Wednesday, June 10, 2015

The Man Behind The Bars

The man behind the bars stared blankly at us. We knew we needed help.

We had gotten settled in our neighborhood for the summer, and decided to venture out. We walked up to a boutique, asked the man behind the bars for a baguette, and received a blank stare. The little bit of French we learned at orientation was not enough; we needed help.

Thankfully, Momma Kassou, the wife of a local pastor and a close friend of our supervisors, agreed to give us lessons for a few days from 9am-3pm.

We quickly learned the difficulty of learning a new language. We weren't allowed to speak. Much like how a baby learns to talk, we simply listened to Mama Kassou as she pointed at objects and told us what they are.

The Lord is teaching us patience. As we struggle with language, we are growing as a team—we are growing in the Lord together. Frustrating language lessons have led to long talks and moments of vulnerability.

We are determined to share the gospel with the people here in their language. We have learned commands; we have learned the currency; we have learned greetings and simple questions. We are learning about and adapting to the culture of Abidjan, all with the hope of making Christ known among the people here.

Pray for us as we continue to learn French.

Au revoir!

-Hailey