God Steps In

There are some days that you just don’t feel like getting out of bed. I hope it is okay with you if I admit to sometimes being frustrated, discouraged and just plain tired. Tired of rain, tired of five-hour classes, tired of not knowing what people around me are saying. Life is not always sunny, easy and, well, fun.

Today was such a day for me – at least it started that way. I was discouraged because of my lack of Spanish conversations. I am not a talkative person by nature. I don’t say a lot in English. It is very challenging for me to try to make conversation in a language that is completely new. If I can’t come up with questions in English to start or carry on conversations, how on earth am I going to do so in Spanish?

I’ve been talking to God about this for some time. I had no idea what He was going to do about it. Would He give me a new personality? Would He allow me to learn Spanish well without conversations? Would He supernaturally give me the gift of Spanish?

Today, He stepped in. At lunch all the others at the table finished, leaving only my host mom’s sister and me. It was one of those “awkward” moments. I had no idea if she spoke English, and I didn’t have a clue what to say in Spanish. She spoke first and asked some simple questions in Spanish. I answered as best I could. From that beginning we talked for an hour, covering topics like world poverty, facts about Antigua, Kids Alive and its work around the world, my life and her life. When I couldn’t understand what she said, she rephrased it or pantomimed. When I didn’t know how to answer, I just started and she helped me finish. It was the best conversation I have had in a long time.

 

 Later in the afternoon, I went to the ice cream shop. It is one of my favorite places to go. The owner creates his own ice cream flavors – Chocolate x 5, chai, curry, white pepper, double strawberry. You never know what to expect when you walk in there. I wanted to take his photo but didn’t know how to ask. Encouraged by my earlier conversation, I dove in and he taught me how to ask in Spanish.

 

Next it was on to the park. I have a buddy there – Steven. He sells gum for two quetzals (about 25 cents). One day he came up and introduced himself and we have been friends ever since. Today we talked. I actually thought up some questions to ask, and he was more than happy to answer. Our conversation wasn’t long because he needs to sell his gum to raise money for his family.

As I was sitting on the bench debating whether to walk home, I saw an older couple walking past the fountain. The man had some difficulty walking and something about him made me think that possibly he was suffering from dementia. The woman looked tired. As they went past, I asked God to bless them and watch over them, to meet whatever needs they had. It was a short prayer. Perhaps 10 minutes later, I saw the man walking by himself on the opposite of the fountain. He was going from one bench to another and sitting a minute on each before walking on. I looked for the woman but didn’t see her. What should I do? I wasn’t sure he was in any kind of trouble so I started praying again for his safety, for the woman to be able to find him. Sure enough, in a couple minutes I saw her coming, her eyes searching the park, looking for him. I watched to make sure she found him, then made my way home.

As I went, I realized something. I may not know the language very well yet where I am. I will never speak Spanish like a native even after language school and two years in the DR. But there is a language that I do know. It is the language that God speaks to my heart. As long as I understand that language and respond, no matter where I go or what language others speak, God can use me to accomplish His purpose. And that’s really what matters, isn’t it.