Loving through learning
Adam & Avril Friend serve with CMS in Madagascar. Since their arrival in January, they have been learning language and culture and establishing relationships with the local people. Here, they reflect on the importance of learning and understanding Malagasy culture to love and minister to people well:
Learning Malagasy culture
‘What is the one thing you want foreigners to do when they come long-term to Madagascar?’
You could probably imagine several answers to this question. If you are familiar with the mission statement of CMS, you might answer something like, ‘to reach gospel-poor peoples in Madagascar for Christ’, or ‘to equip Malagasy Christians as leaders in the Church and the world.’
Of course, we are convinced of the aims of CMS as we long for a world that knows Jesus. But listen to the answer of one of our new Malagasy friends:
“The one thing we want foreigners to do is to learn our culture. Across our history, we have seen time and again, that nobody cares about our language, nobody cares about our culture. But if you don’t want to learn from us, then we won’t want to learn from you.”
Does that surprise you? It surprised us!
‘Tasting’ a gospel of loving service
How easy it could be to arrive in Madagascar with a project, an idea, a vision, and attempt to execute it, all without a sense of the people. We want to see the church here equipped to remain firm and flourishing. But if we don’t understand the people in it, then our efficacy and message will be hindered. We need to take the time to know their needs, to appreciate the ways they feel loved or insulted, and to understand their unique gifts, strengths and blind spots.
In our rush to help, might we end up reinforcing what has been described to us as decades of cultural consciousness and deep-set senses of national inferiority? It’s frightening how quickly good intentions can contradict the gospel of a humble God who came in fragile form to serve and save.
Failure to take time to learn the Malagasy culture would also deprive us of what we have to learn from it. We’re aware that human culture can be a tricky thing to find beauty in. The blemish of sin and the desire to ‘make a name for ourselves’ (Genesis 11:4) is reflected in every worldview. We know it best from reflecting on our ‘modern’ Australian one! Yet, even in our brief experience here so far, we have found the blind spots of our own worldview greatly challenged.
So, there is much for us to learn. We want the Malagasy to not just hear about a gospel of loving service, but to taste it as they hear us say, “teach me your culture, tell us who you are, help us to love you.” Yes, we are here to reach the gospel-poor of Madagascar and equip Christians to be gospel-loving leaders. But before we go about those things, we must understand their culture. Please pray for us to love our Malagasy brothers and sisters by learning from them.
PRAY
Give thanks for those that God has provided to teach Adam and Avril how to appreciate and navigate the Malagasy culture, with sensitivity. Pray that God would continue to sustain them in the privilege of culture and language learning.
