Promoting Literacy

During a recent conversation with some of the other interns, I realized how much of a theme there has been to the ministries that my team has been involved with. Somehow, a large number of the things that we have done or are in the process of doing have been literacy or communications media related.

Rebecca headed up the Bible story pictures that we painted on the walls out at school and then spent last term going back out to the school to tell the preschool and kindergarteners the stories. Now, she is working on illustrating culturally appropriate health and safety posters, helping a friend illustrate an English children’s story set in North Eastern Kenya, and working on a Kiswahili children’s book that uses the alphabet to name attributes of God.

I am helping to re-write a pre-primary school curriculum and working on Bible story picture books in Kiswahili.

Ashley and Melissa run a Bible club at school where they work on sword drills and memorization with the kids and where books are given as prizes. Additionally, both of them have helped the teachers at school to grade student tests, and answered countless questions about English – and every other subject under the sun.

Laura makes our video blog entries, is teaching a computer literacy course to the teachers at school, helps in the office and grading papers as needed, and has organized a pen pal program between students here and students in America. She also spent Saturday evening sitting down with me to edit the English children’s story that our friend is writing, and is considered one of the grammar nerds on our team.

Esther was able to get a hold of a solar/crank/wall charged device that contains the entire New Testament in Kiswahili, and attends a weekly Bible study where they spend part of the time listening to a passage. In a few months, she is planning to visit Nigeria to spend some time with a Wycliffe Bible translation team there and learn more about the work that they are doing.

Heath teaches guitar lessons and helps with a worship team at his church, and Warren has found some really cool discipleship materials that fit well into this context.

--No worries. We do actually do other things that have nothing to do with literacy or communications media as well. They just don’t fit into this post. :P