Our team just went through our first language evaluation since Rochelle and I have moved in. We were all a little nervous, because a lot was riding on the outcome, especially for our two lady co-workers (Aurelie and Nisae).
We were also a little nervous, because our team had never used this particular consultant before, and we didn’t know quite what to expect. It turns out that as long as we were planning on hosting the perfect human specimen of what a tribal church-planting missionary is supposed to be, then we had nothing to worry about.
Our consultant was a blond-haired, insanely ripped missionary who has been in the country for around 12 years. He starts his day at 5 AM, does regular work-outs, is working on finishing up his people group’s New Testament translation, teaches regularly in two separate villages, and travels around PNG helping other missionaries learn unwritten languages. Oh yeah, and he is working on writing a book.
If you would ever like to hang out with someone that can make you feel like an incompetent weenie without even trying, just let me know. I have his contact info.
While he was with us, I tried to take comfort in the idea that besides his well-disciplined life-style, his toned physique, his healthy living, his amazing intellect, his winning personality, and his many accomplishments, he’s probably just a regular guy like me. And then, after he left, I took some more comfort in a pack of Oreos.
The following is a summary of how the testing went:
Aurelie: “I feel like there is so much of the language that I still don’t know.”
Consultant: “Actually, you have learned enough to stop your formal CLA. You’re at Capable High proficiency!”
Nisae: “I feel like there is so much of the language that I still don’t know.”
Consultant: “Actually, you have learned enough to stop your formal CLA. You’re at Capable High proficiency!”
Seth: “I feel like there is so much of the language that I still don’t know.”
Consultant: “Yes, you are about as clueless as that tree stump over there.”
So, as a team, we are thrilled with the progress that some of us have made in the language. These two ladies, in the midst of home-schooling their kids and maintaining their households, somehow managed to learn an unwritten tribal language in 18 months! We couldn’t be more proud of them and their hard work and dedication!
Over the next months, as we continue to try to catch up in CLA (remember, we’ve only been working on language-learning for six weeks now), our partners will be able to put together our literacy program and begin the process of writing lessons and translating Scripture into the Iski language!
It’s a long, hard process, to be sure, but we’re so excited to see our team this much closer to being able to present the Gospel to the Iski people!
Please join us in thanking our Father for all He has done to bring our team to this place! And please continue to pray for us all as we plod along, that we would be able to stay focused, stay healthy, and remain unified.
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