Our escort, Lopua, is speaking of alcohol's grip on the people we pass. He reminds us that we should never come out after dark, for that is when the men travel from the villages to take the "strong man's" drink. This is the drink that makes the strong man weak - putting him in such a stupor as to dance along the road, singing his crazy tune, talking to himself like a madman, and eventually going blind, if not being killed by his consumption.
"Almost every man in the village is doing this," Lopua tells us.
"And your father? Does he also drink?" we ask.
"Yes...even my father, he is drinking." The young man shakes his head and looks at the ground, kicking the rubbish strewn along our path. "I tell him, 'Don't drink. This is not good. It is making you crazy.' But he tells me, 'Son, you are young. What do you know about drinking that you can tell me what is good and what is not?'"
Silence. We've reached the riverbed with its ankle-deep water and are beginning to cross, sliding our feet through the sand in imitation of our escort. Ahead of us, women wash clothes in the river's shallow pits. They greet us as we pass. "Maata nabo! Maata jik!" Children bathe themselves nearby, joyful at the presence of water in a riverbed that is so often dry.
Our hearts are grieved by the growing sorrow in our escort's countenance as he ponders our question. We follow his footsteps down a winding goat trail and pray, "God, when Lopua's father sees him again, let it be plain that the wisdom coming from this young man is not that of age or experience but that which comes from You." Later we set the context for Paul's letter to Timothy, sharing with our friend chapter 4, verse 12. Together, we are exhorted to be examples in our youth, having our hopes set on the living God.
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously to
all without reproach, and it will be given him." James 1:5
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| Ramaduk teaching the Bible History Timeline after the first day of class. This timelinestretched from Abraham to the completion of the New Testament, highlighting major Bible characters and events. Approximate dates are shown for major events but emphasis was placed on tracing the time according to the Toposa pattern of generations. In this wise, it was learned that 137 generations have passed between the time of Abraham and today. |
The next morning students file into the classroom for our first day of Bible School on the Hope4Sudan compound. Many of the young men have been speaking of their desire to attend Bible School one day so, after praying about it, April and I decided to start classes right here. Since our target audience in this particular endeavor is a mixture of pure and semi-oral learners (illiterate and semi-literate individuals), we did a lot of praying as to how we could bridge the gap and provide an environment where both types of learners could absorb the truth of God's Word. As Storying has been an effective means of communicating Scripture to the people, we wanted to include this component in the classroom. However, we also saw the necessity of teaching some basic exegetical study skills to those who are beginning to practice literacy. Somehow all of this needed to be done in a fashion that could be easily recalled by those in the classroom who had no way to write down points and who showed no evidence of the thought patterns unique to literate individuals. In the midst of praying and brainstorming over these factors, I recalled several
discussions I'd had with a friend back home who often spoke of the internalization that comes with one's immediate re-teaching of a subject upon learning of it. This and several other of my friend's ideas came to the forefront of my mind and are now seeing fruit as they are being practiced in the classroom.
The following is an overview of the Bible program currently in place at H4S. We would love your feedback and any further ideas you might have for effective teaching in a mixed group of learners!
Primary Purpose: To facilitate an environment where tribesmen can share together in a joy for learning God's Word and where they are open not only to the teachings of Scripture, but also to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives through the Scriptures being taught. To make this a time of training from which students can be deployed as teachers of sound Biblical doctrine.
Method: Exegetical with oral components
- Going slowly through a Bible book and thus giving oral learners time to soak in short passages (We'll be taking the month of January to cover the book of James. The class meets five mornings a week.)
- Examining key words and clarifying the meaning of confusing/difficult passages (i.e. Making clear the meaning of James 1:9 when it says "Let the lowly brother/poor man boast in his exaltation".)
- Illustrating each passage with easily understood and easily reproducible drawings (Students "take notes" by reproducing these drawings in their notebooks.)
- Working together to condense the Scriptures into lyrics which can be put to Toposa tunes and sung as both a memory and teaching tool
- Incorporating stories to drive home the points of a passage (i.e. This week, in covering James 1:1-12 we did the story of Paul and Silas. Each morning, we repeated this story either before or after the Bible study.)
- Teaching with passion, adapting to culturally appropriate pitches in voice during the "high and low" points of the teaching, using Toposa hand gestures throughout, etc.
Tests: Immediate and repetitive
- Asking questions often and waiting for either individual or group responses
- Teaching no longer than 45 minutes and splitting this time into even smaller segments, with "pauses" in between. During the pause, a student is called on to come forward and re-teach the lesson up to that point. Following this course, lessons are often repeated three to four times by the morning's end as our interpreter and often an additional student will volunteer to review the information again.
- Practicing group accountability as everyone is expected to help the teacher-student recall anything he might have forgotten and to correct any wrong teaching that is presented. (In doing this, it is made clear that we are not judging each other's teaching ability but rather assessing the content being presented. By this practice, we pray they will come to realize the importance of holding one another accountable for what's being taught. Meanwhile, it is also being made plain to April and I who the natural teachers and leaders are in the group.)
- Presenting various scenarios following the lesson and asking for the appropriate Biblical response based on that day's teaching
- Calling on students each morning to re-teach the previous day's lesson before launching into new material
Application: Individual and Community
- Asking key Storying questions such as 1) What does this Scripture passage/Story tell us about human nature? 2) What does it tell us about God's nature? 3) What difference does it make in my life?/How can I apply it to my life?
- Striving to practice with my teammate and encouraging members of the group to likewise practice holding each other accountable for what they've heard together in the classroom (James 1:22)
- Taking the lesson outside the classroom in imitation of Christ's method of teaching and deploying (We've been blessed to see the boys doing this daily as many leave the class and grab a chair outside, becoming quickly encircled with kids. The first day we saw this, I nearly cried with joy! Lopua was found to be sitting with a group of children under an acacia tree. We could hear him from a distance teaching them the Bible history timeline from the first day of class and sharing with them his pictures to illustrate it. Beside him stood another boy who was filling in what Lopua missed on the timeline.)
I realize this class was not the focal point of our plans when we came here and that it is very much in the experimental stage, but we pray the Lord will bless it for however long He would have it last and for whoever is involved. May God be praised for the twelve Toposas who have faithfully attended the first week of classes as we've studied together James 1:1-15. Please pray with us that the Holy Spirit would only give these students a greater and greater thirst for the Word as we delve deeper into the book.
At the church, we're beginning a Story series on the life of David- a great tie-in to James 1:13-15 for our students. If, as we have learned in that passage, sin begins with the desires of our own hearts, then we should be praying like David, "Create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10) The Lord blessed the class with a sweet time of worship Friday afternoon as we ended out the week by responding with this verse of David's song. It was an even greater blessing to walk outside early this morning and hear one of the boys rehearsing the words again. May the Lord do this continuing work in all our hearts as we look forward to the days ahead.
We are so grateful for your prayers and partnership in the Gospel!
Love in Christ,
Darah
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