We partner with individuals, churches, communities to provide easy to use Navajo literacy materials. Our books are designed to be used with Navajo speakers who wish to learn to read and write their mother tongue. We do not teach the students. We partner with Navajo who already read and write Navajo. We provide training on how to teach using our materials. We mentor the teacher(s) throughout the duration of the class. If the class meets once a week for 11/2 to 2 hours, it takes about a year to complete our course. It is not necessary to be a teacher by profession to teach this class.
History
Carol Cochran
Carol became a missionary with WGM in 1977 and taught at the Southwest Indian School in Peoria, Arizona, until 1983. God gave her the vision to seek a new method of teaching bilingual Navajo to read the Navajo language. This would enable them to read the Bible in their heart language. She began studies in literacy and linguistics with Wycliffe’s Summer Institute of Linguistics and started the demanding work as a literacy specialist on the Navajo Reservation in Hardrock in 1985. After ten exacting years Carol developed Volumes one and two of the Navajo primer. Test classes demonstrated that this new method worked even better than anticipated. Because of cancer Carol was not able to move to the next step of teaching Navajo how to teach
this method. She went to her heavenly reward in the year 2000 at age 49.
Carol became a missionary with WGM in 1977 and taught at the Southwest Indian School in Peoria, Arizona, until 1983. God gave her the vision to seek a new method of teaching bilingual Navajo to read the Navajo language. This would enable them to read the Bible in their heart language. She began studies in literacy and linguistics with Wycliffe’s Summer Institute of Linguistics and started the demanding work as a literacy specialist on the Navajo Reservation in Hardrock in 1985. After ten exacting years Carol developed Volumes one and two of the Navajo primer. Test classes demonstrated that this new method worked even better than anticipated. Because of cancer Carol was not able to move to the next step of teaching Navajo how to teach
this method. She went to her heavenly reward in the year 2000 at age 49.
Sylvia Moore Degenkolb
Sylvia grew up in a minister’s home in Louisville, Kentucky, and accepted Christ at age twelve. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts. She continued her education at various universities and art institutes such as the Pythagoreon Institute of Painting in Samos, Greece, and the Paris/American Academy of Art in Paris, France, to name a few.
In the summer of 1985 she served under Volunteers In Action in Mexico and then signed on with World Gospel Mission for a three-year term in Honduras in 1986. Her assignment was to teach art and English and do illustrations for Vacation Bible School materials. She met Ray Degenkolb while ministering with World Gospel Mission and eventually they were married.
Ten years later Sylvia completed her contract with World Gospel Mission to provide the illustrations for the two volumes of the primer. Many of her portraits are those of real people, whom you may recognize. She currently does portraits for hire and has successfully battled cancer. Sylvia and her husband are raising funds to go to Colombia as missionaries with One Mission Society.
Sylvia grew up in a minister’s home in Louisville, Kentucky, and accepted Christ at age twelve. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts. She continued her education at various universities and art institutes such as the Pythagoreon Institute of Painting in Samos, Greece, and the Paris/American Academy of Art in Paris, France, to name a few.
In the summer of 1985 she served under Volunteers In Action in Mexico and then signed on with World Gospel Mission for a three-year term in Honduras in 1986. Her assignment was to teach art and English and do illustrations for Vacation Bible School materials. She met Ray Degenkolb while ministering with World Gospel Mission and eventually they were married.
Ten years later Sylvia completed her contract with World Gospel Mission to provide the illustrations for the two volumes of the primer. Many of her portraits are those of real people, whom you may recognize. She currently does portraits for hire and has successfully battled cancer. Sylvia and her husband are raising funds to go to Colombia as missionaries with One Mission Society.
Betsy Newman
Betsy, a Navajo from Crystal, started working with Carol in 1989. She wrote many of the stories for the primer and taught the primer to some test classes. Betsy was also involved in Bible translation with David Tutt and Scripture recording with Lois Martin.
In the picture above Betsy is showing the plaque presented to her by WGM for her work in Navajo literacy. It was presented on her 80th birthday at Maranatha Fellowship Christian Reformed Church in Farmington, New Mexico, her home church.
Jean Tucker
Jean, a retired WGM missionary who had served in Burundi as a Literacy Specialist, spent some time working with Betsy. She and Betsy made the student volumes and teachers’ manual for volume one print ready in 2001. These materials later became corrupted due to a computer problem. Jean has now passed on to her heavenly reward.
