Grace lives on the Ndop Plain of Cameroon. It’s a fertile region known for agriculture, but also for ongoing conflict. Life there is difficult, especially for women like Grace, a widow who never had the opportunity to attend school while she was growing up.
But the Chrambo translation project offered her something she never expected: the chance to learn to read and write in her own language. It wasn’t an easy process, but Grace persevered.
This meant that Grace could now read the newly-translated Chrambo Scriptures. After studying the book of Luke, she chose to give her life to Christ.
Grace becomes a teacher
Grace wanted other women to experience the same transformation. So, she quietly completed the necessary training to become a literacy teacher.
When she walked to the front of her church to join the other teachers in a dedication prayer for the new school year, some people laughed. They were surprised to see her there—was she confused? How could a woman who had never attended school be a teacher?
But Grace taught a literacy class to widows in her church anyway. Her students attended faithfully, even though their days were full of hard labour on their farms. Among them was Grace’s daughter Ernestine. She was so impressed by the impact that literacy had on her mother’s life that she decided she wanted to learn for herself.
Another literacy class
Not only did Ernestine learn to read and write in Chrambo, but reading God’s Word in her own language convinced her, too, to give her life to Christ. She later completed training to become a teacher.
When Ernestine started her own class, her daughter Stacy wanted to join. Ernestine initially refused—Stacy was already attending a government school, and literacy training discouraged mixing students with those who had never attended school. But Stacy persisted. She wanted to learn to read and write in Chrambo.
Finally, Ernestine agreed. On graduation day, Stacy was among the honorees. She had learned to read and write fluently in both Chrambo and English.
A graduation gift
As a graduation gift, Stacy and the other students each received a copy of the Chrambo New Testament. Stacy continues to eagerly devour Scripture, reading it late into the night. Ernestine often finds her asleep with the New Testament resting on her chest, open to the portion she had just read.
God’s Word continues to speak through generations.