6/6
Since being in Chad, I have had very little opportunity to interact with Muslims. This is interesting given the significant Muslim population here. Today, however, I got the opportunity to spend my morning to work with my friend Maurie, who is helping with a project involving a group of about 15 or so Muslim men and women.
The project is called “storyboarding” and was really interesting to me. Basically, Maurie and four other Americans work with these people by sharing stories from the Bible with them. The stories are from both old and new testament, including many parables and stories of miracles. The locals are split into four groups according to what local language they speak (the language name I like best is called Bilala, just because I think it’s fun to say). The other Americans each speak one of these languages as well, and work with the group to ensure a complete understanding. They reinforce the story by acting it out, drawing it on a chalkboard, and sharing it with each other to practice. Each day, the participants go home and share the story with someone else, recording the other person’s response to the story and any questions they might have. Ultimately, the final story is verbally recorded to share with others who speak the same local language.
The whole idea of working with so many different languages was cool to me, but what I found most interesting was that these devout Muslims were willing not only to listen to stories from the Bible, but were also willing to share these stories with others who they know. I’m told the Qur’an directs Muslims to listen to the teachings of Jesus, which was news to me, and makes me interested in studying more of the Qur’an and other religious texts. The group does receive two meals and a small stipend for their work, which is also a small incentive. Overall, I was really impressed with the group’s language skills, especially how many of them were able to speak with me in English or French, then turn around and speak with Maurie in Arabic before returning to conversation with others in a local language! I’ve said it before but I just have to say again how cool I think languages are. I’m so jealous of people who have a natural knack for learning languages and know so many. It opens so many doors in life and is such a valuable skill for anyone who likes to travel.
Since being in Chad, I have had very little opportunity to interact with Muslims. This is interesting given the significant Muslim population here. Today, however, I got the opportunity to spend my morning to work with my friend Maurie, who is helping with a project involving a group of about 15 or so Muslim men and women.
The project is called “storyboarding” and was really interesting to me. Basically, Maurie and four other Americans work with these people by sharing stories from the Bible with them. The stories are from both old and new testament, including many parables and stories of miracles. The locals are split into four groups according to what local language they speak (the language name I like best is called Bilala, just because I think it’s fun to say). The other Americans each speak one of these languages as well, and work with the group to ensure a complete understanding. They reinforce the story by acting it out, drawing it on a chalkboard, and sharing it with each other to practice. Each day, the participants go home and share the story with someone else, recording the other person’s response to the story and any questions they might have. Ultimately, the final story is verbally recorded to share with others who speak the same local language.
The whole idea of working with so many different languages was cool to me, but what I found most interesting was that these devout Muslims were willing not only to listen to stories from the Bible, but were also willing to share these stories with others who they know. I’m told the Qur’an directs Muslims to listen to the teachings of Jesus, which was news to me, and makes me interested in studying more of the Qur’an and other religious texts. The group does receive two meals and a small stipend for their work, which is also a small incentive. Overall, I was really impressed with the group’s language skills, especially how many of them were able to speak with me in English or French, then turn around and speak with Maurie in Arabic before returning to conversation with others in a local language! I’ve said it before but I just have to say again how cool I think languages are. I’m so jealous of people who have a natural knack for learning languages and know so many. It opens so many doors in life and is such a valuable skill for anyone who likes to travel.