Found in the Translation
It was late on Friday night in Colombia, and we were waiting for the rest of the Torch Bearer's team to make it to the house. Vincent and Sandra were bringing them in from the airport about three hours late due to some flight delays. I couldn't help but be a little curious. They were from West Virginia, ranging in age from 15 to 70+.
Finally they arrived with a language that caused me to pause to make sure I didn't loose anything in the translation. And I thought that Spanish was going to be my issue. (I'm having light-hearted fun here 
) Over the next few days, I heard some phrases like theses:
(As one of the 15-year-olds was offered more to eat)
"I'm fuller than a tick on a hound dog."
(After wrapping my head around that statement, I was very hungry either.)
(Famous last words of a redneck as quoted from the WV pastor)
"Hey, y'all, watch this."
(Quoted from an e-mail with hearty laughter from the WV team)
Hillbilly 10 Commandments
- Ain’t but One God.
- Honor yer Ma and Pa.
- No tellin’ tales or gossipin’.
- Git yer hide ta Sunday meetin’.
- Ain’t notin’ come before the Lord.
- No foolin’ with another feller's gal.
- No killin’, sept fer critters.
- Quit yer foul mouthin.
- No swipin’ yer kin folks stuff.
- Don’t be hankerin’ fer it neither.
It is easy to get "lost in the translation" if one's not careful. Personality differences, pointing out faults and misgivings, allowing mole hills to become mountains. I think you can see where I'm headed with this.
But I would like to tell you what I "found in the translation." At the head of our group was a young couple, Vincent and Alyson, from Montana who have raised their own funds to bring Christ to Colombia by offering opportunities to groups like ours. Then there was the Colombian liaison, Sandra, who worked overtime on communication with project hosts and our safety. Our team was made up of two pastors, two retired men, a pastor's wife and her adult daughter, a grandpa/uncle who brought two teenage boys, a mid-aged couple, and a young mom coming from Michigan, Kansas, and West Virginia. With this variety, you would think that we would have some issue. But we didn't.
Why? Two things...prayer and Christ at the center. I consider these treasures found in the translation. The world doesn't have this. As Christians, we do and make an eternal difference. The Lord receives all the praise for helping me participate in this translation.
