"Magandang umaga, kumusta ka?" means "Good morning, how are you?"
I have been taking Tagalog lessons for more than 6 months. I meet twice a week with Ate Ning and each session lasts two hours. I wish I was farther along and speaking more by this time but I need more time in the day to study. Through listening I have picked up certain words and when I am out I have been able to use key phrases or words I have learned. I even use some of my Tagalog vocabulary while teaching sometimes. Any time I make even the smallest effort, even if it is just saying yes in Tagalog, Filipino people are very impressed and say "Oh, you know Tagalog?" I then respond, "Oo, pero kunti lang," which means "Yes, but just a little." The Filipino people are very grateful whenever I try to speak Tagalog. It makes a huge difference.
A little while ago, one of my students who is 7 years old and speaks very little English, ran up to me speaking Tagalog very fast. She was talking so fast; I could not understand any of what she was saying. I asked her to slow down and try to repeat what she had said in English but she just keep going in Tagalog. Once again, I told her if she wanted my help she needed to try English and she did pause and took a deep breath, started to say um over and over, but then started again in Tagalog. Her face said I really want to tell you something and I know you don’t understand me in Tagalog but in English I got nothing. So I just gave her a little hug as if to say "It will be okay, sweetie," and she took one more deep breath and ran off to play. The power of nonverbal communication can change a situation so fast!
God wants us to communicate with him, in order to become closer to him in all we do. There are so many ways He communicates with us...through the power of prayer, the bible, events in our lives, friends and family. During my time in the Philippines, I keep learning more about how God speaks to me. After really praying about it, I feel that my time here in the Philippines will not end after this school year. I believe God is calling me to a new role here with the youth program at Union Church of Manila this fall. I plan to write more about this in my next Newsletter but please pray for me as I begin to plan for next year.