Wednesday, November 29, 2006

More than just an interpreter


Question Did you find it to be difficult trying to express your through your interpreter
Answer Until you get used it, it can be awkward dealing through an interpreter, but I must say that we were so blessed with the interpreters we had working for us . Let me take for example Olga.
At first I noticed that Olga seemed to be a little distracted at times, but I soon realized that at every moment, she new what every member of the team was doing, and she was ready to assist in any way she could. Whether it was help with unfamiliar building techniques, or interaction with the locals Olga was there. When a car would pull up to the sight, or any strange face for that matter, the first person they would come into contact with was Olga. When in the market, it was as if there was a wall of protection around the team, she would often move in and tell would be pickpockets to back off. When negociating in the market, she was a machine. The only time I really saw her upset was when she felt that we were being wronged by a retailer. She worked along side the team, and was a true blessing to us. The part that amazes me the most is how great her attitude was with the work we were doing. She took great pride in a job well done, and was truly happy for the recipients of our work. The thing that is so amazing about this is that I know that I know that with in a few days of any one of the projects , we had already surpassed the quality of living she new. Let me give you an example. One day we decided to purchase a couch , we mad the deal, then hired a wagon to bring it to the house we were fixing up. I later learned that she was using her 2 week salary to purchase a couch for herself, but would have to wait for the next team to come so she could make enough to have the couch brought to her house. Yet when the family came home and found a new couch, nobody was happier for her than Olga. Even after we have left, Olga has continued to be in contact with and encourage those that we had helped while we were there, Looking past the job, we find the character, and that outways any difficulties.
My prayer is that when she looks past the work we did there, she sees as equally Godly character
Blessings John

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