Love is the Same in Any Language

One of the ways that WBC seeks to Carry Christ’s love to the world is by supporting missionaries from all over the world. Here is a story from Jamie Newport, a WBC missionary in France, who writes of her experience of being a chaperone for 10 days on school trip with her daughter. She reminds us that loving others is the same in any language as she

I was helping the teacher get a roomful of very rowdy, disobedient, disrespectful fourth grade girls to go to bed. As I was telling them (in French of course) to go to bed, etc. they started making fun of my French, right in front of my face. Not only that, but they were talking about me as if I didn't understand any French either. Each time I spoke to them, they would mock my very words back to me and laugh... well, you can only imagine what kind of emotions were going on inside of me. I am not used to having anyone make fun of me "for real" right to my face, especially not children, and as an adult, I was hurt and my self-confidence felt pretty shaken. In short, they were just being mean. At that point the teacher came in and finished my job (another humiliation) and I left feeling hurt and angry, after-all, I am 44years old and they are about 9 years old. I can make their life pretty miserable if I want to, and at that moment I wanted to! But as I went back to my room to nurse my wounds, Jesus spoke very clearly to me that this very situation was an opportunity for me to forgive and show His love rather than withdraw (in fear and anger) and look for revenge. I prayed He would give me wisdom to know what that would look like.”

The next morning the answer awaited me in Proverbs 25:21-22. Give, love, serve your enemies and in SO DOING you heap burning coals on their head... (paraphrase mine). Yes, that was it, I was going to LOVE those girls to death and in so doing, I KNEW they would be uncomfortable and wonder "why?” At breakfast I went out of my way to say "Good morning", smile, give some loving pats and tousling of hair... you could see in their eyes how surprised they were and the thoughts "Why is she being nice to us??"

Each chance I had to be gentle and kind, to move toward them with interest and to talk to them, I took it. This went on for several days. Then one day one of the girls made fun of my French again to my face, but instead of backing away, I stopped her and had her repeat the word so I could say it correctly and then I asked her what the same word was in English (which she didn't know) and had her repeat it (which she couldn't do)... ahhh, now her eyes registered the fact that, maybe learning another language wasn't all that easy..... God's way is always so sweet!

This continued the whole trip as day after day it became a game between us for me to improve my pronunciation and for them to learn some English words. By the end of the week, I had even taught them to say "yes ma'am" and one little girl in particular I taught to say "I am stubborn." But the final victory came the last night of the trip as I was going to each bedroom to say good-night. As God would have it, it was the very same bedroom where they had scoffed at my French the first day--it was here the little girl I had taught to say "I am stubborn" reached up to me and asked "Will you give me a bisous?" (A bisou is a kiss good-night). I was shocked! & then each girl in turn asked for their bisou and as I walked out of that bedroom I KNEW that the LOVE of Christ had won the victory that week!!! The power of the gospel. I was so excited!!! Now when I see those girls at school they all run up and want to talk and "fair le bis" (give the French cheek kissing greeting) and such... if I had stayed angry and hurt and withdrawn (my normal reaction) I never would have had the privilege to see God work in this way. . . . May the Lord use these new relationships with these girls & boys to open more doors to more families here in Albertville.