Learning to tell stories despite great weakness
A story to tell from a missionary still in language school :
Recently I made friends with a young woman who I met at the local primary school where we both go to exercise on Wednesday afternoons. As a result of some sort of brain injury or tumor Sue’s eyesight isn’t good and her speech is a bit slow, but that means that I can actually understand some of what she is saying : )
A few weeks ago she asked if I was a Christian or a Buddhist? Up until this point, I am ashamed to say, it had not occurred to me that that I could be sharing Jesus with her as I feel the limitation of language oh so greatly.
A few weeks later, I think she asked me “Would you please be my missionary?” What?! “Umm, sure.” I think I understood her words, but I have no idea what she was really asking me. Maybe I got it totally wrong and she was asking me what I thought about the price of eggs at the market?! I just don’t know. So, I offered her to tell her a Bible story the following week and then we could discuss it.
She seemed happy enough with this. I went home and thought ‘Oh no!! Now I have to actually learn a Bible story in Chinese!! Ahhh!!’
So with nervousness but confidence the God who answers our requests, I learned the Creation Story (requiring hours and hours of learning new words, phrases). Then I went to the primary school to walk and talk with Sue.
I did it. I told her the story of how the world came to be. I had my piece of paper to remind me of certain words and by God’s grace, walked and told the story at the same time. Now what?
She had heard the story when she was a child, but she said my story was different – mine had more details. I thought it was the most basic version possible apparently not. Other than that, she didn’t really comment too much. Telling a story is one thing, discussing it is another. As I walked home I reflected on what had just happened.
REFLECTIONS
Did I see Sue as a whole person, or as someone to ‘off load’ my story to? As soon as we started walking together, I practically launched straight into telling her the story of Creation. I had been working so hard on it for the past week that I just wanted to get it off my chest. But not long after I began, I realized that I should have waited for her to ask. Each time we have had a spiritual conversation, it has been because she has initiated it (and she initiates such conversations, however basic, every week). Why should this have been any different? Next time I want to listen to her first rather than ‘jump in’ with my agenda. While there is certainly a time and place for initiating ‘God’ conversations, I feel that in this situation I should have taken my cue from Sue. The wisdom when to wait and listen and when to initiate can only be given to us by the Holy Spirit.
Used with permission of LM.
