Here at MTI in Colorado, lots of big things are going on.

• We’ve learned how to make lots of sounds we didn’t know existed.
• We’ve worked through learner-directed language learning activities.
• We’ve been coached in our language learning plans and in our general lives (AKA counseling).
• We’ve had growth groups, personal reflection times, language drill groups, and a lot of “community.”

It is four weeks unlike anything we have ever done or are likely to do again, and today we’re at the halfway point.  Friday the “language” staff transitioned us to the “culture” staff, and this weekend we’re doing homework on our conflict resolutions patterns. But I (Jody) want to share a few small things.

A lot of trains go by here, sometimes two per hour.  They are much closer than they look in this photo.  We sleep with our window open and they continue all throughout the night.  If I’m in a deep sleep, they don’t wake me up.  But if I’m dreaming or sleeping lightly, they do.  Thankfully they don’t whistle (since there is no crossing), but the engines going by make quite a bit of noise.

Enter the lowly ear plug.  It must filter out just enough engine noise that I can sleep through trains.  Yea!  (Scott sleeps through them with no problem.)

This is a small mirror, maybe 2″ x 3″.  When we do phonetics drills and try to get our mouths into impossible positions to make impossible sounds, we  use these mirrors.  We  look at our drill instructor’s mouth and then look in our mirrors to see if our mouths look the same.

But when I look into my mirror, it’s really a much closer view than I want.  I get distracted by all the wrinkles around my mouth.  And by the lines on my cheeks.  I start thinking, “When did I get so wrinkly?  Boy, I must be really old to have all these wrinkles.  Maybe I’m too old to be making all these changes.”  I got so I really didn’t like using my “mouth mirror.”

But Tuesday morning, my Bible reading plan had me in Psalm 92, and verse 14 jumped out at me:

They [the righteous] will still bear fruit in old age, They will stay fresh and green….

My prayer is that the wrinkles in my mouth mirror will remind me of God’s promises for my old age, and I’ll stay fresh and green.  (Sounds like an Ents draught, doesn’t it?)

For more on MTI, check out these blogs by two new friends here:

Alexis’ blog: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Ka Ka Ka Ka Ka, Hiss!

Keri’s blog: Goo Goo Gaa Gaa.  Muu Muu Maa Maa.