Zachary and Sara Prieb EXPANDING the Reach of the GOSPEL 
A Dobu hut
We have been puting into practice much of what we have been learning in our training at our Dobu sessions. The Dobu are an actual people group from an island off the coast of Papua New Guinea that has been studied several decades ago. As a class, we are in a “set up” or a “mock trip” as if we are going in to live among them as the first outsiders who have come to bring the Gosple to them.Our first objective was to make friends and find a language helper that would help to teach us Dobu. The staff that dress up for this actually speak a similar dialect and are completely in role as we go to their village or hut to learn from them and study their language. So, we have been practicing some of the techniques that we have been taught over the last year on language learning and relationship building. One area that is imphasized is learning all about their relationships to others in the tribe. This is the study of kinship and is much more foundational in their culture (and most other than the US) and determins their place in the tribe, who they can be friends with, marry, their allies and so on. When we can understand how kinship works in their tribe, we will have a better grasp on their culture and other practices will make much more sence as this progresses.
We have been learning words and practical expressions used by the natives and we have also been able to compare information with our co-workers who are working with other tribal language helpers, much like what we will do in a real setting.
Please pray for us as we learn what is important to watch for and talk about as well as how to conduct ourselves as this is about as close as it gets to the real thing.
