Lessons Learned While Teaching Nationals Training nationals for the ministry of the Gospel and the Word of God is a great need. Learning while teaching is a reality and a necessity. Benji and I have chosen 2 Timothy 2:2 as our goal the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. And we stress this goal to Bible school students, for they too are to train others to take their place. We have learned adaptability. Bridgitt and I came to Haiti in 1975 and started the Bible school ministry in 1977 with 33 students by the first graduation in 1980 Don & Bridgitt Dryden there were only four men, the next three, and the next two was one each. At that rate we were going to need a recall if we were going to have a Bible school! In 1984 we took a short furlough, prayed and planned. We came back to the field with renewed vision to turn the resident Bible school into a decentralized program. We designed a program that covers 30 courses of study. The school year was divided into three 14-week trimesters, two courses offered every trimester, thus taking a total of five years to finish Bible school. Our books are in the national vernacular. These books are the same format that we use 27 years later. Each text has 12 lessons. We meet once a week for two hours, giving nearly an hour for each course. The students are assigned the next lesson taught along with the text during the week. At the end of each lesson, there are 20 questions that are fill in the blanks, true/false, multiple choice or short answer. On the flip side are three thesis questions. The student turns in his homework to be graded by us during the week. Exams are given at mid-trimester and at the end. In 2003 our son, Benji Dryden, came, with his family, as the administrator/ teacher in the Bible School ministry. We have learned flexibility. A national, Wefley Jerome, who was trained by missionaries in Puerto Rico, teaches with us too. Wefley's father graduated from BIMI's Bluewater Bible College in 1972 and came back to Haiti to preach the Word of God. As any institution, we have rules which are necessary for stability and success. At the same time one must consider the culture of the country. If a student who is walking 45 minutes down a mountain gets caught in a sudden down pour, do we penalize his tardiness for an act of God? When one has an accident and misses Islander – No 2, 2012 5