Did I hear that right?

Greetings from 7,200 feet above sea level! It has been a busy almost two weeks here at Mission Training International (MTI) doing Program In Language Acquisition Techniques (PILAT). The view out the window of my room is beautiful but the air here is definitely thinner and drier!

View from my window

Our days are full and filled with funny sounds and laughter. We spend at least an hour a day (and many days two hours) practicing phonetic drills. Now for those that haven't done phonetics, especially those sounds outside the 44 sounds that are in the English language, this is a unique adventure in getting your tongue, lips etc to do things they don't normally do. You can take a listen to one of our drills here:

PILAT Phonetics Drill by calistay


We are also learning and practicing using several different tools such as Language Acquisition Projects (LAPs), GLUEs, and Series to study a new language. In my case that language is French. It is not the language I will use in Indonesia but this process gives us a chance to try out the tools. We have had a fabulous volunteer language helper named Trudie, to help us with this process. It is amazing how fast comprehension actually is although speech is definitely much farther behind. It is great reminder that when we are kids we listen to language for a year or so before we ever try to speak.

Using a GLUE to learn how to welcome someone to our house in French

Using a LAP to learn places, pronouns, and transportation

More next week on this process!

Delays, or are they?

If you have been traveling this journey with me for long, you know there have been several hoped for departure dates along the way. Recently, there have been several who have asked me if I am struggling with how long it is taking to get to Indonesia. The answer to that question is complicated!

Yes, of course there is a piece of me that wants to be there right now. This is something I have felt called to, been dreaming about and planning for a long time now. That said, there is also something special about this time of waiting and preparing. It is special to know that God is using this time in my life to refine me and prepare me.

Is spending all this time reading books, writing reports, attending training, and being 100% supported before I can depart, necessary? At the beginning even I had my doubts but now I am completely convinced that the program that WorldVenture has designed for me is necessary. It is simple, I want to be the best I can be and this program helps with that. I want to be able to assimilate into the Indonesian culture at a deeper level, I do not want language to be a barrier, and I don't want to have to worry about having adequate funding to do the ministry God has called me to.

After spending several years working and going to graduate school this chance to rest and spend time with the people I love is a blessing. It has also allowed to be spend time focusing on improving my health. So while my heart's desire is to return to Indonesia as soon as possible, I know the Lord has plans for this time and that I can be content that He knows the best time for departure.