Language Learning

OK, this picture doesn't have anything to do with language learning, but it makes me laugh!  I don't have any pictures from our language studies, but Kamryn's expression captures how we sometimes feel! :)

We are making progress with the language....slow....but steady progress.  I don't know how many of you have had the experience of learning a new language (especially as an adult), but it is quite an adventure.  We have been in Romania for 9 months now, and with the time off for Alexa's birth, we have had about 6 months of classes.  Considering that, I am pleased with our progress.  Our ability to understand what others are saying has improved greatly, and we are continuing to practice putting our own thoughts into Romanian (which is much more difficult than listening!).  Romanian is a interesting language...it is a Latin-based language with a few similarities to Spanish, so that should make it easier, right?  Ha!  It is easier to learn to read Romanian than English because it is completely phonetic.  The grammar, however, is ridiculously complicated!  We have just accepted that we will always make grammatical mistakes, but trust that we can share our thoughts and clearly communicate the gospel despite a few mistakes!

When we arrived in Romania, we started off having language class 4 days a week, 3 hours a day; then we would try to spend another 20 hours a week studying, having conversations, and listening.  A couple of months ago, we changed to having class 3 days a week in order to help our language funds go further.  At this point, we have the funds to continue for about two more months.  We are praying about making another change - rather than meeting together for 3 hours each session, we are thinking about meeting separately for 2 hours each.  This would allow us to save a little money without the babysitter, and also allow us to continue progressing at our individual rates.  Please join us in praying for wisdom in this decision.

In the midst of our learning process, we try to celebrate the moments that we actually feel successful with the language!  I'm happy to report that we can successfully call Domino's and order pizza completely in Romanian :) ... even though we miss many details, we are able to understand the overall message at our Romanian church without a translator ... I met a mom at the park the other day that speaks no English at all and we have had several successful encounters and conversations ... the men that came to install our new cable and internet a few weeks ago spoke very little English, but we were able to communicate what we wanted and actually had the right things installed ...  just to name a few! :)

We recently received an email from the head of our European Affinity with the IMB and he shared the following illustration about language learning:

    ... a parable of two lumberjacks who were about to compete in chopping down trees
   over an hour’s time. The starter gun sounded and the first lumberjack immediately 
   began attacking his first tree. The second one immediately began sharpening his
   ax. After a few minutes the first one had felled two trees and the second one had not
   even started. Several onlookers expressed dismay until the second one started with
   a sharp ax and soon passed the first lumberjack’s total and won. 

This simple story illustrated the difference between the worker that attacks his assignment with gusto but without language and cultural understanding. It is a good reminder that we are currently “sharpening our axes” (ie learning a new language) and will have a much more effective ministry with adequate language skills.  It's easy to get frustrated and wish we had more time for ministry rather than having language class, but we are trusting God with the big picture and will continue to sharpen our axes right now!