HE WAS QUITE MISTAKEN!

     Several years ago a young missionary that was planning to go to Central America visited us at our mission work in Mexicali, Mexico.  So I invited him to preach.  His being new in the Spanish language I offered to translate for him.  But, he assured me that he was fluent in the language and felt confident he could preach in Spanish just fine.
     Here I must make an explanation -- in the Spanish Bible the word for a baby donkey is POLLINO, a word from Spain; but not used in Central American Spanish.  The word for a baby CHICKEN is POLLITO only one letter different.
     Now. to continue the story -- the young missionary preached on the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  HOWEVER, when he came to the word, POLLINO (baby donkey) he said POLLITO (baby chicken).  The people, being polite tried not to laugh.  BUT, it became more and more difficult.  He was describing how it was a POLLITO (baby chicken) that was tied close to its mother.  And how the disciple told the owner that Jesus needed the baby chicken.  How it was a baby chicken upon  whom no man had ever sat.  How it was not rebellious when Jesus sat on it.  (Although we knew what he meant, by this time all of us were fighting hard not to laugh at the sight he was describing.)
     He further explained that they were putting their clothes on him and casting palm branches in his path; but the baby chicken just kept going.  After he finished his task he was taken back to his mother bearing the honor of having carried the Lord into Jerusalem as no other baby chicken had ever done!.  Sad to say, we were all relieved when he finished and we no longer ached from holding in our laughter.
    As the people were leaving they were thanking him for the message but now widely grinning.  He turned and asked me, "Brother Don, haven't you ever preached  on this passage?  The people acted as if they had never heard this."  I replied, "Yes, I have preached on it but they had never heard your version."  You can imagine how he felt when I explained to him what he had done!   But, I  imagine, like me, he has probably made many other errors in Spanish.  Only, I'm not telling mine.  Bro Don