Next we did a fun literacy activity that reinforced listening and reading skills. I had picked up some pre-school bible story board books while in the states last winter, and translated and printed the story of Jonah onto slips of paper to be taped over the English words. We had the children work in groups, and with their story puzzles in front of them, they listened as I read each page in Spanish. The first team to correctly identify the matching phrase they heard me read with one of their story cards got to tape the new text over the English.
I still marvel at how they are progressing in studies while learning in a language not their first. I love to hear them converse among themselves in Kekchi while working on our Spanish projects together. Their incremental, bi-lingual victories encourage us to keep pressing through our own language challenges.
By the way, when I asked the kids who knew the story of Jonah, nobody responded. Seriously. Not one child! So, it was a tremendous blessing when the (public school) teacher took time to make sure the kids understood the message before he put their new "Spanish bible reader" on the classroom shelf. Gotta love it. God opening doors of favor and opportunity.
Please continue to pray for this village and the Literacy Project outreach opportunity. Thank you for sowing into the ministry here in Guatemala!
Simply Serving,
Rod & De Ishmael
Guatemala
To support this ministry, send donations to:
Crescent Lake Christian Center
1250 Saint Louis Ave.
Excelsior Springs, MO 64024
