Grace's Thesis

THESIS UPDATE 1: “Green for Hope”

(Green is the color of hope! I am very hopeful I will finish my thesis and graduate!)

I am finally back in UP College of Education and was given a gracious re-admission and re-extension but with the ultimatum that I have to finish within this semester. That leaves me until October of this year to graduate. Please keep me in your prayers:

1. I am enrolled in 6 units of penalty course.

2. I am now working on my thesis (again!). I've started editing my first three chapters. My data are all in. I just have to analyze them (yeah, JUST analyze them....)

3. I have 2 lovely kids to care for everyday.

But, there is much to praise God for:

1. Mang is a major encourager and cheer leader!

2. I have re-traced my steps and have gained momentum.

3. I have a new helper. Manang Mary is such a blessing as I don't have to supervise her closely.

4. I have time.

5. I have prayer partners.

6. I have the LORD!

God's promise: "Refrain from weeping and dry your tears for your work will be rewarded" (Jer 31:16, my paraphrase)

Thanks,

Grace

THESIS UPDATE 2: “One Step at a Time”

(Green is the color of hope! I am very hopeful I will finish my thesis and graduate!)

You may be wondering what is this thesis I have been asking you to pray for. It is my final requirement for me to obtain my degree in MA Language Education from the College of Education, UP Diliman. My thesis is entitled Interfacing English and Theology wherein I conducted a research on materials production of English lessons designed for theological seminaries. There were many times that I had wanted to throw in the towel because it has taken me eight years to reach this point, almost like a year for each portion of the research. At last, my data has come in and I am now facing the last two hurdles—writing the results of the research and defending the paper to my panel.

Please continue to pray for me:

1. for God to provide me a Hi8 video camera (if someone out there is willing to lend one to me, I’d appreciate it very much!) so I can view the taped sessions of the class that pilot tested the material I wrote.
2. for my adviser and critique/reader to be available after August 20 so they can read my first draft and give a go signal for me to defend in September.
3. for me to be able to finish writing and submit my draft on August 20.
4. for me to be able to defend the paper in September.

Praise God with me because…

…I have edited the first three chapters of my thesis.

…I have come up with a work plan (I’ll email that in the next update so you can keep me in your prayers as well as keep me accountable).

…my parents are coming over next week and help care for the kids in between their own doctoral classes at the AGST.

I appreciate your prayers and encouragement,

Grace

“…your work shall be rewarded…” Jeremiah 31:16

THESIS UPDATE 3: “Toxic”

The past days have been unbelievably stressful but God has been exceedingly faithful!

On Monday evening Lian Ed started having fever, cough and colds. By Tuesday afternoon, his fever went to 40.5 degrees Celsius! It’s enough to send me into “emergency mode” but not enough to make me take him to the ER. I just applied the first aid that I know – give him a quick cold shower. Sure enough, the fever immediately went down to 39.5 degrees. Paracetamol with ibuprofen, water intake and sponge baths did the rest of the trick. Of course, Lian Ed’s pediatrician (Dr. Gigi Cruz, thanks a lot!) was an SMS away and coached me on what to do next. As I write, my son is sound asleep with no fever and just a slight cough. I decided not to let him go to school this week so he could fully recover. With hardly any sleep, I still declare, “God is good!”

Many of you don’t know that Mang is out on a mission trip and won’t be back until August 15. He is engaged in a training for youth in a house church network in an Asian country. It has become nearly a trend that whenever Mang is in a crucial ministry trip, Lian Ed would have a spell just like what he had. But God overcomes. He has blessed Mang’s trip (he called me up today, yippee!) and has healed our son.

So, what’s the update regarding my thesis? A prayer partner has committed to helping me have a Hi-8 video camera (hurray!). I’ve informally met up with my adviser and she was very hopeful we could get the defense going by September. She even said, “Grace, you’ve got plenty of time. Kaya ‘yan!” I’ve finished the first three stages of my data analysis and have started the fourth. There are five stages and I have all the data in. I just have to discipline myself to work on certain chunks of time in a day to finish the Data Analysis no later than Monday. To do that, I have to:

1. analyze 15 journal entries of the teacher who pilot-tested my material
2. watch 5 3-hour videos of the actual teaching/learning experience of the class
3. analyze the results of the post-test evaluation
4. synthesize all the data I’ve gathered

Please keep praying! It works!

THESIS UPDATE 4: “The Draft”

When (wo)man works, (wo)man works. When (wo)man prays, God works!

Indeed, it is God who worked beyond what I could think, dream or imagine. Today (Aug 19), I printed the last page of my first draft! I will take it for photocopying and binding then tomorrow submit it to my adviser. My thesis had a total of 280 pages (including the appendices). God marvelously put them all together! God is good all the time!

Don’t cease praying for after my adviser and critique reader have read the draft, I will go on the grill for my defense in September.

Keep standing in the gap for me. Thank you.

Awed and humbled,

Grace