Love In Every Language – Even Kaqchiquel

Growing up in the United States of America, it’s easy for us to think that the whole world speaks English.  It’s rare that we would hear another language in the towns where we live and in the places we go to school, work, and church.

In Guatemala, it’s a different story.  Spanish is spoken by many in the country – especially the younger generation.  And some young people are even learning a bit of English.  But many still speak a Mayan language native to their specific village or area of the country.  In Xenacoj, many people speak a language called Kaqchiquel (pronounced Catch-E-Kel).

I took a few years of Spanish when I was in high school, so there were bits and pieces that I could understand if people were speaking Spanish.  But it really became confusing when the villagers spoke Kaqchiquel.

Our friend and guide, German (pronounced Hair-man), took some time to teach us a little bit of Kaqchiquel.  He taught us numbers along with a few basic greetings and phrases.  It was comical as our group repeated the phrases we thought we were hearing.  To us it sounded like “My neck is strained” and “Chewbacca chin” and “Mateeosh”.  While I’m still not sure what these phrases meant, they were short phrases that connected us to many of the widows of the town.  While they were probably chuckling to themselves as we butchered their language.  I think they could understand that we loved them and that we wanted to share hope with them.

When I returned home, I was looking up something on Biblegateway.com, and I discovered that they actually have a Kaqchiquel translation of the Bible on their site.  How cool is that?  You can literally look up any passage of the Bible and find it in Kaqchiquel right there on the Internet.

I think it’s a great reminder.  God speaks to us in a language that we can understand – a language that makes sense to us.  God loves us whether we speak English, Spanish, Kaqchiquel, or any other language.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  I John 4:8 (NIV)

El que no ama no conoce a Dios, porque Dios es amor. I Juan 4:8 (Nueva Version Internacional) – Espanol

Yacˈa ri majun ajowabel riqˈui, nikˈalajin chi ma retaman ta ruwech ri Dios. Ruma ri Dios can ajowabel wi.  I JUAN 4:8 (Cakchiquel Occidental (CKW))

How have you seen, heard, or experienced God’s love in other languages?