Nuggetts from the Suggetts

November 2013
Nuggetts from the Suggetts
Niagara Falls, Ontario
And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists,
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
— Hebrews 11.6 niv
An uncanny connection between a famous acrobat and “faith” in Turka
On June 15, 2012, in Niagara Falls, New York, a man named Nik Wallenda* walked across a
1,800 foot long wire directly over Niagara Falls from the U.S. into Canada. ABC televised the
event and insisted the acrobat wear a tethered harness to prevent live coverage of a potentially
deadly fall 190 feet into the churning torrent below.
In case you missed it, Nik did make it to the other side. (See video.) In a strange twist of events
which could only occur in today’s day and age, the city of Niagara Falls, N.Y. later said that
daredevil Nik owed the city $25,000 for the additional public safety costs needed for the event.
But Wallenda responded saying that the New York City had already received more than it
should have.
But back in 1859, the world was much simpler and acrobats could do their stunts without
thought to lawsuits and the like. One very interesting character at that time was a man named
Jean François Gravelet, professionally known as “The Great Blondin”. Blondin crossed the
Niagara gorge (downstream from the Falls) on a tightrope. For several summers, Blondin
performed: he would cross the gorge on a bicycle, he would cross at night, he would swing by
one arm, do somersaults, and stand on his head on a chair. On one occasion, he pushed a stove
in a wheelbarrow and cooked an omelet.
Yet even these feats failed to satisfy Blondin’s urge to test himself, so he announced that he
would cross the gorge carrying someone on his back. It was to be the supreme test of
Blondin’s skill and stamina. The question was: who would agree to go with him?
The Great Blondin turned to the crowd and asked, “Do you believe I can carry someone across
the rope on my back?” **
The crowd replied, “Yes, we believe!”
Then Blondin asked, “So, … who will volunteer?”
Silence.
Blondin pointed to a man standing nearby, “How about you sir?” The man replied, “Not a chance!”
and he turned away.
Blondin then pointed to another man, “And what about you sir?” The man replied, “I believe. In
fact, I have no doubt at all.”
Blondin said, “Will you trust me?” The man replied, “I will!”
The man then proceeded to climb on the back of Charles Blondin and they headed across the
* Underlined items in this PDF document are hyperlinks to web sites. Feel free to click on them to access related information.
** Versions of this story have been circulating orally for ages, and they are now ubiquitous on the internet such that it is impossible to give credit to the original author. One
version of the story is posted on http://www.scribd.com/doc/26843756/The-Blondin-Story-Crumbs-Off-The-Table-No-8.
Blondin carrying his
manager, Harry Colcord,
on a tightrope.
gorge. The crowd waited breathlessly while they crossed and roared their approval once they completed the crossing. What
they didn’t know was that the man who crossed on Blondin’s back was Harry Colcord, Blondin’s manager. You see Harry
Colcord knew how good Charles Blondin was and fully trusted him.
The story, of course, is a great illustration of faith and has been used in many a sermon illustration. Jesus Christ is the
object of our faith. He has proven Himself trustworthy. He created the world we live in. He came and lived a blameless life
without sin. He served and sacrificed, even to the point of dying on the cross for us. Then, He overcame death and arose
from the dead. Indeed, He has the power over death and the power over life. Consequently, He is worthy of our trust. The
illustration also reminds us that faith is proved genuine when we act upon it.
Well, long before we knew about this particular sermon illustration, our translation team was wrestling with the question
of how to best translate the Biblical concept of faith in God — believing in God and entrusting our lives to Him. Amazingly,
our team discovered that the Turka expression which best communicates entrusting one’s life to God is almost exactly like
the Great Blondin story. In Turka, to say a person “accepts and is carried on the back of Jesus” is to say this person actively
believes in Jesus. This expression is natural, and conveys a posture of deep dependence on Jesus.
For our part, we are praising God that the Holy Spirit is moving among the
Turka causing faith to rise and people to “accept Jesus and be carried on His
back”. We rejoice that there are even a few members of the older generation
who are now taking that courageous step of faith. During a recent outreach in
Fabédougou, Jeremy reported that Madou Sombie and his wife Mariam placed
their faith in Jesus.
It is understandably difficult for the older generation to place their trust in
Christ. Having walked another path for so long, they fear looking foolish if they
were to abandon their old beliefs. In addition, some elders liken themselves
to old, dry wood, that can no longer be bent without breaking. But the chief
of the village of Toumousseni — himself an old man and new believer in
Christ — has a ready response to this proverb. In a recent interview, he said
“where the sun shines, it’s there we must warm ourselves.” He encouraged his
contemporaries to reflect on whether their current belief system is providing
them with that needed warmth, and if not, to not be afraid to start afresh with
Jesus.
Madou and his wife Mariam.
Upcoming trip to Burkina
We head back to Burkina right after Christmas and will spend ten weeks there.
Please pray for a safe and productive time. In addition to the usual activities
of scripture checking, scripture use, and team building, we’ll be laying the
groundwork for a new initiative of adapting the gospel film “The Hope” into
Turka. More on this in our next update.
The chief of Toumousseni seated beside his
pastor during a recently recorded interview.
In the meantime, we thank you for your prayers, and your support.
Colin & Dot Suggett
PersonalMission
address: Colin & Dot Suggett
Wycliffe Bible Translators
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