people divided by a common language

The week of June 19, 2006 was a time of personal development training and planning for World Relief staff.  We met in Maputo and had three days of input from Jim Louwsma and Becky Thiessen based on “Strength-finders” profiles and program material written by Mark McKlosky of Bethel Seminary. 

 

We had a great but intense time and several good laughs along the way.  The most memorable was as Jim was describing a role that would be equivalent to that of the biblical apostle.  When he said apostle, only the Americans understood him.  All the Africans thought he said a parcel.  They don’t say the r and the short a is elongated.  What kind of a parcel was he meaning anyhow?  The other question was why would he suddenly start speaking like a South African when he didn’t otherwise? 

 

As they sorted it out, they decided he really meant a-post-al, with the emphasis on postal.  It was even more ironic that what they thought was a parcel should have been pronounced in such a way as to sound like something to do with postal for the America ear. 

 

Here’s an African proverb we heard recently that has a lot of truth to it:  “If you want to go faster go alone.  If you want to go far go together.”