Spanish is the main language in Colombia. Coconut is a common ingredient in Colombian food. Try this Spanish tongue twister!
Como como poco coco, poco coco compro.
The tongue twister means, “Because I eat little coconut, I buy little coconut.”
Note: All the o’s and c’s are pronounced like the o’s and c’s in the English word “cocoa.” Cocoa comes from Colombia, too!
Tingo, Tingo, Tango
Players stand in a circle. One player is “it.” The player who is “it” hides his or her eyes while standing some distance from the circle and repeats, “Tingo, tingo, tingo, tingo.” As “it” continues to say, “Tingo,” the other children pass a small object around the circle from hand to hand.
The player who is “it” switches and calls out, “Tango!” ; the player caught with the object in hand has to pay a penalty. The player holding the object must perform a task suggested by “it.” For example, he or she might be asked to sing a song, crow like a rooster, recite a Bible verse, or hop around the circle on one foot. The player who paid the penalty becomes “it” for the next game.
In many public schools in Pakistan, most of the students are Muslim. Christians in these schools are often forced to eat at separate tables. At one school, a Muslim teacher forced a Christian girl to stand in the hot sun until she fainted. The girl was being punished for wearing a cross necklace to school.
Christian parents can send their children to private Christian schools if they want to. But Christians who are poor are not able to pay for private schools.
Sobia, a teenager in Pakistan, told the story below to friends from The Voice of the Martyrs.
Many Christians in Pakistan have to work at brick kilns because better jobs often go to Muslim workers. A Christian woman who worked in a brick kiln explained more about what life is like for brick kiln workers.
“My family is uneducated and poor. I never went to school. I have been working at the brick kiln my whole life. I never played with toys because I was busy making bricks the whole day. In my free time, I took care of my younger brothers and sisters. I made the first brick that I made by myself when I was 10. I was very happy that I learned the art of making bricks to earn some money. I knew that my little income could not feed my family. But I could support them a little bit with what I made. At that time a brick kiln worker earned 40 cents for making 1,000 bricks. Today they earn $5 for 1,000 bricks.”
You can make a brick by mixing 2 cups of straw (or dried grass), 4 quarts of dirt, and 6 cups of water. Line a shoebox with plastic, such as a trash bag. Tape the plastic to the outside of the box to secure it. Pour some of the dirt mixture into the box. Let it dry in the sun for about two days. Take it out of the box and turn it over so the bottom can dry.
Pastor Robert is the leader of a church in Pakistan. He and his wife have five children. Their church has about 80 members. Some of the members used to be Muslims. Muslims in Pakistan who decide to follow Jesus often face serious persecution.
One day, Pastor Robert found a handwritten letter in his mailbox. “Mr. Robert,” the letter said, “we are watching you.” The letter was written by radical Muslims. It went on to warn the pastor that he must stop leading Muslims to Christ. If he did not, the radicals promised that they would hurt “all your family members, smallest and eldest.”
What would Pastor Robert do?
“I ignored the letter,” he said.
