Roberto's Message
Have I ever introduced my readers to my only preacher brother-in-law? He is married to my sister Carol, just younger than I in the family. Currently he is director of Hispanic missions in the Nazarene denomination in the USA and Canada, and has oversight of about 400 congregations. Did I mention that he has earned a doctorate?
Roberto (Row BEAR toe) lived for the first 17 years of his life in Nicaragua where he was born to a Hispanic mother and black father. In an astonishing twist on what one would expect, Roberto's father, who lived all his life in Nicaragua, as had his parents before him, spoke only English as he was growing up. He was born in Bluefields, a port city on the east coast of Nicaragua. This region had been inhabited by British people who kept slaves. Descendants of these slaves were English speaking. In Roberto's memory, his English-speaking father always spoke heavily accented Spanish. His children never learned English from him.
Roberto grew up in a non-Christian family, and became involved in many of the vices common to his age mates in a similar setting. But one bright light began to shine on this family when his oldest sister Elsa became converted. By that time the parents were separated, and the husband and father became terminally ill. Elsa and other family members went to care for him in his final illness.
Life in Nicaragua became increasingly dangerous. Elsa emigrated to America eventually, and Roberto and his mother and another sister followed. Roberto found Christ in America.
Meanwhile, Nicaragua came under the Sandinista government, and a determined resistance group, the contras, became active. In the widespread chaos of that time, Roberto's nephew, who was a medical doctor, was taken by force, and compelled to travel with an armed group of contras. Government soldiers ambushed the group and Roberto's nephew was killed. Later on, his father, (Roberto's older brother) who had never had any part in the war, innocently rode his motorcycle into the path of two warring groups and was shot in crossfire. He survived for a number of years as a paraplegic.
In America, leaders in the Nazarene church recognized extraordinary ability in Roberto and began to mentor and groom him for ministry. He had opportunities to further his education, and, by the time my sister learned to know him in his mid-twenties, he was pastoring a church, mentoring a group of younger men who served in small Hispanic congregations, and providing oversight for a group of churches in his region. Carol and Roberto met when Carol was involved in a ministry to Latin American refugees in the Washington, D. C. area, and Roberto contacted the organization for help for some of his desperate parishoners, many of whom had fled the violence in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Carol had gone there to work after having served in Amish Mennonite Aid missions in El Salvador for several years, and then subsequently having earned a degree in international development.
I have often been sorry that I can't hear Roberto preach in his native tongue and understand him. Others in my family who have and can, say he is a dynamic speaker. I only know from personal observation that he has a beautiful, humble spirit, and a great deal of passion and godly insight.
In the church service our family had at this past weekend's reunion, Roberto was asked to preach the morning sermon. He agreed, with some trepidation at the prospect of having to do it in English, and at the prospect of doing it in front of many who he felt were better qualified than he.
He spoke on several verses in Revelation that show a scene in heaven when people from all tongues and tribes and nations come before the throne of God. He focused on three aspects of that great reunion, drawing parallels with the reunion we were experiencing together: invitation, preparation, and finally, celebration. In spite of being limited in some respects in his ability to express all that was in his heart, his keen anticipation of that celebration shone through in his spoken and facial expressions.
In a wry reference to the language frustrations he was dealing with, he noted that no one in heaven will have difficulty with either speaking or understanding. He went on to declare that Spanish is, of course, the language that will be spoken and understood in heaven. "But lately I have heard that some people think it is actually going to be English--because it takes an eternity to learn."
In our family group in that Sunday morning service were people with at least six different mother tongues, Japanese, Spanish, Swiss, and Arabic among them. Among the acquired languages were Turkish, Russian, modern German and French. Others in the family know Amharic and Dizi, both languages spoken in Ethiopia. Biblical languages such as Hebrew, Greek, and Akkadian come to mind easily for a few family members. Bangla and Chinese are on the language radar for others. What a lively mix of people groups these languages represent! And what interesting stories they provide for a family reunion. Yet the distinctives will become immaterial in a flash when Christ returns. Then only one identity will matter: CHILD OF GOD, and even those who know only one language, or those who have no remaining earthly family members, can easily acquire it. The invitation has been extended, the preparations have been made, and the celebration will begin.
