Man of God

J. Christy Wilson (1921-1999)

When Christy was just five years old, Pastor Stefan Huviar, a beloved Nestorian evangelical pastor who labored alongside Christy’s father in Tabriz, asked Christy what he wanted to do when he grew up. Christy had frequently heard his parents praying for Afghanistan, an unreached country to the east. He knew that this country, approximately the size of Texas, didn’t have even one Christian.

Years later while pastoring the Only Church in Afghanistan while Christy taught English to Afghans, they in turn taught him some of their treasured proverbs. One of them was Du tarbuz da yak dest gerefta na mesha. An English translation might read, “Two watermelons can’t be held in one hand,” meaning that if you have too many preoccupations, you will succeed at none of them. Christy experienced this pearl of wisdom firsthand as he sought to balance his teaching assignment and additional pastoral roles.

Why do I share this from the C.S. Lewis Institute by Ken Wilson you ask?
I met J. Christy Wilson in Afghanistan near the end of his life and thoroughly enjoy the "One Hundred Afghan Persian Proverbs" he collected, edited over the years and published.
It points to the difficulty in what every international missionary faces, understanding each other when in a foreign country.

Another example for this month might help you understand. Here is the Persian term, "One swallow doesn't make a spring". The usage is: "Said of a person who tries to do too much himself." An easier one to understand is; "If you sit with us, you will get like us; if you sit beside a cooking pot you will get black." Meaning: "You reflect the company you keep."