Phillip Schuring Together for the spread of the Gospel So What Happens When They Insist You Teach?
On a certain Saturday in March I got up early and together with the ex-chief took my co-worker down river to the nearest community where he would continue the trip to “civilization.” It was a full day. We stopped at a second village and visited some and on our way back we felled a large tree to collect the fruit and then slowly made our way back up river weaving in and out of the rapids. We got home late and it was already getting dark. I quickly took a bath in the river and shortly afterwards my language helper arrived. Somewhere around 9:00, after my language helper had left the ex-chief came to my house and informed me that I would be preaching the very next morning in “church.” He said he was very tired from the trip and hadn’t had the time to prepare (he is also the village Pastor). But what about me, I thought, “Wasn’t I along with you the whole day? Am I not tired as well? And by the way, I didn’t have time to prepare either!” But instead of saying anything I just nodded my head and began asking the Lord for wisdom. I was too tired to reason properly so I decided I would put the Lord’s promise to the test and with a quick pray for wisdom went to bed.
The next morning I got up early and searched the scriptures for an appropriate text to share from. I must interject that we have not begun teaching yet and are still just barely getting started in our language and culture study. What should I teach about? How do you teach without building a foundation first. How can you teach about multiplication when you haven’t taught them how to count yet?
They seem to be very familiar with the person of Christ so I decided to search His parables for a simple story that would avoid delving into deep spiritual truths. As it turns out I stumbled across our Master’s words in Math. 5:43-48 where He teaches how we must love not only our neighbors but our enemies as well! That’s perfect, I thought! It speaks of a foundational truth about the character of God – His holiness and how His ways are so much higher than our ways, it speaks of a foundational truth about man – that we are fallen and separated from God, its short and sweet, and it’s powerful! And I don’t have to go to great lengths to validate this truth since they claim to believe in Christ. Little did I know that it would speak deeply to their present reality.
My purpose in teaching this passage was to get them thinking about how they see themselves and how different Gods ways are, but as I was teaching, examples from there present reality began to come to mind and I began to use them. As it turns out they have had some dangerous quarrels with the nationals over land disputes and have made some serious enemies. I was able to use this as a clear illustration of how hard it is to be Holy like God is holy.
Previously that week the new chief had asked me if all the natural disasters that were happening in Japan were because they didn’t believe in God and he added, “that’s what I heard people in town saying.” Wow, how do you answer a question like that without getting into all kinds of theological issues? I dodged the question by asking him at how those people could know that? Who told them that? How did they know that was true? And I explained to him that scripture is the only source of absolute authority and that as far as I knew it didn’t make it clear that the disasters in Japan were because God was judging that nation. I knew that hadn’t satisfied his question but I left it at that.
Now, as I was teaching it came to me loud and clear. In the very passage I was teaching about it says that we should love our enemies because that is the way God is. He sends rain and sun on both the just and unjust! And there was the chiefs answer! I shifted my direction and immediately addressed him in front of everyone. “Remember that question you asked me about Japan,” I said, “well, here is the answer. If God says that we are to love our enemies because He loves His enemies than how can we say that the disasters in Japan are a judgment on His enemies?” And immediately I could see the lights go on in his eyes and a large smile grow across his face.
Up till now I haven’t had much success at getting them to answer questions but on this day they asked the questions! One lady asked, “What about when something bad happens here in the village? Our relatives all say that it is God punishing that person for sining.” “Well,” I said, “What have we learned about how God treats His enemies? And what’s more than that, you claim to be God’s children right? Now if God is loving towards His enemies how much more with His children! You’re a parent right? How do you treat your children? When you know there is danger on a certain trail don’t you warn you children not to go there? What happens if they go there and get hurt after you warned them not to go there? Can I then say that your child was hurt because you punished them?” “No…,” she said, and I then I saw the light go on for her as well. “You see,” I said, “that is the way it is with God. He gave us this entire big book and told us all we need to know and warned us about all the dangerous trails of life. Now when we get hurt because we didn’t heed His words can we say that he was punishing us?” “No!” she said.
So there you have it…a practical example of how we depend on the the Holy Spirit to fill us with wisdom even in the most awkward of situations. And as master builders we continue to prepare the ground to lay a strong foundation.
Tags: dependance, teaching, wisdom
Laying strong foundations as master builders…
Our ministry amongst the Kaxuyana is much like the passage in Matthew about the wise man’s house. In Matthew 7:24-28 Jesus speaks of two men who set about building a house. Both conclude their projects but one has done so in a wise manner while the other has done so in a foolish manner. The one built his house with its foundations upon the rock and when the wind, rain, and flood came it remained standing. The other built his house with its foundations on the sand and when the wind, rain, and flood came it fell, with a crash!
It is interesting to note that both men were successful in building their houses and no doubt both put a lot of effort into building their houses but the one stood and the other came down violently. Like foolish men, we too, could start building our “house” amongst the Kaxuyana. We could start the teaching today, and that is what they constantly ask us to do, but it would have to be done in Portuguese and not in their heart language. No doubt we would put a lot of time into it. We would labor diligently and to the best of our knowledge. We would teach with zeal and authority, anxious for the day when we could say that a “church” has been truly established amongst the Kaxuyana. But then what?
