ESL and Cross-Cultural Communication

Well the fact that we haven’t blogged in so long attests to how busy we’ve been in the last two weeks. On Thursday we began our ESL classes at Calama church. Phil is teaching at an advanced level and Tarryn and I are teaching basic. We’re all enjoying it a lot. It’s difficult at times, given my poor Spanish, but it’s also very helpful and rewarding. Last night I taught them basic pronunciation and how to sing the English alphabet. It went well, even better than expected. Although you wouldn’t believe how difficult it is for some non-English speakers to pronounce certain sounds that come so naturally for us (e.g. the Z sound, the difference between “sit” and “set” etc.). ESL is also really great because it's a good chance for us to get to know some of the Bolivians and ultimately, it's a place where we can represent Christ. Please pray that we would not only be effective teachers but that Christ would be glorified in our teaching and in the relationships we develop.

On Saturday we went to the airport to pick up Dave Roberts, Tyndale’s Missions Mentor. He has been here all week teaching us a class called Cross-Cultural Communication. The whole point of the course is to teach us how to serve God effectively in another culture. It’s been wonderfully practical. Dave spent twelve years living in Africa. It was great to be able to learn from his experience and to be challenged by his teaching. Over this past week I feel like I’ve acquired a renewed passion for Bolivia and motivation to learn and understand all aspects of the culture. I've also been convicted about some of my cultural orientations that could serve as a hindrance to ministry. Dave has taught us to really consider what it means to be servants to all (1 Cor. 9:19-23).

On Thursday afternoon we were able to climb the Cristo (1136 steps

 to the top). It was a great experience and the view of the city was breathtaking.

This Sunday will be sort of a Tyndale worship service at Calama’s English service. Dave is preaching and we are leading worship. It should be fun. Your prayers would be appreciated; for the service and also for Dave’s flight home, which leaves on Sunday.

One more important update. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, Terry and Pat will no longer be involved with the Baptist Seminary (we will hopefully still get to stay here in the Seminary but we're still not sure). Please pray for them as they seek new opportunities to serve Christ in Bolivia.  We would also appreciate your prayers as we wait on God to continue to provide us with ample opportunities to develop relationships and to serve.

Thanks for your support.

Dave