Lots of Little Things

English Club activity

Often change comes slowly. We begin to ask ourselves: how do we know if we are moving toward our goal, our end vision when movement is slow enough that the changes are easy to miss? It’s like watching our kids grow up. Our kids are always growing and changing but without the chart on the wall marking their height each year and the pictures, would we notice how much and fast they are actually changing?

This weekend there was an event on Sunday morning and as we reflected on it, we realized how many meaningful little things there were in that one event that marked growth and change. 

First, we didn’t initiate this event. We didn’t suggest it or plan it.  We were just invited. In the past there would have at least been one of us pushing something like this along, but not this time. This time we were told a time and place.

Second, we didn’t lead it, but islanders led using techniques that we have taught and encouraged.

It's hot season! Islanders cool off at beach.

Third, we (that is to say foreigners) were there, but they didn’t make it foreign by trying to translate it into our mother tongues or by using the trade language. Other times we’ve had to insist that we want things done in the local language, that these events are for them and many of them don’t know the trade language. We even had a guest with us this weekend, but without us having to spout our value of the local language, they did everything in their mother tongue! Even an islander who struggles to not use the trade languages in these situations, admitted that though it was difficult for him, he would try to only speak the local language. (I think people only had to give him a vocab word once!)

Fourth, we contributed to the event by bringing some plates and juice and adding to the discussion time, but we weren’t necessary. Nothing we brought or added was integral to the event.

Fifth, the event was using locally understood forms. It was a gathering in a local home, sitting on the floor with reading, prayer and local foods. These forms in themselves are not strange here, but they were given new meaning because the focus and content of the reading and prayers was different. 

Sixth, people who had been at odds or isolated were working together for this event. Hard feelings usually last a long time on the islands and have often crippled what we want to see happen here. But at the event on Sunday were people that we didn’t think we’d see working together, collaborating and looking to each other. It’s happened slowly but what an encouraging sight.

Tom and kids

Seventh, a rebuked husband was there with his wife and child. This may seem like a strange point. But this group hasn’t had many chances to challenge and rebuke each other. So when this husband was confronted by two other island men last week, we expected that he might end up distancing himself and avoiding the group that censured him.  Instead there he was, participating and perhaps even responding to correction by bringing his wife.

Eighth, we heard a story of how one island woman had vowed to never come to events like this because years ago she had a bad experience at an event that wasn’t comfortable or culturally sensitive. Now we got to hear her rejoicing that she had found this community and she could just laugh about her previous experience that was no longer an obstacle.

I’m not sure if all these little things seem significant to you, but for us they are so encouraging. It was a great event. Even greater because we didn’t need to be there. It would have happened without us, but we were blessed to have witnessed it.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful for the encouragements that we see and for the growing sense of community among our island friends. We are thankful that an island brother made the important decision to go for an important swim this past weekend. We are thankful for the leadership that we see among islanders and their willingness to have hard discussions. A neighbor of our teammates came to express her continued interest in studying and learning more and her brother also expressed interest, and our teammate also had a chance to share with their grandmother. We are thankful for what is happening in that family— pray for good follow-up. 


PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our team was blessed with a guest (our teammate’s cousin) for the past two weeks, pray that her travels and connections getting home would be smooth and that she’d be able to encourage people back home to pray for the islands. Pray for all of us in the midst of hot season as the heat and humidity can be draining and make sleep less restful. Pray for the energy to keep up with our responsibilities. While our future teammate had been given verbal approval to return by the medical assessor, his written report reveals a few more hoops to go through— pray that she’d be able to pass these hoops and that ultimately that she would be healthy so that the decision about her return wouldn’t need to be questioned. Our teammates have to move but only one is on island at the moment— pray for the househunting process and for the communication with the two future roommates who are off-island that they could agree on the right house in the right neighborhood and with the right neighbors! We trust that there is a place waiting for them.