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Short Version (2 min.)

Seminary has started:  We have about a couple of weeks left before the semester ends. Greek has again proven to be really tough, and I've fallen behind, so I plan on getting a couple of weeks of extension to catch up. Apologetics has been good as well. So many ways to defend the faith! See more of how i'm processing it in the long version below. 

Nonprofit Status: We have started the official process for exploring how to turn Missionaryish into a full-fledged nonprofit. It takes about a year to process and plan. This is exciting because it will give us a way to increase sustainability in whatever ministry context or city that we serve in. RUF in Orange County is still the goal, and the formation of Missionaryish as a 501(c)(3) will help bridge the gap of transition financially and also supplement it into the future. There is currently no change in giving process and accountability. Trinity remains committed for oversight until we finish the transition. 

Basic Insurance & Medical: Trinity has continued to support us in our transition out of PCA benefits and has given approval for us to use support funds to cover any benefits that are lost during our transition off staff starting in 2024. Praise God for His provision!

Long Version (6 min.)

This is a letter that I recently wrote to a fellow student whom I met in seminary. He is struggling severely through seminary, especially with Greek. He's 55 and currently feels called to the ministry of learning and growing. He dedicates 6 hours a day to study and has found little to no success in retaining his Greek. Being that I've failed this course in recent attempts and other courses through the last decade of seminary, I wanted to send him some encouragement that he's not alone. I also want to highlight what I've been learning in the last couple of months as I've slowly consolidated my tactics for studying to get through seminary with 4 little ones. By no means have I mastered Greek, but to give you a glimpse into our struggle through school.

Pat,Your study environment sounds awesome! It's wonderful to hear that you have a great setup and can dedicate 5-6 hours per day to studying. What do those 5-6 hours look like? Is it focused or distracted? You don't necessarily need to have kids to be distracted, as we all know.

I think the reality is you'll need to find out what type of learner you are and what type of temptations you face when trying to make things stick. To be ruthless in your reflection on how you study will be important. For example, are you tired when you're studying? Do you check your phone a lot when you study? Is your environment clean? Are you doing well with your family, wife, and children (if you're married)? Do you sleep enough? Is your job stressful? Do you experience anxiety when you look at your homework, or do you feel shame when you keep not recalling anything? All those things affect the way you can learn and progress effectively. There are so many factors that affect memory retention.

I have found that I'm a kinesthetic learner for languages only after discovering that during my third attempt to pass Greek. Due to my current stage of life and also the reality that I've always struggled with getting enough sleep, I've grown to recognize how much it impacts my studies. I needed to get real with my sleep needs as well as my propensity to get distracted. What must I do to make this better? Even though I've learned Spanish, Thai, Japanese, and Vietnamese, and I still struggle with language acquisition. So, you are not alone in this struggle. Even though you've told me that you only remember nothing in Spanish but only 5 numbers, it's still worth celebrating. Five numbers are not no numbers.

I found that it's been a journey of figuring out what works and what doesn't work. It's really humbling to face your limits but also coming face to face with anxiety when learning something new. It's not easy. Like what Dr. Lanier has said, it really depends on each person's language aptitude, but the grind is real.

No shame at all at 55. Whenever the Lord calls you to learn is the right time!

What's been helpful for me to realize from all my failed classes (believe me, I've failed quite a few in the last couple years) has been to continue to see where I can improve. You'll need to take notes of why your system isn't working and to try something new. This is a scary and humbling thing to make note of, but it will be necessary to get 1% better.

I have 4 kids under 3, so the only time that I can really study and take exams is from 10 PM to 5 AM. So it's been a bit of a weird school day for me. Focus and lack of energy is my consistent struggle.

I needed to also figure out that if I don't take Greek when I'm fresh and well-rested, it won't stick. I've also found that it's been really helpful to just focus on 20% of the most important pieces of the lecture rather than trying to memorize and learn everything. Most of the bang for our buck in this class seems to be just knowing the vocab and paradigms.

This is kind of what I do to prime my mind before the start of each new lecture. Should not take more than 10 mins. It's really the 20% shopping list that I try to stick to when I go through the "grocery store" of the lesson. Don't get stuck eating samples and buy everything (Argh Costco!!!!).

Set Timer:

• Aim for 10-minute sessions.

• This "Prestudy" is 4-12 hours before lecture.

Identify Objectives:

• Refer to syllabus and objectives for each lesson.

• Focus on key learning goals.

Scout Map:

• Dr. Lanier has scanned slides/textbook.

• Note headers, diagrams.

• Understand lecture structure.

Form Hypothesis:

• Analyze the main idea.

• Identify crucial information in the lectures.

• Summarize as best you can in 3 sentences what you think the point of the lesson is to know.

Get some Rest and then do Lectures

• Sleep will consolidate your memories.

• Confirm if your hypothesis summary is right or not.

• Lean into things you got wrong based on the HW and Labs.

I'm not sure if you're a perfectionist or not, but this has been a real challenge for me too. To realize that it's okay to keep making mistakes. That's the only way you'll be able to learn. There's a study done by the NIH that talks about the hypercorrection effect. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3604148/ The more you answer things wrong confidently and are willing to be corrected, the more likely you'll remember. This sounds like the gospel living doesn't it? 

They don't talk about humility in the paper, but I think it is the secret to unlocking progress.

I hope this is an encouragement to you, brother. I'm rooting for you and will pray for your progress! Please pray for me as well.- David

Family Snapshots:

Support Update:

Our financial support goal has increased to account for inflation, seminary costs, and our family's needs. We are at 100% of our needs for the 2024 ministry year. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. MINISTRY OF COFFEE Just as the apostle Paul relied on making tents to fund his missionary trips, we also started a coffee business to supplement our income. Let us know if you'd like to try any samples or like to replace your current coffee subscription! There's nothing like fresh roasted coffee. Soooo good! All proceeds directly support our family. Check out our offerings: www.faithfulsaintcoffee.com

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Thank you for your faithful giving and support. We definitely can't do this work without you!In Christ,David, Reagan, Judah, Ezra, Joy, and Evy