFLBS.) and preparing for seminary classes to begin this week, and John is going to finish his last year through online studies and the public high school. The Lord is really working things out and putting pieces in place. Praise HIM! We sure miss Esther, Joe, Mary, Lily, upcoming Baby, and the Rosemead compound though.

Changes!

Brief Summary: Moving!!! Daddy's in seminary, I've had surgery, the family is together, and God is working.

PRAISE THE LORD! I have no complaints with how life is going, and I am ashamed as to why I ever doubt the Lord's provision and guidance. Though uncertainty still clouds my vision, my confidence in HIS leading has grown.

FAMILY: Big Changes.

My daddy has decided to attend AFLTS here in MN. He, Mama, and Johnny (brother, 17) drove out at the end of July. Who would've thought that this was in the plan of the Almighty? Just after I had made the last post, I got a call from my parents informing me of their plan to come to the seminary. The next day, they called and asked if I would like to move into the third bedroom in the seminary housing! Many prayers have been answered. I not only have my family near me daily after three years of being away, but I have a place to live at minimal expense. I'm going to miss my dear house and roommates of this past year, but it's a wonderful opportunity that I must not pass up. It's going to be such a fun time to live with my brother as he finishes his last year of high school and as he anticipates spending two years at AFLBS here on the same campus where I was for two years. Incredible!

As some of you know, I'm in recovery from knee surgery. I had open patella realignment. They went in with a scope on the outside of my left knee, and made about a 5'' incision. They loosened outside ligaments and tightened inside ones. Thanks to prayer and support, I am having a speedy recovery, and I feel great! I am confident that the Lord provided Dr. Arendt, who happened to be a leading specialist in patella realignment, as a tool to heal me. They plan to do the right knee in six months to a year.

My sister Esther was planning a trip out to MN, and ironically, she dislocated her left knee at work just before she came out. It was quite a humorous sight having both of us hobbling around in immobilizers. She's moved into the house my parents left in California, and she is still working security and going to school at APU.

My other sister Mary and my niece Lily surprised us with a visit this week. It's wonderful having the whole family together, but we miss Joe. Joe, 7 month pregnant Mary, and Lily are living in Ohio now while Joe is doing his seminary internship this year.

TRAINING & WORK: Pressing on.

Obviously from the above, I'm learning that though I plan constantly, I must be open to the Holy Spirit's leading. I plan to graduate from NWC in the spring and attend GIAL in the fall of 2007. I am still uncertain as to which mission organization to join, so it's hard to know what step to take next. Applications are in my hands waiting to be filled out. I trust that all will fall into place according to God's plan in HIS timing, but patience is hard to come by.

Due to my surgery, I am still not working. I miss waitressing and and being a nanny desperately, but it is nice to have a break. I hope to return to work within a few weeks, Lord willing.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT DURING THIS TIME!