This week in Pal: Bad Blood Fears and Good Progress Cheers*

Elizabeth, still smiling despite being in the midst of her language evaluation. One of our language consultants and Pal language helpers are also in the picture.

Progress!

What an encouragement it was this week to see Elizabeth communicating well in Pal. Her evaluation showed her to be only one step away from completing her formal Pal language study. We are thankful for your prayers and care for us over the last couple of years of hard work in this area.

While she is not done per se, she is at the point in language where it she is approved to help out in teaching Pal literacy classes and do comprehension checking for our translated materials. This is especially important to us as we would very much like the women of Pal to be included in all aspects of the work as well.

Two of our Pal friends enjoy listening to the language checking process.

Bad Blood.

Yesterday was a meeting day here in Pal and, having some things to talk about as far as the new school and some new partners, I attended. Imagine a city council meeting where there are many attendees, but most are slumped in lethargy until their particular topic of interest comes up.  The effect in Pal is that of a slow – bubbling pot of thick porridge. Bubbles of activity slowly appear,  rising from the placid surface only to burst and return to relative calm only for another ripple to emerge in a different part of the group.

There was one topic though, that had men all over the meeting area springing to their feet, talking at once, yelling even. When the topic of an generations-old curse and the appropriate settlement was broached, it was as if a bomb had gone off. Three or four guys from one clan would be yelling at others who would promptly yell back during which a third and fourth clan would elbow their way into the verbal fray.

One old woman had the floor for a few short seconds during which she emphasized that something had to be done!

Because there was so much going on at once and things got so heated, I was unable to follow the conversation and turned to a friend. He told me it was about the ‘killing of Cain’, and that someone, out of jealousy had ‘killed’ (worked sorcery on) a man from a mission station who had traveled to Pal back in the 1950s or 1960s. The reason for the heat at the moment is that the Pal people believe that they need to somehow make reparation for that deed before they can get the good things that their ancestors have waiting for them.

I guess the reason that we are relating this story is really just to say – we have so much left to learn here. We really would appreciate your prayers for guys to come alongside us and share with us from their hearts – so that we can know our Pal friends well and effectively share the truth with them.

Thanks so much for praying.

Nate for the fam.

*lame rhyming, I know, I blame it on too many yams in my diet. Elizabeth has another theory… I’ll just say that it rhymes with beardness.