Libby and I were staring through the protective glass of the meat counter at the grocery store. The whole team had been excited about spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner, but the ground beef we could easily recognize by sight the day before, was now unfortunately missing. In its place sat two large mounds of unidentifiable ground animal product. It’s not that it looked bad, we just had no idea what it was. I was ready to give up and pick something else for dinner. We don’t read or speak Russian, and the girl behind the counter made it clear that she spoke no English. As I voiced my opinion to Libby, she smiled and said, “Will it hurt if I just try asking?” As I said, “Go ahead,” I mentally rolled my eyes. I did not see how this would work.
With a huge smile on her face, Libby motioned to one pile of meat, said “Is it?” with as much quizzical inflection as she could muster, and then proceeded to flap her arms and cluck like a chicken. I made eye contact with the girl behind the counter and we both burst into laughter. But then she shook her head yes. Libby moved to the next mound and oinked like a pig. Another head nod. In less than a minute we went from zero to chicken and pork with just a few animal noises.
You see, God is teaching me a valuable lesson through Libby. Language barriers do not exist to our Heavenly Father. God works through a much more powerful medium- His love. Libby’s eager spirit and kind heart are the perfect tools to allow God’s love to shine through. I have never seen her lose her patience when trying to communicate with someone who speaks a different language. Whether it’s figuring out what the meat is, congratulating an opponent on a soccer goal, or doggedly pursuing a ten minute conversation just to find out who owns the horses, Libby will persevere with a smile on her face until the message is received.
The women of Team Sojourner were given the chance to put this lesson into practice just a couple of nights ago. As we were sitting on the stairs of a local store waiting for our translator to come, an elderly couple approached us. The woman came very close and began speaking in Romanian. We all politely smiled and said, “Just English.” This, however, did not deter her. Just as irritation began creeping into my mind, I looked at Libby. I realized she wasn’t going to give up, so I may as well participate too.
What followed was a gift from our Father: laughter, joy, hugs, kisses, pictures, and conversations through hand gestures and facial expressions. I was, and still am, amazed at the connection that developed in such a short time. As we said our goodbyes to the couple I sat contemplating all that had occurred. I came to the realization that as a child of God, I have no barriers. If His love is powerful enough to conquer sin and death, then it is definitely powerful enough to plow through something as small as speaking a different language.
I cannot wait to continue this journey living in the knowledge that through the power and love of God, I have no barriers.