Roberto (Row BEAR toe) lived for the first 17 years of his life in Nicaragua where he was born to a Hispanic mother and black father. In an astonishing twist on what one would expect, Roberto's father, who lived all his life in Nicaragua, as had his parents before him, spoke only English as he was growing up. He was born in Bluefields, a port city on the east coast of Nicaragua. This region had been inhabited by British people who kept slaves. Descendants of these slaves were English speaking. In Roberto's memory, his English-speaking father always spoke heavily accented Spanish. His children never learned English from him.
Roberto grew up in a non-Christian family, and became involved in many of the vices common to his age mates in a similar setting. But one bright light began to shine on this family when his oldest sister Elsa became converted. By that time the parents were separated, and the husband and father became terminally ill. Elsa and other family members went to care for him in his final illness.
Life in Nicaragua became increasingly dangerous. Elsa emigrated to America eventually, and Roberto and his mother and another sister followed. Roberto found Christ in America.
Meanwhile, Nicaragua came under the Sandinista government, and a determined resistance group, the contras, became active. In the widespread chaos of that time, Roberto's nephew, who was a medical doctor, was taken by force, and compelled to travel with an armed group of contras. Government soldiers ambushed the group and Roberto's nephew was killed. Later on, his father, (Roberto's older brother) who had never had any part in the war, innocently rode his motorcycle into the path of two warring groups and was shot in crossfire. He survived for a number of years as a paraplegic.
In America, leaders in the Nazarene church recognized extraordinary ability in Roberto and began to mentor and groom him for ministry. He had opportunities to further his education, and, by the time my sister learned to know him in his mid-twenties, he was pastoring a church, mentoring a group of younger men who served in small Hispanic congregations, and providing oversight for a group of churches in his region. Carol and Roberto met when Carol was involved in a ministry to Latin American refugees in the Washington, D. C. area, and Roberto contacted the organization for help for some of his desperate parishoners, many of whom had fled the violence in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Carol had gone there to work after having served in Amish Mennonite Aid missions in El Salvador for several years, and then subsequently having earned a degree in international development.
I have often been sorry that I can't hear Roberto preach in his native tongue and understand him. Others in my family who have and can, say he is a dynamic speaker. I only know from personal observation that he has a beautiful, humble spirit, and a great deal of passion and godly insight.
In the church service our family had at this past weekend's reunion, Roberto was asked to preach the morning sermon. He agreed, with some trepidation at the prospect of having to do it in English, and at the prospect of doing it in front of many who he felt were better qualified than he.
He spoke on several verses in Revelation that show a scene in heaven when people from all tongues and tribes and nations come before the throne of God. He focused on three aspects of that great reunion, drawing parallels with the reunion we were experiencing together: invitation, preparation, and finally, celebration. In spite of being limited in some respects in his ability to express all that was in his heart, his keen anticipation of that celebration shone through in his spoken and facial expressions.
In a wry reference to the language frustrations he was dealing with, he noted that no one in heaven will have difficulty with either speaking or understanding. He went on to declare that Spanish is, of course, the language that will be spoken and understood in heaven. "But lately I have heard that some people think it is actually going to be English--because it takes an eternity to learn."
In our family group in that Sunday morning service were people with at least six different mother tongues, Japanese, Spanish, Swiss, and Arabic among them. Among the acquired languages were Turkish, Russian, modern German and French. Others in the family know Amharic and Dizi, both languages spoken in Ethiopia. Biblical languages such as Hebrew, Greek, and Akkadian come to mind easily for a few family members. Bangla and Chinese are on the language radar for others. What a lively mix of people groups these languages represent! And what interesting stories they provide for a family reunion. Yet the distinctives will become immaterial in a flash when Christ returns. Then only one identity will matter: CHILD OF GOD, and even those who know only one language, or those who have no remaining earthly family members, can easily acquire it. The invitation has been extended, the preparations have been made, and the celebration will begin.
posted by Mrs. I at
9:07 PM
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