Jerry & Joyce McDaniels opening God's Word through literacy 
Yep, it’s time to get out our suitcases again. We are preparing for an important trip to Bolivia. We leave the end of this month for Bolivia. One project we’ve been working on is to update the literacy training that missionary candidates receive and then to train the trainers. This trip to Bolivia is a part of that process. We are so excited to work with about 15 students from Bolivia and Peru, as well as help train the literacy course teachers and field literacy consultants. And we have an added blessing of being able to visit our daughter and her family who are serving at a school for missionary children in Bolivia!
Posts Tagged ‘literacy’
keeping those suitcases free of dust…
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Thursday, May 16th, 2013happy iguana month
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Thursday, February 21st, 2013
A very happy “Iguana Month” to you! That is February in Kuna-land. This month the Kuna literacy teaching teams in Panama are beginning their classes.
Recently we received word from Hernan, the Kuna brother who is coordinating the literacy effort that he has been training literacy teachers from several more Kuna communities who didn’t participate in the workshop last November. (more…)
Literacy training in Panama
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Tuesday, November 27th, 2012
practice teaching the literacy class
Last year at this time we were looking ahead to the Kuna literacy training as a huge step of faith with a whole lot of work needing to be accomplished. Here we are looking back on the pictures of the literacy training held in Panama a few weeks ago, thanking God for His provision and wisdom! Many of you were part of the team through your prayers and gifts toward the project.
More than 110 people from 42 different Kuna villages or churches attended the literacy training. The joy and energy was fueled by their enthusiasm for teaching people to read in preparation for the whole Bible in Kuna! Who can’t get hyped to think that soon the Kuna people will be able to read the Psalms, Proverbs, and all those beloved Old Testament stories? (more…)
to b or not to v
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Friday, October 19th, 2012
choosing the first 3 letters to use in stories
Joyce has returned from her time in Asia-Pacific with a full heart. Over and over it was obvious that God was leading, encouraging, giving health, wisdom and protection each step of the way. (And thanks for asking… I survived as a bachelor, although we have no plans of being separated again in the near future!) (more…)
back from Guinea, Asia-Pacific ahead
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Monday, September 17th, 2012
Landuma lady with baby
What a special time we had in Guinea! Thanks so much for your prayers. We met so many dear servants of the Lord, investing their lives in difficult locations. The majority of our time was spent with the team among the Landuma people. After learning about the situation there and looking over their literacy materials, we were able to make some suggestions that will strengthen their literacy outreach into the community. Pray that God’s Word will break through the cultural and religious barriers among the people groups of Guinea. (more…)
3 continents in 3 months
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Friday, July 13th, 2012Ready to expand your hearts and prayers with us?
We are preparing for trips to 3 continents during the next 3 months…
Panama: end of July – August
A group of nine from our church here in FL will be traveling to Panama to organize all the newly printed Kuna literacy materials for the upcoming training of literacy teachers in November. We are thrilled to be able to introduce these friends to some of our dear Kuna friends! (more…)
at the printers
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
Jerry deciding on cover style
Great, great news! The Kuna literacy program has been turned in to the printers and work has begun on the printing, laminating and binding of students’ books, flashcards, homework assignments, writing practice, tests, attendance sheets, teachers’ daily lesson plans…!
Thank you for your prayers while we were in Panama. We watched God do wonderful things: (more…)
you never know…
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
Joyce & Norma
We have to tell you the story of two Kuna ladies, Yeli and Norma with whom we were just re-connected while in Panama. Many years ago when we had to leave the Kuna village where we had been living because of safety issues, we resettled in a community outside of Panama City where there was a large Kuna population. Joyce began a Bible study and literacy classes with 4 Kuna ladies from that neighborhood. The group quickly outgrew the facility and was moved to a large Kuna church where it touched hundreds of ladies. Well, Yeli and Norma were in that original group of ladies! They heard the Gospel, trusted Christ, learned to read in Kuna and fell in love with His Word! (more…)
Countdown to the printers!
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Friday, January 6th, 2012
Newly designed mola for book covers.
If you’ve ever worked on a huge project for a LONG time, you know how wonderful it is to see things coming together! That’s how we are feeling about the Kuna literacy project.
Years ago we began developing a whole literacy program using all the things we’ve been learning about successful literacy training. Since it has not been our “full-time” ministry, we’ve worked on it here and there between other projects as we could.
Well, we are in the very final stages of editing and formatting in order to take it down to Panama in a few weeks to check a few questions we have, get some artwork done, and then turn the whole Kuna primer series into the printers! Woo-hoo!
Would you pray for us as we finish up the last details on this huge project? We are thrilled with the financial gifts that have come in toward the project. The Kuna literacy fund has received 77% of the total cost.
To follow the progress, please go to: usa.ntm.org/projects/kuna-literacy
in their hands!
Posted by Jerry and Joyce McDaniels on Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
reading Psalms for the FIRST time!
We had the most wonderful time in Panama for the Kuna leadership conference. It’s always a thrill to be able to reconnect with our Kuna friends, study God’s Word together, sing and hear reports of how God is working in the churches. But the thing that touched our hearts the most was something that they carried back to their villages.
Our Kuna friends received the first copies of the newly translated books of Psalms, Proverbs and Exodus. Let that soak into your mind for a moment…Makes us want to shout each time we think about it!!!
Most of us grew up hearing “the Lord is my Shepherd…” We have had free access to God’s whole Word through multiple translations in our language (often sitting in dust on our bookshelves), digital copies if we prefer, and even apps that go wherever we are. Praise God that by 2013 the Kunas will have the whole Bible in their language! Pray for the final steps necessary to get things finished up and off to the printers. (more…)