first training in march

So sorry to any readers for the last two months of hiaitus. I believe I promised to update once every two weeks . . . two months ago! I’ll try to do better.

I have lots of exciting news to share, though, about how God is at work through this storycrafting process! During the first two weeks of March, we had our initial training with about 20 believers from 3 different dialects. We walked through the process of thinking through the stories, to prepare the groups to then re-create them in their own dialects, and I wondered how it would go. But then we allowed the groups to split up, and we could hear them one by one, start re-telling. As I heard the stories taking shape in the three dialects, I suddenly realized, “This could really work!”

Throughout the two weeks of the initial training, the groups continued to grow in their ability to think through and craft the stories. Also, we watched as God poured into them His vision for reaching others who speak their dialects. They became excited about not just crafting the stories, but telling them! Now I’m meeting weekly and monthly with each of these dialect groups. We’re still searching for the right rhythm of studying, crafting, testing, revising, and sharing the stories, but every step in the process has been exciting! I’m amazed because it’s clear that God has been at work long before we had these ideas, preparing the way, and now we can watch as He continues to use His Word and His people to spread the Gospel in Southwest Madagascar!