"The crying was barely audible at
first. Julie glanced at her teammate, Doreka, then turned back to the crowded sanctuary,
sweeping her arms wide as she told of the disciples’ amazement when
encountering their risen Lord.
It was the third day
of an Easter camp in a Maiwala-speaking village, and each day the two women had
stood before the ever increasing crowd, dramatically telling stories of Jesus’
trial, then His crucifixion, and now, as tears began to fall more heavily and a
whole row of women rubbed their eyes, His resurrection. Julie dropped her arms,
and the muffled weeping grew louder and louder until everyone in the church was
sobbing. The story had touched their hearts.
When Jesus sat before the crowds,
He wrapped Truth in story after story of lost coins, buried treasure, missing
sheep, vineyards, and paths laden with seed. Although bullet-pointed facts are
efficient, stories have the ability to pierce through defenses, navigate
cultural barriers, and ultimately impact hearts, especially in the oral
cultures of Papua New Guinea.
I've had the privilege of working with Julie to
train translators in a method called oral Bible storytelling which allows for
dramatic, accurate translations of Bible stories—before the language even has a
written alphabet!
But not all the tears were of
sorrow. After the service, one woman ran up to Julie and wrung her hand, 'I
almost got up to shout hallelujah! because I knew that my Lord was not dead
forever! He was risen!'
Shout Hallelujah!"
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