Making friends being sensitiveThe comfort of sleeping, cooking, and being in this house has allowed us to spend more time inviting our neighbors.
Since we moved into the house we share with our teammates, we have experienced progress in our goals of learning culture and language among the Ko’revaju people. The comfort of sleeping, cooking, and being in this house has allowed us to spend more time inviting our neighbors as well as visiting them, helping with community projects, getting to know where they grow their crops, and sharing the love of the Lord. We are so grateful to our God for the way He provided for the construction of this house through the generosity of His children, His church.
BEING SENSITIVE
Visiting one of the Koreguaje neighbors we found out that the 9-year-old girl had a birthday that day. Her mother was sad because the girl was asking about her deceased father and she was crying that day. Since they do not celebrate children’s birthdays except with a cake and a drink, Hans and I wanted to buy a cake in the town from someone who was there but they had not made cakes that day. So I went home and with flour and eggs I prepared about 4 pancakes and with syrup I made a small tower of pancakes with some birthday candles on top.
The mother and the girl were very happy and celebrated with the grandparents and uncles. I imagine they only had a small bite. Also, someone through one of the missionaries from our mission had given us toys for the children and I still had some dolls stored away; so we were able to give her a birthday toy right there in the middle of the jungle. Such small thing fill our hearts with joy. Thank God for those who with their support help us to be able to have these small details with these precious little people.
MAKING FRIENDS
We affectionately call her our Pukó (aunt),
she makes ceramics to sell at the crafts fair.
As we visit the neighbors, we chat, make jokes, introduce ourselves and get to know them; they communicate words to us in the language and reveal aspects of their culture, which we take into account by recording them and then analyzing the language to learn their way of seeing life and their explanation of how things work.
UNDER THE SURFACE
Studying Colossians in chapter 1 verse 15 we see that the Lord Jesus Christ is the firstborn over all creation. Firstborn in the original Greek is the word prototokos which means preeminence or superiority. Then in verse 16 it teaches that Jesus Christ is preeminent and superior over all creation, visible or invisible.
As a result of friendship with the people, beneath their superficial behavior, we see beliefs about birds, plants, goblins, and sacred places that exert good or bad influence among them. It is satisfying that while we learn the language we can also get to know them in depth. Just as Paul knew the mystical environment in which the believers in Colossae found themselves in, it is extremely important to get to know these people in this way, so that the Gospel message becomes relevant to them in the midst of their needs.
Our PRAYER
requests
– We are grateful to the Lord for providing a place where we can stay, rest and serve, and for the opportunities He presents us to learn more.
– We ask for your prayers so that we remain encouraged in learning the language. May impatience and discouragement not prevent us from achieving our short-term goals.
– For the Lord’s care of us on our trips through the region, not only for our safety but also for our physical integrity, as the roads leading to the community are a bit difficult.
– For our children, that they may feel an ever greater desire to walk with Christ.
Mail:
A.A. 16569
Bogota, Colombia
E-mail:
hans_frank@nhcol.org
Want to support us?:
Phone contact: 866-547-2460
Online: Click here
Electronic Funds Transfer: Click here
Check:
Ethnos360
312 West First Street
Sanford, Florida 32771-1231
(To the order of Ethnos360 with a note for Hans and Liliana Frank)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.