Andrew and Megan's Ministry: Languages of the Philippines

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Languages of the Philippines

According to Ethnologue, a total of 171 native languages are spoken in the country. Except for English, Spanish, Hokkien (Lan-nang), Cantonese, Mandarin, and Chavacano, all of the languages belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language family.

There are 13 indigenous languages with at least one million native speakers: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Waray-Waray, Kapampangan, Bikol, Albay Bikol [1], Pangasinan, Maranao, Maguindanao, Kinaray-a, and Tausug. One or more of these is spoken natively by more than 90% of the population.

(information found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_Philippines)

Our Training with New Tribes Mission

Our first two years of training were spent at New Tribes Bible Institute, where we studied Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, with an emphasis on tribal missions.
Our next two years were spent at New Tribes Missionary Training Centre in Durham, ON Canada. Emphasized here is spiritual growth and practical skills, which are vital in this ministry. The first year focuses on Biblical foundations and principles of church planting, and tools and methods for Culture and Language acquisition in the second year.