CLA English

Wow, two months have gone by.  I think that is the longest we have ever gone without posting on our blog since we started it, almost three years ago.  It's high time we updated you on what has been going on around here.

The main reason we haven't been writing lately is that we have been swamped.  The regular semester ended on June 6, but it was followed by a 3-week course that was a follow up to my Culture and Language Acquisition class.

From June 9 to 27, the seven students worked full time at learning . . . English!

Most  of our English-speaking coworkers were going to be gone, so we made an invitation for some people to come join us as "natives."  Three ladies responded to the call and Donna, Mary, and Donya showed up to give us a hand.  They were a tremendous help with the program as they spent time with our learners doing everyday tasks while speaking English.  The students were continually in their "home," a house next to ours looking for someone with whom to listen and practice.  

They also had a chance to experience some of Bolivia with the students.

Bolivian breakfast: Api and buñuelos with Eliana and Eli

 

Donna and Mary getting some produce at our market

Donya, Donna, and Mary try out some pacumutos at the market

Kaylee was a major help as a language helper and hostess.  Even Anne, Addison, and Lydia played an important role as little native speakers.  Some of the students spent a lot of time with them.

Our first dinner party

 

Addi and Lydia went to ask Matias if he could come over to play

We did a lot of shared activities such as:

Go to the zoo

Game nights

Matias is watching rodeo in the background while we play cards

Visit the library of an American-style Christian school

"Don't put the books back on the shelf unless you know the Dewey Decimal system!"

Home church (we were on guard duty)

Camping

It was a lot of work, especially because I was overseeing all of it, continually giving advice and answering questions.  We had fun, but we're glad it is done!  We are now in our fourth week of winter break and are gearing up for classes to start up again next week!

(as usual, there are more photos here: https://picasaweb.google.com/111523008579163861983/CLAEnglishPracticum?authuser=0&feat=directlink)

So . . . what do you do?

"Profe"

That's what I get called more than anything when outside of the house these days.  "Profe" is short for "profesor" in Spanish, and I'm sure you can guess what that means in English.  Try pronouncing PDO-fay, light on the "d" (just a flip, really) and heavy on the "o" and you'll be pretty close.

I haven't taken the time to really write about what we are doing here now that we've changed gears.  Here's a look at what we're up to:

As a "profe," I spend five hours per week teaching two different classes: Culture and Language Acquisition and Spanish Grammar.  Most of the rest of my work week is spent preparing for those classes and spending time with staff/students.

I am not a language teacher in the sense that I am teaching about language rather than teaching language itself.  Call it Applied Linguistics, I guess.  The fundamental principle of my current role is to prepare the Etnos students for their future language learning.

As an organization, we highly value native languages.  Our focus is planting churches among ethnic groups where the indigenous language is strong, yet the people have not been taught God's Word, or have been taught in a trade language, resulting in a lack of understanding and, thereby, lack of fruitful ministry.  The purpose of the Culture and Language Acquisition program is to prepare these trainees to be able to move into a village and learn the heart language of their target people group without the aid of dictionaries and classrooms, all while building relationships and gaining an understanding of the worldview and culture of their new friends.

CLA Class

In Spanish Grammar, I am indeed teaching the grammar of the language, but to people that already speak it.  Three of our current students are Bolivian, two are Argentinian, and the other two are Chilean.  Although some also speak other languages (Quechua, Aymara, and English), Spanish is their heart language.  While the class does reinforce their knowledge of their own language, the principal goal of the class is to teach the structure of their grammar and the reasons behind the forms.  Then, armed with this new understanding and terminology, next semester we will be teaching Grammar Analysis to apply the same principles to other languages.

Thankfully, all of the groundwork has been done for these classes and I was essentially handed the curricula at the beginning of the semester.  However, I have to assimilate the material in Spanish and make it my own in order to teach it properly.  I have added a lot of my own stories and experiences to the mix which makes it easier and more natural to teach.

When I have extra time, I am preparing for a one-week practical technology module that I will be teaching at the beginning of next semester with another faculty member.  The focus is on passive solar such as solar ovens and water heaters.  I am doing a lot of research on various types of projects that we could do and am starting to think about preparations we will have to make to be able to build some of them.

