More than One Type of Banana

This photo is of an Aneuk Jamee or Padang woman selling bananas at a traditional market in Tapaktuan, Indonesia. Before moving to Southeast Asia I didn’t know how many types of bananas there were in this world. I was only familiar with one type. I had also never tasted the difference between bananas that were picked early to ship long distance compared with bananas ripened on the tree. All I have to say to those of you living in America is you have not experienced the real deal!

Thinking of the varying types, sizes and textures of bananas reminds me of the variety of people groups that we have on Sumatra. There are 66 distinctive ethnic groups on our island. And within groups there are sub-groupings. For example, the Singkil people and the Kluet people, who are neighbors of the Aneuk Jamee, have three or more distinctive sub-groupings each.

The challenge of bringing the Gospel to Sumatra is huge. The barriers are not just language, but culture and physical access. Workers who have labored long among the peoples of Sumatra will tell you that as soon as they think they know the culture they invariably encounter another nuisance that had been missed. It’s kind of like bananas. To know one is not to know the whole bunch!

The job of a cross cultural worker is to be sensitive to the differences and uniqueness of each people group. It requires God given wisdom and extreme humility and patience to peel back the surface issues in order to get to the fruit of the matter with people who have never heard the Gospel. Such work needs your prayers! When God guides a worker, then and only then will the work will be fruitful.

Pray that workers will be sensitive to the people groups that they are trying to reach with the Gospel.

Pray that barriers of language, culture and physical access will be removed by the power of God.

Pray for humility and patience for workers as they enter into new cultures in new areas.

Pray for mutual forgiveness when cultural misunderstandings occur. Because they will occur!

Pray for the entire bunch of people groups on Sumatra to taste and see that the Lord is good!