- San Scripture Engagement 5th follow through workshop (!Kung and Ju/’hoansi in Tsumkwe)
Participants: Shotty, Petrus, Josef from !Kung, as well as Ju/’hoansi elders Maarten (N!aici) from Aasvoëlnes and Gerrie and Leviet from Tsumkwe. Hendrik van Zyl is the overseeing pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church and host of the workshop. Elize van Zyl served as our logistical hostess preparing the meals etc.
Topics to be covered:
- What oral Scripture passages have been prepared until now and how well do people know them
- How are they used and are people engaging with these oral Scripture passages
- What do we need to different and how can we do things better
- Development of story sets
- Integrating oral Scriptures and relevant engagement strategies into overall ministry work.
- Practicing oral Scripture telling en engaging with the Scripture passages
- The importance of addressing the key principle issues Scripture addresses
- The importance of making disciples
- How to mentor and make disciples
- The importance of repetition
- Evaluate the storying venues and various communication art forms used in practice
- Hone scripture telling skills and do community testing
- Improve the process of internalizing (discover and own) the truths communicated in the Oral Scripture
March 29:
- Travel from Cape Town to Grootfontein.
March 30:
- Travel via Kanovlei, Omatako, and M’kata to Tsumkwe. We skip Mangetti Dune since Isaac cannot come because of his job at the hospital.
- Stop in Omatako to learn that Jafet has to work. Jafet did submit stories that wanted to prepare, but since the last workshop he hasn’t gone out to tell stories (because of work, serving as pastor, continued theological training, being husband and father, other community leadership roles). More people would like to learn to tell stories from the Bible and one elder is ready to go. I suggest that maybe we can bring a storying workshop to Omatako for lay people. Then we can do it together with other churches (there are two more churches in town and one in a neighboring community), involve men and women, as well as older and younger people. The people can come for maybe for three half days and practice sharing the other half in the community. No meals needed or only lunch, people stay at their own homes. It will broaden the pool of people involved, spread awareness, provide opportunities for finding people with time and skills to become story tellers (and help people internalize the stories), oral scripture passage translators, and eventually also audio recordists and preliminary consultants to check words and some discourse issues.
- I also stop at Kalahari New Hope, a Romanian Pentecostal outreach ministry to the San and meet with Cornelia Pater (who together with her husband Ovidiu leads the work). They would really like to work together and are very interested about the approach we are taking. I met the people once before and Hendrik also has talked with them at various times. They asked Hendrik for !Kung audio scriptures. Ovidiu has met several years ago with Sebastian Floor (electronically or in person). They like the idea of local workshops and are willing to help in any way possible and involve their outreach locations in Omatako, Kanovlei and M’kata. They also want scripture to be a foundation and even entertaining setting up a Bible school.
- In the evening I discuss the ideas with Hendrik and he is very open to them and we agree to discuss the ideas with the !Kung and Ju/’hoansi workshop participants the next day. Hendrik even sees that it may work together with the summer teams that are coming in July and Kalahari New Hope would like to do something in July too. He also tell his idea of me sharing before hand with one of the churches that will come that is from the Cape Town area, so they can get familiar with oral strategies and experience storying. He also would like for me to possibly share a session at the Degnos conference on July 4.
March 31:
- After prayer we start to look at and clarify which oral scripture passages the participants submitted to be preparing for the workshop. It soon becomes apparant that they are not ready to tell any of the passages yet and that many used passages that we processed before. They also report on how much they have shared in the communities in and outside of a church context. Some are using the storying method in church, but only a few shared outside of church and then minimally. Except for one person, they didn’t find any new persons to be involved. Petrus shared that on one occasion he invited people under nearby tree for a story after people that were at a shabeen asked him something and he is wondering how to incorporate opportunities like that, especially since some of the people were under the influence of alcohol. Their time challenges are the same as for Jafet, but they would like to see this oral scripture and storying effort move forward to help people engage with God’s Word.
- This is a good springboard to share the ideas of doing smaller local workshops to involve more people. Shotty confirms again that their loads are heavy and they need help. They seem very open for the idea, even more since they want to see their communities transformed and not only the !Kung and Ju/’hoansi. Shotty and Gerrie share that they also met people from other ethnicities in their community which they relate to and want to tell the story… but many only speak their own language and not a common language (Afrikaans or English) and they have trouble finding translators.
- The group also epxresses challenges coming their way through people and I then story (open book) Ephesians 6:10-18. We look at the various part of the armour and we discuss the differences between the armour of a knight from the middle ages that is on a picture they have and its purpose, then also the armour that a San would use and it’s purpose, and finally the armour that was common in the time Jesus was on earth. We also talk about the fact that all of us have this armour and we need to wear and use it.
