I Love to Tell The Story, The Old, Old, Story

Last night we held our second Bible study here in Cuenca and things went very well.  We were blessed to have 10 adults in total.  We ate, we prayed, and we studied the Bible. And of course, we use the Orality or Bible Storying method of teaching.

For those of you not familiar with this method of teaching I'll give you a quick run down.  We teach the Bible through story.  We do not read the story, we tell the story with passion and emotion.  Yes, we actually take the time to memorize the story...and yes in Spanish.

One of us stands up and tells the story, which always captivates (people will listen to you tell a story long before they will listen to you read).  Then the entire group rebuilds the story together.  Following that, everyone breaks up into pairs and practices telling each other the story and correcting mistakes.  Once we are done, someone else gets to stand up and share the story with the group.  Now, at this point every person in the room has at the very least heard or told the story 5 times.  After 5 times, it sticks...I promise.

It get's even better when we choose someone else to present the story for the following week.  That means they have to spend the entire week reading, studying, and practicing the Bible story...oh yeah, they also have to practice it by telling the story to anyone who will listen all week.

Then we use a series of 8 questions to help us study the story.  We use the same 8 questions so that our people memorize them too.  And guess what?  Within no time, everyone in the group has a set of Bible Stories memorized and a list of questions used to develop a biblical worldview, expose sin, convict our hearts, and reveal the gospel.  Our disciples are now equipped to make disciples who make disciples...just like Jesus commanded us.

Give it a try sometime!  We've been doing it for 3 years, and it's the most reproducible thing we've ever done.

Here are some pictures of our group here in Cuenca listening, rebuilding, and telling the story.

Tomatoes, Puppies, Crocs, and Fresh Goat's Milk

We are getting settled in here in Cuenca and really love our house.  The location is also really good.  We’re located just a block from the largest, open-air market in Cuenca and it's open 7 days a week.  They sell tons of different things including fresh produce, kitchen items, chickens, puppies, birds, shoes, sweaters, spices, meat, watches, toys, and even fresh goats milk (they milk the goats right in front of you and hand you a cup full).    The boys enjoy going there and looking at all the different animals, and Lane enjoys picking out toys!  Cole went with Nafisa one day and in exchange for carrying things, she bought him a grilled banana with cheese (one of her favorite snack items here.)  There’s also a small grocery store within walking distance, but now that we have a vehicle, we have a little more freedom to shop at other stores as well.

Cole and Lane began homeschool this past week, and it’s going well.  Lane also began going to a preschool in the mornings (mainly to relearn Spanish.)  Plus it gives Cole some time to do schoolwork with only one little one running around.  (Cana enjoys playing and coloring during this time.  She just has to be monitored to make sure she only colors on her paper.)  Cole started going to the same school Lane goes to (but in the afternoon.)  They host an after-school program, so Cole is able to play with other kids his age, he takes Tae Kwon Do twice a week, and he is taking guitar lessons.   

Trevor was able to buy a van this week.  This is a huge praise since we’ve been without a car for over a year.  This will make life a lot easier and will enable us to reach more people.  We can’t say thank you enough to our supporters who made this possible!

Please continue to pray that we meet people and have the opportunity to share the gospel message with them.  This past Monday night, we had two Ecuadorian families over for dinner.  Things went really well and we hope to get together when them again soon.  We are having dinner with another family tomorrow night and would really appreciate your prayers.  Please pray that we would continue to build relationships with the people of Ecuador and that the Lord would open doors for us to share the good news of Jesus Christ here.