Language barriers are hard. Like, really hard. And super frustrating.
Many times I would run into situations where I couldn’t communicate a single word with someone, nothing more than a “what is your name?” or a smile. And I left those conversations defeated.
“How will I ever become friends with these people if I can’t talk to them? How will I ever be able to tell them about Jesus if they can’t understand a word I am saying?
I started feeling like I would never make any type of connection with the Cambodian people since I couldn’t speak with them.
This feeling that my words were useless carried on with me to the school I was teaching at. The kids we were teaching were age 3-15 and they spoke very, very little English.
This led to some interesting interactions.
Playing soccer: us Americans had absolutely no idea what was going on, what team we were on, who scored, the rules – we were just Americans running around the field like chickens with our heads cut off, clueless.
Teaching: We would try to correct their English homework and explain why it was wrong but they would just stare at us and smile as they watched us erase what was wrong and write the correct answer. Then they would usually just write the wrong answer down again, look back up at us and smile. And that process would happen over and over again, because I couldn’t communicate (and I can only flail my arms around so much to try to explain). Can you catch my frustration yet?
Snack Time: At the school there was a snack shop right outside the gate. The students would get snack time every day at 9:00 and (confession) this was my favorite part of the day. We would all sit around the snack table crunching away on our fish-flavored chips, Americans mixed in with Cambodians. **Commence the laughter and awkward staring** Not kidding, the next 20 minutes would consist of exactly that, with a few “what is your name?” thrown in.
At the end of week 1, I sat down to chat with God and told him how frustrated I was that I couldn’t communicate. He reminded me that speech (and flailing your arms) isn’t the only way to communicate with someone. He encouraged me to think outside the box of English. He encouraged me to use what I know and my talents to connect with these people.
Light bulb.
What is the one thing that everyone consistently knows across the world?
Music.
Music is the international language. Any shape, type, form, music is a connector that words just can’t provide. And PTL, God blessed me with the ability to play and understand music.
Music has always been my biggest connecter with nature, people, and God. Music allows a different, deeper way to speak to God. Worship has always been my favorite part of church – if you don’t stop me, I could sing for hours.
I have loved music since I was a toddler. My parents started me on violin when I was only 4 years old and I have since picked up guitar and ukulele (along with a few others). Music hits me spiritually in a way that nothing else does. Sometimes I will be listening to a song and I will start crying. I feel so connected to the lyrics or the sound that it just hits me deep in the feels. Long story short – I love music.
I started remembering back on my first week in Cambodia. How had we become such great friends with this guy named Ricky? Enrique Iglesias. You heard that right. The first time he was driving us somewhere, he put on “Hero” and belted it at the top of his lungs and we were right there along side him belting it too.
Instant laughter. Instant friendship. Thanks, music.
So I started bringing the language of music to the school. I brought my ukulele with me on the Race, so I started pulling it out every chance I got. One day I was sitting in my hammock practicing some worship songs on the Ukelele when some of the students started gathering around me and just sat down and listened to me sing and play. They watched me with deep appreciative, curious eyes. Connection. I had finally made a connection with them. They had no idea what I was singing about but they were connected with me because of music. We sat there for about half an hour while I sang worship songs and they laid on their stomachs swaying their feet. It was flippin’ awesome.
Later in the month, one of my teammates had the awesome idea to paint the music room at the school. This room consisted of 8 guitars hanging up on 4 black white walls. It was begging to be filled with emotions, joy, sound, and laughter. So. basking in the new joy I had found in music, I said a big ole heck yes to helping paint.
Crysahna and I sketched out some ideas for the mural, hopped on the back of motorbikes to the paint store, and started painting. After we finished the base coat, we both sat back to try and figure out what exactly we wanted these walls to hold. The weekend prior, Meagan and I went to a café that helps women get out of sex trafficking. This café held so much life, forgiveness, and love on the wall was a big tree with hearts hanging off of it. Meagan suggested that this tree would be a great idea for the music room – not only did it look beautiful, but it has beautiful meaning behind it. And for this room, the tree had so much meaning also. Because just like a tree, music gives life.
So we got to painting. For about 4 days, we painted this mural. And through it we sang and danced to lots of Justin Bieber, watched kids continually poked their heads through the window, and had deep conversations about Jesus. This room was being created with love, joy, laughter and Jesus every second. There is no doubt it was in the paint.
The day that we finished, Crysahna and I laid down in the middle of the floor and looked up at what we created. Not only were we proud, but we were thankful and excited.
As we were admiring our work and playing a little guitar to christen the room, a few kids came in with the biggest smiles as they looked around the room. They piled on me as I played guitar and they started moving my fingers and strumming for me. We pulled some of the other guitars off the wall and started teaching them chords as they looked up at me and giggled. It was flippin’ awesome.
This is what this room is about. This is what music is about. THIS IS WHAT JESUS IS ABOUT.
He created music so that we could communicate with each other, to communicate with Him. To dance, to sing, to laugh, to be joyful.
This room will be that. In this room kids will be taught love and life, they will start learning chords by learning worship songs. They will start loving Jesus before they even know how much He loves them.
This room will be a beacon of light for many years to come. The school has big plans to build into a huge center for education – a floor for every grade through high school that they will teach – a skyscraper of education in this village. But even after the many buildings are built, this tiny, beautiful music room will stand right at the front gate. This hand-painted room will be a haven for joy and worship within the 4 walls of the school. It will be the heart that the rest of the buildings will be built around. That room is Jesus. It won’t be knocked down. It won’t be painted over. It will create so much joyful noise that the rest of the village can’t resist listening to.
Thank you Jesus for music. And thank you Jesus for giving me an extra special heart for it.
Going into the rest of the race,
I am going to stop asking people if they speak English,
and start asking if they speak music.
Recklessly,
Haley
