Language Learning

Five months of language learning.

Approximately 108 hours of class. 

171 pages of grammar. 

Over 1,000 vocab flashcards. 

Here's some fun words/ phrases I have learned:

"Bueno como pan"- "[A person/ thing is as] good as bread"

"Dar a luz"- Directly translates to mean "give light" but really means "to give birth"

"Susurarr"- "to whisper" Also, that word to me sounds exactly like a game of hide and seek.

"Bienaventurado"- Looks like it would mean "good adventure" but really means "blessed" and that's close to the same thing. 

"Sacarle la sopa"- Directly translates to "get the soup out" but really means "to interrogate" 

Having never embarked on the huge, important task that language learning is, I've learned a couple of things more than the language itself. 

1. Language learning is hard and will give you a headache. 

You know when you go to the gym and workout really hard and the next day you wake up and are like, "Why does this muscle hurt? Is this even a muscle? I never even knew this muscle existed!" That is what language learning is like. It worked a part of my brain I didn't even knew existed. After a few hours this dull ache occurs that is mind numbing. The cure: coffee. 

2. You can only study so long before you have a slight mental breakdown. 

While memorizing the books of the Bible in Spanish, I broke down after three hours when I forgot the word "Lamentaciones." 

3. The buddy system will save you from having excessive mental exhaustion. 

For me at least, I found it a whole lot easier to not be in class alone. Having another student to learn helped me to know that I was not the only person in the world who didn't understand subjuntivo and pasado anterior. I'm sure you have also found that mutual suffering creates a special bond between people (think of finals week, or when there's no internet), and the same goes for language learning. 

4. Learning a language with a completely different alphabet would be nuts-o. 

Sometimes, you can guess at a word by making an English sounds Spanish, and it kinda works out (but not always). This would be impossible if it was a totally different alphabet. 

5. Failure is part of the learning, mistakes are part of the journey. 

Don't know what a word is? Go for it. Don't know what a person said? Ask them to repeat it. 

It takes humility to do something knowing you might fail, but we should do it anyways. It takes bravery to make a fool of yourself, but we should do it anyways. Because when you do succeed, magic happens. 

I think that when we get to Heaven, we'll all be able to understand each other. I don't know if we'll all speak in tongues, or if we'll just all miraculously understand each other, or what it'll be like, but I'm pretty sure that we'll understand each other. It's heartbreaking and lonely wanting to say something, but not being able to, or wanting to understand someone and not being able to. One day, every tongue, tribe and nation will be able to talk about how their hearts feel, and what makes their soul sing, and we'll be able to understand it. I can't wait for that day. 

Please continue to pray for the ministries that are happening here. A new Bible study has sprung up seemingly over night and it is exciting to see that God is working! God brings people to himself in himself in really remarkable ways and it's a privilege to be a part of it. 

Please pray for the new intern, Jesse, and I as we will be going to Ixtapa for the next two weeks and helping with a garbage dump ministry, a seniors home, and churches there. Pray for safety and that we will be able to minister where needed. 

Please pray that in everything, we would have the love of Christ pouring out of us. 

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels,

 but do not have love, 

I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 

1 Corinthians 13:1

Thanks for praying. Prayer changes everything. 

{Side Note: I've eaten every taco on the menu at this taco truck}

1,000ish vocab cards.

Where are you?

This past weekend one of our missionaries, Diane, celebrated her 50th birthday party. She threw an unusual birthday party as she had her teachers from her exercise dance classes at the gym lead some sessions and we played street hockey. This unique party was in the hopes that she could bring together people from many different parts of her life and celebrate her 50 years God has blessed her with, and also bless others and show God's love.

I think of a lot of ministry has to do with seeing where people are, meeting them there, and sharing Jesus with them. Here, people love parties, the bigger the better. If that's where the people are, that's where we need to be too.

Here, we go to breakfasts and coffees with people, we bike with people, we go to the gym with people, we hang out with the Moms after school. It's really not that complicated: See where people are, go there, and love them like Jesus does.

It's important to be in the world, but not of it.

What does this actually mean? Does this mean that we imitate the culture around us but just Christianising it? Does this mean that we need to go and create a completely separate Christian-culture? Does this mean that we simply deal with the way the world is without actually diving into the mess?

I'm not sure what this means.
But I know that Jesus dove into the mess.
And I know that Jesus met us here, on earth, where we're at.

So if Jesus dove into the mess, what's keeping us from diving into it?

Are we content with our Christian circles? Are we content with always being fed, and never feeding anyone else?

Christmas was a couple of weeks ago and I think it's important that we keep marvelling at the story. That God, sent Jesus not to take over the government, but to challenge it. Not to affirm the self-righteous, but to take the broken, the rejected, and the sinful by the hand and bring them into His kingdom.

We weren't perfect when Jesus came to us.
He came to us when we were still in our stench.
Jesus still does that.
He meets us where we're at.
So it's going to be a messy life.
And that's ok.

Please pray for our ministry as we enter into this new year. It's an exciting time and I feel like big, exciting, unexpected things are going to happen. Please pray for creativity, endurance, and the joy of the Lord in our every day work. Pray that the gospel would resonate with people deeply, and shake them to the core.

Having fun at Diane's birthday party! 

Nativity scene outside of the coto (housing complex)

I also had the amazing opportunity to go to Mexico City and spend Christmas with my host family and their relatives! Here are some pictures from that trip.