Translation

Today was like watching a perfect 4x1. The gun went off, we exploded out of the blocks, full energy, greeting kids as they arrived. And every hand-off from there on went absolutely perfect. We couldn't have asked for a better first day of camp.

But at one point today, frustrated with the language barrier, I said to Erik, "You know, this would all be whole lot easier if it were in English." We had a good laugh over that, because that is obviously not the point. The point is that these kids would hear the good news in their own language. But looking back on the day, I have to ask myself, "What language barrier?"

The truth is, absolutely nothing has been lost in translation. Erik told me today how impressed he is that with everything he has taught here over the past ten years, absolutely none of it has deteriorated. I even got to see a dance performed that I helped teach the Mongolian program team years ago, while I was still in high school, video taping instructions on Erik's front lawn with my friends, Chelsea and Bethany. In fact, the Mongolian program team did it ten times better!

Lines for program skits are exactly the same. Games follow the same patterns. Everything has a Mongolian twist, but it looks exactly the same. In fact, we're not needed at all. We're here as support. The Mongolian team is absolutely capable. It has been such a joy to set them up for this, make the hand-off, and watch them run with it.

And I saw the same thing earlier this year in Peru. Young Life just translates. And it translates because it is not an event or a program or a set of games or a really good speaker. It is not bound by culture. It is a living thing, just as we live out the gospel in front of our young friends. Young Life is as human as the relationships it is made of. The reason camp looks so similar the world over is because of the the other 51 weeks these leaders spend with their kids, sharing their lives together.

Erik and I are continuing our study in 1 John. Today we looked at the opening greeting that John gives the church. John writes, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete."

Now, there is no language barrier. There is only one language: That of Young Life, that of love, that of relationship, the Word of Life, living among us, making himself known.