My Brain Is About To Explode!

My Brain Is About To Explode!

Recently we heard a missionary express this sentiment after a particularly long and difficult week.  We have heard on occasion people say that they "hit the wall".  Hearing this second expression, we have to admit that we were not sure at first what it meant, but it did not sound good.

We all go through times that are trying and difficult.  For missionaries learning language and culture, dealing with families and trying to live in new surroundings, the task can be particularly daunting.  Annette and I remember well going to church for 3 hours trying to pick out even the most basic words. We wondered for a while why during the church service they kept saying "thank you and goodbye" (gracias a Dios) The frustration we felt was at times overpowering. On some Sundays after leaving worship, riding our two buses back home we would eat lunch and just want to close our door and get away from it all... Our brains were about to explode!  As time went on we began to pick up on more and more vocabulary and we were actually able to understand the basic idea of the sermon. We remember how we longed to make a contribution to the Bible study in Sunday school.  We would sit there and plan out a response, a question or some other comment only to find that the topic had changed and we would have to start all over again.  Ticos are loving and supportive and they continually complemented our Spanish whenever we would attempt conversation.  This is especially funny when you consider that in the 1st trimester we were communicating everything in present tense. We made many mistakes and more than once a blank smile would gaze back at us as we tried to explain something.

That was many years ago, but with the Lord's help we made it through language study, and in spite of all our deficiencies still to this day, we look back and see how God has been able to use us to fulfill a small bit of His plan in Costa Rica, Chile and beyond.

What we want to get across to you is that when God calls He prepares you for the ministry that He has placed before you.  He does not expect you to learn language without His help anymore than He expects you minister without His power. God created us and He knows us better than we know ourselves.  Pray and ask the Father to guide you during these trying days and then rest in the comfort of knowing that He is in charge.  He can even use subjunctive correctly!

Grace,
Mike & Annette