(Pictures: On the road in the southwest; Grace in her carseat; Tom & Grace at the dorm in Dallas) “3,000 years ago, in the land of Israel, there was a man named David…” So began the first story we learned at the One Story seminar we have been attending in Dallas, TX. For the past week we have been listening to, learning, and retelling over twenty-five stories and we have learned a lot about the power of storytelling.
Why storytelling? It’s really all about oral culture, where information and knowledge is spread by word of mouth. Literacy in many places of the world (including the place we’re going) is the exception not the norm. In the US we are so used to being able to read, that most of us don’t realize how much literacy effects our understanding of the world, ho
w we think, how we remember, and even how we shape our values.We learned a little bit about the power of storytelling while we were in Chad. People don’t get to hear too many stories, so even when we read a children’s folk story in our bad Chadian Arabic both children and adults asked us to tell it again, even four times in a row. Soon they were saying it along with us, or repeating parts of the story to one another right after hearing us say it. As you would guess, it doesn’t take long with that kind of treatment before a story is ingrained on people’s mind and can be retold by any of them at will. Everybody likes a good story and in oral communities it can really be the key to reaching people.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our road trip has gone well so far. The car has held up well, the drivers have held up well, and Grace has held up well. She has been an excellent traveler as long as we stop quickly when it’s time for her to eat. We have been welcomed by good
friends and even friends of friends who have offered their time and hospitality to look after us. We have had a great week getting to know people at the seminar and learning a lot about working in an oral culture.PRAYERS REQUESTED
We still have a lot of traveling to do. We are back in the car starting tomorrow and don’t reach Massachusetts until Sept. Pray for safety on the road and for Grace to continue to be a great traveler. Please pray for our plans for the fall and winter—that we would faithfully do all the things we want and need to do.
