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January 26, 2007
Khawadja
Dear Ones,
The Arabic term for white man is "khawadja". So I was a little surprised to discover that Khawadja is the name of the young Uduk man selected to be our guard. Khawadja's English was pretty good, and he proved to be an excitable, energetic young guy.
As we were walking down the trail to the river, he asked, "What were you talking to those elders about?" I had been having some intense discussions with them, and Khawadja was curious.
As we continued down toward the river, he was still curious about my conversation with the elders. "What in hell is that?" he asked. Taken aback, I thought fast. "Khawadja, that is not a good way to talk. Did you hear that in a movie?" I asked. Yes, he admitted he had. I knew he was a believer because when he got bored, he would wander around the
compound singing Jesus songs. So I explained, "The Bible teaches we should not let bad things come out of our mouths." His next question removed all doubt that he did not know what he was saying. "What is hell?" I tried the Arabic term "nar gehenna," but that did not ring a bell. So I said in simple English, "Heaven is the good place; hell is the bad place." "Oh," he said, "I do not want to say that bad thing."
Around 9pm as the beans were simmering over the fire and a million stars were overhead, he pulled out the Shukuru Yesu songbook and started singing. His buddy Yacob joined in. They love to sing, and I could tell he wanted me to notice his good singing. However, even the next day when I was tired and hot, he was still as chipper as ever, following me around the compound with his songbook.
I found out more about him later. As he narrated it, his father had "got dead" while Khawadja was still in the womb. Some people came in the night and beat him to death. His mother also died when he was young. He was raised by his uncle's family which is normal for Uduk culture.
Khawadja is quite an amazing guy. He can pick up hot coals with his calloused fingers. The hot sun does not bother him. He knows what plants are good to eat and which trees produce fruit. He can really take some pain, because his hand swelled up after a scorpion bit him while he slept on the ground in the guard tukul - and he kept right on working. Amazingly, he has learned to catch big, fat, tasty doves with his new guard's flashlight. He sneaks through the abandoned buildings, catches one sleeping on the rafters and blinds it with the intense beam. The stunned doves fall at his feet, becoming a late night snack. He did it twice while I was there.
Our vision for Southern Blue Nile Academy and the Yabus Basic Education Learning Center is to encourage young men like Khawadja. Here is a young guy who has enthusiasm, energy, and intelligence and who loves to sing to Jesus. All he needs is a little guidance, discipleship, and a chance to show what he can do. And maybe someone to help him smooth out some rough spots in his vocabulary. :-)
As of Wednesday, Jan 17th, the SIM compound in Yabus is now occupied for the first time in about 30 years. Please pray for Michael, John, Nate, Kasu, Masaret, Tsion, and Benjamin as they work to build the secondary school, start a learning center, and bring the sweet aroma of Christ to this corner of Blue Nile State.
All blessings,
Chris for the family
Published at January 26, 2007 03:19 PM
