One of the most frustrating things on the Race thus far is the language barrier.
In India, we struggled to communicate with the caretakers at Sarah’s Covenant Home. Trying to instruct on how to properly care for and love the special needs’ orphans was a daily battle. In Nepal, we were limited to sharing the gospel with only one or two people at a time depending on how many translators went with us as we hiked through the Himalayas. At Sila Home in Thailand, two teams shared ONE translator to communicate with the 43 children living there. On the island of Penang, Malaysia, many spoke English, which was a blessing. But still, many conversations had to be translated including my talks with Natalie, in order to effectively communicate truth about God and His love for her.
This month we are blessed that both of our ministry contacts, Kim Sreoun and Maricel, speak English. When we go to the villages, Kim Sreoun and another translator accompany us, to lead and translate conversations if needed. While I am thankful for our translators and all of their work, it is frustrating and very difficult to not be able to communicate with the people I see everyday. I wish so badly I could speak with the girls, boys, men, and women I interact with throughout the month.
To tell the precious girls in the slums that they are beautiful daughters of the King! To tell the naked boys running through the rain puddles that they are strong sons, chosen to bring Kingdom to Cambodia. To share the gospel and reconcile men and women back to their Father! To declare freedom, purpose, and joy to the mothers and fathers enslaved to apathy, laziness, and self-fulfillment. To speak hope and justice to the older generation in Cambodia, who are still feeling the affects of Khmer Rouge. To tell every single person I come in contact with, at the market, at the restaurants, by the river and in the slums, that Jesus loves them and how that changes everything.
But I can’t.
I can smile. I can tickle and laugh. I can play. I can play charades to try and find out the names and ages of those I am interacting with. I can sing over the children while holding them. I can put them on my shoulders and for a moment satisfy their craving for love. I can bicycle through villages, singing out the gospel and declaring ‘Love is here, Love is now.” But I can’t pull over at a house, walk up to the family, and share the gospel with them. I can’t explain that I left my home for 11 months, because there is hope in Jesus. I can’t listen to their stories or hear about their life. I can’t talk with them about the brokenness they are experiencing or the longing in their heart for more. And I can’t tell them about their Jesus who reconciles them back to their Father, the One they are longing for.
But before I go any farther, I will share this. God has taught me a lot about the spiritual world and how my presence alone, as a daughter of the King, changes things. That when I walk into the slums, darkness flees because I carry the presence of light. That when I declare the gospel of Jesus and no one understands what I am saying, those words still accomplish that which God has purposed and shall succeed in the thing for which God has sent them (Isaiah 55:11). As a daughter of the Creator, my words have the ability to create life. Not even a language barrier can thwart the purposes of God. Because of these truths, I possess hope and joy in every situation and find purpose in simply loving.
But for you America, I have a challenge: use your voice!
Everyday you are surrounded by people you can communicate with. At work, school, the gym, restaurants, community organizations, in your neighborhood, and during intramural sports, you use communication. The ability to talk with someone who not only understands the words you say, but also the cultural context in which you say them is a blessing! Do not ignore or write-off this gift as “normal”. Leverage the fact that you speak the same language with those around you!
Love with your words.
Show compassion with your tone.
Be intentional in conversation.
Choose your words wisely.
Use the gift of conversation and language for the fame of Jesus!
Speak the gospel.
Reconcile lost sons and daughters to their Father.
I’ve been working on this blog post for 5 days now and just yesterday realized God’s purpose in delaying its progress. He wanted me to see and then share with you, His victory over the language barrier in Cambodia.
This week, in the 5-6 pm Beginner’s English class, we finished the “textbook” with three days to spare. God was pretty obvious in showing us what we should do with these “free days”. The last vocabulary words in the ENTIRE book included: freedom, friendship, peace, and forgiveness. (Okay God, we got it.)
Yesterday, I was so excited to share the gospel with the 5-6 pm class. Most of the students are Buddhist except for two Muslim boys. This class tends to be a little chatty and since they are “beginners”, communication can be a struggle.
But God is bigger than that.
During the class hour, I was able to walk them through God’s story of creating the Earth, man’s brokenness, and the victory of Jesus…and they UNDERSTOOD! No one talked the entire class, students were asking questions, other students were answering their questions, and they got it! My friend and translator, Kim Seourn, was close by in case I needed assistance. Every time she asked if they needed her to translate, they said no! The entire time I was sharing, I could feel the weight of the message I was sharing. I’ve never felt a weight like that before when sharing the gospel. But it kept me dependent on the Spirit, the entire hour, relying on Him to speak and help me explain the gospel to students who barely know English!
Praise God, who has victory over language barriers!
