“A case for the longer-term use of oral storying”
Read the story of Roy Slone’s trip to Southeast Asia and his valuable lessons learned about orality on the field. He explains that “oral movements are crucial for the spread of the Message; [while] written Scriptures are critical for its preservation.” read more...
Storytelling Training in South Asia
After more than three weeks on the road, we are back in our little apartment in South Asia. So far we've led 80 hours of storytelling training and have 40 more hours this next week. After that we'll have a short break.
Our travels are often physically stressful. Much of the teaching takes place in conditions well over 100 degrees. (People here are used to the heat). We did have some AC accommodations along the way; from time to time there was even electricity to run the ACs! Nevertheless our health is holding up, PTL. Just a few minor aches and pains, not much different than we'd have if we were at home. We've noticed that these aches do get a little worse when we sleep on bad beds and have no good chairs to sit on for weeks at a time.
In spite of the difficult conditions, the storytelling training was really great. The 48 men who have now finished their first year of training say that they are formally training another 553 storytellers. Of these, 439 have 10-15 men and women each to whom they are telling the stories. So every story we teach is perhaps being taught to 5,000 people immediately--most of whom are not yet believers. You can imagine the potential for God's Word to work in these thousands of lives!
We collected almost three hours of testimonies which “T”--with the help of “J”--translated and transcribed. I haven't read them all yet, but there are reports of people being raised from the dead, barren women conceiving--all the usual!
Sunday we leave for a week for another location in South Asia where “T” will be leading her first of two tribal women's training events and will also be completing research for her doctoral thesis. Please pray with us for protection on the highways and in our health. Also for the tribal women, their children and husbands so there is no hindrance to their participation in the training.
We are always grateful for your prayers and support that make it possible for us to be here.