Ronda Schmidt Just another weblog 
The 2008 spring semester here at the MTC is well underway. The 139 students are in different semesters of training. The training is constantly being evaluated to give the students the best training possible for cross-cultural church planting. Last fall it was decided to shorten the training here so that more on-field training could be given. In light of that decision 41 students will be graduating the middle of March. From now on the MTC training will be completed in three semesters instead of four.
The fourth semester students (some of which were my students last semester) are busy with CLA (Culture and Language Acquisition) Methodology II. During this class, students continue their exposure to CLA methodology begun last semester (language acquistion), with an emphasis on culture acquisition.
Through an extended cultural role play they learn how to acquire culture through culture events (participation, observation, recording, and by getting to know a culture helper), through interviewing and learning how to file culture information using a software program designed by NTM. This software is used in analyzing the culture to recognize cultural themes. These cultural themes will then be used to help write bible lessons, addressing cultural barriers that are contrary to God’s Word.
