a new way to learn

We have been visiting with several women's "self-help" groups in the villages around Kabul. These groups are organized by a local NGO, but mainly led through strong women in the community. The women get together monthly to learn, encourage each other, and bounce new ideas around, and probably, as my Nana would say, "gab" about goings on in the village. The model for self-help groups has been quite successful in several developing countries. Our business team is partnering with two specific CLA's (Cluster Level Associations). The CLA's are made up of representatives from each self-help group. The Dari word for the CLA group, which was decided on by the women, is "Desta Jamee"-- "joining hands together." I have visited several of these groups throughout the past week, and I was a little taken-back by the method of teaching/learning that happens in the meeting. I suppose I didn't really know what I was stepping in to, but I had my ideas. I thought the groups were a collection of simple village women, and I had attached an intellectual level to them. For some reason I thought that because they were taking care of the home, cooking, cleaning, taking care of kids, washing, looking after the livestock, etc. that they would be a bit more intellectually advanced. But I was quite wrong. These women are illiterate and have the most basic reasoning and critical thinking skills, only. I don't mean to share this information for any other reason than to say how the Father has encouraged me to teach these women. They learn through pictures, so that is what we have been doing. We draw and they add to our drawings; or, we give them an idea, and they elaborate on the idea through drawing. If anyone was thinking they needed a PhD to teach, they are wrong. The Father is teaching me that I am incredibly blessed to have the university education that I have. And I'm encouraged that the training I DO have is quite sufficient, if I really am just here to share the love of the Father.