Elliot Martin, 2019 Graduate

One of the biggest lessons I learned from my internship in Mayotte is the importance of language learning. Without first learning someone’s language, you cannot serve them well. In Duane Elmer’s book Cross-Cultural Servanthood, Elmer describes servanthood with a set of steps. He says, “You can’t serve someone you do not understand… You can’t understand others until you have learned about, from and with them… You can’t learn important information from someone until there is trust in the relationship… To build trust others must know that you accept and value them as people… Before you can communicate acceptance, people must experience your openness.” Openness, acceptance, trust, learning, understanding, then service. You may not agree with Elmer’s steps to servanthood, but you can read his book to hear his arguments. What I want to say, or rather ask, is how many of those steps can you do well if you can’t communicate deeply with someone?

I’ll use a story as an anecdote. Towards the end of my internship, I went to a Christian doctor’s house where his family was having a prayer meeting with other French Christians in his village. As people came into the house, I would greet them with the simple phrases I knew how to speak in French (“My name is Elliott.”, “How are you?”, “What’s your name?”, “I can only speak a little bit of French.”, etc.). I couldn’t say a ton, but I think they understood me, and I understood some, but not all, of what they said. Then, the doctor gave a brief lesson from the Bible. I understood even less. Then, we prayed. Here, I became a little proud of my French ability – I shared a prayer request and prayed in French. Some of the people even said “amen,” so it must have at least made some sense. But, then came the worst part. When we finished praying, all of them started asking me questions in French. “Why are you in Mayotte?” “Do you have a girlfriend?” “Are you getting married?” “How many kids do you want?” Yes, they asked all of those questions and more.

I’ll let you guess how I answered those questions with my very limited vocabulary. Here’s my point: to some of the questions, I gave simpler answers than I would have typically given because I couldn’t fully explain the answers to those questions. I gave simplified answers rather than trying to explain the whole truth. And, I could tell other people did the same thing to me when they realized I didn’t speak French well. That’s not openness, but it makes sense. Why would I expect people to spend the time explaining personal or detailed information to me when they aren’t sure if I am understanding everything in the way intended for me to understand it? And to go down Elmer’s list, why should I expect people to accept me when I might not be giving them the whole truth because I don’t know how to explain all the details? How do you build trust with someone when you can only communicate with them on a shallow level? Can I really learn about someone if they don’t speak to me in the same way as they speak to the people they talk to every day? How much understanding can happen if they are explaining ideas in one language and I am trying to think about those ideas in a language that may not be able to literally translate the thoughts word for word? And if I perceive who they are, what they want, or where they are coming from even slightly differently than the way they are meaning to communicate those things, how could that affect the way I serve them?
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The encouraging part is that many people do take the time to understand a language so well that they can think or even sound like a local. I can think of plenty of examples of international students that speak just as well as (maybe even better than!) most native English speakers. Communicating deeply, clearly, and precisely is essential to service. And getting to that point is doable. It just might take a little more than “I’ll figure it out once I get there.”