- Next we discuss the stories that were chosen and they share what the principal point is that they feel the story communicates. They then are assigned to each learn one of the narrative passages they chose (marked with *):
- Leviet: Luke 14:7-14 (people thinking themselves to better than others - voortrekken)
Luke 8:4–8 en 9–15 (faith isn’t only words)*
- Isaac: Matthew 13:47–50
Mark 11: 20–25
Luke 15:1–7
- N!aici: Genesis 4:1–16 (there are consequences if you don’t accept and realy believe God in your heart, don’t obey )
Luke 15:11–32 (the need to repent)*
Luke 10:25-37 (when somebody has difficulties we need to help them)
- Gerrie: Genesis 3:1–7 (choices and consequences)*
Genesis 3:8–19 (people keep making excuses)*
Luke 15:1–7 (don’t leave the sinners out, those outside church)
Genesis 41:1–32 (the challenges of dreams)
- Shotty:Luke 19:1-10 (don’t leave the sinners out, those that publically are know as sinners)
Genesis 3:1–24 (people keep making excuses)
Genesis 4:1-16 (jealousy)*
- Jafet: Genesis 3:1–7
Genesis 3:8–19
Genesis 3:20–24
Genesis 2:5–25
Matthew 2:1–12
- Josef: Daniel 6 (seriousness of prayer relationship with God)*
Genesis 3:1-24 (taking responsibility and not accusing)
Genesis 41:1-32 (believe in God rather than soothsayers)
- Petrus: Luke 11:1-13 (teach people people to pray)*
Luke 10:25-37 (being neighor in word and deed)
Genesis 4:1-16 (to serve and give from the heart)
April 1
- After prayer we start to look how well it went learning the stories and they are doing their best, but they are struggling since they have to translate everything from Afrikaans and sometimes it is hard to find the right words in their own language.
- We start looking at story sets and I review that first we need to help people with get a basic understanding of God and the Bible, to which I refer back to the sample of the stick person. Then we help people connect step by step with God, reviewing the picture of adding pieces to a puzzle. Next I draw a time line on the board and they help me fill in things from the Bible chronologically. Then I ask them which passages we have listed are essential to understand the basics about God and we discuss each item.
- After talking about the importance of telling the story out loud many times, they go in teams of two to practice their story and discuss what words and other issues need special attention
- Leviet models Luke 8:4-8 in Ju/’hoansi. The narrative is accurate enough for Leviet to draw us into the passage through questions. We need to coach Leviet with the questions, since this approach is still new for him. This makes our time to engage with the story also a great teaching time for all. Broad questions, like ‘what does the story tell us?’, don’t work. Neither do questions that have yes/no answer, which gives then 50% of being a right answer, but it doesn’t help people engage, unless at least it is followed through by a ‘why’ question.
- Next Shotty models Genesis 4:1-16. He tells the story well and leads the group to engage with the story through questions. The most important point is not to read into the story. For example, I point out that the issue of Cain is an issue of the heart, but it doesn’t state that explicitely. Since most translations say in Genesis 4:7 ‘do well’ and ‘not do well’, the complete focus can easily being on what Cain did instead of why he did what he did. One lesson learned was that here we learn about the first human dying and it is by the hands of another human, a brother, even more an only brother. Another lesson learned is that Cain never owned up to killing his brother, but he only pleaded that his punishment was too heavy to bear. Also from step one, God gave him opportunity to repent – admit his faults and change and Cain rejected every opportunity. The story also doesn’t address jealousy (even though it may have been one of Cain’s motives). It does address anger, lying, and pleading for less punishment
- After lunch break, Leviet is ready to finish the second part of his story and he does better with the questions. Since the parabel is explained by Jesus, the lesson is easy to learn.
- Together with the others, both story tellers go out to share their story in the community.
April 2
- We review what happened with sharing the stories in the community. The few !Kung were not at their homes, while the students from the local school that spoke !Kung also were gone. Consequently Shotty didn’t get the chance to share. Leviet met with people as pre-arranged, but there were only two there and they wanted them to wait for the rest of the people. Even when a few more showed up, they still wanted Leviet to wait and then it got too late. They ended up praying for a girl that was sick and they didn’t get the opportunity to tell the story, but they were asked to come back today.
- We finalize the first stage of planning for the next scripture engagement workshop and we agree it to be for the beginning of July with doing workshops with interested elders and lay people for three half days in Omatako, Kanoevlei, M’kata, Mangetti Dune, Aasvoelness, Tsumkwe and possibly two other locations in the Tsumkwe area. The goal is each day to serve two locations that are located close together. We would invite other churches in the area and if people have English or Afrikaans speakers, they also can be of other ethnic origin.
