One month into our time here in Ethiopia we definitely
understand how language can be a huge barrier.
Unfortunately it took three weeks before we were able to start any
formal language training. Initially it
was frustrating, but in hindsight perhaps God wanted us to get a good taste of
isolation, so we would more fully appreciate the language and culture.
This barrier that we faced also gave us the opportunity to
build a bridge. When we are intentional
in trying to use the Amharic we have learned people always recognize and appreciate
our efforts. Simply saying good morning
or good afternoon has opened doors and broken down barriers as we interact with
people in our neighborhood.
Each time I encounter people that are fluent in both English
and Amharic I am beginning to understand the mental discipline and intelligence
that is required to not only speak both, but also to be able to think in
both. It is one thing to piece to
together a sentence by breaking it in to words, but to actually think and process
in two languages is quite a feat.
Perhaps by God’s grace we will be able to gain a handle of the language
and a much deeper appreciation for the diversity of languages around the globe. At the very least we will be able to provide
an ample amount of humor for our friends and neighbors as we continue to
stumble our way through the language and culture. Undoubtedly we will be ignorantly causing
some awkward situations, but as long as we are able to laugh at ourselves, and
not take things too personally we should be fine.
For the most part we can’t understand a word while at
church, unless we have someone kind enough to be passing us notes. As I sat at church this past Sunday I was
reminded of a passage of scripture that I read earlier in the week. It all of a sudden hit me, how crazy it would
be if, as I was watching everyone around me praising God so passionately I
could all of a sudden hear it in my own language or understand the words of the
song or preaching completely. In Acts
two we read about when the Holy Spirit
first came upon the believers and they began to speak in all different
languages, and how the people that were visiting from around the known world
were bewildered to hear these common people speaking in the their mother
tongue. Now I can understand how that
must have blown their minds to see the Spirit at work in such a powerful way.
Thanks be to God for diversity in culture and language, pray
that we might see these as a bridge rather than a barrier.
By Brad
Wow...
ReplyDeletewell said!