We recently completed the third of five workshops of a two-year
Bible storying project in partnership with Seed Company. What an amazing two weeks! Follow along with the pictures and videos to
get a glimpse of what that workshop entailed.
Each morning started off with lively worship before we got
to work.
Over the next 5 days our team of Congolese and American
trainers, orality consultants, and workshop participants told 86 Bible stories
in chronological order, beginning with the creation of the spirit world and
ending with Revelation.
Each time a story was told we gave it a descriptive title
and placed a rock to represent it. Large
rocks were placed to show major stories in God’s overall redemptive plan. Smaller rocks represented stories in between.
Each participant, consultant, and trainer was expected to
learn the chronology of these stories by their titles.
Throughout this epic storytelling time, our lead trainer
asked questions to help participants find “whispers” of the gospel in stories
and to see where story messages repeat themselves in the overall Bible
narrative.
In the late afternoon we checked the previous workshop’s
homework of 12 stories, making sure that they were Biblically accurate and
interesting. Teams made final recordings
of their stories.
Through a series of lessons on culture, our lead trainer
helped all 8 teams think deeply about choosing 35 stories of the 86 to show
God’s redemption to their people. This
process took several days as trainers and consultants questioned teams
intensely about their choices. The 8
teams chose smaller rocks to represent their story set.
Each team presented their story set to the big group and
briefly explained their choices.
Finally after two weeks of hard work and lots of smiles and
laughter from Baby Grace, everyone returned home to begin crafting and testing
and recording their story set. Of
course, they will be telling these stories in their communities and churches. In May all teams are expected to have half of
their set completed.
So, what comes next
and how can you pray?
- On March 9, three Congolese consultants will return to Mbandaka and the forest to begin checking the progress of homework. Pray for them as they travel.
- Pray for the 8 teams to work diligently and respectfully with the Word of God. Pray that they will carefully handle the Word of Truth.
- Kathy and Jay leave on March 1 to begin a two-week orality workshop in “the other Congo” as the beginning of a Bible translation in the Tsaangi language. This project is also in partnership with Seed Company.
- Thank God for Seed Company and for our wonderful Congolese partners.
