Learning a new language.

Over the years, I have heard countless people joke, "I can't learn Spanish; I barely speak English." This statement has become more real to me this year than ever before. Throughout my school years, I took English and composition classes, only to find that when I started Spanish grammar classes, I did not know how to speak English. All of the rules and tenses that I should have been able to understand from years of English classes were next to impossible to grasp.

Giving a presentation in class.

Since we arrived here in the Rio Grande Valley, on the southern border between Texas and Mexico, we have been studying hard. Our schedule has consisted of classes from 8:20-12:15, followed by an hour-long tutoring session after lunch. Homework, study, and 4 hours of conversation, strictly in Spanish, throughout the week. The weekends are usually filled with some Spanish activity on Saturday, whether it be a trip into Mexico or something on the campus. Then we finish the weekend with Spanish church services Sunday morning and Sunday evening. It is a full and intense schedule, especially when trying to balance family life.

All this was really taxing at first. To start, some of our classes, like grammar, would be in English, to make sure we understood what was being said. The other classes were solely in Spanish, but at least we didn't have to talk much. But then came the tutor session... an hour-long conversation every day. It was grueling, unbearable, and terribly exhausting. An hour feels like an eternity when someone is sitting on the other side of the table, looking into your face, trying to make conversation while you understand absolutely nothing.

Thankfully, with the help of God, those hour-long tutor sessions fly by when you are having an in-depth conversation regarding hamartiology, anthropology, or debating the doctrines of Calvinism. We have come a long way in our understanding and our speech. God has helped me preach several times now in Spanish, albeit not without extensive notes.

We thank God for all His help. Our prayer has been for Him to open our minds and loosen our tongues so that we may obtain fluency. He is doing just that. We are a long way from fluency, but well on our way.

Thank you for your prayers and support that got us through this season of our lives.