There is a Spanish word that usually gets translated as “tip” (as in leaving the waiter a good tip), but which we use in Ecuador almost exclusively the way English speakers would say “a free gift.” It’s commonly something a business uses in their marketing. “Buy a refrigerator and we’ll throw in a toaster. It’s a yapa.”
Yapas are also sometimes an extra piece of bread in your order, they way we’d call it a “baker’s dozen.” But people are so used to this expression, it can be anything you get as a bonus or a surprise. Samples at the grocery store? Yapa! Onion ring in your fries? Yapa! Mysterious leftover parts when you’re done constructing that IKEA furniture? Yapas! I hadn’t thought about this concept for a while, until I had one of those extra-things-in-my-bag experience at a fast food place this week. I pulled out the unexpected item and didn’t think “aw, man, how else have they messed up my order?” (the way I probably once would have reacted), I just surprised myself a little and said “Una yapa!”
Jesus was constantly telling people to look at things differently. Even in our very out-of-the-ordinary scripture lesson for this Sunday, he tells people “you judge-y guys want to chuck me aside, but now look how big and bad I am” (that’s from the Danny Peck Translation). He was unexpected, but in the best way. May we recognize Jesus when he shows up in our lives. And may we excitedly say “una yapa!”
