Mercedes’ palms were sweaty, and beads of perspiration formed on her forehead. Ignacia, the Quechua literacy teacher, had just called Mercedes up front to help form new words using the syllable cards they had been learning. This was a new experience for the 48-year-old woman who had grown up in a Quechua village in Peru and had never been to school.
Week by week as classes progressed, Mercedes felt more confident. She realized that decoding the written Quechua was not an impossible task. Ignacia observed that Mercedes particularly enjoyed reflecting on relevant themes and what the Bible has to say about them. Along with her classmates, she was having fun learning how to read and write her language.
One day Mercedes came to class with a big smile on her face. She shared that after giving her husband some advice, he commented, “What are they teaching you at the literacy classes? You are really changing!” Ignacia was thrilled.
The other ladies in the class also saw big changes in Mercedes and her increased participation in discussions and exercises. She was even helping others who were having difficulties. Mercedes no longer walks with her head down, ashamed of not being literate. She is developing her God-given skills to handle the numerous tasks in this literate world.
Story found on the Wycliffe website.
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