The Bible Story Club

Bible Story Club students (in uniforms) with
students from St. Moses Primary School

The Amazima School, like all Ugandan secondary schools, has many clubs that students participate in as part of their extra-curricular activities. One of the clubs is the Bible Story Club. Denny and Brian, a Ugandan mentor, are the club sponsors. While still in America, Denny learned to present bible stories orally and lead bible studies in an oral teaching method. The Bible Story Club was created to teach Amazima students how to present the bible orally to other Ugandans, especially those in the villages, many of whom do not read or have only limited ability to read.

Leading worship

This past week the club had the opportunity to present the bible story about Joseph's forgiveness of his brothers (Gen. 50:15-21) to students at a local primary school called St. Moses. It is hard to describe how significant this opportunity was. Very few Ugandan secondary students ever have the chance to speak in front of others. Those who do are the older students, those who are the equivalent of juniors and seniors in high school. Students at the lower levels, the equivalent of seventh graders like those at Amazima, are never provided with such an option. The club members took the presentation very seriously. They studied hard, learned their parts, and practiced well. The club was divided into two groups. One presented the story to the younger primary students and the other to the older primary students. At St. Moses, they presented their parts, led discussion questions, and encouraged the students to forgive others. The St. Moses students were thrilled. Many of them have brothers and sisters at Amazima so they were excited to see the club members. The St. Moses students appreciated the story about Joseph. They participated eagerly in the discussion, and had insightful comments. They asked many questions, including questions about Joseph generally that were not part of the story the club presented. The club members answered these questions, which spoke to the depth of their preparation. 

Presenting the story to the lower primary students

Four girls from Ruth House are members of the club. We prayed with them often about their desires and concerns with the presentation. God clearly answered the prayers. One of the girls was asked to lead the younger students in worship songs before the story presentation. She did not know she would be asked to do this, she had not prepared for it, yet she stepped up without hesitation and led the worship. Another girl loves the bible and has shown this love from the first day she came to Amazima. But her voice is soft and her English is not always clear. Despite these challenges, she told her portion of the story with a strong voice in clear English.  Another girl, during the first term, struggled with shyness. She had to overcome nervousness, a soft voice, and general discomfort with speaking in front of a group of people. Over the course of the year her confidence has grown. This growth came to light fully when she helped to present the bible story.  And then there was the fourth girl. This girl has been so timid in front of others it is as if she wants to hug the wall in her discomfort  to stand up front. At times Denny has wondered why she joined the club since she knew she would be expected to tell bible stories in front of people. Yet, there she was at St. Moses, speaking loudly, stating her words clearly, and even incorporating gestures and voice inflections into her part. 

Answering questions from the upper primary students

Living with, mentoring, teaching 24 teenage girls, especially girls on a different continent, in a foreign culture, has its challenges. The rewards though of seeing the girls grow, seeing their faith strengthen, and watching them thrive when given the opportunity to talk about God and God's forgiveness, makes the challenges far less challenging. Thank you for all of your prayers for God's work here at Amazima. He is working at Amazima and the Bible Story Club’s presentation is just one small example.