And so it begins...

Ok, so those of you who follow the blog and/or our updates know that the Bogkalot tribe from way up in northern Luzon recently sent out some of their own down to partner with us to reach the Agta tribe. Some of their houses are done, some are not quite, and it is time to hit the books. As the first step in training these new partners, we hosted a language learning seminar for them. A friend of ours who has a lot of experience with this kind of thing came and trained them how to study language and culture in a simple way that doesn't require a high level of literacy.

After some of the group sessions, they broke into small groups to practice the principles with a language helper who speaks the language they are trying to learn.

We also had plenty of time for discussion in various-sized groups in between sessions. We have found that often this informal time is just as valuable (if not more so!) than the "official" training sessions!

Since there was only one tribal house and 35 people, a few of us ended up sleeping in tents for the night - which got exciting when some water buffalo decided to investigate and then stick around to visit in the middle of the night. :)

As usual, there were lots of beautiful children hanging out and watching all the activity (and they especially showed up at meal time! :) )

The culture and language study seminar was a huge success, and the crew is now both motivated and equipped to start the learning process so that they can eventually teach the Word effectively. Exciting days here!!!

Please pray with us for our brothers and sisters as they begin studying the Agta culture and languages (the 2 teams are each focussing on a different language). Pray for diligence and perseverance as they begin this important task.