Esther

We just got back to Clarkston and in less than 24 hours I’ve visited multiple families, shared the importance in being obedient to God and had an international experience that one only finds here at the Clarkston Culture Fest!  It’s good to be ‘home’… for the next three weeks.  Then we’ll say goodbye to this home and make our way back to Bainbridge to get the girls settled before Tommy and I leave for a training in Lebanon.  Our lives over the next couple of months are going to be extremely transitional and segmented and as difficult as the constant goodbyes are going to be, we’re also looking forward to them.  I’m glad we aren’t just taking off from here without getting to see friends and family back at our other ‘home’.      We spent the last two weeks focusing on language learning…. Sort of.  We’ve really been focused more on how to be a language learner.  Americans are so used to only speaking one language, we have to start at the basics.  I am no exception!  One of the activities we’ve done is drills in phonetics and mimicking sounds that aren’t produced in the English language.  While there’s muscle memory to be learned, it’s mentally exhausting too!!  Another topic with which I have struggled is the time invested in language learning involving both speaking and writing.  I think I’d mentally written off the value of reading and writing in Arabic until much further down the line and I’m starting to view things differently.

God is amazing!  Rebekah's language group worked with a woman from the Philippines.  We had to create a series with pictures to learn the vocabulary of something sequential.  We went bowling for Madalyn's birthday so we decided that might be a fun series.  It turns out our language helper's dad used to be a bowling captain back home and we got to hear amazing childhood memories of hers that we wouldn't have otherwise heard! For such a time as this.... I read Esther the other day and a few things stood out to me.  Isn’t God amazing how his word can speak into so many situations just when we need it!!  She wasn't learning a new language, but I feel like there are so many aspects of her story that we can relate to as well.  I feel like God’s been showing me so much through His word lately which makes me hungry for a deeper knowledge!! 9 So the king's scribes were called at that time in the third month (that is, the month Sivan), on the twenty-third day; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces which extended from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to every province according to its script, and to every people according to their language, as well as to the Jews according to their script and their language. (Est 8:9 NAS) Haman had sent out a message of death, but Mordecai had a message of life!  This message was so important that it went out to all the people in their own language.  They all lived in the same kingdom… they were all ruled by one king… but it mattered to the king that his subjects understood the message clearly!  They had time after the message was sent to respond to the message as well.  There was almost a year between when the decree was dispatched and the time at which they could defend themselves.       We worship One King and seek to teach His Kingdom… but it matters that each person understand the message clearly!  It is a matter of life or death!!  There may be many times when we are just called to clearly deliver the message, but then the person receiving it has time to respond.  We don’t always have to wait around for a response, but it would be wise of them to hear and prepare.       10 Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known. 11 And every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.  12 Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women-- for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women-- ….. 15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. (Est 2:10-12, 15 NAS) The other part of Esther that I read with different eyes is the time she spent preparing.  It’s easy to think about the time as just one of pampering and beauty treatments… but I have a feeling she was learning the behaviors and protocol that came along with being a queen as well.  She blended in, not making her nationality or family known.  She also found favor in the eyes of everyone and followed the advice of those in charge.  As someone who is about to focus in on language learning I know that our nationality will be clear as soon as we open our mouths and speak, but I pray that we will find favor with those around us. I’ve also really seen the value in utilizing the time well to learn the language and culture.  They shared a lot at our training about the effectiveness and longevity of those who really hone in on their language skills first.  It isn’t that ministry won’t happen along side of that, but it will look different.  Once that time of preparation is complete, they shared how much more credible the ministry is viewed by the people we’re trying to reach.  So, like Esther, I know the transformation won’t be overnight and like Mordecai we’re communicating a message of life or death, so our goal is to make it clear and understandable!