An update from from West Africa Initiative Worker, Ashley Freytag

August 23, 2013. The day had come! It was FINALLY time to leave for Africa! Our luggage was weighed, hugs and kisses were given, tears streamed down in happiness, sadness, and anxiousness, security check points were crossed, a sigh of relief was let out in the waiting area on the other side, the plane was boarded, and we were off! Off to discover a new world of unknowns where God had called us. Where would I be a year from now? How will I have changed? How would I be doing? What would the Lord have taught me? Where would my teammates and I be in ministry? 365 days later, I have the answers.

 

How have I changed? Well already, you will notice some differences in my physical appearance. I have permanent wrinkles around my eyes (only noticeable up close) due to smiling too much and squinting into the sun, I have had a long gray hair plucked from my head due to turning the old age of 25, my arms and face are twenty shades darker than the rest of me, I have a permanent sandal tan line on the tops of my feet, and I have picked up one or two Yalunka mannerisms. This includes saying “eahhhh” in a high-ish pitch voice which is kind of like “oh my goodness or what are you doing!?” and I am sure I have picked up a few others that have yet to be determined.

 

What has the Lord taught me in the past year? God has taught me that He is faithful. I have yet to step out in faith and not find God there. For example, He is faithful in something so small as going into the village to hang out, practice language, and get to know people on a day I just don’t feel up to the challenge. These usually turn out to be the best days and I come home having a whole list of great experiences to share. Or something as huge as coming to Africa. He provided housing for Tiffany and I from the very beginning and then allowed me to move into the village! He has also shown himself faithful in countless other ways.

 

God has taught me to respond to trials and hard times in perseverance rather than in defeat. My automatic response when times get hard is “bail, bail, bail!” I don’t know how many times I prayed in the first few months, “God I can’t do this” because of this or that situation or reason. When I was feeling discouraged, it wasn’t reasoning or the thought that “everything is going to be alright” that helped me through, it was the truth that this is a normal part of walking with God and that His Word says I can rejoice about it. Romans 5:3&4 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”

 

Finally, God has taught me what it means to “count the costs of following Him”. In Luke 14, God warns the crowd about following Him. He says we must first think about the costs. We must hate our mother, father, and everyone else in comparison to following Him. He gives the example of a builder who always makes sure he has enough money to finish his project before he starts. Some of the hardest costs I have counted are hearing the voice of my small niece, who is only able to understand so much, asking when I will be home, the old, soft voice of my dear grandma as she lingers on the end of the line and says “so I probably won’t be seeing you for a while”, the way I am missed by my mother, the way I cause friends and family to worry, the missed birth of my nephew, and a handful of missed weddings of friends that I would give anything to be there for. These missed occasions – a chance to support and love a friend – and these saddened voices -caused by me- are when I feel like I “hate” everyone in comparison to following Jesus. Yet, these are seemingly small sacrifices in comparison to the costs some of Jesus’ twelve disciples endured or the costs that some Christians are experiencing around the world today. I have come to realize that no dream of mine is worth leaving behind everything I love, but it is worth it to pursue a dream of God’s.

 

Where am I at in ministry? I must admit, I thought (or at least I was hoping) that I would be somewhere near fluent in Yalunka after a year. You hear all the time about how people become fluent in this or that language after a year. It seemed reasonable. However, I am not there by a long shot. There a few elements of “fluency” that go beyond just knowing a language. It is important to know the culture, context, as well as the meaning behind the word. For example, if I said in English “he hasn’t come around yet”, you would take that to mean he hasn’t changed his mind yet or he isn’t feeling better yet. If you said this same sentence to someone who is just beginning to understand English, they would assume you literally meant what you said. They would probably ask you, “come around what?” They would be completely lost and totally miss what you are actually trying to say. I am that person who is just beginning to understand Yalunka. I am picking up the words, but even if I know the words and their literal meaning, I have no idea what message the person is trying to get across. Yalunka also has a thousand (exaggerated) different ways to convey one idea. So I might know how to say something one way and then someone pulls out the other way to say it and I am lost again. Until I have the language well and can accurately share God’s Word, the best way for me to do ministry now is to show God’s love through my actions. Whether that be hoeing or planting alongside a woman in her field, helping to shell peanuts so the sauce can be made for dinner, visiting the sick or the newborns, and/or spending time with people at their house.

 

My teammates and I were able to visit the Yalunka villages of Mali last dry season. At that point, we had very little language ability, but the people still welcomed us with open arms and each one of us on the team made a connection with different people in the villages. We were able to share what our purpose was for coming, pray with those in need, answer any questions they had about Christianity, and have some discussions with the help of a translator. At each village, we left a Proclaimer (an audio Bible) for them to listen to and we reminded them that we would be back again to eventually share and teach God’s Word in their language. With the rainy season upon us and high rivers, we have been unable to visit these villages recently but as soon as we are able, we will return. I pray that when that time arrives, we will be able to reconnect with those friends we have already made, that they will be encouraged by our improvement in the Yalunka language, and that those friendships will become even stronger until eventually, we are ready to start teaching.

 

Finally, I can’t tell about the year without praising God!

  • There was a time when I was having severe back and leg pain. I felt helpless out here and thought it might never get better. But God pulled me through and my back is completely healed! He has otherwise kept me healthy from malaria, stomach bugs, and/or any other kind of illness.
  • There was a dream I once had about living in a village. And the Lord opened the doors!
  • There was once a time when the task ahead was too great and I was ready to turn back, but the Lord walked me through it!
  • He has given me friends and family in a foreign place and has provided for my every need.
  • He is faithful to remind me of his love whether through an unexpected donation or a rainbow in the sky.
  • As I keep my eyes on him, he gives me peace and a clear mind in what could otherwise be a world full of worries.
  • Praise the Lord for what progress I have already made in learning Yalunka!

 

Will you praise God with me for the year that has passed and for the ways he is growing, stretching, and preparing me for the path ahead? And will you also bring requests before him with me? For continued progress in language learning, the hearts of the Yalunka, my teammates and myself as we encounter struggles, and our obedience to the Lord as he continues to guide our feet along the path he has laid out before us.