Fun fact: Some phrases we use in America don’t translate too well into other languages.
My team and I have been in El Salvador for 5 days so far. What I expected vs. what my reality is are totally different. I expected to be in my tent, outside, using a squatty potty and taking bucket showers. I expected to be dog tired by the end of every day from how much I’ve been pouring out. I expected real suffering for Jesus kind of stuff.
My ministry host, Mireya, is an incredible woman of The Lord. She has a passion for service and a heart for the community that surrounds her church. She’s invited us to stay in the “apartment” behind her church where all of us have beds and running water. We’ve pretty much got the penthouse of the community back here. Mireya treats me and my teammates like family. Like her own children. And she barely knows us. Every time I hear the rusty church gates open my heart jumps a little bit because I know that Mireya is coming to see us. That usually means lots of love, laughter, and food. This is only Mireya’s 2nd time to host a World Race team, but you could’ve fooled me! She hardly ever lets any of us lift a finger when it comes to meal time or cleaning. She insists on taking us everywhere because she doesn’t want us to have to use public transportation. She takes us to the mall to get snacks, feeds us massive amounts of papusas and pizza, and laughs with us at our broken Spanish skills. She really knows the value of rest. Mireya is a mother to 2 boys, but she’s been a mother to us as well.
I wanted to express how thankful I was that she’s been going out of her way for us, so I used google translate to say, “Mireya, you spoil us!” I handed her my phone and when she read it she looked a little confused. My team said, “What did you say?” A couple of people on my team know a little bit of Spanish, and they said, “Oh no.”
Apparently “You spoil us” in Spanish is equal to “You ruin us” or “You make us like trash.”
I told the woman who’s been feeding me that she ruins me and makes me like trash.
I quickly apologized and typed “You treat us like royalty!” into google translate. She finally understood what I was trying to say and laughed with me and said, “Other translate is bad.”
Today I’m thankful for being grafted into an El Salvadorian family within minutes of meeting them. I’m thankful that Jesus compels people to love one another, and show grace to them when they make mistakes (like telling you that you ruin them). And I’m thankful that this place feels like home away from home for me and my team.
