Over the river ... literally
What may seem like tiny differences can make all the difference in the world, so Aaron and Amy Speitelsbach are moving to another village.
They have just been settling into the "routine" after four months in a Glaro village in Ivory Coast -- if you consider scorpions on the porch and alligator meat in dinner routine -- but plan to move to another village across the river.
The reason is that the Glaro people have become a minority in the village where the Speitelsbachs currently live, and that makes it more difficult to learn the Glaro language. On the other hand, "across the river that marks the border to Liberia, lives a bigger Glaro community where all villages speak almost only Glaro," the couple wrote.
"The Glaro villages there are far more isolated and the nearest shop will be about a half day of travel away, making life a bit more difficult; however, this will be the better place to learn Glaro and we believe this is where God would have us to continue the work among them," they wrote.
And they need to be in a place where Glaro is about the only thing spoken so they can distinguish what seem like tiny differences in sounds, that make a big difference in Glaro.
"We are still trying to get our ears tuned to the 90 vowels of the Glaro language," Aaron and Amy wrote. "I guess you can imagine that having so many vowels, some of them really sound alike to us, while to them they are very distinct!"
Pray that the move will go well, and that they will be able to develop good relationships in their new village that will open doors not only to learning and understanding the Glaro culture and language, but also to communicating the Word of God among them.
They have just been settling into the "routine" after four months in a Glaro village in Ivory Coast -- if you consider scorpions on the porch and alligator meat in dinner routine -- but plan to move to another village across the river.
The reason is that the Glaro people have become a minority in the village where the Speitelsbachs currently live, and that makes it more difficult to learn the Glaro language. On the other hand, "across the river that marks the border to Liberia, lives a bigger Glaro community where all villages speak almost only Glaro," the couple wrote.
"The Glaro villages there are far more isolated and the nearest shop will be about a half day of travel away, making life a bit more difficult; however, this will be the better place to learn Glaro and we believe this is where God would have us to continue the work among them," they wrote.
And they need to be in a place where Glaro is about the only thing spoken so they can distinguish what seem like tiny differences in sounds, that make a big difference in Glaro.
"We are still trying to get our ears tuned to the 90 vowels of the Glaro language," Aaron and Amy wrote. "I guess you can imagine that having so many vowels, some of them really sound alike to us, while to them they are very distinct!"
Pray that the move will go well, and that they will be able to develop good relationships in their new village that will open doors not only to learning and understanding the Glaro culture and language, but also to communicating the Word of God among them.