FROGS, BATS, COCKATOOS, AND BROTHERS
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| Adam talking with the Akolet people. |
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July 9, 2009
by Christina Johnson
A toothless, middle-aged Akolet woman sat listening with rapt attention. Kaliku and his young wife bent forward to listen. Even the chief of the village was present, hanging on every word from missionaries Adam and Julie Martin.
The missionaries were sharing the origin of the sun and moon according to the Mayan people. The myth says that two brothers, in losing a battle with their gods, were killed, came back to life, and eventually became the sun and moon.
"For language practice, as well as to begin introducing to the Akolet people a sampling of beliefs from around the world, and getting them to question the veracity of each one, we told the story in as much detail as we could," Adam wrote.
The story left the Akolets curious. They wanted to know if the story was true or not.
"We said, 'Well, their ancestors told them that it was. What do you think?' They expressed some skepticism," Adam wrote. "Then we went on to tell about a few other beliefs from around the world about how things first came into existence."
One of the Akolets explained that his people believed they were descended from different animals that created specific clans within their tribe, such as a frog, a bat, or a cockatoo.
After comparing what they believe with what other people believed, they wondered at the differences and asked the missionaries how they could know what was true.
"We left them with that question. How do we recognize what is true or not? How can we discern truth from lies?" Adam wrote.
Please pray that this conversation will stay with the Akolets and that they'll continue to wonder where they came from and how their world was created. Pray that the conversation will spark enough curiosity to eventually open them up to God's Word when the missionaries are ready to begin teaching from the Bible.
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