Joey Update Vol. 9

Hello all. I have returned from a journey, a necessary journey off the very
continent where I live and work. I traveled to another country to received
the next of the "just in time" training so important to my task. This was
held in AMS, my frequent way station, and was very much appreciated. It was
a break from my five month stretch in country as well as a time of good
learning. Let me tell you a bit a about it.

We began with stories. We are all story driven people or so we will hope we
become as this project continues. All the training was done orally, in story
format, and writing was not allowed past drawing pictures as a memory aid-
badly, by me. We storied through the Acts in hopes of learning some of the
great nuggets the Book has to teach about planting reproducing house groups.
It was a lesson in modeling the stories and the very method of learning,
which we were to take back to our respective lands and put into practice.
This was taken over two weeks and the climate change was very different both
ways. Cold and rainy (and sometimes even snowy) directly opposed to the hot
and dry clime where I live and work. Still I was happy to see the snow this
year and thanked the Father for sending me some. The in between times of
listening to stories and learning others to tell, was spent in good
fellowship or sightseeing and p'ayerwalking. This we did most every day as
it is a most vital part of our work. It is about having a conversation
between partners (who are seen plainly) and between the Wind (Who is not
seen as plainly).

So, after this training time, we boarded a few planes (the second of which
was the smoothest transition I've yet known- praise Him!) and returned to
our land. We set almost immediately to implementing those things we learned
at training. Already our goal of having a story told, recorded and
translated back to a tongue nearer to our native one is roughly
accomplished. We are excited for the process and the progress and already we
have seen a few good signs that the process works. Let me explain.

As we told the first story, we asked a few basic questions that some of you
have heard already. The first person we told them to answered the questions
and pulled out other questions we had not even considered! This happens in
storytelling of course but it is always amazing to me that it consistently
happens. We all learn together through the questions and each person with
their point of view brings out a new element we did not know was even there.
But my favourite part of this first session was when he asked his own
questions and that he was free to ask! This last part is the most important
as it might be a clash with the culture that relies more on rote
memorization and less on asking questions.

Needless to say, I was encouraged
as the process began.

In this please be lifting up our work. Here's the du'as:
-further language learning -always
-the Process of telling and retelling and recording and translating back and
testing stories- we're story driven see?
-for still more people of our PG with which to meet and build relationships
with.

As for the Hamdu's, they are many but here are the basics:
-Peace reigns in our land, which was not case last year.
-The first of the process has gone well and looks promising.
-On their way back to country, a family was coming who had a little girl. At
the airport, not a few hours from departure, the little girl had a seizure.
They went to the hospital and stayed doing tests in Fr. For a few weeks
before returning to the US. The doctors in Fr. advised they stay out of
country permanently as seizures cannot be treated well here. The US doctor
did further tests and as a second opinion said there were no abnormalities
to be found in the little girl. This, the doctor said, could give them
clearance to return to country after a month of seizure free time. So far so
good. The interesting thing though is the US doctor said there was something
in the room in Fr. that caused this scan to come up abnormal. Again the scan
taken in the US was clear of any abnormalities. Perhaps the p'ayers offered
up consistently for this family banished the presence of those
abnormalities. In any case, it is still a request but still a praise at this
good turn of news.

Thank you all for bearing with me. I will write again when I have
opportunity.

-Youssef Mungare

PS: This last epithet I have chosen myself. It means "son of the king" which
indeed I am, if only by that great adoption. I chose it in preference over
Youssef Dungus, a name clapped me by one who called himself "prince". This
last name is rather common here and means "trash pit", a sort of luck charm
against pride and other harmful things- the thought being if you're named
"dungus" you'll be less noticeable to those evil forces.