Kaylah Smith, Senior Nursing Student

I left for Romania excited at the thought of being able to learn more about the medical profession and hoping to put my limited “medical knowledge” to use while there. I hadn’t really thought about the trip much other than that. But God had much more important lessons in mind for me to learn.
The first lesson that God had me learn was the importance of seeing people the way He sees them. On the first full day of our trip (Saturday), the missionary gave us the opportunity to visit a church plant, and I gladly agreed to go along. This church plant, located in a Gypsy village, met in the open air because there was no church building. There were many children running around—and many of the little children’s parents seemed to be barely past childhood themselves. The children were filthy from playing in the dirt and not having running water in which to wash. The children wanted me to play with them, so I did so as best as I could follow along, and when we got ready to leave, they all wanted to hug me. Later, I learned about the Gypsy people: they are the poor people in Romania and the target of discrimination. I began to pray (and still pray) that, even though we could not speak these people’s language, gospel seeds were sown by us showing that God’s love does not discriminate against different people groups. God taught me through this experience that I am not better than someone else just because of my geographic birthplace, my education, my financial status, etc. He taught me that all people are precious in His sight—souls created in His image and in need of Him.
The second lesson God taught me was the universality of the church. On Sunday, we attended another church plant (this time, one with a building) in a different Gypsy village. The church service there was different than the typical U.S. church service I was used to. As soon as we walked into the church, the missionary’s wife politely pulled us aside and informed us that the women sit on one side of the room while the men sit on the other side. When one lady from our team used Google translate to interpret and tried to have the lady to whom she spoke read the interpretation, the missionary’s wife again quietly informed us that many people in the church, especially the women, cannot read. Also, for this reason, the church does not have song books. Consequently, the song leaders play a video through a speaker, and whoever knows the words sings along. Another thing that the Roma church did differently than churches here in the States was having many people pray during the service. (Usually, everyone in the church prays, but our team basically doubled church attendance that day, so we would have been in church for a very long time!) One other thing that the Roma church did differently was that, during communion, everyone drank of the same cup. (That seemed to me a picture of the unity in the church.) It was such a blessing to attend church in a different country! God made the fact that He will ransom people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9) very real to me as I worshiped Him with my Roma brothers and sisters.
Throughout the week of clinic, God helped me to see how there is unity in the universal church. Seeing God bring together brothers and sisters, who live in five different countries, to further His kingdom was amazing! The brothers and sisters from Romania were the very important “behind-the-scenes” people who fed, encouraged, and interpreted for our team of medical professionals from U.S. and Canada. Our team used medicine to attract the people to the clinic, and the Romanian brothers preached the gospel to the patients as they waited for their medicine. We had missionaries to Croatia, Hungary, and Romania help and interpret at the clinic. All of us working together showed unity of the universal church.
The final and biggest lesson God taught me during my time in Romania is that all of life is ministry. During my “down time” during the week, I was able to converse with missionaries and national pastors about how God called them to ministry and how God uses them to minister to people where they are. I loved hearing the different stories from everyone, but one story especially stands out to me. My interpreter from one day was a missionary from the U.S. but a self-proclaimed Romanian. She told me how she teaches English to children as her ministry and explained with different examples of how that plays out every day. Eventually our conversation turned to the declaration that all of life is ministry. No matter what we are doing – whether it’s teaching English, using our professions, helping in various church activities, or just being a friend – all of life is an opportunity to share the gospel. Every moment of life should be spent praying, meeting people, and telling them about Jesus.
When I got home from Romania, God continued to teach me the lesson that life is ministry. God wants all of us to share Him whatever we’re doing and wherever we are—whether we’re overseas or at home. The most important thing in all of life is God’s glory, and one way we can give God glory is to share the Good News with others. Yes, God calls people to be overseas missionaries, and they have many opportunities to share the Good News with others. But God calls everyone to be a missionary—one who shares the Good News of Jesus with everyone. 

