Literacy and ESL updates

Hello!

Last month I held a three day literacy testing seminar.  This was to help the people who give the literacy tests do a better job.  I didn't write about it because I had other things I wanted to post.  So, I just wanted to let you know that it happened.  These literacy tests are really subjective.  The testers have to ask themselves, is the person reading well enough to pass or should they go back and review a bit more.  It is hard for a Turkana to tell another Turkana that they have not passed.  So, I did a lot of encouraging.  It was a good seminar and I think they went away with better skills for giving the literacy tests.

This week I had my twenty first week long English class.  As I posted earlier I only had 5 students come.  On Wednesday I had two more come so our total was up to 7 out of a possible 11 students.  Even though we were small, the students and I had fun learning new words to tell the story of Joseph and Moses (up to the dividing of the Red Sea).  We discussed how God can use bad situations and turn them into ways to bless the person and others around him or her.  We also talked about how some people can see amazing miracles and yet still not believe in God.  They see this here and wanted to give me examples.  It was good to hear them trying to express themselves in English.  We went back and forth between Turkana and English, but they were getting a lot of English out in the process.

So, that is what I have been up to this week.  What about you?  Next week I will be teaching in our Bible training institute.  So, I am studying up on the Wisdom literature from the Old Testament.  We will cover Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon.  It should be a good week.

prayer request!

Hello!

I am teaching my English class this week.  It is really hot and humid.  We are all hoping it will rain since it is so humid.  You could pray about that too.  Really, my request is that you pray for my students.  I currently have 11 students that come to my class.  This week I had 5 come.  The others are all home because of family problems.

Hmm...Family Problems.  What does this mean in Turkana?  Basically, it means that the students are out looking for food because their families don't have food to eat.  It has been a very dry couple of years.  In those years, the animals didn't do so well.  Many of them died of starvation or respiratory diseases they couldn't fight because they didn't have the energy.  So, please pray for my students.  Pray that they find the food they need for their families.  Pray that the rain comes this year in a quantity and quality that will revive the land and the animals.  Pray that the animals will be strong enough to survive the cold (in the 70s) when it does rain.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!  Have a good week and please remember to pray!