Betsy, a Navajo from Crystal, started working with Carol in 1989. She wrote many of the stories for the primer and taught the primer to some test classes. Betsy was also involved in Bible translation with David Tutt and Scripture recording with Lois Martin.
In the picture above Betsy is showing the plaque presented to her by WGM for her work in Navajo literacy. It was presented on her 80th birthday at Maranatha Fellowship Christian Reformed Church in Farmington, New Mexico, her home church.
Jean Tucker
Jean, a retired WGM missionary who had served in Burundi as a Literacy Specialist, spent some time working with Betsy. She and Betsy made the student volumes and teachers’ manual for volume one print ready in 2001. These materials later became corrupted due to a computer problem. Jean has now passed on to her heavenly reward.
Margaret Hartung
Prior to working on the Navajo Literacy Project, Margaret Hartung was a Literacy Specialist with Wycliffe Bible Translators. From 1998-2006 she worked in north central Tanzania with the Rangi people group. The 350,000 Rangi had no written language up to then. About 93% of the Rangi are adherents to another world class religion which originated in the Middle East and 7% are Catholic. Margaret worked with linguist Oliver Stegen to do a Rangi alphabet chart and a primer to teach readers of the national language how to read and write Rangi. She also did a story book, a book of Rangi riddles, a book of Rangi proverbs and calendars. With the help of two Catholic Rangi elders, she held seminars in villages to teach readers of Swahili, the national language, how to read and write Rangi. She developed a health problem and had to leave Tanzania in 2006.
After leaving Tanzania in April of 2006, she had a six-month furlough in the US, during which she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. For a year she worked with Wycliffe Mexico Branch in Tucson, Arizona, in the Literacy Department inputting typed vernacular books into the computer in order to place them on the worldwide web. After the year in Tucson, she moved to Farmington, New Mexico, where she began work on Navajo literacy materials as a Missionary Volunteer Partner with The American Indian Field of World Gospel Mission. There were two student books taught in the Gudschinsky Method and the beginning of a teachers’ manual for the first student book. The materials had been corrupted in the computer and needed revision. Margaret worked with Betsy Newman to revise and edit the existing books and write the teachers’ manual for student Volume Two. They revised the manuals to include instructions in Navajo as well as English.
Prior to working on the Navajo Literacy Project, Margaret Hartung was a Literacy Specialist with Wycliffe Bible Translators. From 1998-2006 she worked in north central Tanzania with the Rangi people group. The 350,000 Rangi had no written language up to then. About 93% of the Rangi are adherents to another world class religion which originated in the Middle East and 7% are Catholic. Margaret worked with linguist Oliver Stegen to do a Rangi alphabet chart and a primer to teach readers of the national language how to read and write Rangi. She also did a story book, a book of Rangi riddles, a book of Rangi proverbs and calendars. With the help of two Catholic Rangi elders, she held seminars in villages to teach readers of Swahili, the national language, how to read and write Rangi. She developed a health problem and had to leave Tanzania in 2006.
After leaving Tanzania in April of 2006, she had a six-month furlough in the US, during which she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. For a year she worked with Wycliffe Mexico Branch in Tucson, Arizona, in the Literacy Department inputting typed vernacular books into the computer in order to place them on the worldwide web. After the year in Tucson, she moved to Farmington, New Mexico, where she began work on Navajo literacy materials as a Missionary Volunteer Partner with The American Indian Field of World Gospel Mission. There were two student books taught in the Gudschinsky Method and the beginning of a teachers’ manual for the first student book. The materials had been corrupted in the computer and needed revision. Margaret worked with Betsy Newman to revise and edit the existing books and write the teachers’ manual for student Volume Two. They revised the manuals to include instructions in Navajo as well as English.
The Test Class
Benjamin and Lolita Hogue with Margaret Hartung taught Navajo reading and writing using our materials to test them. They taught the class from October, 2010 through November, 2011, once a week at Maranatha Fellowship Christian Reformed Church (MFCRC) in Farmington, New Mexico. Ben Hogue shared the teaching with Margaret, and his wife Lolita handled the attendance, book sales and student mentoring. Here student Karen Joe is receiving her Certificate of Attendance after completing the course.
Benjamin and Lolita Hogue with Margaret Hartung taught Navajo reading and writing using our materials to test them. They taught the class from October, 2010 through November, 2011, once a week at Maranatha Fellowship Christian Reformed Church (MFCRC) in Farmington, New Mexico. Ben Hogue shared the teaching with Margaret, and his wife Lolita handled the attendance, book sales and student mentoring. Here student Karen Joe is receiving her Certificate of Attendance after completing the course.
