When we arrived in our town for ministry, we quickly discovered a HUGE language barrier, more than the other countries we have experienced. We thought… well maybe it is just who picked us up, I’m sure the teachers speak better English!
Nope… not even close.
So, we start our first day of teaching English to grades 1-6… and they can’t understand barely anything we are saying. Our life is currently a giant game of charades! We also don’t have a translator because the teachers don’t speak English as well.
I began to get extremely frustrated in class because no one could understand me, they would be acting up because their teachers would just leave us, and I don’t see a point of teaching something to kids that they can’t understand.
But then it clicked! (Thanks to a fellow teammate)
Yeah, they probably won’t remember the words I said, or the sentences I taught them…
But they will remember how I treated them, which doesn’t require a common language. Think about it… do you remember more of what specifically what your 3rd grade teacher taught you, or more about how she treated you?! Do you remember the names of the water cycle or do you remember how she gave you a hug when you were sad about moving across the country (West Virginia to Texas for me!)
So, I prayed and asked for God to open my eyes! Take this clouded vision off of me that came from frustration! The next day, the boys were hitting each other for the 20th time in 5 minutes. I have found that personal space is not a thing in other countries… but anyway! I would have usually yelled at them, separated them and added another coin to the “I don’t want to be here” jar. But I stopped… asked them nicely to stop (which they did), smiled, and acted like I was about to tickle them. They giggled and behaved the rest of class.
I feel like Jesus could have the same mentality as me in the beginning… He COULD get frustrated at me and just punish me because I do the same negative thing over and over… He could say “What is the point?! I am getting no where with Bailey!?” … But he doesn’t do that!
He is patient and tender with me. I may not be able to tell these kids at a Buddhist school about Jesus and what he did for them, but I can share Jesus’s compassion to them. This month, I am focusing on becoming more Christ like in my actions and not just my words!
