Spin-offs of language learning

There are many unexpected benefits of being able to speak the language of the people with whom you are working. Or so we were told at St Andrews Hall, the peerless training institution of CMS missionaries! The testimony of its truth is affirmed, again and again, by many missionaries.

And it was reinforced again to David recently at the Namibian Department of Home Affairs, an institution with a below average (let the reader understand) reputation amongst foreigners applying for visas. He had just been given the endorsed passports of his family and happily trotted back down the street. Glancing at the passports before climbing into the car, he discovered to his dismay that he had only been granted 2 months, not the 18 months promised in the letter from the department.

Back again, and after more pleading, remonstrating and persuading, and hours of waiting, he was granted permission to go “upstairs” to see the official. Sitting in the office of some of the clerks, they discovered he could understand what they were saying.

David was then asked when he was going ‘home’. After answering, they told him ‘You should go home now. Don’t stay here.’ However, as he was able to converse with them in their language, interest grew; foreigners (especially ‘whites’) do not (as a rule) learn the local ‘black’ languages. They started asking him how he knew Oshiwambo, where he lived, whether he was a pastor, and other similar questions, and he was able to answer their questions in Oshiwambo.

There was no gospel presentation (David was not ready in and out of season, especially with Gospel tracts) - but the conversation did end with a lot of laughter and good feeling, David being now told (by the clerks at least) he could stay there ‘for ever’. And they went away knowing that someone cared enough about them to learn to speak to them in their heart language.

Unfortunately, no change on the visa status, though. David has to submit a progress report within 2 months about how he is transferring skills to a Namibian, otherwise the visa will be cancelled!!! Providentially, that’s what his job is all about!

Still on a language note, when David travels around the country, he often picks up hitch hikers. They are not hikers as you would imagine them to be. As there is a lack of public transport in Namibia, except ‘taxi’ services in and between major centres, if a person wants to get from A to B, they simply stand by the side of the road and hope that someone stops and picks them up. David is able to help them in this, and they ‘help’ him, too, as they often don’t have any English and, if they share a mutually-intelligible language, it is good language practice for David. Armed with tracts in 3 languages (all of which found ‘homes’), David gave many people lifts as he traveled to and from Windhoek, and made the most of many opportunities to share the Gospel with them.

On the way home he went to visit someone in hospital, In Ondangwa, and was explaining ‘Two ways to Live’ with her when a nurse came over and asked to be included in the discussion. David later gave her a tract. Now we have received an SMS from the lady in hospital saying that the other nurses are asking for a tract for themselves, too!

Thanks be to God for Kingdom opportunities. May we never be too lazy to seize them. We are reading Acts as a family at the moment and I commend to you chapter 20, especially verses 27 and 32.