[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Intinerant Travels 2002 ] [ Kwong Pastors' Training  #1 ] [ Evangelism ] [ A visit to the Niellim ] [ Hinterland Travels - March 2001 ] [ Impressions from the Hinterland ] [ A Vision for Ministry Among the Kwong ] [ Annotated Outline of Kwong Theology ]

It is a point we need to remind ourselves of frequently: the translation work, literacy, and theologizing we spend so much of our time doing are merely a means to an end, and not an end in themselves. (See our Philosophy of Ministry.)  The whole point is that all these other tasks converge in the preaching of the Gospel and that the lives of Kwong people are changed.

Anyway, during much of February and March we have been doing our best to make sure that this happens. We traveled to 7 villages, camped, and preached publicly before the chiefs and towns-people in the town square, and then exhorted the believers back at the church. These trips are the theme of our newsletter, so we won't belabor the point here. (Also check out some of our impressions.) 

During out travels, our accommodations were simple. We carried cots to sleep on - usually outside - and ate our meals with our Chadian hosts. Diane had to fend for herself for her beloved coffee, though (above right).

"Downtime" for Mark was time to prepare the next sermon or lecture. Normally he preached both morning and evening each day.

Diane used our travels as an opportunity to improve here language abilities. Here she records a folk tale in a dialect we were unfamiliar with.

She also spent a lot of time teaching the ladies some rudiments of reading.

Sick people were everywhere. The heat and dust had infected virtually every child in every village with some hideous bronchial infection. Here Mark sizes up yet another case. 

Evenings with village people were a special part of our travels. With no electricity, it usually meant sitting in the dark looking at the stars and talking about life.