Learning the alphabet in one's Mother Tongue.

The classroom was full of learners this past Saturday. 

In my last post I explained how I have been going to the farm on Saturdays and bringing some of our homeschool books for the ladies to read (or learn how to read). I got to ask Grace, my best friend here in Kenya, if she knew if it was possible to get simple books with pictures- in the villagers Mother tongue. Grace reached out to someone who was a part of the Bible Translation project.  She inquired if there was any material available in this specificic language. They said this request was an answer to prayer. They would come bring the material and teach a lesson on the letters of the alphabet, and asked if they could come this past weekend. I'm so amazed at how God orchestrated this so easily. I don't think I had enough faith that this would happen immediately and smoothly. God is so good and able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. I give Him the praise that it was a successful day of language learning and there is a plan for more language classes in the future. 

Jason requested a spokesman to give a welcome speech to the teachers.

Jason made a huge pot of beef stew for this occasion so that it would be more special than a normal day. He also brought provision for everyone to drink chai. When he asked for the spokesman of the village to welcome the teachers, the man refused which was very unlike his character. We believe he thought we were forcing everyone to listen to scriptures or hear a talk on Christianity. A different farm worker stepped up to give the welcoming and then the lesson began. There are 50 letters in their alphabet including 7 vowels. When each letter was pronounced me, our daughters, and the others did our best to copy. This was the first time everyone saw letters and words in their own language because it is an oral language. Knowledge is power and I am so blessed that I have gotten an education which has allowed me to read hundreds and thousands of books in my lifetime. I never want to take reading for granted. I looked up that 13% of adults in the world are illiterate,  which is roughly 739 million. In Kenya its a higher percentage, 17.38% or more of the population is illiterate. This is a travesty and we want to be part of the solution to change this. The ladies at the farm have shown a hunger to learn, and some of the men too. Of course our hope is one day they all could be able to read the Word of God in their Mother Tongue and that it would transform their lives. I don't know how long this could take but the testimony is, that this is the beginning. 

One of the teachers going over the pronunciation of the alphabet. 

Making words with the letters.

Man in red felt overwhelmed at one point and put his head down.

The class was very interactive. Men and women took turns writing out words on the board.

The teachers turned the learning into a competition which made it a fun game for everyoneto enjoy. We clapped after each person wrote.

I'm so proud of our daughters and honored that they participate and do life with us.

Me, Grace, and one of the teachers discuss how the day went and plan for more classes in the future.

May God receive all praise and glory for this day.