LIFE STORY - "I Wanted to Work for Jehovah"/AS TOLD BY DANIEL VAN MARL -LEARNING VALUABLE LESSONS

 A third lesson I learned was the benefit of teaching people in their native language. I grew up speaking  Dutch, English, Papiamento, and Sranantongo (also known as Sranan), the common language of Suriname. But in the rain forest, I saw that people responded better to the good new when we preached in their native tongue. I found it difficult  to speak some of these languages, such as Saramaccan, which uses high and low tones.  However, the effort was worth it. Over the years, I have been able to teach the truth to many more people because I could speak their native language. 

Of course, I had my share of embarrassing experiences. For example, on  one occasion I meant to ask a Saramaccan-speaking Bible student how she was feeling , since she had been having abdominal pains.  But I really asked her was if she was pregnant!  Needless to say she did appreciate my inquiry. Despite mishaps  like this, I always exerted myself to speak the native language of the people in my assignments.

Next time: LIFE STORY -"I Wanted to Work for Jehovah"/AS TOLD BY DANIEL VAN MARL

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