We just completed a week of Spanish study at the same school at which we studied two years ago (PROBIGUA). I was able to have my same maestra (teacher) which was a great blessing, and Kris enjoyed his new teacher, as well. More important than the Spanish that we learned, we were both impressed by the conversations we had with our teachers this week and the ways they expressed their faith to us.
I (DeeDee) was talking to Cristina about the atmosphere of Coban (the city closest to where we are moving), which has gotten a lot of publicity lately concerning violence related to drug trafficking. After saying that she felt that it was a very tranquilo (calm, peaceful) place, which was somewhat relieving, she also said, "Necesita tener fe. La fe puede mover las montanas." (You need to have faith. Faith can move mountains.) This has been a message which God has given to me over and over again during my months of preparation for the move and my times of doubting. Related to this idea of faith is a thought that was part of my daily devotional reading this morning: "When you walk through a day with childlike delight, savoring every blessing, you proclaim your trust in Me, your ever-present Shepherd." I desire to be more like children who have such faith in the provision of their Father.
I (Kristopher) was also extremely blessed to have a wonderful maestra, Miriam. She was extremely patient with me as I began re-learning some of the same things I had learned 2 years ago. On Thursday I had one of the best days of aprendiendo (learning) as I read a Spanish story and almost pronounced all the words correctly. Learning Spanish has been a difficult journey for me and my pronouncing has been even more difficult. But my confidence has grown as I have had an extremely supportive wife and maestra. Regarding the faith of our maestras, I also got to know a woman of great faith this week. One of the routines we began early this week was to spend the first hour to hour and a half just in conversation. During those conversations Miriam shared how deep and strong her faith had become through family situations. It was an enormous encouragement for me to hear about how her struggles had brought her closer to God.
As DeeDee and I have also settled in the routine of daily life here in Antigua, I was struck during my quite time this week. I have been spending time in Psalms and James and have come away with this desire: “I desire to be like Abraham, that my faith is made complete by what I do each day, not by just what I say. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart and the actions of my hands be pleasing in your sight.”
Tomorrow morning we begin yet another part of our journey, Q’eqchi’ language school. This will also be a grand challenge for us, but we know that in Christ all things are possible.
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