“The kids gave me a new name” – a missionary moment

Six years ago, I was sent to the mission field in Malawi among the Yao people for three weeks for an internship with Calvary ministry (CAPRO). The mission had been running a primary school for two years, and I was instructed to motivate the kids on the importance of education.  Three days each week, I was to help teach religious education. I told him I could motivate the kids, but I couldn’t teach because I have never been a teacher before. My supervisor insisted that I could do it.

On the first day, my lesson plan was not coming together, even though I had prepared it in advance.  I could not see where to start. The kids were making so much noise, and didn’t seem to be ready for the new teacher. I asked God to help me to figure out how to gain their attention. Suddenly, a song came to my mind: “A Grasshopper from the Dambo Site.” Within a minute, all of them learned the song and were singing along, and I started dancing with them in my own style, showing them how the grasshopper walks in the dambo site. It was funny, and all the kids joined the walk and dancing. Some other kids left their classes to join our class, because the class shelter was under thatch and it was easy for another class to see us and easy for kids to jump to another class. When we said, “Now it’s over, everyone go to their respective classes,” no one wanted to go.

We ended up having one combined class for religious education until the time I left.   The kids enjoyed my class and gave me a new name: Mr. Grasshopper.  Nowadays, whenever I pass by the school, which is near the main road, the kids still remember me and remind me everything which I taught them when I was there. The funny thing is that they look to each other and say, “Look, Mr. Grasshopper is coming!” Sometimes when I’m walking in the village you will just hear some kids singing the song, because they have seen me. Through the song, I managed to build a strong relationship with kids and I also learned how to work with kids which has been helpful in my new mission field now.

– Francis Kuntenga, Malawian missionary to Mozambique