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Quote of the Week

After a great summer seeing family and friends all over the country we have finally returned home.  While our car didn't quite resemble the one below, it's so nice to not be living out of a suitcase.  While we do miss those we were able to visit, there is truth in this simple quote. 

"Home is the nicest word there is." Laura Ingalls Wilder

Quote of the Week

This time of the year, many thoughts turn to celebrating the freedoms we have, especially here in the United States.  Our quote this week is taken from from a prayer offered by Peter Marshall in 1947  when he served as chaplain to the U.S. Senate.  The obvious takeaway from this quote applies more to the grace vs. license debate, but I want to look at it from a slightly different angle.  For those of us living in "western" nations, we have incredible freedom to travel to almost every nation on earth.  While some may require creative access there are very few nations that we are completely unable to enter.  We also have an immense amount of resources available to make it happen (although this does require others to get on board).  My question for you today is this: are we using these freedoms to do what is right in light of the mandate we've been given by Jesus?

"May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to 

do what is right." - Peter Marshall

World's Toughest Languages

Below is a fascinating infographic I came across dealing with language learning.  To me, language acquisition is one of the biggest parts of preparing to work cross-culturally, as communicating truth in the "mother tongue" is so much more effective.  These findings match up pretty well with what I've heard/experienced. I have heard that Indonesian is one of the easier languages to learn as most people are proficient within 6-9 months.  In my opinion Tibetan languages should be added to the hardest list.  There is an alphabet so you can read it quickly, but the grammar is very different, it is written and spoken differently, and there are endless dialects which vary greatly from each other.

Info graphic from Voxy

Reviewing the SOFM: Week 9

Two of the main focuses of the SOFM, which go hand in hand, are language and culture acquisition.  One reason they go hand in hand is that you can learn so much about a culture in the process of learning it's language.  I find it amazing how much of a culture's mindset and history can be picked up in the process of learning to communicate.  As the vast majority of cross-cultural workers will be learning either a trade or heart language to better communicate,  we always try to include solid teaching on the topic.  This year we had some great teachers come from MTI to impart some principles from their PILAT program.  It was a great time combining traditional linguistic exercises, such as learning to make sounds not used in english by adjusting the position of the tongue, and hands on practice with techniques based on how a child of that culture would learn the language. Obviously there isn't one magic method that will work with all languages since some have an alphabet while others are character based, etc.  That is why one of our goals in all of the SOFM teachings is to adopt principles and adapt methods.

Quote of the Week

Our quote this week comes not from a missionary or theologian, but rather, a politician.  This quote represents a decision many cross-cultural workers face: should they focus on communicating in their native tongue (especially if English), use a trade language, or take the time to learn a people group specific language?  To me it comes down to the question of which option removes the most barriers to someone accepting the gospel?  In that regard I think Mr. Mandela hits the nail right on the head.

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.  If you talk to 

him in his own language, that goes to his heart." - Nelson Mandela

The Herrema's Cross-Country Adventures

This summer our family will be visiting many sites while seeing family and supporters.  Our first stop was Washington DC, which Lyla was very excited about as she had been learning about it in school.

What parents look like after a day exploring DC