Studying culture and language can be a dull, dry job, but conversing with friends is a lot of fun. When Angel, a Southern Tepehuan friend, dropped by to chat with missionary Andrew Ferguson, language learning became much more interesting.
Last year Andrew and his wife, Anne Marie, began building their home in a Southern Tepehuan village and started building relationships along with studying the culture and language. They also spend long hours going over notes, listening to recordings, organizing notes on the computer trying to figure out the Southern Tepehuan grammar, and writing a dictionary. That's the dull, difficult part of language learning.
When Angel came by, he and Andrew visited over a cup of coffee. Angel then brought up the violence that has plagued the village lately. He wondered whether God was punishing their village. He asked Andrew some pointed questions about God's punishment.
Recognizing a perfect opportunity, Andrew began to tell Angel about sin and God's provision of salvation. He began in the Southern Tepehuan language and finished in Spanish. Angel seemed very interested. He didn't understand everything but definitely wanted to talk more.
Pray for Andrew and Anne Marie as they learn the culture and language of the Southern Tepehuan people so that one day they can share the Gospel. Pray that Angel will desire to hear more about God.
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