So, what will you be doing, anyway?
As I prepared to leave, that was a question that I wasn’t sure how to answer. I had a generic answer (“Working with team of 2 Peruvians and 1 Colombian in church ministry and with an indigenous group”) and a specific answer (“I really have no idea what my day-to-day schedule will look like”).
I can’t answer that for the 5 months that I’m here, but I would just love to answer it for this week! This is a special week because we have paid the transportation and offering for 5 Katios to come into town for the week… and when I say “we” I mean YOU! Your gifts are an important part of this exciting – while expensive – venture.
5:45 a.m. – Pastor and his wife pick up G and I. Fifteen minute drive to the church.
6:15 – Devotional teaching and breakfast preparation. I’m not doing any teaching this time since I don’t have experience working with the indigenous people. I’m satisfied to listen and learn – and help with breakfast!
7:15 – Breakfast. Boiled plantains, cheese or an egg, suero (think “too” sour cream… I’ve developed a taste for it! The cheese has a similar flavor and a texture very different from ours) and something warm to drink.
8:00 – First session. Step by step, they have been going through Creation. They’re following an illustrated book called “The Book of Hope.” More on that at 4:30.
10:00 – Break!
10:30 – Second session.
12:30 – Lunch. The small groups from the church each volunteered for a day to bring lunch. What a blessing! So far we’ve had rice with chicken Monday and soup/rice/salad Tuesday.
3:00 – Language! This is my favorite (and most active!) part of the day. I get to use the skills I learned this summer to start taking baby steps into the world of the Katios. The pastor and I are working along with Miguel Angel and Luis. They’ve been very helpful! We learned about 30 words Monday and 20 Tuesday. I’m recording parts of each session so I can continue to learn after they leave.
4:15 – Break.
4:30 – Translation. The team is working to translate the “Book of Hope” into Katio so that the Katio Christians can use it to teach others and to present the Gospel. I sat in on about 15 minutes of the process today – it was amazing. I very much enjoyed hearing them discuss (in their language) the best translation for a particular thought.
6:30 – Supper. So far, consisting of leftovers from lunch. There has always been plenty of food!
7:30 – Movie. Although we have several Christian movies in Spanish we’d considered watching, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights we have put in The Gospel According to Luke that has been dubbed in Katio. It’s an old recording, but very useful! It’s 4 hours long, so we’ve done an hour each night.
9:00-10:30 – Clean up, pack up, wait around, and go home!
These are short nights, but God always gives grace! I’m very excited to be a part of this process. Pray for continued open hearts to hear and respond to all that God has!