As many of you know, Stephen is now back to full-time language study with the desire to see it completed. Progress is not seen in leaps or bounds but by words, phrases, and so on. Some days are hard, very hard. But other days, days when Stephen is able to be out with people, doing what they are doing, language study can actually be enjoyed through communication of desires, needs, struggles, and so on. Just a few days ago, Stephen noticed a large group of Agutaynens working along the road. So, he went to see what they were doing. In short, they were “beautifying” the village by planting trees and flowers. While there, one Agutaynen lady told Stephen, “Pag beket-beket tang mga taw madili tang obra piro mga wasag-wasag maliwag.” She said, “When people are tied together, work is fast; but when people scatter, work is hard.” So how can fifty Agutaynens all tied together accomplish a task? They can’t. But this is the way the Agutaynens say “united”. So, she was saying, “When people are united, work is fast.” Times like this, we see that we are learning a beautiful language.
Please pray with us that the Agutaynens will “tie” themselves up with Stephen in his continued language study. Pray as Stephen is looking for new, faithful Agutaynens to be language helpers. And then, Lord willing, this task of language learning will be a “fast” one, as the Agutaynen lady expressed.