Language Training Top 10

Our first week of language training is done! We have spent the last 5 days in class from 8:30 am - 4 pm. So far, I have learned words in Spanish, Lingala (spoken in central Africa), and Russian, along with phonetics and language learning techniques. There has been homework assigned every night and even some over the weekend. Quite frankly, we are tired and ready for some R&R, but I wanted to give everyone a quick update first. While it would be impossible for me to briefly summarize all that we've been learning, I thought I would write the top 10 things I've learned so far.


Top 10 Things I've Learned in Language Training:

10. Learning a new language is exhausting!

9. The Russian language is really hard to pronounce! I'm so glad that God called us to Italy.

8. Almost any bad day can be made better by ice cream. I suspect that we will be eating lots of gelato during our time in language school.

7. Learning phonetics makes me want to bang my head on the desk! But... it is very helpful in learning a new language, so I will press on.

6. Knowing how to laugh at yourself is really helpful in learning a new language.

5. I am in charge of my language learning!

4. Jesus had to learn language too! He didn't emerge from the womb with a full grasp of his native tongue. There was baby talk and grammatical error involved, so he understands what I'm going through.

3. Prayer is critical to learning a new language!

2. Fluency in our new language is vital! When presenting the Gospel and discipling Italians, we want to do it effectively and not be hindered by a poor grasp of language.

1. Even though it will be hard, I CAN LEARN ITALIAN! I am motivated, determined, and the Holy Spirit will help me!