- Next we talk about the importance of laying a firm foundation to help people understand the beginning of God’s story for us. In that context I narrate (open book) in Afrikaans Genesis chapter 1 and 2 as an introduction to Gerrie modeling Genesis 3:1-7 and 8-19.
- Gerrie narrates Genesis 3:1-7 well, but he struggles with the questions. Once he gets going, he manages very well and helps us process the story in detail.
- Hendrik and Elize leave with Shotty due to them having other commitments.
- Gerrie doesn’t know Genesis 3:8-19 well enough, so I read it in Afrikaans thought by thought and he translates it. I actually include verse 20. He then processes the story with the group and at the end I ask what the one important thing is they learned this time. This leads us to a time of processing the first three chapters again in even greater detail. I bring in the idea that when there is life, then the opposite is death. In the beginning everything was good and there is no evidence of death. God makes man aware of the fact of the potential of death and warns him that for man to have the knowledge of good and evil means certain death. Everything for man is good and he has life… then he chooses not what God already has given to him, but he, by being deceived and rather taking the serpent’s advice, chooses the opposite… resulting in an immediate change… shame, fear, and blaming others (and not willing to take responsibility), no sign of repentance, a broken relationship with God, and physical death.
- In the afternoon Josef models Daniel 6 and he does an excellent job telling and processing the narrative. At the end I ask again what the one important thing is they learned. One of them answers that because Daniel prayed three times per day that God protected him from the lions. We then go back in the story to find out that this is not true, but that God protects him because Daniel was found innocent before God and he also had not committed any crime against the King.
- Gerrie, Leviet, and Josef are going out with the other two men to tell their stories.
April 3
- We look at the community sessions they did on April 2. Both Gerrie and Leviet were able to share the first part of their story, while Gerrie also read the second part. The people definitely wanted them to come back and they will do so today. The people feel they need more time to really understand the story well. The !Kung men learned from the School principal that, since it is exam week, they should not distract the students from their studies, so they didn’t get to share.
- Next, Maarten (N!aici) leads us in a session using the narrative from Luke 15:11-32. Since he Is shy, it is not easy for him and when he tells it a second time, the others help him to keep the story straight. He really does well in asking questions that in detail lead the people through the story. Afterwards we go out to Leviet’s extended family and N!aici leads them through the story.
- After the morning break I come back to the chronological Bible overview we prepared on April 1 and I ask Leviet to bring his Firm Foundations training manual. Then I start to model through Genesis 4:16 the foundation that needs to be part of their initial set of passages in translating scripture orally into !Kung and Ju/’hoansi. I also give ideas on how they can divide the passages and use teaching ideas that help people connect with the material (like in Genesis chapter one take one day or a few days of the creation story at a time and talk about the diversity and value of the trees and animals they know about). Then they together discuss how to go from there.
- The start of a basic first time through Chronological Bible story set sample as processed in the group:
- Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 (divide up as needed and use many culturally relevant and interesting examples for them to relate to).
- Genesis 2:4-9 or 10
- Genesis 2:15-25
- Genesis 3:1–7
- Genesis 3:8–19
- Genesis 3:20–24
- Genesis 4:1-16
- Things grew worse
- Genesis 11:1-9
- God starts to help the people of the world learn that he will bring them back to him as well as that they learn to see their sinfulness through the descendants of a man called Abraham, his son Isaac, and his son Jacob (whose name is later changed to Israel) which becomes the nation of Israel (and these people are called Jews)
- Genesis 12:1-3
- God gives the Israelites instructions/laws for their lives so they can relate properly to God. The following story gives the foundational guidelines.
- Genesis 20:1-20
- Petrus models Luke 11:1-13 and he does a good job telling it as well as drawing everybody into the story with the discussion questions. At one point they start shouting at each other as loud as they can… no, they are not angry, they just try to hear each other in the midst of a heavy rain storm coming down on the galvanized roof of the church and they don’t want to stop their discussion.
- At the end I ask what stood out during this workshop. Most of them came with a bit of apprehension, since they had not prepared any of the stories, but when I worked with them to learn, tell and engage people in one of the passages they had chosen, as well as that we used the process to learn from the passages ourselves, they were amazed at how much they learned this week. One of them (Gerrie) also specifically shared the blessing of learning from the chronological time line of the Bible and how important it is to help people process from the beginning of creation. One of them (Petrus), who had to learn a completely new story, was worried about being able to do it, but he was so encouraged that he could and that the story now really was his. They also felt that the relationship between all of us was growing and that they felt more comfortable. I then asked them if in their culture they would tell another man that they love him. They said that they normally don’t, but that they should in church. I then gave them all a big hug and told them that I loved them and when they caught their breath back, they laughingly did the same to each other as well.
