Just last month, I was commenting on how quickly this year is coming to a close. It feels like I blinked my eyes, and all of a sudden we are now in December, well and truly approaching the end of 2020. I’m sure that 2021 will be upon us in a flash at this rate.
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It is really hard for me to believe that 2020 is quickly drawing to a close. I think for many of us we might even be looking forward to thinking of 2020 as “behind us.” It has certainly been an exceedingly difficult year for a number of reasons, the global pandemic being a primary one.
As we push forward in spite of the challenges, it is important to remind ourselves of the fact that we place our hope, confidence, and full trust in Christ, and not in our circumstances. While much is uncertain around us, He is steadfast and near, always with us through the presence of the Holy Spirit and His Word, as we continue to seek Him and His Kingdom through faithful obedience. This does not mean that we are to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that the real and desperate challenges before us are “no big deal.” We must face the challenges head on, but we cannot face them in our own strength. Rather, we must commit ourselves to His care and leading.
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The last couple of months I’ve greeted you from unusual circumstances. In August, I was actually on the road, and in September I was in a 14-day precautionary quarantine. Now, I am writing peacefully from my home in Talysarn, which at first glance shouldn’t seem odd, except for the fact that I was supposed to be in another country (Estonia) with the ministry today. I’ll say more about that in the update. Regardless of my location and circumstances, I extend warm greetings to you all for this month’s bulletin.
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Last month I greeted you under unusual circumstances (I was in London travelling at the time), and I will continue that trend in this month’s letter. I can greet you most heartily from my home in Talysarn, North Wales, where I have been in a precautionary 14-day self-isolating quarantine, after having return from the travels I mentioned last month. This was required by new UK government requirements for people, who had been in a few specific countries in the 14 days prior to entry into the UK. As it happened, I was in two such countries before my return, which is the reason for my quarantine.
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In this month’s Sprachspielen, I’d like for us to look at a word that you have undoubtedly seen us use with great regularity. It is the word “indigenous.” Another word that we often use in a similar way is “autochthonous,” a borrowing from Greek, which is generally less familiar to English speakers, but actually fairly commonly used in Romance languages such as Spanish, Italian, French and Romanian. But for the moment, I’d like to focus on the more familiar word “indigenous.”
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Ordinarily, I would be extending my greetings to you from Wales. However, as it happens I am writing this from London on my way for some travel on the Continent. Consequently—Greetings from London! For most of us living in Europe, August is often considered “holiday” month, when people take their annual holidays (“vacation” for those in the USA) or breaks. Our August here so far has seen record-breaking heatwaves and dramatic thunderstorms.
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