Bible Study

Every Tuesday we meet in different people's homes for Bible Study. Lately, we have been studying the book of Ephesians. There were 14 people at Bible Study this week, Praise God!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 

Ephesians 6:10-11

Please pray for Faith Baptist Church and the members. One woman discussed how she just quit her job this week because her boss said in order for her to keep her job she would have to sleep with him. The devil is real and trying to draw them away from the Lord. Pray that they would spend time reading the Word and praying which is how they can learn to be strong in the Lord and trust Him. 

South Africa's constitution guarantees equal status to 11 official languages in order to cater to the country's diverse peoples and their cultures. Zulu is most widely spoken and is the mother tongue of 23.8% of South Africa's population compared to only 8.2% speaking English.

In Bible Study, we will read the verses that are being discussed in sometimes 4 different languages. Many times we will lead Bible study in English but will have a interpreter who will translate into Zulu. Zulu is the predominant language spoken by people living in Soweto but it is many people's second language, used only for communication with each other.

For example, as we were visiting our girls from Girls Club, we spoke with families whose first language was Sesotho, IsiZulu, Setswana and Tshivenda. It is essential for people in Soweto to learn Zulu in order to communicate with friends and neighbors. Also, Zulu is the language spoken by teachers in the classroom. Can you imagine not speaking in your first language of English but having to learn a second language such as Chinese in order to communicate with people outside of your family or even in order to learn in school??

During Bible Study, I was able to hold this sweet baby girl so that her Gogo could participate. After a while, she began crying and I couldn't appease her. Afterwards, the Gogo came to me and told me that she was just hungry because she didn't get to eat breakfast and it was now noon. There are many children living in Soweto who only get to eat one meal a day usually bread or pap (maize or corn meal).