Hablo un poco español
But really, just a little.
I took Spanish in high school, and basically only remember how to say hello, how are you, goodbye, and what’s up. So, trying to hold a small conversation with children on our first day of ministry in Quito, Ecuador was interesting to say the least.
Mostly, I found myself in my head and feeling insecure.
One of my goals for myself this year is to be fully me, boldly (specific, I know). But what I mean by that is to unapologetically be Jesse. Another goal is to choose to speak life over myself.
Timidly standing around children because I’m afraid to look foolish when I try to talk to them is not exactly bold or life giving.
So, I made the decision to try to at least pretend to feel confident, and try interacting with the kids. Mostly, when I tried to speak Spanish they looked at me strange and confused, and said, “Que?” (Translation- “What?” or in this case, “huh?”)
It’s not fun to feel foolish, but the truth is, I’d rather fail trying than not try at all.
Plus, I find that I have a lot more joy when I relentlessly try to communicate in Spanish, versus being frustrated and self-loathing because I don’t already know how to.
I’ve only been in Ecuador three days now, and my foolishness is already allowing me to understand and communicate a little better. And the rest of the time, I just end up saying something ridiculous that ends up making people laugh- it’s a win-win.
This is Vivianna, not understanding my Spanish on the first day of Ministry in Ecuador
