Mount Zion Church Youth Group
While at Living Hope Mission in Haiti, I had the joy of being part of the church's youth group. This group of young adults and teens had a unique bond in Christ.
Every Sunday evening there would be a meeting. They would open in prayer, then one youth would lead a 15 min devotion and then they would do an activity - board games, show-and-tell, movie or Andris would give some teaching. On those Sundays, we saw many new faces from the community.
Yet, more than a once a week meeting was the day-to-day interaction of many of these young folks at the mission. It may have meant a soccer game with the director, Andris; practicing a song for the upcoming Sunday service; sitting around the outdoor kitchen enjoying rice; making hundreds of paper flowers for the upcoming Mother's Day or working together to lead a church service. I saw beauty of unity, friendship and encouragement in the body of Christ through these people.
Then I came - a white, American dumb to the understanding of their language, Creole, and their culture. I moved in with the mission's directors, Andris and Mary Jane, for an unstated amount of time. ( I was not allowed to state when I was leaving until the day before departure.) Yet, this group opened wide their arms to me like they did to others coming from their community. This was one quality I especially admired - they could be a close group but were still able to include another.
In the video above you can see us singing, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in French.
"Just how did you come to singing with them?" I hear you asking.
I had been at the mission for one week. The youth were practicing songs for the upcoming Mother's Day program. I was watching. Andris then asked,"Do you want to try singing with them?"
"Yes" I answered. I timidly joined the group and tried to make those "funny" sounds. A couple days later I wrote in my journal
"...I went to practice with the youth for the upcoming program. One song, "Alpha & Omega", I don't know in English... the other was "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". In the chorus, the boys would sing "Glory, Glory" in there low voices followed by the girls, "Hallelujah". We sang in Creole of course. I simply watched Fenel's lips and listened to those around me." That is how I learned (and would still be if I were there now) - lip reading, listening and singing.
The language barrier was the biggest challenge for me those months. When I arrived I knew only a handful of phrases in Creole and when I left I could speak no more than in a light conversation (if you could call it that). This was frustrating. I love to talk to people, learn about them and simply understand what's going on. I remember on day in particular ... I was standing outside, we had just finished a Bible study.
"Koman ou ye?" Degazon, the cooking teacher, had asked with a smile. "Koman ou ye" means "how are you" in Creole. I had probably already heard this question 100 times that day. When one of the only phrases you know is "How are you" and you see 100 people. Guess what they ask you? and when the only reply you know is "good" ...
"I am frustrated," I retorted in English.
"Fr-ust-ra-ted? I don't understand?" She said with a very confused look, "In Creole?"
"I am well," I responded with a laugh at her confusion.
Yes, a language barrier is a frustrating barrier which crumbles in the matter of time and study. One way, I found to crack this barrier was singing with the youth. I got to the point in which I "mastered in making those funny sounds" even though I didn't understand what those words meant. But hey, that could be semi-fixed by having a couple high school students practice translating into English..
I thank God for the opportunities He gave me in interacting with the Zion Church youth group.
Mesi Senye! Mwen renmen Haitian zami yo mwen!
Thank you Lord! I love my Haitian friends!
