Nyota is from Tanzania and she came to Clarkston three months ago as a refugee. She has two little girls who are not in school yet. When we arrived at her apartment, we had a little trouble communicating. My dad kept mixing up Malagasy and Swahili for some reason and Nyota was having trouble understanding us. So, she tried to speak English a lot but she was mixing up her English phrases. Instead of “Hello” she said “Bye” and instead of “Thank you” she kept saying “I’m fine.” Finally, we got it all figured out and we could communicate again!

Nyota really wants to learn English so that she can communicate with her neighbors. She also told us that since she was a child, she speaks with a stutter. Sometimes it makes it difficult for her to communicate the way she wants to even in her own language.

But she was so glad when I presented her with her very first Swahili Bible! She gave me a big hug and couldn’t believe it. Then she changed her clothes and took a lot of pictures with me, her new friend.

Today I saw that good communication is important. God communicates to us through the Bible and the Bible is available in so many different languages for people everywhere. That means if you want to know about God, you need to read God’s Word in the language you understand the best.