God is working all over the world. You probably see what He's doing in your little corner of the picture, and if you're reading this blog, you likely have an idea of what He's doing in my little corner, too.
But there's a much, much bigger picture than just you or I, and today I'd like to share a few little snapshots of His work in other parts of the world.
(Click on the titles to read the full stories from the original sources.)
A New Kind of Love
Hdi (West Africa)
While working on translation, one of the missionaries questioned some of the village leaders about the Hdi word for love. Almost all the verbs in this language end in i, a, and u. But the word for love only showed up ending in i or a. He asked them about this.
"Could you dvi your wife?" Yes, the leaders said. "That would mean the wife had been loved, but the love was gone."
"Could you dva your wife?" Again they said yes. "That kind of love depends on the wife's actions. She would be loved as long as she remained faithful and cared for her husband well."
"Could you dvu your wife?" Everyone laughed, saying that was impossible. "If you said that, you would have to keep loving your wife no matter what she did, even if she never got you water and never made you meals. Even if she committed adultery, you would have to just keep on loving her. No, we would never say dvu. It just doesn't exist."
The missionary paused, then asked, "Could God dvu people?"
The leaders sat, completely silent, until tears started trickling down their faces. "Do you know what this would mean? This would mean that God kept loving us over and over, while all that time we rejected His great love. He would be compelled to love us, even though we have sinned more than any people."
What a vivid illustration of how unique and revolutionary God's love is!
Still Waiting
Nahuatl (Mexico)
A team of missionaries lives among the Nahuatl in a mountain village. They are still learning the language and culture.
One of the missionaries wrote of how a group of people (called blankos) had started claiming they had "special revelations" from God. They told the people that God was angry with them. One of the blankos even started claiming to be God and told people they had to get back to nature. The people from some of the villages have burned blankets and mattresses, gotten rid of shoes and other "modern" things. They replaced their tin roofs with pine needles. As their living conditions become poorer, sickness increased, but the blankos threatened anyone who went to a doctor. At least one baby has died.
The Nahuatl are living in fear right now. But God is working: He brought each of the missionaries to this village and has sustained them through many difficulties and adjustments so far. And the day will come when the Nahuatl will hear of God's love and know that they no longer have to be afraid.
Thanks from a New Church
Biem (Papua New Guinea)
When the Gospel came to the Biem people last Fall (2012), they were completely amazed by God's goodness and love. They couldn't stop talking about "God's talk". One man told the missionary that he thought about God's talk from the time he woke up in the morning until night - and talked together with his wife about it while they worked in the garden. Another man had wondered at first why the Father didn't help Jesus on the cross. Later he said, "...After today's lesson, I don't have any more questions. I got it. I understand it. I am just going to sit here and be happy."
As these new believers soak up God's love, they are thankful to Him for allowing His "talk" to come to their island. When one young man thanked the missionaries for coming to share the Good News with them, the missionary explained that it wasn't just their three families; thousands of people around the world had been praying for them to understand God's talk. The young man replied, "Okay, then you go and tell them, all of them: Thank you. God's talk has come to our island. Thank them for praying and sending you guys here."
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How cool to think that one day, in Heaven, people from every country and language and tribe will be praising God!
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