Dear Friends,

Here in Illinois the leaves are now in their full summer deep green. Though the weather is cool and wet and the equinox is three weeks away, it is truly summer here. It seems impossible that two years have passed since I last sent you all a letter like this. At that time, I was preparing to leave India to begin a two-year course of graduate study. Having completed a masters degree in interdisciplinary studies at Wheaton College, I am again packing to return to India and to my work at Woodstock School. I think that my program of interdisciplinary study will enhance my teaching, or at least the base from which I think and plan my lessons and reading.

I first went to India and Woodstock in 1984 and left in 1998 for this study. Now, as I return, perhaps I ought to introduce you to Woodstock again. As a residential Christian international school in India, Woodstock has participated in the education of the children of missionaries—American, British and Commonwealth, as well as Indian nationals—since 1854. The Presbyterian Church has been involved in Woodstock since the late 1800s. (I was going to say "since late in the last century," but that does not work anymore.) Since the 1970s, the school has served the Christian and international community in Asia, educating children from different countries in India and Asia as well as other parts of the world. The students come from many different religious backgrounds, but their parents send them to a Christian school for the kind of care and education they will get there. The ministry is an opportunity to look after children and be involved in their lives as well as provide a college preparatory education in English. Students learn about the Christian faith, the Bible, the life of Christ, and they live in a community that strives to live out those teachings. As the next generation of leaders in their respective countries, the seeds planted at Woodstock— academic, social, and spiritual—will bear fruit in the days to come.

Over my 14 years at Woodstock I have been privileged to get to know people from all over the world and maintain contact with many of them, who are now in their 20s. Our ongoing communication is a source of joy and encouragement as I pack up and send my books again, sort and store my belongings. The phone calls and e-mails remind me that the seeds of encounter with India, with intellectual stimulation, with Christian thought, and with genuine relationships continue to grow. This is what the ministry of Woodstock is all about and it is a vital example of the kind of work Worldwide Ministries Division of PC(USA) supports. Thank you for your part in that and your part in praying for India in its joys and sorrows.

On my return I will be teaching grade 12 English, which includes an array of world literature, a wonderful vehicle for thinking about and discussing personal, social, and ethical issues. I will also be teaching literature electives such as the European novel—in which we also take a look at some 19th and 20th century philosophy—and Indian literature in English. In addition, I will serve as head of the English Department and be part of the usual school committees and community activities. I hope to be able to offer hospitality to both students and other guests to the hillside.

This letter has been a brief introduction to me, Woodstock, and the work there as I return to "begin again." I am grateful for these two years of study and refreshment. I appreciate your prayers for travel mercies (I fly to India July 2), for settling in (work begins July 20), and a good start to the new school year (July 26). Continue to pray for India and for the Christians there who face daunting hurdles in faith and witness.

Thank you for your prayers. Rejoice that you participate

Kathy Hoffman