Squiggles . . . squiggles . . . more squiggles. Standing with our bags by our side, a feeling of lostness washes over us. How can anyone read this script?

If you have traveled to a new place, you understand the feeling of exiting an airport and wondering which direction is north, south, east or west. Perhaps like us you looked around for someone to ask for help. “Excuse me, do you speak English?” All you get is a smile. The person has no clue what you are saying. We can’t read the language, and we can’t speak it, either. Help! Finally, someone directs us to board a certain bus. But is it really going where we need to go? This is the meaning of lostness and of blind trust.

This lostness, the result of an inability to communicate, was our constant companion for five weeks while on a trip to visit AFM missionaries in Southeast Asia. Even gestures often had a different meaning in this new culture. Our most memorable experiences happened when we tried to use local transportation. We didn’t speak the language, so we tried gestures. Stop the motorcycle taxi—that’s a universal sign. Give the driver the hand-drawn map. Oh dear, it’s upside down! Nod, nod. Good. He’s going that direction.

Negotiate a price—that’s much harder. We show him the amount we will pay. He shows us a different amount. We agree. We settle into our seats. The road seems to go on and on. The expected ten-minute drive has turned into an hour. What’s up? Finally almost all the other passengers have been dropped off. The driver motions for the map. We realize that he really doesn’t have a clue where to take us. So we phone a friend and have him talk with the driver. The driver quickly takes us to where we need to be. An entire city tour at no extra charge! That was the first of many unintentional “tours” we took over the next five weeks.

A fundamental principle of communication is understanding, and words are only one part of it. Language is bigger than words. It incorporates context, culture, worldview and often history. These all impact the meaning of words and communication. This is why AFM values cultural understanding so highly and why missionaries take so much time learning about their host cultures.

We have been tasked to come alongside AFM missionaries to help them use their language and culture skill to effectively communicate God’s plan of salvation to their host people. Using local words is only the beginning. To communicate effectively, it is important to understand the heart of the people. We serve to help the missionaries wrestle through important questions to reach the heart of their host people. We praise God for your partnership in this important work.

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