Language Today

Today....what a shock...almost a stroke...we had to read a Bible story OUTLOUD IN FRONT OF OUR OTHER TEAM MEMBERS about the Angel speaking to Mary and telling her that she would be the mother of our Lord. I had thought I was getting a little handle on Luganda...but today my handle cracked...then broke off. My team saw a side of me that they did not know was deep, down within me. I have an involuntary laugh...not a quiet giggle...and that LAUGH...came out today from deep within as I sat there and could not control this "hearty strangle." The laugh was inside my throat...and I would get it cleared out and then I would think about myself sitting there having to get up before the group and READ these words that I could not understand like "yeeraliikirira" which means "Mary worried herself." Where was Mary? I wanted to get hold of her. Anyway, I would think, "if my friends could see me NOW!!!!!!!!!!" And the laughing would start again and the class would STOP again and wait for me to get control. Even our teacher was tickled...and I would gain my composure and think, "Oh, dear Jesus, how can I EVER get this?" And you can imagine what would happen....I would laugh out loud again.

Now, this was complicated by trying very hard to hold in the laughter while Danny read like a two year old....truly...or maybe a 1 year old. Can you imagine south Georgian saying "tebuliggwaawo." It was not a pretty thing to hear. Monday night at the discipleship class, our translator, Godfry, had to interpret for Danny even though all were English speakers. Does that tell you anything about us?????????? But keep remembering that we are soon to be 62 this year.

I must say that the laughing has not stopped...even as I washed up the dishes and Danny and I began to converse and I told him how extremely nervous I had been.....the laughing started over again. I got no sympathy...he said he could not read but he was not nervous....trust me, HE SHOULD BE. So we got to laughing and my throat is raspy from this laugh. His comment was that he was so glad to hear me laughing....I think that means he really thought I might have a stroke today from all of this and he would have to be here in this mess alone.

Can you believe that we need prayer, or prayers, or lots of prayers, continual prayers...never ceasing pray?????????? We DO.