Testify

Posted on July 16, 2007
Filed Under Daily News, Mae Sot |

It’s been a while since I last posted on here, partly because I’ve been spending so much time on Facebook. But, also for a few weeks now I’ve been making a concerted effort to improve my Karen. And, much to my surprise, I seem to be getting better!

I’m proud [and a little ashamed] to say that my Karen is now better than my Cantonese. Despite the fact that I’ve only been studying Karen for eight and a half months, compared to the 14 years that I lived in Hong Kong.

I recently caught up with an old Karen friend that I met a few years ago. Due to our conflicting schedules, we had been unable to see each other ever since I moved here. But, she was very impressed by my Karen, and even thought my accent sounded like a native!

I’ve set myself the target of learning to give my testimony in Karen. Those that have been on a mission trip with me will know that I’ve got a pretty good testimony. And, after years of practice, I’ve gotten real good at delivering it for maximum effect. I’ve got a thousand and one variations to fit the testimony to any setting, and can adapt it to fit in with the message for any occasion.

I’ve delivered it to audiences of hundreds of people in the Philippines and shared while sitting on the floor of a wooden hut along with about ten members of a Karen house church in Thailand. I once even had a Burmese man and his son bow down to me after I described how Jesus had spoken to me and told me, he was with me and would not leave me.

I’ve got the timing for the whole thing down pat, and know exactly when to pause to let the words sink in and when to lower my voice to make people lean in closer. In short, it’s become a very polished little production.

But, transferring it to Karen has changed all that. For a start, I’ve had to change some of the language to allow for words that cannot be translated into Karen or for Karen words that I still have trouble pronouncing. At the same time, I have to take into consideration that some words would be translated differently by a native Karen. For instance, now instead of talking about how as a child, I went to church, but did not really believe in God, the exact translation of the sentence I am using now is, “I didn’t trust God”.

How this will affect the overall presentation, I am not sure. So, instead of relying on my words to move people, I have to accept that, that is the job of the Holy Spirit. All I can do is bring my offering to his altar and trust that the seeds I am sowing will find that fertile ground, which will allow them to produce a harvest [apologies for the mixed metaphor].