Lost in Translation

Hello faithful blog readers. I am sorry it took me so long to write a new post.  We have had many distractions and spiritual battles on several fronts. Don't Lose Hope The Battle is The Lords.


We must always remember that our adversary never sleeps and is constantly seeking to spread chaos, after all he is the author of confusion.


This morning in my devotions I was uplifted by the words of the 27th psalm. ‘ Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavillion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me. Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing , yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.


After my uplifting morning devotions I spent 2 hours pouring over 3 different English to Oromo books just to come up with one sentence that could be understood by an ” interpreter’ who could then explain to our friend Buse. What time , day and place we could meet her. It took about 20 minutes of broken english and my very poor pronunciations of Oromo to convey that information.


I often find myself mentally wore out and it is difficult to find the time and space I need to get spiritually recharged and ready to go back in for the next round. Praise God for the patience of those who are faithfully serving Him here.


It is not just a matter of a new language to learn, that is challenging enough. We must also use the Ethiopian calender year, month and day and even the way time is kept is different. So explaining to someone that you would like to meet them at 9 am on Friday morning Jan. 29 th at our home becomes an incredible undertaking. Up until now we have relied on ‘ interpreters ‘ for this communication but we are never where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there.


You see today is not Jan. 27 2010 by the Ethiopian calender.And it is not 2 pm in the afternoon. It is Amajjii 20 th 2002 at 8 o clock in the afternoon. Now if I could throw away my gregorian calender and my international time watch and live on Ethiopian time things would be somewhat simpler but our responsibilities to churches, families and GGI prevent that luxury.


I suppose that it sounds like I am whining, but I love my life and work here and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Please keep Sandy and I in your prayers , the daily challenges can quickly become overwhelming. Your sister in Christ, Carole