Hindi for God's Economy

As an Indian and living in North India, Hindi, the language most spoken among the locals, is a must learn. Though I understand the common market Hindi and also have picked up enough Hindi for gospel preaching and can even lead people to salvation, still there is a great lack in my vocabulary to be able to shepherd the new believers. In many home meetings, I am simply ashamed to depend on translator, for I am yet to pick up the skill to be language independent.

Many brothers have emphasized the need for learning Hindi well to be able to minister to the locals, yet this precious fellowship has been sidelined for long, to my own disadvantage. I did try many unsuccessful attempts though. But this time, seriously and systematically.

The Lord knows my need, which is His need too. This time in the ministry literature journey, while in Aizawl I came across a Hindi New Testament Bible in Roman script in one of the Christian bookstores. Immediately I purchased it and felt it was the Lord's appointment for my learning Hindi, especially biblical vocabulary. Praise the Lord! Since then, I have been reading two chapters of the Bible in Hindi, out loud, everyday. 

My burden to learn is not merely for linguistic purpose. It is purely for God's economy. As a serving ones and called ones of the Lord, and being an Indian in India, Hindi is needed not merely for communication in general, but much more for the ministering of the word of God. Ministering the word in English and Hindi may convey the same burden and meaning, but the reception by the Hindi speakers, the locals, would be quite different. Heart to heart connection between the minister and the ministered will definitely be sweeter and stronger in the same "mother tongue." Therefore, it's my burden to learn Hindi for God's economy.

The best way to learn a language is by reading the Bible in that language out loud. That's how I learned English too, some two decades ago. So is my Hindi lesson.

Lord, grace me to learn Hindi thoroughly well for Your divine economy.