MISSIONS FEATURE
o time fd | laugh
Stevens
JAARS pilot Larry M ontgom ery has fun with intriguing Polaroid camera.
I t might be hard to get a debate started on the proposi tion: “RESOLVED, that it is a good thing to have a sense of humor.” And certainly it would be impossible to find one from among a group of missionaries who would support the negative side of this argument. Perhaps no one in the world finds the saving grace of humor to be more exactly that than the Lord’s servant who has gone to live in a foreign land among a people of a strange language. He has left all for love of his Master, and in obedi ence to His command, has come to a pagan people with a deep desire to serve, has tried to integrate himself into their culture — living, eating, and dressing as nearly like them as he can. But he begins to experience a feeling of frustration. There are poverty, drunkenness, immoral ity — and so little he can do to alleviate these conditions. There are sickness and disease, a stubborn resistance to new ways, the inability to communicate. It is then that a certain facility for seeing the ab surd and laughable in situations — on the mission field as well as at the conference table — will relieve tense and difficult moments and prove an invaluable asset. Reaction may range from a hearty laugh, as when a missionary discovered that the cloyingly sweet taste of the pancakes came from the syrup which the new house boy had added to the batter — to a smile, tactfully repressed by a tribal worker who watched while the native chief, who had been his guest at luncheon, insisted on clearing up the luncheon table, meanwhile enjoying the left overs, and then washed the dishes. While the national is being patiently tutored to help about the house, his curiosity which prods him to ten tative investigation, and his reaction toward the strange and wonderful possessions of these “foreigners,” may be the source of considerable amusement. Wycliffe Bible translators in New Guinea found delight in initiating their helper into the intricacies of a white man’s house hold. “Edave — about 16 years o f age — is all merriment, keen to ‘have a go’ at everything to be done around the house,” they relate. “The first time he tasted lemon i<
drink, he spun around, slapped himself on both cheeks, pulled wry faces, and exclaimed, ‘Ai ai, ai!’ Another time he saw a miniature plastic clothesline with many tiny pegs on it and asked in all seriousness if it would get bigger later on, just like the one outside.” In a Viet Nam village, linguists Larry and Saundrd (West — Biola ’58, B.A.) Watson were enjoying a simi lar experience. “ Having Avu in our home has proved to be most interesting,” they say. “He is an outgoing person and quite adaptable. However, he has had a bit of difficulty with some of our ‘modem’ gadgets. Take the doorknob, for instance. That was quite a puzzle. At first he would wait until someone else wanted to go out, and jump for the door before it was closed. One day the key fell out of the lock, and we thought he would never find the keyhole to replace it. The radio still remains a mys tery. One day he went into the next room and then out side, looking for the men who belonged to the voices. He loves for us to use the tape recorder. W e have a copy of the tape made for Gospel Recordings, with some Bible stories in Pacoh, and he listens attentively over and over.” A Bible translator, with ears intent to catch inflec tions and tones of a strange language in a Viet Nam tribe, also had his eyes alert for the day’s quota of the comic, as he ministered to the spiritual and physical needs of the people. “ Say, Grandfather, give me some medicine.” Ralph Haupers turned to see a tall, bronzed figure, dressed in a ragged loincloth, wearing a battered French army hat, with his ever-present bush axe dangling by its crook over his shoulder. He had come from his village back in the forest, a three hours’ journey, to have a gash in his foot treated. Since “Grandfather” is a term of re spect in the Stieng tribe, something like the American “ Sir,” and since he was old enough to be Ralph’s grand father, he “ grandfathered” him right back! “ How come you’re coming all this way at noon?” Ralph asked. “Aren’t you afraid?” (According to Stieng superstition, the spirits go out at noon to hunt for food, and so it’s THE KING'S BUSINESS
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