Homeschool opens/ Language schol again

Lisa preps school

Hello. Lisa started homeschool with the boys this past week.The school room has been readied, and the chalkboard is up. Lisa found that some of the materials she bought in the USA, the teacher guide was missing from the student guide or vice versa. So we'll have to adjust, and make thematerials work. (Unless someone would like to come visit us and bring the missing materials.;-)




We're also getting a used computer put together for home school. Our laptop is too valuable for email,and blog communication to be played on. But the boys really need computer experience. Ben is ready to learn to type, and begin typing papers for school, etc. Caleb needs computer experience. This world is computer-driven now isn't it? Can you get a job pumping gas without computer experience?
Hilary has been at boarding school in Dakar for 2 weeks now, she is doing so well!Thank you for praying for her.





Friends (Gym Class?)
A key part of school is friends. There is another missionary family in town for a short project. They came for 8 months. Their two boys are near our boys' ages, and
they have been a blessing for our kids to play with. As boys do, they play a lot with swords, and running tag like games. Would you believe this is a good part of our phys ed (aerobic exercises) program?

We all started Bambara class yesterday. We all being Ben, Lisa, and Tom.Our tutor's name is Henri. He teaches english at the local Jr high school, so he speaks English, French, and Bambara. This will especially help Ben for explanations of certain grammar rules, etc. (Ben did actually correct Henri yesterday, though.In french you don't watch tv, you listen to tv. Henri wrote in french that you watch tv because in bambara you look at tv. So Ben pointed that out.)We went very fast, actually. Bambara is widespread as a trade language for one big reason. It is simple. No conjugation! Yeah. I go school, you go school, he go school. Much easier than french. We have a lot of vocabulary to learn, new words for everything. "So" is house. Study/Learn is "Kalan". So school is: "Kalan So" Study House.

Interesting...We've started Bambara now because it is very important as a language where we are. We can function in french, and many people speak it. So we decided to get setup in our new house first, then attack learning bambara. So now we begin!It was coming fast yesterday because it has been in our ears all year. So putting ideas together is coming along... We've only had one formal lesson, but we've been learning all year informally. Especially greetings, and thank you's, which are VERY important in african/Malian culture...Pray for us as we attack a new language. Our goal is to be able to function in Bambara as well as we function in french.

Our friend Abel Soro. Please continue to pray for him. This is the young man who was a rebel in Cote D'Ivoire. He's done many things as a soldier that he is not proud of. He is a Christian, is baptized, but really needs to feel the forgiveness of Christ in his life. He also needs to get away from the rebels, and start a righteous way of life. We have helped him sign up for motorbike mechanic school in Burkina Faso. We've encouraged Abel to find a local church there, (Alliance churches are very active in Burkina in that region.)Hopefully, after 3 years of mechanic school away from rebels, he will emerge with a career, and a rooted faith in God. We pray for these things for him. School is cheap. $300 per year. If you would be interested in helping this young man with school, either in part or whole, contact us. Help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks again for visiting, and praying for ministry in Mali,
Tom & Lisa Seward