Fall 2019 Newsletter of Tanya Spronk

Serving with Wycliffe Canada in South Sudan

Tanya’s Times
Happy New Year, SIL* Style
Here in SIL South Sudan, our fiscal year begins on October 1. So every year, in
the weeks leading up to New Year’s Eve (September 30), we are busy finishing
up the activities that we had planned for FY19, along with meeting together
with other SIL staff, members of translation and literacy projects, language
committees and donors to finalize plans for FY20. Sometimes these meetings
can be frustrating and discouraging as we reflect on the challenges (and yes, our
own failings!) over the past year. It can also be challenging to negotiate
expectations from donors, and balance those with expectations from language
communities… all while trying to listen and discern what God’s expectations are.
It can be eye-opening to see just how far apart all these expectations can be
sometimes - but I trust that in the end, we are all moving together in the right
direction.
These meetings and conversations can also be encouraging and inspiring.
Hearing reports from communities about the impact of the activities that we’ve
been involved with over the past year makes me happy. We heard about
literacy activities happening in the Murle church, being led by teachers that I Prayer Points:
trained a number of years ago. We have been supplying them with some basic
 For the government of
literacy materials, but they are running the classes themselves, funded by the
South Sudan. Part of
community and church. the last peace
We heard about a celebration held in the Lango-Lokwa community here in Juba. agreement was a deal
They had a “quiz” for the leaders in the community where a wrong answer to form a new
government by
resulted in a monetary fine, which went straight into the fund they have for
November.
their language development activities. Members from this language community
are volunteering their time to come each day to the SIL offices to work on their  For wisdom as SIL
language development activities. This group has just recently started writing interacts with people
down their language (previously, it was only spoken), and are already using from various language
groups who want to
some of the materials we have helped them develop in their local schools and
develop their
churches.
languages.
I was also pleased to see some detailed plans from the Avokaya community as  For me to show grace
to what activities they want to do to encourage literacy in their community, and love to the people
alongside their ongoing Old Testament translation work. With just some that I interact with
technical help and a bit of financial support from our donors, there will be even from organizations
more readers to use their New Testament (which was published in 2002), and such as the Ministry of
more literate people to give reviews and input into the Old Testament Education, UNICEF,
translation work. Unfortunately, because of the civil war in South Sudan, many local universities and
of the Avokaya community are living as refugees in Uganda and Congo, but are other NGOs.
still active in running literacy classes and assisting with the translation work.
* SIL is Wycliffe’s field-work partner organization that I work with.
 Pan Africa Literacy For All Conference
In late August, I went with a colleague from our Literacy Department to the Pan
Africa Literacy For All Conference - which is held every 2 years under the auspices
of the International Literacy Association. We were able to invite the Director
General of the Centre for National and Foreign Languages from the Ministry of
Education in South Sudan, as well. It was a great time to catch up with others
who are working in the field of literacy in Africa, from SIL and other
organizations, NGOs and Ministries of Education. I was especially encouraged to
see the emphasis that was put on the role of language in literacy and reading,
and learning some new innovations and methods for teaching, training teachers,
and materials development. I came away with a notebook full of ideas that have
been tried and tested in other parts of Africa that I would like to try adapting for
South Sudan in the coming year.
It’s also good to know there are other people in this region facing some of the
same challenges that we have here, who are finding some real innovative ways
to address them. Plus, spending 3 days with people who just want to talk about
literacy and reading was a real treat for me!

“We enjoy the literacy, we enjoy the Bible! Our prayer is that God will bless you
[SIL], and bless the donors who are contributing to the project.”
Murle Language Committee Member at our yearly review and planning meeting

Contact Me!
On the Horizon …
Unfortunately, again, my best laid plans for working on P2 (Grade 2) materials
Wycliffe
with the Ministry of Education have not yet come to fruition! After many
4316 10th St. NE meetings with a number of different partners involved, we still haven’t gotten
Calgary, AB the go-ahead from the Ministry to start the work. But I trust that the doors
T2K 6K3 will be open at the right time for me to continue with that particular project,
or else other partners will be found to work with the Ministry of Education to
PO Box 628200 achieve their goals.
Orlando, FL In the meantime, there has been no shortage of other things for me to get
32862-8200 excited about! In the past months, I’ve worked with Daniel on a book to help
people in his community who know how to read English to be able to use
Home Address: those skills to read in their own Bongo language. They have a few scripture
151 Valley Ridge Green NW portions available in their language, so now they are beginning to read those
portions! I’ve also been following up with some of the trainers that we
Calgary, AB
trained to use the new P1 (Grade 1) materials back in February. Books are
T3B 5L6
being distributed to the schools and teachers are using them!
tanya_spronk@sil.org
trspronk@gmail.com In the coming months, I’ll be working with several language groups to
develop their calendars for 2020, finishing a primer in Dinka Cam, and
participating in an SIL workshop in Burkina Faso on mentoring. As usual, I’m
www.wycliffe.ca
also looking forward to spending some time in Calgary over Christmas, so I
www.sil.org hope to catch up with some of you then.
Until then, thank you for your prayers and support of my work here in South
Sudan. Peace, Tanya
2
Clockwise from the top left: My colleague
training a group of Avokaya teachers in
their church; teacher trainees learning to
use the P1 (Grade 1) materials we
developed; A page from a Social Studies
textbook in Nuer (we facilitated the
translation of the books); Zane surveying
his kingdom outside my screen door; the
usual fruits and veggies; Me and a little
friend enjoying some RnR in Uganda; I’ve
taken up hand quilting (who knew I could
spend so many hours with a needle and
thread and scrap fabric?!)