(Unofficial) Chinese class

It's true...I haven't posted for a few weeks, and maybe some of you thought I fell off the face of the earth (which could happen in this part of the world). However, this is to let everyone know that I am alive and well and still in Kigali. It's just that there hasn't been anything new to report. No coups, guerrilla warfare, raging pandemics, that sort of thing.

Well, actually there is one piece of news. For the last two months, I have been teaching an unofficial Chinese class to local brothers and sisters. The direction from the Governing Body in the form of a letter sent within the last year to bodies of elders regarding foreign languages is that now a "pre-group" may be formed in advance of a "group." Which of course precedes the formation of a congregation, as we all know.

However, to form a pre-group, you must have preaching territory, a core of publishers who speak or are willing to learn the language, and a meeting that can be arranged on a regular basis. Only then can an official language class be arranged. But you can't form a pre-group with only one person speaking the language! For this reason, it was suggested to start an unofficial Chinese class. This would be a private matter not involving the congregation. We decided to hold it at an open area in the apartment complex I previously lived in. It was supposed to be a secret arrangement, but somehow nearly everyone in the congregation found out about it.

We handpicked about a dozen publishers from Kigali English and other congregations to participate in this unofficial class. The goal was to give everyone a foundation in reading pinyin, giving a basic presentation, knowing basic conversation, etc. At some point in time we will have met the requirement of having a core of publishers learning Chinese.

A few weeks ago I put together an Excel spreadsheet of Chinese names and addresses. Well, more specifically, locations, because here in Kigali most houses and business really don't have addresses. True, they have come a long way from the days of descriptions such as "three houses past the mango tree" (not that I would even know what one looks like), and it has only been in the last year or two that they have finally started to name the streets here, paved or otherwise, but you still can't receive mail at an actual location—you have to get it at a postal box.

But, getting back to this spreadsheet: now we have territory, of sorts. This is a list of most of the Chinese people I have run into since I have been here, some of whom have turned into Bible studies.

Regarding the class: it is like an official language class in many respects, except that because it is unofficial, no pioneer credit is given :(  Yes, it requires a true self-sacrificing spirit! Also, because it is being held at an open area in an apartment complex, we can't do anything that would make a lot of noise, such as play music, sing, dance, or set off firecrackers. And though I have a whiteboard, there is no screen or projector. So videos are out! But there are still many activities we can do that don't require such equipment and are on the quieter side.

Would you like to meet the students in this class? Here is a photo of most of them, along with their Chinese names, kindly provided by my friend Leif Sage in Sacramento, California.

Munyankindi, Philbert 孟志豪 mèngzhìháo

Mugisha, Blaise 马博韵 mǎbóyùn

Ingabire, Ange 杨安颖 yáng'ānyǐng
Umuhire, Aurore 魏安柔 wèi'ānróu

Ukwivuze, Jonathan 吴俊天 wújùntiān

Nzayituriki, David 毛丁宇 máodīngyǔ

Nzabakira, Esther 倪颖颖 níyǐngyǐng

Imulinde, Odile 林德丽 líndélì

Zimulinda, Darius 郑丽苏 zhènglìsū

Not present:
Nzabakira, Frédéric 朱凤丁 zhūfèngdīng
Mfitumukiza, Siméon 冯思伟 féngsīwěi
Dushimimana, Belyse 杜贝利 dùbèilì

Two weeks ago we had a "practice" Congregation Bible Study. I had sent everyone the 3lines.org material for that week's lesson. Each of the students was assigned either to answer a question or read a scripture. Even though there were a number missing that day, the ones present managed to step up and comment when necessary. So it can be done!

That is the latest. Please keep us in your prayers!