"Thanks for not putting me to sleep..."

"Thanks not for putting me to sleep during the class!" said one of the students in YWAM Panama City's Native Roots DTS after we finished a week of teaching with them on worldview.  

For this group of students from indigenous backgrounds, we focused on the stories that have power to change both our lives and our communities.  We chose stories from the Bible that have the power to change our worldview, and our world.  Some of the stories we simply told, others we acted out, illustrated, and applied to specific issues in their home communities.

The woman who thanked me for not putting her to sleep was suffering from a bad cold and had a hard time paying attention in class. She thanked us for keeping her involved with the dramas and stories. Another student, who is very much an oral learner, and has been struggling with understanding teaching that is heavy on theory, also thanked us for teaching through stories. He was eager to comment and participate when we were speaking his language (stories).

We spent a lot of time letting the students share their own stories, and praying for them.  A couple of times we divided the group into men, and women, Alex and I praying separately with each group. Once the women began sharing with me and with each other, they didn't want to stop!  It was a privilege to have them share with me their challenges and trust me with their stories.


We pray that the stories we passed on to them will bear fruit in their lives and in their communities after their training time with YWAM is done. 

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