Language Barriers.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Language Barriers. I’m sure if you’ve read this blog very much you’re aware that in addition to being in youth ministry full-time, I’m also a school bus driver in the morning and afternoon. I’ve been doing that for quite some time, and I’ve grown to love it. Most probably don’t realize how much ministry can be done on a school bus, especially when you build relationships of trust with the students that ride. They share burdens and prayer requests with you, as well as just venting to you after a rough day. It’s a blessing.
All of the kids on my bus are awesome in their own ways. There’s a group that gets on at one stop that I’ve become particularly attached to. They are all family, and they are all from Spanish speaking countries. 8 of them speak English very well (better than me, actually.) They have a family member that just came to our country this past Friday, so she hasn’t learned much English at all yet. Yesterday was her first day on the bus.
I want to be able to communicate with her so badly! All I could say yesterday that made any sense in conversation was “Hello (Hola)” and “Goodbye (adios).” I did my best to give it my best accent, too. I even said “gracias” once, just to see how well I can roll my r’s. It wasn’t too impressive.
So I’ve decided each day I’ll learn to say something new. Yes, it’ll take me forever at that rate. But, one day at a time, phrase by phrase, hopefully it will at least show that I’m making effort to be able to communicate. More than anything, I want to communicate that I care enough to try. That’s a pretty good foundation for the Gospel to be shared eventually, don’t you think?
The fact that I don’t speak a certain language is preventing me from sharing Him with someone. What I’ve found is that even though I can’t stand in front of the entire bus, as a captive audience, and present the Gospel, I have plenty of chances outside of that school bus to show them Him, too. Oh, make no mistake about it, they know where I am on issues of Christ on the bus, just because they've gotten to know me fairly well. But I can actually share how to know Him apart from the context of being their bus driver.
I want each student God has entrusted to my safe keeping every day to know how to know Him. That takes extra effort to be a little more patient at times than I naturally desire to be. It takes more grace when I could easily enforce punishments as strict as I initially desire them to be. It takes more energy than just biting off the heads of unruly riders. But it’s worth it – if in some small way by my actions on the bus they see that Christ can make you different.
If something is preventing me from communicating Christ to someone, I want to learn to bridge that gap. If something in my life needs to go for that to happen, I want to release it freely. If I need to learn a new language for that to happen, I want to have a burning desire to do so. Whatever it takes, no matter the cost, I want to make Him known to the world. Will ya join me on this adventure?



That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake

This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com