Laughter is a Language

Over the past few weeks in Africa our team has learned the challenges of language barriers and seen the power of greetings. But the thing that has been even more powerful than the greeting of sawubona calling someone to existence has been laughter.

When you can laugh deeply with someone there is an understanding and a peace that you know someone a little bit better. I’ve seen it within our team, every time someone laughs we grow. Because normally laughter comes from sharing in the same experience or laughing over the same misery or even just having the same sense of humor. It draws people closer together.

In our last community, Okakarara,  our community partner told our team that we were too serious. At first I was so confused but we took our time with him seriously. After that some of the people started to open up and joke with Pastor because we didn’t want to take things too seriously and as we laughed and joked with him he opened up more and more. Our teams personalities started to come alive and it was such a beautiful thing.

One girl on our team - Hannah - went to give pastor a fist bump and did jelly fish and then stick shift and they both cackled. Pastor started joking and messing with us and without saying any words we had built a deeper connection based purely on laughter. One day in that community we were working on clearing a field and we had worked really hard all morning and then after lunch we had to go back because we didn’t finish the job. The original plan was just to work until 1 but we had no idea we were supposed to clear the whole thing ( and we did a lot that day).  Sharon was wearing her Chacos bc we didn’t know the plan was to go back to the field and so I offered to trade a shoe with her and we laughed about that for the next 3 hours. It brought so much joy and allowed us to do the work for the glory of the Lord. The little moment and all the laughter brought us closer together.

Even now, here in our second community of Swakopmund, we visit the African market daily; the deepest connections I have made are with people I can laugh and joke with. I met a man named Gunther and when I first met him he told me his name was “Tom + Jerry” which I laughed hysterically about and then proceeded to coax his real name out of him. And after that when he was trying to remember my name I told him a story about this girl I met in South Africa, who remembered my name by the word “Ash - Bin” I said “you know like an ash tray“ And I always tell people “you can call me whatever I’ll usually answer, you know Asprin, ash bin, ash tray, athsma, whatever it’s okay” and he proceeded to laugh so so hard at the ash tray comment, now he remembers my name but still calls me ash tray. He is one of the first people to say hello to me every morning when we walk in and one of the ones who I constantly talk to because his laughter is contagious and even if we run out of words to say laughter is always and option.

Things are never awkward when there is genuine laughter. There’s no need to force a conversation or try and fill the silence because laughter does it all. It’s is own language that is unique to every person.

There is such a deep connection that comes when you can laugh with someone. Whether that laughter is because of a joke, a silly mistake, or the mispronunciation of a name it’s a mutual connection and understanding that cannot be taken away. To laugh with someone is to know them. Laughter is a language that everyone around the world can understand. And for that I am so grateful.

Anyways that’s all for now :))

Xoxo, Aspen 🌳