Spanish-required?

So as folks are pondering "Could it be me?" questions are beginning to come in. That's great! That means that there are folks out there who are receptive to God's leading in their lives and open to consider the possibility that God could be calling them to Ocosingo for a longer stay.

One of the most typical questions is related to language. "Is Spanish an absolute requirement? Is it possible to serve without speaking Spanish?" Because this has been such a challenge for us, I thought I'd share....

"It's a hard call, to be honest. Neither of us (John or Ginny) spoke Spanish before we came here, so "yes, it's possible, and 'no' it's not an absolute requirement." On the other hand, not speaking Spanish has severely limited our opportunities, and it is something that frustrates us both daily.

I am constantly aware of how many more things I could do if I were genuinely fluent. I could use my counseling and teaching skills which are so desperately needed here. The fact that there is always someone around who speaks English is both a blessing and a curse. It allows us to be able to get away with not speaking Spanish, which keeps us from having to work at it as hard. But, that said, it's certainly been possible to be here and accomplish many things and be of great service. During the weeks in which groups are being hosted, obviously English is the primary language and that represents about 1/3 of the year now.

What did we do? We did lots of little things in the states before coming here and planned to use the LAMP system after arriving (Language Acquisition Made Practical). This system was supposed to be better because you learn the language as it is spoken where you'll be living. Before coming, we used lots of tapes, Rosetta Stone, Speed Spanish online (which probably helped us more than all the other little things put together!), and tons of study guides. John never really did LAMP because he got busy too quickly, and by the time the girls and I arrived, group season was in high gear! We waited until September before embarking on 2 weeks of language school in San Cristobal. It was a great experience, but it was too short, and I was too focused on being a parent and making sure both our kids were getting it and not feeling too overwhelmed. As it has turned out, both Holly and Maggie clearly have the gift of language and have become quite proficient. They are taking high school Spanish courses online, so their academic instruction in Spanish is ongoing. Their social life is entirely with Mexicans, so they are motivated to learn to be interact more with their peers here.

I teach English at a local language school two days a week, and that has help me a lot too. There are times that I really need to be able to speak Spanish to explain myself to my students. They are so very patient with me because they know how hard it is!

If we had it to do all over again, I'd do it this way from the MINUTE we even started considering entering the mission field...

....Go to language school (locally in NC, in Guatemala or San Cristobal)
....Consider getting a private tutor to meet with your family every week until you move
....Go to language school in San Cristobal within 1 week of arriving in Ocosingo. Come in just long enough to get the car unpacked, everyone get a few good nights' sleep, and then GO before the needs here get too much of your attention.
....Have 4 weeks of language school in San Cristobal without your kids in the same class
....Live with a family for the 4 weeks instead of staying in a hotel
....Make yourself go out and speak Spanish every day no matter what...to the guy at the vegetable stand, to a church member, to Pablo's staff, to Bible School students...to anybody who will listen!

This combination is likely to get you fluent enough from the start, and your skills would build from there (instead of building from scratch like we did). That said, I think it's perfectly conceivable to do that in the coming months and should not stand as an obstacle. "

Lastly, if someone is fluent in Spanish, they have the option of taking Tzeltal classes at the language schools in San Cristobal also. This is the native language of the Tzeltal people, it's nothing like Spanish, but knowing Tzeltal is invaluable to missionaries here. The only problem is, the Tzeltal course is taught by someone who doesn't speak English! Almost all of the meetings that John attends are held in Tzeltal, so his Spanish does him no good at all there!

As someone who talks a lot (yes, I do know this about myself ;-)) the experience of not being able to talk as much has been an interesting aspect of this journey and not an altogether bad one, I suspect. I must listen more, listen more closely, beg for lots of forgiveness, and otherwise humble myself every day. As much as I wish my Spanish skills were better (and I am learning more and more every day), I think these aspects of the experience have been important for me personally. Still, I think having a command of the language from the start is the way to go.

Lessons learned the hard way.