Bible Lessons
From the beginning of the sewing classes, we enjoyed afternoon tea, a relic from my past in Trinidad and Tobago and a staple of South African culture. I added fruit to the cookies so we have a more nutritional tea time!
We also included a time to reflect on a verse from the Holy Bible where I did all of the talking. This has had mixed success mainly because of language and cultural barriers. The first step I took to overcome this was to give each student his or her own Hxosa, Soto or English Bible. This improved matters some as they could now fgollow along with the Scripture passage. Another step was needed however. I decided to invite some Xhosa speaking teachers to speak to the class but, as yet, this has not gone as smoothly as I hoped. Then my friend Brigitte suggested I give them a passage, have them read and reflect on it and ask them what words most touched their hearts. To my delight, this, so far, has been the best way. After an hour of sewing and chatter, they enjoy the silent contemplation. When I ask them to share the words that most impress them, I am thrilled that they are the same words I had intended to share with them. So far, they get it right every time. They now participate with enthusiasm and I am also surprised to see which of the students speak up.
This has taught me a valuable lesson. We can depend on the Holy Spirit to touch lives through God's word, without any help from us, for most of the time. Doing it this way has released me from the sense of spiritual failure to help them understand what they are reading and now trust in the Spirit whose ways are of course, so much superior to mine.
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