“Isengardians” are the largest people group in the world without the Bible in their own language. Since “Isengard” has a very low literacy rate (less than 10% for village women) recorded scriptures, storytelling programs, and video projects are vital to present the Gospel. We recorded 21 stories, each recorded in both a male voice and a female voice.
– T&CW
Trying to find members of the people group you’re supposed to be working with can be tricky.
– “Emma”
I have seen people beaten for their faith. I have gone through anti-American protests. I have been hugged tightly by Muslim women when my brother died.
– “Emma”
Finally, one man said, “Can we hear the stories again?” Bilbo said okay and told the stories for a third time.
One of our teams had some story testing to do. They sent their main story crafter (I’ll call him Bilbo) out to a village in the western part of the country. My wife and I went along with him, on this occasion simply to watch. We visited a rural church which had gathered, in advance, a number of men for Bilbo’s story testing session. There were about 15 men present. It was a mixed crowd of half Muslim men, and half new believers that the church had led to faith in Christ and had incorporated into their regular congregation. We were told that no one present for the testing had been a Christian for longer than 6 months.
“Most of those attending the group were not believers.”
-“Emma”
On Friday, just minutes before traveling to visit a new village we received an e-mail from a very dear friend. She reminded us that “When Father closes the door, He opens a window.” Over the past few weeks our visits to a particular village have been restricted. These restrictions limit our team’s ability to conduct effective story groups. We had become discouraged because of the bond that we had developed with these people and our commitment to those who were excited about storying. We asked the Father to give us direction and uplift our spirits.
Stories transform the teller as well as the listener.
– “Emma”
“…other foreigners will learn the trade language, but not [the heart language.]”
– “Emma”
The unusual is usual for our two-year Quest teams.
“Emma” says: At the beginning of January, Elizabeth and I moved to a small villiage that is about three hours from K-town…
Every home can become God’s House through stories.
The very first Quest teams sent out by OneStory are about to pack up and head home after serving for the past two years. Here’s what a few have said: