Learning Spanish has been an interesting experience for me. When I heard that we would we learning Spanish and going back to “school” for the majority of our ministry this month in Guatemala, it excited me. I love school, and I love learning. I was really looking forward to spending a lot of time gaining a lot of knowledge. I was determined to learn as much Spanish as I could. The problem was this: I was more concerned with knowing it instead of realizing that it was a tool to be able to converse with the people here. I was more concerned with grammatical aspects of Spanish and less concerned with conversational Spanish.
Shortly after having this realization, my mentality with learning Spanish changed completely. I started approaching Spanish with more joy because I knew I wasn’t trying to perform for an “A” or to be the smartest one in the class. I found myself getting even more excited about learning Spanish so that I could start building relationships. Through learning more Spanish, I gained a friendship with a girl named Rosa in the market. I have started meeting up with her in the afternoons to teach her English, and in turn she teaches me Spanish! She began to share with me about her faith in God, and opened up to me about her family. Even through our conversations, I am now able to pick up on key words in conversation so I can have an understanding about what she is talking about!
So through “going back to school” and learning Spanish, I have put aside my performance driven self and realized that it’s not just about learning Spanish; it’s about spreading the gospel and evangelizing to the people of Xenacoj and the rest of Central America. Learning Spanish is definitely a way to love people and share Jesus’ love.
