Fonetica

Greta le agrega grandes grosellas al postre.

Today in my Fonetica class I think we repeated this sentence about 15 times. The main point of this class is to learn all the sounds of the Spanish language and be able to say them correctly. That doesn't sound too hard, but there is actually kind of a lot to it.

Not only do we have to say the sounds correctly, but we have to put the accent on the correct syllable and run the words together in the right spots (Yes, there are rules for that). We do this so that we can speak and read and actually sound similar to a person who speaks Spanish as their first language.

While we will never be perfect at this, we can try and put the time and energy into learning the language well enough not just to get around but to be able to have deep conversations with people and not have them cringe at every other word.

We know that God can use us even if we mess up words and put the emphasis on the wrong syllable, but we also feel that one way we can show the people of Honduras that we love them (and God loves them) is to put the time into learning their true, heart language.

By the way, that sentence at the beginning means:  Greta adds big berries to the dessert.

Directions

Over the last 6 weeks, I have noticed a lot of things that are different here in San Jose than they are in Phoenix or any of the other places I have lived. Different does not mean better or worse, just different. Some are small and don't really affect daily life and others are quite major and are really important to know in order to get around or not insult others.

One thing that stuck out to me is that most of the roads around here do not have names and numbers. This surprised me since San Jose is a city of 1.5 million people.

Without road names and numbers, giving directions is not so easy (its not easy in Spanish for me at this time either). So, people use landmarks to give directions or, in some cases, landmarks that are not even there anymore.

Last week, I had to go to the bank to exchange money. So, when I got to the counter I had to give them the address where I was living. What this really means is that I had to give them directions to where I am living. So, here is what I gave them:

De la Capilla Catolica del Bosque
100 este y 75 norte
casa amarillo con portones cafe a mano izquierda

Translation:
From the Bosque Catholic Chapel
100 meters east and 75 meters north
yellow house with large brown door on the left-hand side

NOTE: This is not a mailing address. If you would like to send us something, let me know and I will give you the correct mailing address.  :)

Bautizo

This past weekend Ashley and I were able to experience and be a part of a special day in the life of the church of our Tico family. Sunday morning, we got up early and drove about an hour and a half over the mountains to the north and east of San Jose. It was a scenic drive.

We arrived at a beautiful river for this exciting event. There were about 15 of us, 7 of which were there to be baptized. Most of those being baptized were teenagers, but there was one woman, Ileana, who we have met before at the Bible study that meets at our house on Thursdays. We got up earlier that morning than we do for school, so we were a bit tired. Not Ileana. She said she woke up really early because she was so excited about what the day meant to her.

The 'service' was amazing and almost brought me to tears. These 7 people who were baptized were so excited and the others were rejoicing and praising Jesus for His saving power. We sang a song each time someone came out of the water.

One of the teenagers just after being baptized.

We enjoyed this experience and it was awesome to see that though our cultures our different, and our languages are different, our God is the same true God who sent His Son to this earth in order to die for our sins and to conquer death for us! 

Bible Study

On Thursday afternoons, our mama Tica hosts a small Bible Study in her home. The pastor of her church comes as well as 3 or 4 others. We have been so blessed to be able to become a part of the group since we arrived. It is not the same as any Bible study I have been a part of before.

These Bible Studies have been a great time for me. For one, it is a time to interact with more people in Spanish. We get to read God's Word in Spanish. We are able to hear and experience how people in another culture express their love and gratitude to our Savior. This time is a great time to see how small I am (I don't understand much and completely butcher His Word when I read in Spanish) and how huge God is!

I wouldn't say these studies have been times for me to understand the Bible more, but I am able to see, hear, and enjoy Him in new ways!  I look forward to when I can understand more (already starting a little) and can even contribute more of my thoughts and beliefs with my brothers and sisters in Christ in Spanish.