Coming to Uganda, I knew there would be
language barriers. Even when speaking English to Ugandans, we have
to adjust the way we speak. I came knowing people here speak
Lugandan, K'Swahili, Ngakaramojong, and many other dialects.
One night, as we went out to minister
to women, I experienced a language barrier that I was not expecting.
It brought my mind back to Colorado, as this was a barrier I have
been very familiar with the past 4 years working in a school with a
high percentage of Hispanic families. A woman, we will call “S”,
asked me if I spoke French. I shook my head and told her no. Then
she asked if I spoke Spanish. I responded “Sí”
and our conversation in broken Spanish began. It went something like this...
Me:
Jesus Cristo te ama.
S: Sí
S:
Quieras? (offers me a drink from the pouch of vodka she's drinking)
Me: No
quiero drink.
S:
Quieras bailar? (pointing to the bar nearby)
S: Sí,
sí
It
took me a while to remember the words, to switch my brain back into
being able to have a small conversation in Spanish. God brought to
mind 1 Peter 3:15, which says, “always be prepared to make a
defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in
you.” For the first time, I felt a need to be prepared in a way I
had not previously felt. The need to be prepared to explain the hope
of Jesus in languages I may know some, but not enough to be confident
speaking. Trusting Him, that if He led me into a situation to share
His love that He would provide a way for understanding as well, but it's my responsibility to step out in faith and speak - whichever language that may be.