Samuel Henry, BJU Alumnus 

God gave me the opportunity to be part of the BJU mission team to Antigua, an island in the Caribbean. We were led by Jonny and Kathryn Gamet, a couple that works in the communications and sports departments at BJU. Along with the leaders and their four children, the team consisted of four guys and six girls. It was extraordinary to see how God used each and every one of our talents to further His work on the island.
                Antigua is a beautiful island in the middle of the Caribbean in the West Indies. It is about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide, holding around 100,000 people. Our team arrived at 2 pm on May 7, 2019. We were met by two missionary couples who we worked with during our time on the island. We worked with the first couple, Nathan and Renee Owens, the most. The other couple, Ken and Nancy Kirkland, helped open many doors to go to different schools, churches, and Bible clubs.
                Nathan and Renee help lead the work at the Caribbean Radio Lighthouse, the main organization with which we served. The radio lighthouse spreads the gospel through a 24/7 radio broadcast to most of the Caribbean islands. The lighthouse reaches over two million people on more than twenty islands. Many of these people live in small villages and get their information primarily from radio updates.
                During each day we were on the island, the team got split up to work on different tasks, both inside and outside. The first and most substantial task was the 200-foot AM radio tower. The group got up at 5 am and left for the tower site. Our task was to take down the guy-wires one at a time, paint them, and then raise them back up. Since Antigua is a humid island, the wires start to rust after about a year. To keep the wires sturdy, we first scrape the rust and burn it with acid, prime the wire, and paint it. The full project took about a day and a half for all twelve wires.
                 The process for each wire was straightforward. First, we detached the wire from its anchor. Then, Nathan detached it from the tower. Two to three guys slowly lowered the wire using a pulley. Once the wire was down, one person would paint it with red oil-based paint while the guys slowly lifted the wire back up. Once the wire was back up, Nathan would secure it back to the tower, and we would secure it to the anchor.
                We were able to take water breaks and lunch breaks throughout the long, but rewarding, days. We had lots of fun times during the project. First, we got to work while two cows roamed around the field. They were both quiet but got nervous if we approached too closely. The cows got too close to the wires a few times, so we had to scare them off. There was also a very loud donkey and a lot of horses. Next, the wire painter looked like a butcher when he finished. The paint got all over the suit, making it look like some kind of murder mystery. It was quite a humorous sight! Lastly, we got to paint the shed on site after the tower was finished – a much easier task than painting the tower itself.
                The next project that about three team members worked on regularly was the radio production work. The team members were assigned to create scripts for the radio station for kids’ programs, ads, and a few other topics. This assignment posed a great opportunity for the team members to apply their majors: English, Communications, and Journalism. They got to write the scripts, record themselves reading the scripts, and edit the recordings to add music and eliminate mistakes. The team also got to invite some of the island children over to record some kids’ question and answer programs.
                The rest of the time we were there, we got to work on many kinds of projects. Some examples include working on the radio compound, helping at home, painting the FM tower, and doing a few other tasks. One thing that I personally got to work on was the website (http://www.radiolighthouse.org). I really enjoyed the development because it allowed me to apply my skills as a computer science major in a way that helps the gospel reach more people. I got to add a few pages such as testimonials, podcasts, and a few other random things.
                After the projects were done every day, we would visit a beach near the compound to play some games and cool down. A team favorite was a game called spike ball, which is like volleyball but with a trampoline. The water at the beach was very cool, which helped with the heat of the day. Thankfully, no one got stung by sea urchins!
                Outside of projects, the team took about a day and a half of tourism. We got to try the island soda (called “Ting”), visit a historic site, see some beautiful views, and shop downtown. Shopping was a fun experience. The vendors would track our eyes and point out whatever we were looking at, encouraging us to get it, in whatever way possible. There were at least 20 vendors with similar products in one section of downtown. Also, the ice cream was incredible and refreshing after a hot day of walking around in the sun. Finally, we visited an island restaurant on the last full day of the trip to experience some great food. Later that night, we also had a bonfire and sang songs to recap and praise God for the work He allowed us to do.
                When we weren’t working on projects to help the missionaries, we went to Bible studies and chapels at schools. Most mornings, we would go to schools and do puppet shows, play games, sing songs, and give a message during the chapel time. We got to sing “His Mercy is More” as a team song, and we sang “Behold Our God” as a special. Jonny Gamet would bring the message for the school chapels. The Bible studies were also a great way to really interact with the kids and share the gospel more tangibly. The structure was similar to the chapels but more interactive. For the Bible studies, team members would bring challenges to the kids. It was so encouraging to see their smiling faces and their eagerness to learn more about God.
                Another way we helped share the gospel was through the churches. On the one Sunday we were in Antigua, we went to two churches. We helped with Sunday School and led the songs, and Jonny brought the messages. It was encouraging to talk to the islanders and see their energy and joy in Christ. Those times are definitely experiences we will not forget!
                We want to thank everyone for their support and prayers. It means so much to have so many people caring and praying for all of us, and it’s so uplifting to see all that God allowed us to do during our time there. He gave us wonderful weather, sweet times with kids and at church, and great missionaries to work with.
                Putting it all together, Antigua was an amazing ten days! It flew by, but I know it impacted each and every one of our lives. It was so encouraging to put our skills to use for something that impacts so many lives with the gospel. We’re all thankful for the lessons that God taught us and can’t wait to see how the Caribbean Radio Lighthouse goes on to impact many more lives!