Many missionaries go to the mission field and attend a language school or hire a tutor.
After exploring my options and then talking to
the only missionary I know who is very fluent in Zulu,
I found that the best way for me to become as well trained in the language was to
learn under one of the best professors in IsiZulu in South Africa.
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| UKZN Howard College, Durban |
These classes are provided at Howard College
(University of Kwa-Zulu Natal/ UKZN) in Durban.
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| UKZN Howard College, Durban |
Four days a week I would drive 45 minutes down to the city to take classes at UKZN.
I would park in this parking lot by the Jamaat Karamat (Muslim place of worship).
It is about a 10 minute walk from there to class.
I have 7 flights of stairs to go up.
Thankfully, the escalators work most of the time.
This is a picture from the top (no escalators down, so we still get good exercise).
I enjoy going to unniversiity.
It is very hard.
Most of my days are consummed with classes, studying,
and traveling to or from university, but it is very rewarding.
(My evenings consist of ministry, study of Bible and Zulu,...)
Students at my university are Zulu, Indian, or from all over Africa.
Only a few whites attend this school.
Here are some of my friends from first semester.
It is fun to laugh with each other as we learn the Zulu language.
The classrooms look like this.
Our first semester class was around 60 students.
The second semester was only 6 students.
Most only take one semester because it is a difficult language.
Can you read the above story?
This is what some of our reading looks like.
During the second semester, we are not only learning more grammar
and how to speak better,
but we are also doing more reading comprehension.
Translation became even more intricate.
Above is one of the excersizes we had to do.
I have already used "translation" in our ministry.
As you see in the above picture,
I work with the KJV and compare what the Zulu translation says
to see if it is missing anything in translation.
The current Zulu translation is missing alot, because it
was not translated from the Received Text.
We have to go back and compare the two and then make sure
the whole verse is properly translated.
This takes time, but at least the Zulu children are learning God's entire Word.
Thank you for praying for my Zulu Language learning.
I am not sure when I will receive my grades for this semester.
Can't believe I have already had one year of Zulu!
Not sure of what will be available for further training next year, but the Lord knows!
Keep praying for our ministry.
Pray that:
- the Lord will provide me with a Zulu young woman in the new area to help me in visitation,
- I will be able to use what I have learned even more in our new ministry at Abambo,
- I will learn more and become more fluent in the Zulu language,
- the Gospel presentation will be clear in Zulu,
-we will be able to start work on a new Zulu translation from the Textus Receptus.
