Other than a name change, this happened word for word. Linda and I met the dog in question, so we knew both the man and his dog. His mental state sparked the first question. No matter the job, I was the one who waited on people who spoke other languages. Pray for pharmacists and missionaries as they encounter difficult situations.
Month: May 2017
A Baptists Thinks Angels Speak Swahili
When you lived three days out from Nairobi or Dar es Salam, you better know two things about a car: #1 change a tire and #2 put gas/diesel in the back port. I skipped the filling station in Mwanza (see map) and thought I had enough diesel to get to Shinyanga.
Standing by the car looking around, off in the distance we see dust, the sign of a vehicle. Then as it got closer, I saw it was red, then saw it was a Coca Cola truck. Coca Cola trucks use diesel. The two Coca Cola men spoke Swahili which was a blessing since that was one of the two languages that I spoke at the time. Eight liters got us to Shinyanga. When you lived three days out, you needed all the help you could get.
A Baptist Speaks with Chattering Teeth
While the cause of my hair turning gray may have been caused by getting older, it was dark when we went to Mongolia (1993) and getting gray when we left (1996). Once our family ventured out at -40 F. My daughter Mandi took a picture of the hole in the ice that I fell through on the Tuul River outside of Ulaanbataar. Cold weather builds character (I am told).
Most of the countries where missionaries live, have escape plans in case of war, but for Mongolia, we had an escape plan in case the heat went off. Pray for missionaries as they may endure hardships.
A Baptist lets Benjamin Franklin Speak
A Baptist Speaks Incorrectly
Learning the culture of a country is important. The sign read “Please Look to the Right” in Hong Kong. In the cartoon not knowing the culture or language can get you hurt.
In Nairobi, Kenya it took about two weeks to get use to driving on the left side, shifting with the left hand, and driving in those round-a-bouts with three lanes of traffic. Coming back to driving in the USA after four years of driving on the left side was far more dangerous.
Thank you for sharing. I am available to speak in churches on missions and may not look like the young man in the cartoon.
A Baptist Speaks Slower in Tongues
I spoke to my mother Saturday, in both German and English. No people I have encountered really spoke at 90 miles an hour, but because I only downloaded one word at a time and had trouble linking words, it seemed like it. The longer I lived in Tanzania and Mongolia, the slower they spoke.
Always be in prayer for missionaries as they minister in a new tongue. Of course in most countries they measure how fast they speak in kilometers per hour. Please share if you like the cartoon.
A Baptists Speaks With a Lying Tongue
The seven Brunsons traveled by train from Ulaanbataar to Erdenet, Mongolia to visit our friends, Louise and Brian Hogan. Brian and I went to the outdoor market to buy beef for the Navaho tacos the women were preparing. We read the sign, so we knew what we were buying. We thought, they will never know. Box number 3 is just made to be funny; all enjoyed the horse meat tacos! A few years later in the USA, we may have served our church a thank you taco dinner using “the meat with a kick”.
I drew box #2 over and over again. I practiced drawing women’s faces over and over, but I have not arrived. The first hundred drawings looked like men with long hair. 4/10/17 I drew two women from the back. Make it a taco day!
A Baptist Sings in Tongues: Wimoweh
During our travels in Kenya and Tanzania we saw several lions, always snoozing in the warm African sun. Chapter 79 of Baptist Speaks in Tongues or doesn’t ends with the word Wimoweh. The word comes from the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight reminding me of our stay in Africa. Cindy and I are celebrating our 41st anniversary this weekend.
Swahili is a phonetic language like Spanish. In both of these languages I sang the songs correctly without always knowing the meaning of the words. I have sung in many languages out of tune. What would you do if I sang out of tune?
Like the lion, the zebra was one of my favorite African meats. Wimoweh.
A Baptist Speaks Like a Local
The three boxes tell a story you may understand without knowing a single word in German. Last week the story had four non-English languages and it still was funny. Danny is the other pharmacist who was responsible for training me to be a pharmacy manager at Winn Dixie. In the book, the customer is speaking another language.
My mother, now 94, grew up in Nazi Germany. Wow, the stories my brothers and I grew up on. From traveling 120 miles to escape from East Germany to the West, being interrogated by Soviet troops for three days, going to hear Hitler speak, and loosing all her relatives except an aunt by war’s end. I haven’t cartooned chapter two yet, which is titled Meine Mutter Spricht Deutsch.
Laughing the Languages 