
It was just an informal visit to our missionary friends in Timor Leste, and for the eight of us women, our one project was to speak to a class of 16-year-olds about dating. So over three afternoons, we spoke to the Timorese youth about dating from a Christian perspective. They laughed shyly, tittered and giggled when we first introduced our topic, which was shared in English and translated by a local into Tetun, the dialect of the region.

What you see if you were sitting at one of the desks and looking out the louvred windows. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the deep blue sky. You could also hear the occasional barking of dogs.

Some of the youth posing for a class photo before heading down to the sea for an afternoon of games and snacks.
Using a mix of Bahasa Indonesia, a smattering of English, and Tetun phrases, it was not hard to connect with the Timorese youth. There is a hunger to learn, they copy everything down into notebooks, they seem to listen intently even if they can’t comprehend everything. And they smile so very easily.
My next post: Part (3)–The Beauty of Timor Leste
Related posts
- The Adventure of My Life (featherglass.com)
- A Whole New World (featherglass.com)
- Seven Days in Timor Leste (Part 1): A Day At The Market (featherglass.com)
Tell me what you think.