By a SEND missionary in Eurasia
When I first entered this new culture, I began language school. On weekends near my apartment, a street is closed and transformed into a wet market, where vendors sell fresh foods, produce, and other goods. I usually buy my food there because it's fresh and surprisingly more affordable. Because I hadn't learned much in my first month of language study, I didn't utter a word at the market. I would just point to a vegetable or fruit I wanted, give the vendor a bunch of the local currency, wait for my change, and off I went. I was pretty sure the vendors thought I was mute, wondering why I did not speak!
Eventually, I resorted to the old, reliable Google Translate. Back to the wet market, I went. One weekend, I typed, "I want to buy." When the lady read what I typed, she laughed so hard that the other vendors were curious to know what was happening. I didn't know why what I said was funny until several days later; my language teacher explained that this phrase is never used, especially in a market setting, because common sense says that you are there precisely for that reason.
Read on for three ways to pray for new missionaries.
In my third month, I ventured out to talk to a lady I had befriended. She was the shopkeeper of a flower shop that I always passed by on my way to school. Though uncomfortable, I forced myself to speak her language because she didn't speak English. She would laugh at my broken grammar, and we would have a lot of fun laughing at ourselves as we tried to communicate. Fast forward ten months, and my friend is now delighted that I can finally understand her stories, and we have common ground: language.
Though learning a new language has taken time and patience, God has continued providing opportunities for me to build relationships, even while studying in school. While I struggled (and still struggle) to learn the two local languages in the country where I serve, the Holy Spirit and the support and prayers of my family and ministry partners have helped me to continue toward my goal of becoming proficient. Entering a new culture brings new obstacles and challenges. But language is a strong bridge that provides passage over these cultural obstacles, which is otherwise difficult to do when the goal is to make Christ known.
Learning the local language is a critical step toward effectively sharing the good news of Christ with unreached communities worldwide. But the process isn't always easy. New missionaries dive into language study for the first 1-2 years of their ministry on the field. Today, would you join us in praying for our missionaries?
Three Simple Ways You Can Pray:
