Studying the sounds we recorded in Oklahoma, I’ve discovered things I expected about Cherokee and things I did not. Some sounds combine in ways I anticipated, such as a ‘t’ and ‘shh’ sound coming together into ‘ch’. Others have caught me by surprise, and require further investigation (to see if things like ‘k’ and ‘l’ should also join into a single alphabet letter).
Once those types of questions have been resolved and I create a Cherokee ‘alphabet’, I’ll move on to a consideration of Cherokee grammar. I’ll have to break apart stories told to us by Jerry, our language helper, and identify the patterns for how words fit together. Questions I’ll answer include ‘how are questions identified?’, ‘in what order do words need to appear,’ and ‘what causes a word to change from one form into another?’
It’s hard to believe that Linguistics is nearing an end, and with it our stateside missions training! More and more we see God bringing new things into scope for the weeks and months to come, and we’re excited to actively prepare for moving to Mexico! Yet we desire to finish strong where we are today, to excel in the tasks that God has given us here and now, and to allow Him to equip us fully for the works He intends to perform through us. Please pray that God will strengthen us to this purpose!
Ways you can pray this week:
- Pray that I will be able to focus on linguistics, and learn those things which will be most beneficial for future work on the mission field.
- Pray for Amy as she works in NTM childcare (subbing for student moms who would otherwise miss class), and also starts teaching Elayne how to read!
- Pray for our family, that we will continue to encourage one another and point one another toward the Lord daily.
- Pray for a couple who we prayed with at church today. They want to be saved; pray that they can fully understand their need for Jesus and place their faith in Him alone!
- Pray as we prepare for post-training life, including some exciting service opportunities at our church and our upcoming cross-country travel!