Who Are We


Wayne, Hilary & Adelaide Denny. Preparing to Serve in Leadership Training in Senegal, Africa. God has called us to take advantage of a unique window of religious freedom in Muslim Senegal by equipping church leaders who have a heart for reaching their country and the Muslim world.

We should be jealous. . . for the honour of His name – troubled when it remains unknown, hurt when it is ignored, indignant when it is blasphemed. And all the time anxious and determined that it shall be given the honour and glory which are due to it.” John Stott


Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Bringing good cheer to all nations


So what's painful about watching this video is knowing that we will sound like that when we try to learn a new language. One of the major difficulties in learning a new language is hearing it correctly. Some non-native English speakers don't hear the difference between the English r and l and consequently, they don't pronounce them differently. Undoubtedly, as we seek to learn French and then Wolof in Senegal, we will likely encounter sounds we've never made before and bring laughter into the lives of many people.

Today in class, we spent a few hours learning what some of those sounds are in other languages that we can't hear. As we were told, "if you don't hear it right, you won't speak it right." Our class began with 7 pairs of Vietnamese words and each pair was different. I could only tell the difference between 2 pairs. Today was very helpful although I have a sneaking suspicion that I need to continue going to class to ensure I can sing Jingle Bells in French and Wolof without people laughing at me.

3 comments:

Karen said...

That's OK Wayne. I have the same problem in the U.S. We're praying for all of you as you encounter another hurdle on your way to Senegal.
Love ya!

P. Smith said...

My favorite Christmas movie of all... and I hope you can sing deck the halls in French and Wolof too, although, are halls even a familiar enough concept among the Senagalese?

Christie M said...

LOVE the Christmas Story! :)

Every time I hear that Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra it cracks me up. :)