I have also been given the opportunity to preach on occasion at the church we attend.

The bulk of Kaylee's time is taken up with household duties and homeschooling the girls, but she is involved in the inner workings of campus as well.  She has taken on the cleaning of the offices and classroom and is working on getting to know the student gals better, to be able to have input in their lives.

Together, we host the weekly staff meeting in our home and have a student couple that comes over a few hours a week for mentoring/counseling.

One of our student lunches

Kaylee has also been an indispensable help to me in my CLA class as well.  Not only does she help me think things through as I talk about my class prep with her, but with some of the class elements themselves.  As part of the practical training of language learning, we have hosted the students in our home to demonstrate what it is like to experience another culture and language.  In June, we will be having a 3-week language practice time which Kaylee will also be heavily involved in.

 And mixed into all of this craziness, we try to spend some time together and with our funny children.

Salt and Green Beans

Heads bowed, a prayer said, and time to eat. . .salt.

Some coworkers shared a story with us several months ago, their story. No different than us they are living away from home, away from family and friends, in a difficult environment hoping to share the truth with their neighbors. They work hard each day learning the local language and getting to know the people around them. They are serving God as missionaries.

Different from us, they grew up in this country. They have darker skin and a different culture. The national language is their heart language.

These coworkers of ours have had to sit down to their table for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner with only salt on the table. The head of the house still prayerfully humbles himself before our great God, thanking Him for what He has provided.

And my heart hurts.

Today, another coworker shared their story from the past month. No money for food and God's provision. Green beans. They ate green beans all month.

And my heart hurts.

How do we help these people who we are so close to? How can God use us in their lives? How can we help without hurting our friendship, without "replacing" God, without cutting someone's pride?

These are all questions (plus many more) that we are wrestling through. How can we be an active part of the body of Christ to our friends here? It's easy to think about giving them money. But money is not always the answer.

Pray for us as we try to find ways to help. Pray we would have wisdom as we make decisions each day. Pray for our coworkers. Pray they would be able to fully rest in God's provision, that they would completely trust Him for their every need (us too!). Pray for wisdom. Pray for the local churches, that they would see the need to be senders, financially as well as spiritually.

If you are interested in learning more about how to financially help cross-culturally, I (Kaylee) would recommend the book, When Helping Hurts. It really helped me think through all of the issues tied into helping in a poverty stricken country.

Little Relief for Flooding

I'm writing this from my desk, watching a heavy rain fall outside, and I can't help but think about the people downstream.  Some are saying that these are the worst floods in recent memory and this rain certainly isn't going to help.

This incredible video from Cochabamba's main newspaper mentions:
     -56 dead
     -11 missing
     -58,000 families affected
     -worst flooding in at least 18 years (according to the man in the canoe)



The footage is from an air force helicopter on relief missions based out of Trinidad, the center of operations.  According to today's paper, Trinidad itself is now under water, as the rivers overflowed the levies this morning.

On Friday, we left the Etnos campus at just before 3pm.  We had an uneventful drive to Puerto Villarroel, located on the Rio Ichilo, arriving around 10pm.

Dinner by the side of the road:

In the morning, we were able to wander around and see some of the damage right there in town.  Although the river was still high, it had returned to its banks.  This area drains very quickly; downstream it will take weeks to recede.  You can see the watermark on this house, which had about 2 feet of water on the floor:

Many people had pulled everything out of their homes, to dry:

A few homes were very wisely built on stilts, like this one:

Our task was mostly just to deliver the supplies and be an encouragement to the pastor and the church, who will continue the process by distributing everything downstream by boat, to affected families. 

Breakfast was masaco (fried banana, mashed) and fried wild pork

 That job done, we took the opportunity to take a boat ride on the river:

On the way, we went by a community of ethnic Yuracaré which was under water.  It is just across the river, so they were able to get assistance from the port.

Please continue to pray with us for the affected as well as those that are actively helping.  We have one pilot friend here who, although he is unable to land on the flooded airstrips is doing food drops in communities where he has contacts.  Please pray for his safety and that through him, these churches, and our small efforts, people would get the food, clothes, and medicine they need, as well as take the opportunity to hear about the Bread of Life and take spiritual shelter in the Rock of Salvation.

