The Language Struggle
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." Nelson Mandela My teacher has just asked me a question, and I can’t even start to put together an answer. I can guess at the gist of the question based on the topic we’re studying, and the two words I actually understood. My brain is whirring with words, sounds, and the spaghetti letters of this language, but I can’t make sense of any of it. I’m staring at a page in my workbook, but I know it doesn’t hold the answer. I repeat the question back to her in… Read more >>
Let go and let God
If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:11 I’ve had to do a lot of learning and letting go this month. Mostly, letting go of my own will, so that God’s will can be done. I realized that if I want to understand the people of this new culture, if I want doors to be opened for sharing my faith, I have to first overcome my own inhibitions and fears. Like last week. Last week I rode the bus. I had a place I needed to be, and the bus was the way to get there, and at a tenth of the price of a… Read more >>
Just roll with it...
It’s been quite the month. I feel like all my blogs open this way. Well, it’s true. No two months are the same, and so far they have all held their own unique challenges and excitements. This month, it’s been utilities. I’ve had three weeks now to settle into my apartment and start learning the language. My apartment has all the necessities, except water in my kitchen. I did have water, until the downstairs neighbor asked me to stop using it because it has been leaking on their side. On Tuesday my landlord came by and explained, through his grandson who speaks English, that it is the main… Read more >>