- N!aici prays for us at the end before they went out for N!aici, Gerrie and Leviet to tell their story once more in the community (pending the heaviness of the rainshowers… which ended up being heavy and they didn’t get the chance to tell the stories).
April 4
- We leave at 7:10 in the morning to go to Aasvoelnes to have our first community storying session at 8:00, before people get going with their daily work.
- N!aici leads his home community of Aasvoelnes through the narrative from Luke 15:11-32. He is much more confortable in his home environment and he does a great job sharing the story and leading the people through the discussion questions for the 15 adults and 10 children present.
- Petrus stories Luke 11:1-13 in the M’kata area, which his home community. There are about a dozen people present and they engage actively with the story.
- Josef shares Daniel 6 in M’kata, which also is his home community. He shares it in his own kraal with about 20 people and they engage very well.
- I stop by Kalahari New Hope project to discuss the preliminary plans for the next workshops and to invite them to be part of it. They are very excited and are looking forward for the plans to come together for doing so early July. The contact information is as follows: Pater Ovidiu and Cornelia is the couple that leads the project, their number is +264-(0)67-687007 and email contact is possible through their daughter Lidia at lidiutza429_pvmpi@yahoo.com.
- Last I stop by Shotty in Kanovlei for him to share Genesis 4:1-16. He shares it outside next to the church building with 18 adults and 8 children. The men respond well, but the women are shy and Shotty asks how to involve them. Typically I have them seen address the women directly and I ask if it would be appropriate to do the same in this context. That is no problem, but since the women are now aware of the issue, we mostly get giggles instead of answers.
- Driving back to Grootfontein I am asked to take three San children on their way home from school and drop them off at the farm entrance where they live. They speak English well and I share the story about the good Samaritan with them, which they love.
- In the evening I debrief with Hendrik and Elize over dinner, confirming the Kalahari New Hope becoming involved on the !Kung side for the next workshops.
This project is progressing much slower than planned, but considering the following factors, this is not surprising. The timing we set was an estimate for the broader San cluster, but in order to allow God to bring ownership of this to the !Kung and Ju/’hoansi we need to seek God’s face and meet the people where they are. Only then it has a real potential to continue and grow beyond our involvement.
The men really want to be engaging, but it is overwhelming to them in the midst of their other responsibilities, as well as that this approach is new after learning to do it other ways for many years. Hendrik is encouraging them that they should integrate the telling of the narratives and the discussion questions into their work, but they are just starting to grasp how that can work for them. It is also a discovery process for them that developing oral scripture has to be interwoven with storying strategies in order to get the best end result. The ideas for the next workshop flow out of these issues. The assignment for the next workshop we agreed on for each individual is to:
- Identify several persons (men and women, both younger and older) that can be part of the next workshop and that potentially could be trained to help with the oral scripture program (a local story teller and/or a person to help preparing oral scripture passages).
- Work on developing stories that they feel should be part of an initial chronological storying cycle in their culture, using the firm foundation training manual they each have.
I have identified two of the men (Josef and Gerrie) to be a good potential to become trainers. They both seem to be mature, listen very well, and are servants at heart. Josef also learns the narratives quickly and well, tells them well, and leads well in helping people internalize the narratives. They both also speak English and Afrikaans well and have served as translators in our workshop. Gerrie has a lot of other responsibilities, so I don’t mention it to him, but when I talk with Josef about it, he is very open and even is willing to teach the stories for the !Kung workshops in the communities in July.
Once more, the progress made still needs to be considered in context of the unique situation of these people groups and, from my perspective, it continues to reflect the newness of using relevant oral scripture engagement approaches, by preparing oral scripture passages and using stories from the Bible in a cultural relevant setting and addressing issues that the people can relate to. For them to start sharing the stories in their communities themselves is significant. Sufficient time and workshops need to be given in order for them to grow in ownership of the project, as well as allowing them to progress at their pace to establish a firm foundation for them to see this approach effectively work and for it to become well integrated in their world and ministry as pastors and elders. Currently most of these people still don’t have access to easy transportation, their area is also not mobile phone accessible (they are still working on a tower in Omatako), most of them don’t have electricity and running water, and their planning is from day to day. Besides the monthly interactions through Degnos, they have no workable support infrastructure and work in their own communities, except for the men in Tsumkwe who have electricity, running water, phone, and possibly very poor internet access.
Respectfully submitted,
Durk Meijer, Wycliffe RTS Ethno Communications Specialist
