Could that be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel??
My eyes widen in surprise as I lift the glass to my mouth and suddenly realize that I can read and understand every word of the verse (John 4:14) that is written on it.
Signs inside the taxi be and along the road have started taking on new meaning as, with great joy, I realize I can understand them.
My phone beeps with a Malagasy text message that I am able to respond to in Malagasy. Though, I must say, one of the teens gave me a crash course on Malagasy text lingo that totally went over my head. I am thinking they need to stay away from that for a while yet…. J
I still cringe when my phone rings and it’s someone who doesn’t know English which means I will be floundering for Malagasy words and straining to understand, but I can care on an easy convo!
Children at 5-Day Club excitedly ask me questions when they realize I am learning Malagasy. It was amazing to be able to talk to them in their own language, even if it is just easy questions, which I have been longing to do for years.
When I respond to people at the market and along the road in Malagasy I am met with comments like, “Ah, Malagasy” or “Malagasy Vasa!” (a vasa is a foreigner).
Maneuvering the market by myself for the first time on Friday and buying veggies and meat by the kilo, pile, and cup was an exciting victory. Word quickly spread from table to table that they needed to give me the prices in Malagasy numbers not French as I moved around the market.
I hold on to the small victories as for each of them there are many frustrations.
One of the boys at club who had a learning disability excitedly ran up, grabbed my hand and began telling me how he had accepted Jesus. How I wanted to be able to understand everything he said and respond to him adequately!
One of the teens will sit down beside me or take my arm as we are out walking and tell me about something that is going on at home or at school or something that makes them sad or scared. In those times, more then ever, I long to fully understand them and talk with them.
Prayer Requests:
Please pray that my comprehension with come quickly when people talk to me. Often they tell me something, and I recognize all the words, but it takes a minute to come up with the meaning for each word and put it all together in my head.
Also pray that I will be able to remember the words I know and figure out how to respond to people quicker. Ten minutes after a convo I realize I could have answered in Malagasy.
2 comments:
Keep it up! It's awesome to hear how far you've come already in learning a new language. Especially one so different from our's. I continue to pray that God will give you the gift of language to comprehend and integrate all the new sounds and words. I know well the frustrations that come with learning a new language and there are many. But the end result is so worth it and some of those will be forgotten (or laughed at later! :)).
It's exciting to hear what God is doing in and through you in Madagascar.
One of my favorite verses God made real to me when I was learning Spanish, "Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." Exodus 4:12
So excited to see how G-d is moving in Madagascar! Glad the language is coming along, what a wonderful feeling.
Praying for you and all those the Lord puts you in contact with.
Mrs. H
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