More Updates
Sept. 19, 2003
July 7, 2003
Jan. 2, 2003
Nov. 24, 2002
April 24, 2002
Mar. 19, 2002
Feb. 6, 2002
Jan. 11, 2002
Dec. 19, 2001
Nov. 27, 2001
Nov. 10, 2001
Oct. 1, 2001
Sept. 19, 2001
August 17, 2001
July 24, 2001
July 5, 2001
June 24, 2001
June 13, 2001
May 31, 2001
May 14, 2001
April 30, 2001
April 16, 2001
March 31, 2001
March 15, 2001
March 1, 2001
Dear Friends,
This month, after a relaxing eleven day vacation in Cairns, Australia, we are trying to cut back on our enjoyable town work in order to give our language learning another boost. This means we are spending more time with the village people whose worldview is especially distant from ours. As a result, we are having more of those intriguing cross-cultural experiences that we told you about during the first half of this year. These mysterious glimpses into the village mindset make us all the more determined to learn this language so that we can really get to know these people.
Yesterday, for example, Diane had a very interesting conversation--a mixture of broken Tawala and broken English--with a middle-aged friend of hers. Diane thought she was paying her friend a surprise visit, but when she arrived at the woman's house, the woman said she was not surprised. She explained that she had been working in the garden and some butterflies had approached her. She had interpreted the butterflies as a sign telling her that someone was coming to visit, and indeed someone came!
Needless to say, we are not very familiar with butterfly omens, but we became completely confused at something else the friend said. She said that she had been ordered to pay a fine: one very valuable pig. What had she done wrong? She had become angry with another woman and had "sat on her thighs." Now what does that mean?
The communication barrier has thus far prevented Diane from discovering what "sat on her thighs" means. Hopefully we will figure it out, but even if we do, it will only be one small piece in a large puzzle. Please pray that we will learn this language!
And thank you all for the prayers you have offered on our behalf in the past. May God bless you.
Marcus Reese, with Diane and Hannah.
P.S. In the picture is Diane's friend (her name is Melele), watching as Hannah plays with her grandson.
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