What would happen when the wind, rain, and floods came? How would our “house” stand against adversities. Would the foundation we laid be undermined by the shifting sands of world view (cultural) discrepancies? Would the walls withstand the violent winds of death? Would the roof begin to leak with the disputes and quarrels for authority within the church? Would the walls withstand the cracks of clan animosities? And what of the powerful flood of modernism and its deep pools and the lustfully murky waters of material wealth? What about the strong rains of other religious zealots? How would our house fair?
I’m afraid that it would come downwith a violent crash! And for that reason we remain steadfast in our language study.
Language Learning with the “Terminator”
One of the most trying things about Kaxuyana work has been that it just doesn’t fit the mold of “normal” tribal church planting – if there is such a thing. It’s been different all around including the language learning process. In a place that speaks three languages and is re-familiarizing themselves with the one you are trying to learn you often find unexpected ways of defining words, meanings, and morphemes.
One night I went to a friends house to roast some game on his open fire and brought my language learning note pad along just in case. Turns out his family was watching the “Terminator” in their palm walled house and any curious passer-biers could catch a few scenes through a small open window. As I sat and chatted with my friend he began to ask me questions about the movie, like, “Is it real?”, “Is there a man like that?” And then it dawned on me that I could gather a whole slew of vocabulary that would otherwise be difficult to gather. Take for example the word “real.” First he asked me in Portuguese, “Is it real?” Following that question I could turn the tables and ask him how to say that in the tribal language and wala I had the word for “real” or “true.” Following that were adjectives like hard and fast from phrases like hard iron or fast truck. And so on it went.
Who would have ever guessed that the “Terminator” could be a help in spreading the gospel!
Tags: language learning, terminator
What Does a “Normal” Day Look Like?
Ok, so I have to be honest; the following events took place over the coarse of two days but they may just as well have happened all in the same day.
So I woke up early in the morning with all the noise up stairs on the first deck of the small wooden boat we were to be traveling in. I, was in the cargo haul with the chief and his family doing our best to make ourselves at home stringing our hammocks tauntly above the cargo. They were quick to wake up as well and make ready for the day.
Shortly after we were strolling along the river front street making our way to the market. When we got there the market was already hustling and bustling with buyers and venders. We made our way to a small booth next to a lady selling bananas, peppers, papaia and such where we sat down for a traditional “hardy” breakfast: a fried smashed sandwich with one slice of cheese and one slice of ham with half a cup of coffee and milk to make for one wholesome breakfast.
Once back at the boat we watched the pink freshwater dolphins surface as they chased schools of fish just off shore. The chief asked me to go to the post office and run and errand while he was off to another section of town. Little did I know that I would be sitting in a line at least 40 people long for nearly an hour and a half just to get to the front desk. Back at the shore I sat and talked with the chief’s grandson as he asked about the drunk crazy men that stagered back and forth at the water front. The boat was being loaded with bricks, cement, gas, food, chickens, bananas, 50 bags of yuca flour and all sorts of goods. It was hot in the cargo haul by that hour of the day so we decided to run to the pension and see the chiefs other grandson who was in town doing a computer coarse of all things and besides we would just be in the way if we tried to rest in our hammocks
At the pension I almost stepped on a tiny black monkey that was scampering around. We checked out the mango tree in the back yard as we waited for the chief’s grandson to get his things ready to travel with us. Back at the boat we decided to take a bath since it was already after noon and we were dripping with sweat. But where to take a bath? You guessed it! We just jumped off the back of the boat and sat on a nearby canoe as we soaped up. It wasn’t the cleanest water being the city front and all so we weren’t long.
After grabbing some lunch we headed off to pick up the chiefs rifle at a local fix it shop. When we got there the owner was gone and it was locked up in the small room off to the side so we waited a while till he showed up. Back at the water front we were surprised by a lady screaming scripture at any passer-byes. She seemed to take a liking to the group of indians waiting for their boat to leave so we made sure to avoid her.
It was time to load my motorcycle since we heard the boat would be leaving at 5:00 p.m. and it was near 4:00 p.m. already. There was one slight problem. The boat was way below the the level of the loading dock as it was dry season so I had to buzz on down to the last port entrance and come across the white sand beach until I reached the boat. I’ve never done that before and I can’t say that I didn’t get it stuck once or twice.
Once loaded we just sat around waiting for the boat to leave. Some youngsters passed the time fishing. One even pulled in a tiny blow fish. It seems you have to tickle this little guy by blowing on his face to make him puff up, but once puffed up they rolled him around like a little soccer ball before returning him to the water.
We watched as massive ships sailed by only half full of mining ore since the river was so low. Time rolled by and I watched as a nursing mother untied her hammock and unloaded all her things by herself. Seems there was some miscommunication and she would be staying behind. It was nearly 7:00 o’clock by now and I made my way over to another boat were I could get some peace and quiet and take a few notes. I heard the owner of that boat tell anyone who would listen about the death of a man that day at the mining town up river and then I decided had better get a bite to eat.
Back and forth people went from the shore to the boat, from the boat to the shore as they waited for the boat to leave. Finally a little after 10:00 we pushed off to the floating gas station to fuel up. A little more than five hours past our scheduled departure we were all tucked away in our hammocks in the cargo haul and on our way up river.
A Fresh Perspective
A taste of the dust roads...
One of the challenges of returning to ones home country as a missionary is in not loosing the ability to see things with a fresh eye, with curious and perceptive, and in some ways with an outsiders perspective as one who has never seen such things before. The landscape – if I may call it that – is all too familiar. The important details often blend in and are camouflaged in the scenery that makes up life.