Comprehension: a trained response.

Just some shots from this week: (clockwise from top left) – Clearing a spot for a new multi-family garden just above the village, some young friends came over for an afternoon of ‘watch the while people’, A village boy wanting to play, Tim showing me how to make funny faces, Noah and our partner’s boy Micah adding to the silliness.

Basic Training

“Lo – Uh – Nuh…. Ilipikad!” – Student sounding out a word and then saying something different… our friends are getting better in this area, but they still struggle with following a story line and its logic as they read it.

Its not that our students are not smart – they are very intelligent – it is just that the certain kind of specific training that we tend to take for granted in the States is something completely new to them.  They need to be told specifically first that written word has a meaning that must be extracted (rather than twisted to mean whatever they feel like) and then taught to actually think through the text to find that meaning.

This means reading together and asking and answering basic comprehension questions – the who, what, where, how, and whys of each text.  That way, when we are able to hand them the scripture they will be able to understand its meaning and it will be allowed to speak in their minds – that which it really says, not just what they expect it to.

Sunset at our home in Pal… sometimes we are shocked at how nice it all looks.

More on Comprehension

I (Nate) am working through some portions of Genesis that are (hopefully) nearly ready for publication. It has been quite a process reading through it (2 times – one to go) with a Pal speaker and asking those same who, what, where, when, and why questions. Having to change the order of sentences or adding an additional phrase to make sure that we specify the right actor or aspect in a situation. Please remember this process in prayer – we are finding that certain folks really have a talent for it and can help us work at 5-7 times the normal average. These folks are not always available… please pray with us that they would be ready and willing to work alongside us in this task.

More to pray for:

• Literacy Class – going really well but there is some sickness that has affected some of our students. Pray for endurance, health, and eager /willing learners. (One of the main hold-ups in PNG is the fear of shame – so guys are not always will to take advice or they may find it hard to submit to the rules of the classroom.
• Language Checks – Most of the team will have language evaluations at the end of September – we hope that three will at that point be approved for ministry in Pal. (Elizabeth, Chris, and Maggie)
• Consultant/ Strategy Meetings -  Also at the end of the month we will be meeting with some folks who have walked these paths before and seeking to plan out a fairly specific strategy leading up to the evangelistic lessons that we hope to present next year.
• Big Personal Decisions -  Trying to decide what to do about a few things for our family these days that are either costly or potentially risky. Not really free to share more at this point  - just know that these decisions do not affect our long term plans to finish what we have started here in Pal.

Thanks so much for standing with us,

Nate and Elizabeth and boys.