Our class is a very small one with only 21 students this semester.

But there are three other groups of classes studying here at the same time so there are lots of people around.

We are looking forward to developing new friendships and getting to know the other students.

Here’s a look at some of the classes we are going to be taking this semester. (as taken from the NTM website: http://www.ntm.org/

Worldview - discusses what worldviews are, how they develop, how they affect behavior, and how worldview assumptions can be analyzed, with particular focus on the North American worldview.

New Testament Church Principles- gives a detailed overview of the missionary candidate's future, clarifying what is involved in church planting and how the different components (taught in courses) relate to the whole/complete work.

Practical Ministry Skills- challenges the missionary candidates to consider how the principles learned in other classes can be applied to their daily lives, particularly to their outreach and local church ministries.

Foundational Bible Teaching - presents biblical themes from creation through Christ’s ascension necessary for a clear understanding of the Gospel and the security of the believer. This course also addresses the rationale for teaching this way, demonstrating its effectiveness as a methodology for evangelism and church planting.

Teamwork- addresses the dynamics of a team approach to ministry.

Time Management- is designed to assist the missionary candidates in the effective use of their time.

Money Management- presents basic principles of budgeting and tracking income and expenses.

Culture & Language Acquisition Introduction- introduces NTM’s program for culture & language acquisition.

Phonetics- presents the basic concepts of articulatory phonetics by describing points of articulation, manners of articulation and the human speech apparatus. Besides learning phonetic theory, the missionary candidate will practice hearing, producing and writing various phonetic sounds.

Form & Meaning- gives an in-depth explanation of the appropriate relationship between form and meaning particularly as it relates to Bible translation.

Right now we are also taking a class called Learning Styles and it's really interesting. Geoff and I have both discovered what our learning style is and how we learn best.  It's helped to understand each other better. Elijah is clearly one of these styles and it's so much fun to learn because now we know why he does what he does! And we can adjust our teaching/communicating so he'll respond and understand better.

I'm adding this book to my list of giveaways I want to do here on The Missionary Mama. I'll share more about the book and what we've learned then. I think it's a book we all could benefit from. Especially teachers and those working with kids.

Once again we thank you for your prayers and encouragement as we finish the training with NTM. It means more than you know!