Yes to food, no to eggs
Missionaries Jamie and Char Hunt are studying the culture and language of the Nivacle people in Paraguay. They are using everything that happens to learn more about their friends and understand their cultural perspective.
Recently a group came into the community and shared, through an interpreter, that there is equality in Christ. Then the group politely refused the invitation to stay and share a meal with the Nivacles.
This caused great confusion because the group had just contradicted the message they had given. In Nivacle culture one of the primary ways to nurture friendship is to share food. Jamie and Char learned a valuable lesson from this incident.
The next time Char was going to visit a friend, who had just had a baby, she took along a dozen eggs for a gift. Upon offering her gift the woman gave a strange look as she reached out to take the eggs.
After asking some questions, Char found that eating eggs is strictly prohibited for those who have just given birth. The Nivacles fear that it will cause bodily harm to the mother. Char’s intended gift of friendship actually could convey to the Nivacle mother a wish to harm.
These incidents have encouraged Jamie and Char to be even more diligent in learning the culture of the people so that the Gospel can be presented in a culturally relevant way.
Pray for the Hunts as they continue to build relationships among the Nivacles. Pray that they will soon understand the language and culture well enough to begin preparations for presenting the Gospel.