We have
wrapped up our first semester of work at Tri Tunggal School in Semarang. Exams got finished, grades were turned in,
and Christmas services and parties were attended. Now the teachers are “off”, but Casey is
still going in this break for a few hours each day during the week because
projects are going on which the staff are working on.
Ryan,
Niko and Chase finished out the semester well.
Ryan earned two A’s, one B and a C on his online courses. Math was the toughest. Hopefully next semester he can improve that
score. He has to work hard and work
independently, but he is doing a great job.
Next semester he will begin receiving grades for his classes which he
takes with the 7th graders at Tri Tunggal too. Niko reached 40% completion on all of his
online course work (which was the goal).
He got mostly all A’s on his Tri Tunggal courses. Chase did a great job at school. His teacher praised him for always trying,
even when it is tough. He asks questions
and tries his best. He is doing so much
better socializing with his friends.
There are a few things to pray about for the boys. Please do pray for Ryan and Niko as they seek
to build friendships. That has been
tough for them. On Jan 6-8, Niko is
going to a “friendship camp” with his class.
They are going to spend the night out of town, and that will be very
different for him. He will be in
Salatiga, which is about 2 hours from us—so still on the same island J. Ryan will be going to Bali with his class in
February, which involves flying to another island! So, you can pray for his parents in regards
to that trip. He doesn’t really want to
go, but it would be good for him to be with his class and get to know them and
also be able to experience Bali.
This last
weekend we also got to experience the wedding of our good friend Pita. She has been waiting and praying for God to
bring the right person into her life, and it was so exciting to share this
celebration with her. We were at wedding
events for two full days. I have not
made a Facebook album of photos yet, but will work on it when I return. On the first day there was a traditional
event surrounding preparing the bride for the wedding and then in the evening
was the service called an “engagement” and the groom’s family brought gifts (dowry)
for the bride. There was a prayer which
was conducted by a pastor. On the next day
we spent hours getting made up and getting dressed before a service at church
and then a reception where Casey and I were greeters with other family
members. We really felt honored to be a
part of the ceremony. Our friends are
now on their honeymoon on the island of Lombok.
They spent some time with us Christmas morning and we took them to the
airport for their trip. We are praying
that God will work through their lives and marriage and that He will bless
them. We are so happy for them.
I will be
leaving tomorrow to fly to the States for a very short week. I get to spend the time with my Mom and Dad
and I’m really thankful for that. It is
a short time, but I didn’t feel like I could/should leave my boys for any
longer than that and I really wanted to spend Christmas with them. Please pray for safety on my journey and for
the boys and Casey to have a good week.
They can’t travel far to do much since Casey will be working, but
hopefully they can still do some fun things together.
We all
dive back into school on January 6th, and as I look at the calendar,
it will be a very busy first week.
Please pray for rest and recuperation this week as we live through a
different and quieter schedule (even if part of it for me involves sitting in
airplanes J).
We love
you all and miss you. We are thankful
for the opportunity we have been given to live and minister in this place. We are thankful for your prayers and
support.
Much
love,
Casey,
Sharon, Ryan, Niko and Chase
For support or financial
gifts please send it to us at: Casey
& Sharon Bernhardt, PO Box 2479, Anderson, IN, 46018-2479 (through Madison
Park Church of God)
You can write us personally
at: Casey & Sharon Bernhardt, Jl.
Puri Anjasmoro L15/2, Semarang, 50744, Jateng, Indonesia
We have received mail but it takes a few
weeks. We also have received a
package. We just had to go to the
central post office to pick it up.
Please let us know if you send anything, so we can be looking for
it.
