Never Give Up! Never Surrender!

December 2012

"What is your favorite holiday?" I asked the Petite T. sitting to my left. Even as she sat with her toddler X. on her lap (who was intently scribbling in my notebook) it was hard to believe that she had 8 kids.  We only had two English students that day due to a community meeting.  Instead of having a formal class we invited both ladies out for Merienda (snack) at the grocery store bakery to just chat. "Christmas time all deh family is together in my house." T. answers as she glances over at her friend N.  they share a smile then both start speaking rapidly in Sinama (their language) and start cracking up.  N. who knows more English than T. explains that T. floor fell through last Christmas into the water below her house.  Apparently her stilted house with split bamboo flooring has an occupancy limit.  "X. learn to swim dat day!  Ha ha ha! His brother hold him above deh water like dis." T. says as she hoists X. above her head with her spindly but strong arms.  I can't imagine! Not a white Christmas but a wet Christmas.
The Sama (aka Bajao) people in this community and many others build their wood homes on stilts over the ocean because they own no land.  They are seafaring people also referred by some as Sea Gypsies.  They used to live on house boats but most live on the shore now that their fishing livelihood has been threatened.

Earlier that day M (my Aussie friend) and I had teetered over the rotting wood planks that lead to the village classroom.  We partner with a missionary names L for this class.  L is married to a beautiful Sama lady who translates for Wycliff.  He and his family used to live in this area so he is as sure footed as a mountain goat.  On the flip-side I am pretty sure that M and I are the village’s weekly comedy hour.  You see M and I are both afraid of heights.  We pick our way slowly over the bridges slowly choosing every foot placement with nervous calculation.  You would think that with our intensity of focus that we were traversing a rope bridge over a deep chasm instead of in reality only about three feet above not so sanitary seawater.  Many of the people sit in their doorways where it is cooler watching our progress as little kids speed past us with dexterity that would rival any balance beam gymnast.  One man watching me pouring with rivers of sweat as I carefully choreograph each step shouts out some encouragement," Never surrender!"  Then he pauses and ponder and adds "Never give up! Never surrender!" I thanked him with a big smile and had to chuckle to myself at the novelty of this guy probably unknowingly quoting the Scifi spoof movie Galaxy Quest.
Teaching English may be a simple task but along with English we hope to bring our students the example of the sacrificial love of Christ by our actions no matter how challenging the path is. We all have obstacles to what God is calling us to do.  The weekly trek over this "bridge over troubled (yucky) waters" is a reminder that just because a thing is difficult, challenging or even terrifying...It does not mean that we should let it deter us from God's path for us.  After all if we quit now we will never see what is just around the corner.