A Kingdom Culture Immersion Story

Immersion. It’s a word I bet most of us don’t hear often.

In the context of missions, immersion is the best way to learn language, culture, and the discipline required to acquire both.

While becoming fluent evades some, the simple effort to communicate in the local language is appreciated by those with whom we live.

I don’t remember ever being berated in Africa for saying something incorrectly. I’ve always been met with smiles and appreciation for the little effort made to learn to how to say “hello.”

I had never, in all my days, thought that I would speak more than two languages: English and Finnish.

My parents are from Finland, and I grew up speaking Finnish at home. I also didn’t know how speaking two languages from the get-go would help me learn five more languages.

My mind was already accustomed to working between two languages. Adding another one or even five wouldn’t be impossible.

Yes, you read that correctly. Five more languages.

I studied all of them but became fluent in three of the five.

By African standards, speaking six languages is nothing to brag about. Most people speak that many, if not more. So, I’m nothing special.

Learning the culture of any people group comes from knowing the language, for culture is deeply intertwined with language.

Just think about how differently English is spoken in various places worldwide.

Years ago in Zambia, my husband Jamie was preaching in our church on a Sunday morning.

He attempted to tell a joke, which often backfires here, as what we may find funny usually falls flat.

What is amusing to us in the USA is often incomprehensible here in Africa. The same holds true for African humor versus Western humor. We often don’t see what’s humorous to one another!

However, this Sunday, Jamie was rewarded with a laugh from the crowd and an addendum to the joke. It went like this:

Jamie: “It has been said that the British invented English, but the Americans perfected it.”

We heard from the crowd: “And the Zambians ruined it!”

Roars of unexpected laughter filled the place; I’ll never forget it. Why was it so funny? You’d have to hear Zambians speak English to appreciate how funny it was.

Culture and language go hand in hand. Cultural cues are hidden within language. If we fail to recognize those cues, we risk being ineffective wherever we are.

Becoming fluent in language and culture has come (and is still coming after nearly 38 years of learning) through immersion.

There is no shortcut or second option. It’s the only way to leap over the barrier that separates me from those I’m serving, and it’s a barrier that must be overcome.

Living among the people we serve and being practically compelled to communicate with them while learning the ebbs and flows of the culture enables me to communicate through a filter they will understand.

It’s an extremely frustrating season for anyone serving in a culture foreign to their own, but it’s what we came here for.

We didn’t come to bring American language and culture to Africa. We came to Africa to bring Kingdom culture to those we touch.

The responsibility to change how we communicate is on us, not those around us.

In Acts 17:16-24, Paul communicated with the people of Athens by appealing to their culture of study and religion.

“Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:”

– Acts 17:22,23 NKJV

How often have we missed opportunities to introduce the Kingdom to the lost simply because we have not communicated properly?

Scripture clearly states (see Revelation 7:9) that “all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues” are represented and worship God. This must mean, then, that God is represented in all cultures.

Jesus immersed Himself in the culture of the world so that He could properly communicate the Kingdom.

His example shows us how much God values people from all over the world. I don’t expect we will worship only in the language and culture we are accustomed to in heaven.

The Language of the Kingdom

How can we communicate a Kingdom to a world when we don’t even understand its language?

Jesus was both God and man; He set the example for us. Can we do the same?

Can we become so much like God and have His heart for the world that it drives us to communicate with them in a way they understand?

In other words, are we willing to let go of our cultural wrappings to learn their language? To serve as a connection between the Kingdom of God and this world?

God’s heartbeat for the world is in His language

The more we immerse ourselves in the culture and language of the Kingdom of God, the more fluent and comfortable we will become.

His cultural cues become increasingly ingrained in us as we study His language, His Word.

The more effort we put into learning His ways and language, the more we will get out of our relationship with Him.

As time passes, we need less interpretation of what He is trying to tell us because we’re familiar with His voice, language, and culture.

God’s heartbeat for the world can easily be heard when we speak His language.

Once we’re fluent in Kingdom speak, we’ll no longer find engaging with the world’s cultures difficult. We’ll be God’s representatives in the world, and we’ll connect the world to the Kingdom of God.

I arrived early this morning for another bit of Kingdom culture immersion as I sat down to read my Bible, pray, and spend time with God, my Father, who is also the King of the Kingdom I serve. I began as I do every morning, when I sit down with Him:

“Hello, Dad.”

He was quick to respond:

“Hello, daughter, I’ve been waiting for you.”

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