“Where is God?” I asked to a crowd of Kovol kids and, received the reply, “He’s in us!” That was the answer I was expecting! I treated it as a wrong answer as we try to push back against some ingrained cultural ideas. “Remember what the lesson said?” I asked. “God is in all places!”
Literacy students graduating from our literacy class is only the first step of their journey. Dr. John Cairns, the former Director of UNESCO’s Experimental World Literacy Program, estimated that students require at least 600 hours of reading practice to secure their skill in reading. To become fluent readers it isn’t enough to just be introduced to reading and writing the syllables needed for the Kovol language. Learning the syllables needs to be followed by consistent reading practice.
How do missionaries living off-grid in the middle of the jungle get electricity for appliances and laptops? Take a quick look at the Stanley’s solar system to see for yourself.
Graduating from school and receiving a certificate is always an occasion to celebrate. When the graduation marks the first ever class who has learned to read and write in a language that previously had no written material it’s an especially big occasion.