Familiar in the Midst of Foreign

I was recently in a village in a rural area of Malawi to help with some media work at a conference for pastors. It was a great opportunity to experience life in Malawi.

I learned the importance of greetings in Malawian culture. I got to practice saying, "Ndili bwino. Kaya inu?" when asked, "muli bwanje?"

I learned how to eat nsima, which is made from maize flour. It looks a little like mashed potatoes but it's much thicker. I learned that to eat nsima properly, you pull off a small piece of it and create a ball of it in your hands and use it to eat the other food on your plate.

I learned how to take a bucket shower. Not as easy as it sounds.

But during the first morning of the conference I couldn't help thinking how foreign everything was to me. I was in a rural village in Africa, experiencing things I'd never experienced before, sitting in a room full of people I didn't know, and I couldn't understand what was going on because they were speaking a different language. I was wondering why God had brought me there, and I was longing for familiarity. This longing brought me to tears right there.

 

At the end of the day, the last thing on the agenda was a final hymn. Hymn 7 on the handout. I almost teared up again when they started singing, but this time it was because there was finally something familiar. They were singing “How Great Thou Art” in Chichewa. I started singing along! And as I thought of the words as I sang, I realized how much I really had to be thankful for:

“Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds thy hands have made

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder

Thy power throughout the universe displayed!

His power displayed through the sunset

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur,

And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze

The mountains here are beautiful -- none of my pictures do them justice!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee!

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee!

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

That's me at the base of this massive baobob tree!

And when I think, that God His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in

That on the Cross, by burden gladly bearing

He bled and died to take away my sin!

When Christ shall come, with shouts of acclamation

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart

Then I shall bow, in humble adoration

And there proclaim, My God, How Great Thou art!

Mzimu wanga uyimbira Mlungu
Ndinu Wamkulukulu
Mzimu wanga uyimbira Mlungu
Ndinu Wamkulukulu"

The greatest of all God's creation -- His children!

So blessed

In that moment, I may have been halfway around the world, in a situation entirely unfamiliar, with new people, and surroundings totally different than what I'm used to, but that did not change the fact that I have salvation. God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up on my behalf. God knew in that moment I needed something familiar, and He used the gift of song to remind me of all I have to be thankful for. He is so great!

Universals

Since arriving in Malawi, I've been taking some very introductory lessons in Chichewa, the primary language spoken here. Unfortunately language learning comes slowly, so my understanding is still, of course, very limited. As I've been immersed in a variety of primarily-Chichewa-speaking settings, including church services each Sunday and visiting various SIM ministries, I've learned words like "zikomo," which means "thank you" and "Mulungu," which means "God," and "asungu," which means "white person."

So with the language barrier that exists, I'm learning to appreciate those things that are universal no matter what language we're speaking.

The first one I've found is a smile. Even when there's nothing to say because of the language barrier, a smile can say a whole lot.

Big smiles from the kids at the Rays of Hope summer camp

Another universal is the language of sports and games. You don't have to speak someone's language to kick a soccer ball with them or jump into a game of duck, duck, goose.

Kids at Rays of Hope play a group game

Several kids playing soccer as part of Sports Friends

 
The universal language of sports is what SIM's ministry Sports Friends uses as a platform for sharing the Gospel. Serving in more than 10 countries in North & South America, Asia, and Africa, the program is just starting to take off in Malawi through the work of a young couple here in Blantyre. Long-term, the vision for Sports Friends in Malawi is to train Malawian youth from churches across the country on how to start their own Sports Friends ministries in their communities.

After soccer, they hear a Bible lesson & practice memory verses

The final universal that I've encountered is during worship on Sundays. Although the services at Chilomoni AEC are entirely in Chichewa, after every component of the service, the leader says, "Alleluia!" and the congregation responds, "Amen!" Those are pretty much the only words I understand during the entire service. Alleluia and Amen: universal words to praise our God!

I was reminded of the song, “Come Christians Join to Sing:”

Come, Christians, join to sing
Alleluia! Amen!
Loud praise to Christ our King;
Alleluia! Amen!
Let all, with heart and voice,
Before His throne rejoice;
Praise is His gracious choice.
Alleluia! Amen!

Come, lift your hearts on high,
Alleluia! Amen!
Let praises fill the sky;
Alleluia! Amen!
He is our Guide and Friend;
To us He’ll condescend;
His love shall never end.
Alleluia! Amen!

Praise yet our Christ again,
Alleluia! Amen!
Life shall not end the strain;
Alleluia! Amen!
On heaven’s blissful shore,
His goodness we’ll adore,
Singing forevermore,
“Alleluia! Amen!”

Although I don’t understand much in the service past those two words, I am reminded each week of the global-ness of God. God is bigger than language. He hears the praises of His children in Chichewa just as clearly as those in English. Although I don’t understand the words, He does and those praises are sweet music to His ears. One day, people of every nation and tribe and language will be in Heaven together praising God! There won't be a language barrier anymore. On Heaven’s blissful shore, we’ll be singing forevermore the universal praise of our God: Alleluia! Amen!

We'll praise together with these sweet children. Alleluia! Amen!