Classes and Floods

Classes started this week here at Etnos with five returning students.  After three days of orientation, classes officially started yesterday.  I taught my first class, a two-hour introduction to the Culture and Language Acquisition course that I am teaching this semester.  I had fun!

You may have seen in the news that Bolivia is facing massive flooding again this rainy season.  According to official estimates, more than 52,000 families are affected in 110 municipalities (each with several towns/villages).

The government has declared a state of emergency and is diverting resources to help provide evacuations, medical services, and food where needed, but it is a big job.  

One of our coworkers began pursuing the possibility of getting involved a couple days ago and started making purchases.  Staff and students have been working together to get things ready. 

Supplies were purchased in bulk and divided for distribution

Students filling bags for distribution

Each bag contains flour, rice, noodles, salt, sugar, oil, coffee, dry milk, and sardines

We currently have about 1000 pounds of food and medicine in the Patrol and trailer, ready for delivery.  I will be going with seven other staff and students to hand the supplies over to a local church in the affected region that will be able to distribute them by boat.

We had hoped to leave early this morning but have been waiting to get permission to transport gasoline into the area, for the boats.  We've been unable to get it, but we're going to leave at 2:00 this afternoon and will see what we can do about getting fuel along the way.  It is about 6 hours' worth of driving.

Please pray for all of those affected by flooding and that the churches will be faithful representatives of our good God.

Settling In

To say the last several months have been a little crazy and stressful is an understatement but we are so thankful for the many ways God has shown us His faithfulness. We have had a good opportunity to slow down and start accepting the huge change that has come about in our lives.

School days

The big house on campus has become our own and feels like home now. The girls are very comfortable here and love playing outside with the freedom to roam and not too many dangers. We're even hearing them greet our Bolivian coworkers in Spanish as they pass by (a new and very encouraging development). We have recently acquired five chickens and the girls love going with Nathan or me to feed them and check for eggs twice a day. We have also gotten back into the rhythm of school five days a week.

 

Our chickens: Producing 4-5 eggs a day!

Nathan is actively preparing for his classes. He'll be teaching five hours of class a week: three hours of Language and Culture Acquisition and two hours of Spanish Grammar (to give the students a basis for learning the grammar of an indigenous language). He is a busy man and getting excited for the work ahead of him. Pray for him as he teaches this year. The school year starts on Monday, February 10th.

I, Kaylee, am enjoying making our house a home and teaching the girls. I am thankful for the women I am surrounded by on this campus. Pray for me as I build relationships with them. There is a wealth of wisdom and experience to glean from and I desire to know them better. Pray that I would have confidence in my Spanish speaking abilities. It's easy to stay inside despite the desire to get to know people.

We recently attended a local church. It is small and the people were very friendly. Many of them are familiar with Etnos and were happy to have us join them. Pray that we would have wisdom as we decide whether or not this should be where we fellowship locally.

As I close I want to share just a bit of what God is teaching me right now. Many of the changes we have gone through recently have been directly linked to my contentment in Bolivia. God has been so gracious with me (as has Nathan). I am so thankful that He opened the door for us to do ministry here at Etnos. I believe it will be a very good fit for our family.

As I process all that we've gone through and the decisions made it has become quite obvious that as my mind dwells on earthly things (comfort, family, friends, food, language, etc.) my heart has become increasingly discontent here in Bolivia. Thankfully we have seen a change in this contentment, especially during the last month, as I have refocused my mind and heart on our goal. My heart's desire is to build up treasures in Heaven but I am so easily distracted. It has been so helpful to read a few books by Randy Alcorn (50 Days of Heaven, Seeing the Unseen) and Elisabeth Elliot's Keep a Quiet Heart. Most importantly reading the Bible consistently has been so encouraging.  I know that we are fighting spiritually and it's so easy to give in. So please pray for us, me especially, as we fight to keep our eyes on the goal: eternity.

We were also blessed with a short but wonderful get away in January as we joined Kaylee's family for a reunion, an amazing gift with memories that will be treasured.