Days 3&4 "You're non denominational? Are you sure?"

So I'm almost halfway through this adventure of teaching in Uganda...it's hard to believe! Yesterday, I gave my first quiz, and the class did excellent work. Over half of the class made a 100! So that tells me that the quiz was far too easy...the next one will be much more difficult. Turns out that repeating information is no problem for Ugandans...critical thinking is much more difficult. So for the next exam, we'll have more essays.

Currently the college here has 2 guest professors. As you know, I teach the afternoon Acts class, and in the morning, a gentelman named Evan Turley teaches the Church History class. Evan, happens to be Irish...and he's about as Irish as St. Patrick! There are several students who go have Evan's morning class and my afternoon class. That means the poor students are subjected to a sharp Irish accent in the morning and a deep southern drawl in the afternoon. Again...English is not their first language. I'm amazed at their linguistic skills.

One of the best students came to Jeff, my host and the Academic Dean and said "Brother Jeff, my white professor in the afternoon doesn't speak so fast, but I don't understand him sometimes...and my white professor in the morning...I don't even know where he comes from!"

I love Evan's accent...it's great to hear him speak...maybe the students are amused with our respective takes on the English language. The student didn't seem too bothered... he made a 100 on the quiz!

Last note of the day...today I was helping one of the students with a question about Cornelius in Acts 10. This is an older lady of about 65, her name is Mary. After I gave a few answers that she liked, we had the following convo...

Mary: So...are you Baptist?
Me: No, I do not belong to a denomination...non-denominational
Mary: Whaaaat? Are you sure?
Me: Um...yea...non-denominational
Mary: But you...you know so much about the material...you have a view of the whole book.
Me: Well thank you, Mary, I appreciate that.
Mary: And you're sure? Non-denominational?
Me: Yes ma'am...I'm sure.

Funny...I guess she had a bad non denominational teacher before! Maybe I'm helping out the reputation out here. haha

Anyway...tomorrow is Uganda's Labor Day, so I promised to end class a little early. Then it's the weekend, and the 10k run along the Nile on Sunday.

Thanks so much for the prayers...God is doing great things.

More later.

Hope ya'll are well.

Matt