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


Saturday, July 26, 2008

Kids say the darnedest things . . .


A major aspect of our training this week has been to develop a language learning strategy. We've talked a good bit about how kids learn languages compared to how languages are often taught in school. As kids learn a language, they don't simply engage their minds in memorization drills or simply mimicking a person. They hear language in context. They learn the word for apple not from a book, but as they're picking one up and eating it.

Adults can imitate the success of kids by likewise involving more than just their brains (Total Person Response). In thinking about how we can utilize this method in our language learning, we've had drills this week where we've attempted to learn languages by using drills that engage more than just our minds. I've been attempting Russian and Hilary, Vietnamese.

As in my previous post, I think the scary part of this learning is remembering the T.V. show, "kids say the darnedest things."

One of the funny stories we've heard this week is from a missionary still learning the language who went to his mechanic and thought he said, "my car won't start, can you change the points." What he actually said was, "my car won't give birth, can you change it's bananas." Stay tuned in the following years for more from "Missionaries say the darnedest things."

4 comments:

christina said...

I will be sure to keep you update on my own version of this! :)

Anonymous said...

Steven Manning, fellow partaker in the spread of the gospel of Christ.

To the Denny's, servants of our Lord for mission senegal.

Grace, peace, and Joy be to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

I think that that is very humurous, what you guys have posted. I think I may have to talk about that at emmaus this year. Well, I am praying for you guys, please continue to serve the Lord with gladness. Come into his presence with exceeding joy!

Jeff said...

Brings to mind the scripture,
"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." Proverbs 10:19
Jennifer :)

Christie M said...

Language aquisition is so interesting. Erika is in her 2nd year of learning english. While watching the olympics she heard them say Micahel Phelps had smashed the world record with leaky goggles.

She brought away from that "somebody in the world, smashed Michael Phelp's goggles", and she was worried he wouldn't be able to swim. :)